DETROIT (5/14/2026) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team inked a couple of front-court players for the upcoming season in transfers Dante Favor and Vladyslav Semerych.

"I think we have two highly skilled student-athletes who will come in here, compete, and work hard and will make this program better," said head coach Mark Montgomery. "Dante made an impact as a freshman and just continued to improve and is coming off a great season. Vlad played for a very strong junior college program, where he shot the ball well and showcased a very high IQ on the court."
 
Dante Favor * 6-8 * 215-lb * Canton, Mich. * Canton HS * Spring Arbor

• Will have one year of eligibility after playing three seasons at Spring Arbor
• A two-time Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete
• Played in 86 games with 79 starts and averaged 10.7 points and 7.4 rebounds, shooting 58.6% from the field with 81 blocks and 89 steals
• Recorded 18 double-doubles in his career
• Tabbed First Team All-League as a junior after posting 15.3 points per game, second on the team, and finishing with a career-high 445 points, a career-best 35 blocks, and 43 steals
• Scored in double figures 25 times with six 20-point games, including a career-high 27 points with 14 rebounds in a win over Madonna
• Also had 26 games with at least five rebounds and eight in double figures, pulling down a career-high 17 with 17 points against Mount Vernon Nazarene

Vladyslav Semerych * 6-9 * 210-LB * Horishni Plavni, Ukraine * Cherkassy HS * Indian Hills Community College

• Played in 59 games with 30 starts at Indian Hills, averaging 5.1 points and 3.7 rebounds, shooting 61.7% from the field
• Helped his team to a 57-9 mark in his two years, with a pair of trips to the NJCAA DI national tournament, as the program had nine players earn All-Region honors this past year, ending at 30-3 overall
• Tallied 5.8 points and 4.5 rebounds this past season, shooting 61.8% from the field, and scored in double figures in six games
• Had a season-high 13 points, hitting 6-of-7 from the field, with four rebounds against Gillette
• As a freshman, he averaged 4.5 points on 61.5% shooting, with four double-digit scoring efforts
• Netted a season-high 18 points to go along with 14 rebounds versus Elgin
• Had 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting to lead the Warriors to the NJCAA North Central District Championship with a win over #22 Dawson
• Also named to the 2024 Spring ICCAC Academic All-Region First-Team and the 2025 Spring ICCAC Academic All-Region Second-Team

 
The pair joins transfers Jordan Briggs (Detroit Mich./Wayne State) and Elías Pálsson (Njardvik, Iceland/Augusta) and incoming freshmen Keaton Aldridge Jr. (Indianapolis, Ind.), Greg Grays Jr. (Detroit, Mich.), Chance Houser (Detroit, Mich.), and James Martin (Muskegon, Mich.).

UDM is also set to return seniors Ayden Carter and London Maiden and sophomores Je'kel Cotton, Xavier Istomin-Monroe, Tyler Spratt, and Lance Stone.