D1 · Southwestern Athletic Conference

Southern Men’s Basketball Recruiting: Roster & Openings

KenPom #249 · 17–17 · 2025–26 · Division 1 · Southwestern Athletic Conference · Baton Rouge, LA

Southern finished 17–17 (SWAC 2nd, KenPom #249) in 2025–26. 13 players hold the 2026–27 roster; 12 are new this season.

Roster data through 2026–27

Roster13 players
New this season12
Transfer additions10
Clearest projected openingForwards · 2026
Most common home stateGA (7)

Where the door opens

our roster projection · your arrival year

Forwards: open from 2026 — 6 ahead.

Guards: blocked until 2028.

2026
Gbalanced11 ahead
Fopening6 ahead
2027
Gbalanced10 ahead
Fopening9 ahead
2028
Gopening5 ahead
Fopening3 ahead
2029
Gopening4 ahead
Fopening2 ahead · multi-yr
2030
Gopen1 ahead
Fopen2 ahead

Projections for 2029, 2030 are low-confidence reads.

Guards in that room (8)
Daniel Dormu5′10″Jr
Joseph Hunter6′6″Sr
Malik Ferguson6′4″Sr
Sean Van Dorn Jr.6′6″So
Lionel Larvadain III6′0″Jr
Armonii BenJamin6′2″Fr
Karez Demory6′2″Fr
Duran Parish6′3″Jr
Forwards in that room (3)
R'Chaun King6′7″RS-So
Lionel Bell6′9″Fr
Aaron Hall6′8″Sr
Those openings are for the roster in general. See whether your position, size and profile fit them →

If you want to play at Southern

How to get recruited here

For 2026 arrivals the roster projection reads: G balanced (11 ahead), F opening (6 ahead).

Of the latest cycle's 13 arrivals, 3 came straight from high school and 10 from the transfer portal.

Most arrivals come from GA, LA, TX.

3 of 13 recent arrivals held a national ranking — 3 of 13 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

1% of last season's scoring returns.

The roster, as a depth chart

2026–27 · 13 players

Guards 8 of 13

Joseph Hunter6′6″Sr · final yr
Sean Van Dorn Jr.6′6″So
Malik Ferguson6′4″Sr · final yr
Duran Parish6′3″Jr
Armonii BenJamin6′2″Fr
Karez Demory6′2″Fr
Lionel Larvadain III6′0″Jr
Daniel Dormu5′10″Jr

Frontcourt 5 of 13 · forwards + centers

Noah Boyde7′0″Grad · C · final yr
Ibrahim Olajuwon6′10″Grad · C · final yr
Lionel Bell6′9″Fr · F1.4 PPG
Aaron Hall6′8″Sr · F · final yr
R'Chaun King6′7″RS-So · F
freshman final year — spot opens returning

Returning production

1%of recorded scoring returns
0 of 5top scorers returning
Top returning scorers
Lionel Bell1.4 PPG in 2025–26 · returning

Computed from 14 of 17 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

3from high school10via the portal

3 of 13 roster spots were filled out of high school or held over.

Rankings

3 of 13

3 of 13 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

Best-ranked: Joseph Hunter #107.

Where from

GA 7 · LA 7 · TX 3 · MS 2 · AL 1 · CA 1

4 international: Lagos; Monchy; Cairo, Egypt; Charlotte

High schools: Shadow Creek HS; Eagles Landing HS; Booker T. Washington HS and 2 more

Transfer flow

named arrivals and departures

2025–26 → 2026–27 · in

→Daniel Dormu
→Joseph Hunter
→Malik Ferguson
→Sean Van Dorn Jr.
→Lionel Larvadain III
→R'Chaun King
→Aaron Hall
→Noah Boyde
→Ibrahim Olajuwon
→Duran Parish

2025–26 → 2026–27 · out

←Jayce Depron
←Trey Shephard
←Rondae Hill
←Femi Olaniyan
←Ashton Magee
←Brandon Hardy
←Fazl Oshodi

How this roster compares

Southwestern Athletic Conference (12 programs, 2025–26 medians)
MeasureSouthernConference
Average guard height6′3″6′4″−1″
Average frontcourt height6′9″6′8″+1″
Roster size1315−2
Freshman share23%18%+5pp

The five-year arc

kenpom rank · wins · conference finish
#2362021–22#3022022–23#2462023–24#2132024–25#2492025–26
17–14 · SWAC 2nd15–17 · SWAC 5th18–14 · SWAC 1st20–12 · SWAC 1st17–17 · SWAC 2nd

Coaching staff

Kevin JohnsonHead men's basketball coach
Jethro HillmanAssistant coach | recruiting coordinator
Phillip ShumpertAssistant coach
Shembari PhillipsAssistant coach
Staff changes5 on-court staff changes in 4 offseasons — 2 before 2023–24, 3 before 2025–26.

Academics

published admissions data
Acceptance rate35%
SAT midpoint928
ACT midpoint17

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