D2 · Great American Conference

Henderson State Men’s Basketball Recruiting: Roster & Openings

Division 2 · Great American Conference · Arkadelphia, AR

Henderson State (D2, Great American Conference) lists 16 players on the 2026–27 roster; 7 are new this season.

Roster data through 2026–27

Roster16 players
New this season7
Transfer additions4
Clearest projected openingForwards · 2027
Most common home stateAR (8)

Where the door opens

our roster projection · your arrival year

Forwards: open from 2027 — 3 ahead.

Guards: blocked until 2029.

2027
Gcrowded12 ahead
Fopen3 ahead
Cbalanced1 ahead · multi-yr
2028
Gcrowded10 ahead
Fopen0 ahead
Copen1 ahead
2029
Gopening7 ahead
Fopen0 ahead
Copen0 ahead
2030
Gopen4 ahead
Fopen0 ahead
Copen0 ahead

Projections for 2029, 2030 are low-confidence reads.

Guards in that room (12)
Neal Brewer—Fr
Hunter-Mack Nelms6′4″So
James Elgas6′2″So
Kanard Turner6′4″RS-Fr
Corliss Williamson6′3″So
Elijah Smothers—Fr
Zaveion Okoh6′4″Sr
Chandler Randle—Fr
Justus Michael—Jr
AJ Howard6′4″Jr
Rondae Hill—Jr
KJ Sykes5′9″Sr
Forwards in that room (3)
Kaylon Mason—Sr
Tyson Whybrew6′6″Sr
Jabari West6′8″Sr
Centers in that room (1)
Rodrigo Rioja—Jr
Those openings are for the roster in general. See whether your position, size and profile fit them →

If you want to play at Henderson State

How to get recruited here

For 2027 arrivals the roster projection reads: G crowded (12 ahead), F open (3 ahead), C balanced (1 ahead · multi-yr).

Of the latest cycle's 8 arrivals, 4 came straight from high school and 4 from the transfer portal.

Most arrivals come from AR, TX, LA.

0 of 16 recent arrivals held a national ranking — 0 of 16 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

58% of last season's scoring returns.

The roster, as a depth chart

2026–27 · 16 players

Guards 12 of 16

Hunter-Mack Nelms6′4″So2.5 PPG
Kanard Turner6′4″RS-Fr
Zaveion Okoh6′4″Sr · final yr13.4 PPG
AJ Howard6′4″Jr0.3 PPG
Corliss Williamson6′3″So
James Elgas6′2″So2.6 PPG
KJ Sykes5′9″Sr · final yr10.5 PPG
Neal Brewer—Fr
Elijah Smothers—Fr
Chandler Randle—Fr
Justus Michael—Jr
Rondae Hill—Jr

Frontcourt 4 of 16 · forwards + centers

Jabari West6′8″Sr · F · final yr7.8 PPG
Tyson Whybrew6′6″Sr · F · final yr5.8 PPG
Kaylon Mason—Sr · F · final yr
Rodrigo Rioja—Jr · C
freshman final year — spot opens returning

Returning production

58%of recorded scoring returns
3 of 5top scorers returning
Top returning scorers
Zaveion Okoh13.4 PPG in 2025–26 · returning
KJ Sykes10.5 PPG in 2025–26 · returning
Jabari West7.8 PPG in 2025–26 · returning

Computed from 13 of 16 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

4from high school4via the portal

12 of 16 roster spots were filled out of high school or held over.

Rankings

0 of 16

0 of 16 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

Where from

AR 8 · TX 7 · LA 2 · CA 1 · CO 1 · MS 1

2 international: Madrid, Spain; Belgrade

High schools: Little Rock Christian Academy ×2; Episcopal HS; Hot Springs HS and 2 more

Transfer flow

named arrivals and departures

2025–26 → 2026–27 · in

→Kaylon Mason
→Rodrigo Rioja
→Justus Michael
→Rondae Hill

2025–26 → 2026–27 · out

←Jaden Nelson
←Creed Williamson
←Grey Garrison
←TJ Callahan
←Rade Zecevic
←Jameel Wesley II

How this roster compares

Great American Conference (12 programs, 2025–26 medians)
MeasureHenderson StateConference
Average guard height6′3″6′3″
Average frontcourt height6′7″6′7″
Roster size1616
Freshman share25%33%−8pp

Coaching staff

Jimmy ElgasHead men's basketball coach
LaPhonso Ellis, Jr.Assistant men's basketball coach
Trey TotherohAssistant men's basketball coach
T'Chad McAlmanAssistant men's basketball coach
Staff changes6 on-court staff changes in 4 offseasons — 2 before 2023–24, 3 before 2025–26, 1 before 2026–27.

Academics

published admissions data
SAT midpoint1065
ACT midpoint21

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