D1 · Ohio Valley Conference

Eastern Illinois Men’s Basketball Recruiting: Roster & Openings

KenPom #331 · 13–20 · 2025–26 · Division 1 · Ohio Valley Conference · Charleston, IL

Eastern Illinois finished 13–20 (OVC 9th, KenPom #331) in 2025–26. 15 players hold the 2026–27 roster; 11 are new this season.

Roster data through 2026–27

Roster15 players
New this season11
Transfer additions7
Clearest projected openingCenters · 2027
Most common home stateIN (4)

Where the door opens

our roster projection · your arrival year

Centers: open from 2027 — 1 ahead.

Guards: blocked until 2029.

2027
Gcrowded9 ahead
Fbalanced5 ahead
Copen1 ahead
2028
Gbalanced7 ahead
Fopening3 ahead
Copen0 ahead
2029
Gopening5 ahead
Fopening1 ahead · multi-yr
Copen0 ahead
2030
Gopen4 ahead
Fopen1 ahead
Copen0 ahead

Projections for 2029, 2030 are low-confidence reads.

Guards in that room (9)
Shia Francis6′3″Fr
Shane Sims6′4″RS-Fr
Jayden Wright5′11″Fr
Logan Kurtz6′2″Fr
Markus Blackwell6′2″So
JT Elder6′7″RS-Sr
Jaden Miller6′1″RS-Jr
Jalen Calloway6′3″Jr
Devin Davenport6′2″Sr
Forwards in that room (5)
Ethan Hillsman6′6″Fr
Demar Burton6′8″Sr
Gavin Welch6′6″Sr
Daniel Ntambwe6′5″Jr
Andrew Austin6′7″RS-Jr
Centers in that room (1)
Tanner Vogel7′0″RS-Sr
Those openings are for the roster in general. See whether your position, size and profile fit them →

If you want to play at Eastern Illinois

How to get recruited here

For 2027 arrivals the roster projection reads: G crowded (9 ahead), F balanced (5 ahead), C open (1 ahead).

Of the latest cycle's 12 arrivals, 5 came straight from high school and 7 from the transfer portal.

Most arrivals come from IN, TX, IL.

0 of 15 recent arrivals held a national ranking — 0 of 15 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

9% of last season's scoring returns.

The roster, as a depth chart

2026–27 · 15 players

Guards 9 of 15

JT Elder6′7″RS-Sr · final yr
Shane Sims6′4″RS-Fr
Shia Francis6′3″Fr
Jalen Calloway6′3″Jr
Logan Kurtz6′2″Fr
Markus Blackwell6′2″So4.7 PPG
Devin Davenport6′2″Sr · final yr
Jaden Miller6′1″RS-Jr
Jayden Wright5′11″Fr

Frontcourt 6 of 15 · forwards + centers

Tanner Vogel7′0″RS-Sr · C · final yr
Demar Burton6′8″Sr · F · final yr
Andrew Austin6′7″RS-Jr · F2.4 PPG
Ethan Hillsman6′6″Fr · F
Gavin Welch6′6″Sr · F · final yr
Daniel Ntambwe6′5″Jr · F
freshman final year — spot opens returning

Returning production

9%of recorded scoring returns
0 of 5top scorers returning
Top returning scorers
Markus Blackwell4.7 PPG in 2025–26 · returning
Andrew Austin2.4 PPG in 2025–26 · returning

Computed from 11 of 14 players on the 2025–26 roster with recorded stats; "returning" means listed on the 2026–27 roster.

Who actually gets onto this roster?

How players arrive

5from high school7via the portal

8 of 15 roster spots were filled out of high school or held over.

Rankings

0 of 15

0 of 15 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

Where from

IN 4 · TX 4 · IL 3 · MI 2 · AZ 1 · DC 1

2 international: Busselton, Australia; DR Congo

High schools: Alexander; Silver Creek; OKC Douglass and 2 more

Transfer flow

named arrivals and departures

2025–26 → 2026–27 · in

→Demar Burton
→Gavin Welch
→Daniel Ntambwe
→Tanner Vogel
→Jaden Miller
→Jalen Calloway
→Devin Davenport

2025–26 → 2026–27 · out

←Preston Turner
←Terry McMorris
←Meechie White
←Kyle Layton
←Prince Johnson
←Malik Olafioye

How this roster compares

Ohio Valley Conference (8 programs, 2025–26 medians)
MeasureEastern IllinoisConference
Average guard height6′3″6′3″
Average frontcourt height6′7″6′8″−1″
Roster size1515
Freshman share33%21%+12pp

The five-year arc

kenpom rank · wins · conference finish
#3572021–22#3512022–23#3202023–24#3112024–25#3312025–26
5–26 · OVC 10th9–22 · OVC 10th14–18 · OVC 7th12–19 · OVC 7th13–20 · OVC 9th

Coaching staff

Desmond BalentineAssistant coach - men's basketball
Marty SimmonsHead coach
Rich McBrideAssistant coach
Nate MichaelAssistant coach
Bob LockartAssistant coach
Staff changes7 on-court staff changes in 4 offseasons — 4 before 2023–24, 1 before 2024–25, 2 before 2025–26.

Academics

published admissions data
Acceptance rate65%
SAT midpoint1020
ACT midpoint20

How this page is made: Rosters: official Eastern Illinois rosters, 2025–26 and 2026–27, read from the athletic department's own site · Season: Eastern Illinois's 2026–27 roster is posted, so this page reads it; the conference comparison uses 2025–26, the newest season every program has on file. · Stats: 2025–26, the last season played — the 2026–27 season has no games yet. · New this season: players not listed on the 2025–26 roster; a newcomer who is not a freshman counts as a transfer addition · Ratings: KenPom, five seasons; conference finish computed among same-conference teams by rating · Openings: Depth Chart's roster projection from listed class years; confidence stated per year · Sample: among players who made a college roster — the data cannot see who didn't. Among players who made a college roster. Model judgments describe positions and cohorts, never a named player's future. Refreshed automatically when the rosters change. Corrections: research@mydepthchart.com.

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