MONROE, La. – After being hired in late March, Coach Ryan Cross had the task of rebuilding the entire ULM Men's Basketball Roster. He hit the ground running the past six weeks and has added 14 new signees to complete the roster for the 2026-27 season.  "After getting the job, I felt like it was imperative that we overhaul the roster with a combination of high school, junior college and transfer portal recruits," said Cross.

With no scholarship players returning, Cross set out to rebuild the roster from scratch.  "I am confident that my experience prepared me to accomplish this task. Last season at UAB, we were in this same situation. We returned zero scholarship players and were able to build a roster that accomplished a top four finish in the American Conference and produced a sixth straight 20-win season." The class is made up of one high school recruit, six transfer portal additions and seven junior college recruits.  "When I evaluated our needs for this class, I felt strongly that we needed to build a roster with older guys. College basketball has changed dramatically in the past few years.  We needed a combination of talent and experience as we work to build a team that can compete in the Sun Belt."

As the lone high school recruit, Cooper Nelson joins the Warhawks after a decorated career at Sterlington High School.  His career culminated with being named the Louisiana 3A Player of the Year.  "I am excited to add Cooper to our program," said Cross. "He grew up in our camps when I was an assistant and has been a long-time follower of ULM Basketball. After our first conversation, I knew he was an important piece for this class. He loves ULM Basketball and is committed to the process we will go through to reboot this program."

Out of the junior college ranks, the Warhawks have added several players that address various needs.  "With my background as a former JUCO head coach, I have always worked this area in recruiting. The seven guys we signed out of junior college can all have an immediate impact on our roster. I am excited to begin working with them as we prepare them in making the transition from the JUCO level to division one."

Phillip Tillman (ASU-Mid South) comes to ULM after an All-American season and an NJCAA National Tournament appearance. The 6-1 combo guard is originally from Turrell, Arkansas. Mike White (Lincoln Trail) is another guard that garnered All-American honors this past season. He is a 6-3 guard originally from Buford, Georgia. Grant Chamberlain (Parkland) also was named an NJCAA All-American while leading his team to the NJCAA Division II National Championship. Chamberlain is a 6-7 forward out of Orlando, Florida who made 92 threes at 47%. Jakeel Registe and Ziyade Ndancky both come to the Warhawks from national power Odessa College. Jakeel is a 6-6 guard from Houston, Texas while Ziyade is a 6-10 forward from Bronx, New York. Martins Adonry (Lamar State) is a 6-8 forward originally from Manchester, England. Adonry led NJCAA Region 14 in rebounding. To round things out, Guillaume Schoentgen (South Georgia Tech) is a 6-9 skilled forward originally from Waterloo, Belgium.  He played his freshman season at South Georgia Tech and has extensive international experience with the Belgium National Team.  He will come to ULM as a sophomore.

Out of the transfer portal, Coach Cross welcomes six newcomers to the roster.  Following him from UAB are three players; Dayjaun Anderson (6-3 guard), Quaran McPherson (6-4 guard) and Lance Carr (6-7 forward).  "I am pleased that DA, Q, and Lance are joining our program.  We have a familiarity with one another that will make this transition smooth. All three guys were looking for a situation where they could have an expanded role. Coming from UAB, they understand what winning looks like. All three will have an immediate impact on our program on and off the court."

Two other portal additions are coming in from Tennessee State. Khalil London is a 6-3 guard from Wyandanch, New York that originally played at College of Charleston before playing last season at Tennessee State. "I am excited about Khalil. He brings us a level of maturity and a winning background that we needed. He has been on three teams that have advanced to the NCAA Tournament. He has dealt with some unfortunate injuries since high school but is finally healthy. I am confident he is ready to have a breakout season for us." Jean Lafleur is the other signee coming to Monroe from Nashville. After two seasons at Southwest Tennessee Community College, Lafleur redshirted this past year. "Jean is a 6-11 center that will give us an immediate presence at the rim. He is a former conference defensive player of the year in JUCO that will provide us with a real physical presence in the paint. I am excited for our staff to get to work with him as we develop him into a quality player at this level." 

The final signee out of the portal is Robert Cowherd. Cowherd is a former four star recruit out of Grayson, Georgia. He signed and attended Ole Miss out of High School before transferring to Southern Miss this past season. "Robert is much like Khalil. He has dealt with several significant injuries throughout his career that have prevented him from producing at the level he was recruited to do. I know he is eager to get to work and establish himself. He gives us size and skill on the perimeter that if healthy, can be a very good player in the Sun Belt."

This recruiting class will join Cam Campbell as the only returnee from the 2025-26 ULM roster. "I am very pleased with the class that our staff was able to put together. As I stated in my introductory press conference, the goal is very simple; we want to put a team on the floor that can compete in the Sun Belt and play meaningful basketball in the month of March. We have assembled a roster that will give us a chance to produce that result. We will play a very challenging non-conference schedule that will prepare these guys for the rigors of Sun Belt action. I look forward to getting these guys to campus and starting our journey."