TROY, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's basketball team, under the direction of 12th-year head coach Mark Gilbride, will welcome five newcomers to the program for the 2026-27 season. The incoming class features four freshmen—Rotimi Esiso, Nate Shillingford, Anthony Tleiji, and Brian Vales—along with transfer Antoni Vlogianitis.
A 6-foot-5 guard/forward from New City, New York, Esiso joins RPI after a standout career at Clarkstown North High School. He earned All-New York State, All-Section 1, All-Rockland County, and All-League honors while also being named to the LHBCA and LoHud First Teams. As a senior, Esiso averaged 16.1 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game, leading Clarkstown North to its first sectional championship in 41 years.
Shillingford, a 6-foot-4 guard/forward from Putnam Valley, New York, spent three seasons at Iona Prep, where he was named to the LoHud Super 7 Watch List and earned CHSAA Honorable Mention recognition. He then completed a postgraduate season at The Phelps School in Malvern, Pennsylvania, helping lead the Lions to a 26-7 record while averaging 10.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
Tleiji, a 6-foot-5 forward from Latham, New York, comes to RPI after a successful career at Shaker High School. He averaged 13.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game and helped the Blue Bison capture the New York State Class AAA Championship and Section 2 Class AAA title as a junior. During his senior season, Tleiji was recognized as Shaker High School's Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was named a Suburban Council League Exceptional Senior.
Vales arrives at RPI from Mount Sinai High School in Mount Sinai, New York. The 6-foot-6 forward helped lead the Mustangs to back-to-back Suffolk County championships during his junior and senior seasons. He was named the Suffolk County Tournament Most Valuable Player and Suffolk County Class A Player of the Year while also earning All-Long Island Second Team and All-State Third Team honors. As a senior, Vales averaged 22.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
Vlogianitis joins the Engineers after two years as a member of the men's basketball team at Marist University. A native of Long Island, New York, he starred at Chaminade High School, where he helped lead the Flyers to a Catholic High School AA State Championship and earned Championship Game MVP honors. As a senior, Vlogianitis was selected to the CHSAA First Team after averaging 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.
"This is a talented group of student-athletes who will represent RPI with distinction," said Gilbride. "We are excited to welcome these young men to our basketball program."
The five-member class brings a blend of championship experience, academic excellence, and positional versatility to Troy as the Engineers prepare for the 2026-27 campaign.
