Staff Turnover, Portal Movement, and First Two Additions for NKU

Northern Kentucky is losing a key piece of its staff, as assistant coach RJ Evans has been hired as the head coach at American International College. Evans spent the last two seasons as an NKU assistant, playing a major role in defensive strategy and player development, particularly on the wing, while helping guide the Norse to a Horizon League semifinal run. His departure leaves a notable opening on Darrin Horn’s staff moving forward.

Addison Archer also entered the transfer portal in the final days before it closed, and there is a strong expectation that he could follow RJ Evans to American International.

NKU also lost Ryan Peterson, who spent the past two seasons on staff as Assistant Coach/Player Development, as he moves on to an assistant coaching role at Florida Atlantic University.

Northern Kentucky has added its first piece of the 2026 spring class, signing forward Will Shortt out of Niagara. The 6'8" Australia native, who grew up in New Zealand, brings size, efficiency, and frontcourt versatility to the Norse. Head coach Darrin Horn emphasized Shortt’s fit on both ends of the floor, pointing to his athleticism and the expectation that he can take another step quickly within NKU’s system.

Shortt appeared in 61 games over two seasons at Niagara, including 25 starts as a sophomore, where he averaged 6.5 points and 4.4 rebounds in 19.4 minutes while shooting an efficient 60.5% from the field. His production trended up late in the year, posting 9.5 points and 5.4 rebounds over the final 13 games, with a 22-point outing against Quinnipiac and a 13-rebound performance versus Sacred Heart. He finished the season with three double-doubles, 43 career blocks, and experience developed at IMG Academy, giving NKU a proven Division I frontcourt option with upside.

Will Shortt projects as a simple, effective frontcourt piece, and his game is easy to understand once you strip it down. He scores almost everything at the rim, finishes at a high level, and plays within himself. As a sophomore, he became a highly efficient interior scorer, shooting around 60% from the field while averaging about 6–7 points and 4–5 rebounds in under 20 minutes per game. He doesn’t stretch the floor or handle a high volume of touches, but when he gets the ball in the paint, he converts. He also showed value in structured situations, especially out of timeouts, where he was nearly automatic finishing set plays around the basket. Defensively, he took a step forward as a rim presence, giving more resistance inside even if he’s still developing as a complete defender.

The biggest storyline with Shortt is his development from year one to year two. As a freshman, he was more of a low-usage, situational player who flashed efficiency but didn’t have a defined role. He even showed some perimeter touch in a very small sample, but was inconsistent defensively and struggled in half-court settings on that end. By his sophomore year, his role became much clearer. He leaned fully into being a paint-first big, cut out the perimeter game, improved his efficiency, and became more reliable defensively. In simple terms, he went from a raw, situational contributor to a defined, dependable interior piece.

In NKU’s second move of the offseason, the Norse add a veteran guard in Eric Acker. The 6'2 incoming senior began his career at LIU, where he earned All-NEC Rookie Team honors while averaging 12.7 points per game and leading the team with 98 assists. He showed his scoring upside early, including a 28-point performance against Le Moyne, before transferring to La Salle. Over the last two seasons there, Acker played in 42 games with 11 starts, averaging 5.4 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 36% from three, settling into more of a complementary but still aggressive role.

Eric Acker’s career has followed a pretty clear path if you zoom out and look at the full picture. As a freshman at LIU, he was handed the ball and asked to go make things happen right away. The production was there at 12.7 points per game, but it came with a lot of growing pains. High turnovers, inconsistent finishing, and tough shot selection were all part of it. Still, the flashes were obvious. He could get downhill, draw fouls, and wasn’t afraid of big moments. As a sophomore at La Salle, the role shifted slightly. Injuries limited him to 17 games, but the game slowed down some. He looked more controlled, more comfortable in half-court settings, and more reliable defensively, even if the efficiency still lagged behind.

By his junior year, Acker settled into what he is right now: a high-usage guard who is trusted to take and make difficult shots. He knocked down 36.4% from three, showed real confidence shooting off the dribble, and became a go-to option late in possessions. It is not always clean, and the efficiency still comes and goes, but that is the tradeoff with a player who takes on that kind of responsibility. The trajectory is pretty straightforward. He has gone from raw volume scorer, to more controlled contributor, to experienced guard who can carry offense in stretches. For NKU, that likely means adding a veteran backcourt piece who can create his own shot, handle pressure possessions, and bring a level of experience that fits right into a roster that is going to need it.

Eric Acker already has some familiarity with Truist Arena and NKU from his freshman season at LIU, when the Sharks played in NKU’s Thanksgiving tournament. In his first game in the building, he led all scorers with 22 points on 8-14 shooting, including 4-8 from three, while adding 9 rebounds and 4 assists in an 83-68 win over Texas A&M–Corpus Christi.

The next day, he faced NKU in a 72-64 Norse win, but still made his presence felt with 13 points on 6-12 shooting and 1-3 from three, along with 4 assists. Acker came out aggressive, scoring 6 of LIU’s first 8 points and forcing Darrin Horn to call a timeout just four and a half minutes into the game.

On a more personal note, those were the first two NKU games I ever called on ESPN+. Acker stood out right away as a dynamic, fun guard to watch, and it’ll be interesting to see him bring that same energy back to Truist Arena.