By MATT PIKE
The Missouri Western men's basketball team is gearing up for a new season, and Head Coach Brooks McKowen has announced his signing class for the 2026-27 season.
McKowen and his staff have signed eight players for the upcoming season, an even split, with four freshmen and four transfers with collegiate experience.
"We are extremely excited about this recruiting class as a whole," McKowen says in a release from the University. "We were able to bring in players who fit the culture we established last season. This group has a great balance of experienced college basketball players from different levels, along with several talented freshmen who will be able to compete and contribute from day one."
The eight newcomers join seven players who are set to return for the 2026-27 season, including two starters. MoWest, in McKowen's first season as head coach went 21-12 and made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021.
Starting with the new freshman faces, is guard Enoch Rodriguez out of Blue Valley High School. Rodriguez is a two-time first team all-Eastern Kansas League, a 3 time all-state selection, a first team all-Valley Center, and was named to the all-McPherson tournament team.
The 6-5 guard ranks fourth all-time in career scoring at Blue Valley, fifth in career rebounding and fourth in career assists. He was ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the Class of 2026 per Prep Hoops and averaged 15 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 3 apg as a senior.
The Griffon coaching staff dipped into Wichita to sign guard Corbin Johnson, out of Kapaun Mt. Carmel. A 5A Kansas Player of the Year, Johnson shot 48% from three-point range, ranked first in the state of Kansas in three-point percentage for three consecutive seasons, and helped his team win back-to-back state championships for the first time in school history finishing his career with an overall high school record of 89-10.
He holds his school record for career made three-pointers (156) … ranks third in his school's history in career scoring (1163). Johnson is a 2 time first team all-state player and a 4 time sub state champion. In his senior season, Johnson averaged 19.2 ppg, 4.7 apg, 6 rpg, 2.1 spg, and shot 61% from the field and 82% from the free throw line.
McCowen stayed local recruiting another guard in Smithville's A.J Mason. A 2 time first team all-district player, Mason was also a 2 time first team all Greater Kansas City Suburban Conference selection. He ranks second in school history in career assists, broke a school record with 11 steals in a single game and also showed up academically being a 4 time academic letter recepient and a Summa Cum Laude honoree. In his senior season, Mason averaged 12 ppg, 4.4 apg, 4.1 rpg, and 2.4 spg.
Lastly for the new faces to college, the Griffon men signed Jase Foster yet another guard, out of Greenwood Laboratory School. Foster was a second team all-conference player and holds the school record for most career charges taken. He averaged 11.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.3 spg as a senior.
For the players with collegiate experience already, MoWest started by going to the Crossroads League, a member of the NAIA, in the transfer portal, signing forward Crew Gibson, most recently out of Indiana Wesleyan.
Gibson played in 31 of 33 games, making 18 starts for the Wildcats averaging 7.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, also adding 86 assists, 24 blocks and 18 steals while shooting 53% from the field, 43.1% on 3-pointers and 75% at the free throw line. He was named a CSC Academic All District player. He transferred to Indiana Wesleyan from Indiana Tech, where he played two seasons, and was a first team all-WHAC Conference and WHAC All-Defensive Team player as a sophomore, and made the WHAC All-Freshman team. In his sophomore season, he averaged 14.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.2 bpg.
McKowan brought in another big man through the portal, bringing forward Leo Gayman from Kansas City, a graduate of Park Hill High School, closer to home.
Coming to MoWest for his sophomore season, Gayman played one season at Southwest Baptist in Bolivar, playing in 19 games and making 12 starts as a freshman. He averaged 11.7 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.5 spg. At Park Hill, Gayman averaged 18.5 ppg in both his junior and senior seasons, averaging a double-double as a junior and senior with 14.5 rpg as a junior and 10.5 rpg as a senior.
He was a Class 5 All-State selection and a Greater KC Suburban Conference White Division Player of the Year, being named a 2 time all-conference and all-district player as well, finishing his time at Park Hill with over 1000 career points and 1000 career rebounds.
While focusing on guards out of high school, it was the big men from the portal, as the Griffon men signed forward Cole Marsh, who played most last season at Kirkwood Community College, after starting his college career playing football at the University of Iowa.
Marsh played for the Eagles last season making 25 starts. He averaged 11 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 apg and was highly coveted out of the transfer portal, receiving multiple NCAA Division II offers. In 2024, Marsh was a tight end for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Coming out of Waverly-Shell Rock High School in Waverly, Iowa, Marsh was a 3 time all state selection in basketball and made the 2024 all-state tournament team.
He averaged 17 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg finishing his high school career with more than 1000 career points, while also being a standout football player who played quarterback and tight end.
For the last signee, MoWest did add one more guard in the portal, signing Drew Kingery, who played his last two seasons at Truman State. A GLVC Academic All-District player and GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award winner, Kingery played in 33 career games for the Bulldogs.
Kingery made made 28 starts last season averaging 8.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1 apg, shooting 50% from the field, including 42% from three. Coming from Indianola High School, he played football and basketball. In his two seasons playing football, he was two-time first team all-state, district MVP, set his school's single-season receiving record and helped his team to a 16-6 total record.
On the court, he was a three-time all-conference in basketball, third team all-state in 2022, all-state first team in 2023. Kingery scored 1,252 points, grabbed 449 rebounds and recorded 231 assists with a team record of 69-18 while winning two conference titles in basketball.
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