D1 · Missouri Valley Conference

Illinois State Men’s Basketball Recruiting: Roster & Openings

KenPom #99 · 23–13 · 2025–26 · Division 1 · Missouri Valley Conference · Normal, IL

Illinois State finished 23–13 (MVC 3rd, KenPom #99) in 2025–26. 14 players hold the 2026–27 roster; 14 are new this season.

Roster data through 2026–27

Roster14 players
New this season14
Transfer additions9
Clearest projected openingGuards · 2028
Most common home stateIL (11)

Where the door opens

our roster projection · your arrival year

Guards: open from 2028 — 5 ahead.

Forwards: blocked until 2030.

2027
Gcrowded8 ahead
Fcrowded6 ahead
2028
Gopening5 ahead
Fcrowded4 ahead · multi-yr
2029
Gopening3 ahead
Fbalanced4 ahead
2030
Gopen2 ahead
Fopen3 ahead

Projections for 2029, 2030 are low-confidence reads.

Guards in that room (8)
Demarion Burch6′4″Sr
Ty Blake6′4″Sr
Jordan Williams6′6″Fr
Mason Klabo6′2″So
Isaac Ericksen6′8″RS-Fr
Johnny Kinziger5′11″Sr
Deng Garang6′6″RS-Jr
Zaxton King6′3″Jr
Forwards in that room (6)
Matthew Szafoni6′9″Fr
Chase Walker6′9″Sr
Louie Semona6′8″Sr
Leyton Wolf6′9″Fr
Noah Cleveland6′10″So
Nick Allen6′11″RS-Fr
Those openings are for the roster in general. See whether your position, size and profile fit them →

If you want to play at Illinois State

How to get recruited here

For 2027 arrivals the roster projection reads: G crowded (8 ahead), F crowded (6 ahead).

Of the latest cycle's 14 arrivals, 5 came straight from high school and 9 from the transfer portal.

Most arrivals come from IL, WI, ND.

1 of 14 recent arrivals held a national ranking — 1 of 14 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

0% of last season's scoring returns.

The roster, as a depth chart

2026–27 · 14 players

Guards 8 of 14

Isaac Ericksen6′8″RS-Fr
Jordan Williams6′6″Fr
Deng Garang6′6″RS-Jr
Demarion Burch6′4″Sr · final yr
Ty Blake6′4″Sr · final yr0.9 PPG
Zaxton King6′3″Jr
Mason Klabo6′2″So5.5 PPG
Johnny Kinziger5′11″Sr · final yr11.5 PPG

Frontcourt 6 of 14 · forwards + centers

Nick Allen6′11″RS-Fr · F
Noah Cleveland6′10″So · F
Matthew Szafoni6′9″Fr · F
Chase Walker6′9″Sr · F · final yr13.7 PPG
Leyton Wolf6′9″Fr · F
Louie Semona6′8″Sr · F · final yr
freshman final year — spot opens returning

Returning production

0%of recorded scoring returns
0 of 5top scorers returning
Top returning scorers

Computed from 12 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 school9via the portal

5 of 14 roster spots were filled out of high school or held over.

Rankings

1 of 14

1 of 14 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

Best-ranked: Jordan Williams #324.

Where from

IL 11 · WI 4 · ND 3 · NC 2 · IA 1 · KS 1

3 international: Columbus, Ohio; Cincinnati, Ohio; Cedar Falls, Iowa

High schools: University HS ×2; De Pere HS ×2; St. Charles ×2 and 2 more

Transfer flow

named arrivals and departures

2025–26 → 2026–27 · in

→Chase Walker
→Demarion Burch
→Ty Blake
→Louie Semona
→Noah Cleveland
→Mason Klabo
→Johnny Kinziger
→Deng Garang
→Zaxton King

2025–26 → 2026–27 · out

←Johnny Kinziger
←Chase Walker
←Jack Daugherty
←Isaac Ericksen
←Nick Allen
←Ty Pence
←Ty'Reek Coleman
←Cameron Barnes
←Mason Klabo
←Ty Blake

How this roster compares

Missouri Valley Conference (11 programs, 2025–26 medians)
MeasureIllinois StateConference
Average guard height6′4″6′4″
Average frontcourt height6′9″6′9″
Roster size1415−1
Freshman share36%31%+5pp

The five-year arc

kenpom rank · wins · conference finish
#2012021–22#2972022–23#1932023–24#1212024–25#992025–26
13–20 · MVC 7th11–21 · MVC 11th15–17 · MVC 10th22–14 · MVC 4th23–13 · MVC 3rd

Coaching staff

Ryan PedonHead coach
Mike NettiAssistant coach
Ethan MortonAssistant coach
Julian SullingerAssistant coach
Justin JenningsAssistant coach
Staff changes5 on-court staff changes in 4 offseasons — 1 before 2023–24, 3 before 2025–26, 1 before 2026–27.

Academics

published admissions data
Acceptance rate88%
SAT midpoint1100
ACT midpoint24

How this page is made: Rosters: official Illinois State rosters, 2025–26 and 2026–27, read from the athletic department's own site · Season: Illinois State'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.

See whether your profile fits Illinois State's openings

This page describes the program. The free Market Preview scores YOU against it — and 1,059 others.

Start my free preview

Share this page

On a phone, Share… opens your share sheet — Instagram, TikTok, Messages.

Also in the Missouri Valley Conference

every Missouri Valley Conference program →

Related