JOPLIN, Mo. - Missouri Southern men's basketball has added six newcomers to the 2026-27 roster.

The group features a combination of proven collegiate production and accomplished high school careers, with Tyrique Brooks returning to Southern after one season at Missouri State, junior college All-American Samar Bures joining the Lions from South Suburban College, along with transfer Jake Weaver and freshmen Brandon Clemens, Eli Fegans and Mason Barnett.

Brandon Clemens
Clemens joins the Lions as a freshman guard from Saint Charles, Missouri, after a standout career at MICDS. Clemens earned Second-Team All-Conference honors as a freshman before being named First-Team All-Conference in each of his final three seasons. He was also a two-time First-Team All-State selection, a two-time All-District selection and was named District Player of the Year during both his junior and senior seasons.

Clemens averaged 16.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game during his high school career. He was named Second-Team All-Metro as a senior and earned MVP honors at the Don Maur Christmas Tournament. Clemens helped MICDS capture the 2026 Class 5 State Championship and district titles during his freshman, junior and senior seasons.

Tyrique Brooks
Brooks returns to Missouri Southern for his junior season after spending the 2025-26 campaign at NCAA Division I institution Missouri State. During his sophomore season, Brooks played in 23 games and scored 44 points, while adding 15 rebounds, 12 assists, seven steals and three blocks.

Brooks originally joined the Lions in 2024-25 and made an immediate impact, appearing in all 28 games and averaging 13.1 points per game. He scored 368 points and led the team with 59 three-pointers made, including a season-high seven three-pointers in a 31-point performance against Baptist Bible. He also recorded a career-best 12 rebounds against Emporia State.

Brooks, a Springfield, Missouri, native, was a standout at Springfield Central High School, where he scored more than 1,500 career points and averaged 17.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.0 blocks per game. He earned Class 6 Co-Player of the Year honors as well as All-Conference, All-District and All-State recognition. Brooks also won the 2024 Bass Pro Tournament of Champions Dunk Contest.

Samar Bures
Bures brings significant junior college experience to the Lions after two seasons at South Suburban College. The Park Forest, Illinois, native scored more than 1,000 career points and was named a 2026 NJCAA Division II Third-Team All-American after averaging 18.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game.

Bures was named NJCAA National Player of the Week on Nov. 26, 2025, and earned first-team all-conference honors in each of his final two seasons at South Suburban College.

He previously competed at Rich Central High School, where he earned all-conference honors and was named Co-MVP.

Mason Barnett
Barnett comes to Missouri Southern as a freshman guard from Frisco, Texas, following a decorated career at Grapevine Faith Christian School. A four-year letterwinner, Barnett scored more than 3,000 career points and helped lead the Lions to two state championships.

Barnett was a three-time First-Team All-State selection and a four-time First-Team All-Conference honoree. He was also named District MVP, District Offensive MVP and District Newcomer of the Year during his prep career.

Eli Fegans
Fegans joins the Lions as a freshman forward from The Colony, Texas, after helping Little Elm High School capture the 2026 Texas 6A State Championship. Fegans finished his high school career with more than 950 points, 600 rebounds, 300 assists and 210 combined steals and blocks, including 250 offensive rebounds.

As a senior, Fegans was named Defensive MVP and earned Second-Team All-District and Honorable Mention All-State honors. He was also a Second-Team All-District selection as a junior and earned First-Team All-Defensive honors as a freshman. In the classroom, Fegans was an All-Academic District selection all four years.

Fegans helped Little Elm earn the No. 1 ranking in Texas and No. 22 national ranking in 2026, according to MaxPreps and Sports Illustrated.

Jake Weaver
Weaver gives the Lions a 6-foot-11 presence in the frontcourt after transferring to Missouri Southern from Tabor College. During his freshman season, Weaver earned KCAC All-Freshman Team honors and was named KCAC Defensive Player of the Week.

Weaver averaged 8.7 points per game while shooting 50.5 percent from the field. He totaled 217 rebounds, averaging 8.0 per game, which ranked second in the conference, and recorded 34 blocks, also good for second in the conference. He added 50 assists and 24 steals during the season.

Prior to Tabor, Weaver was a three-year letterwinner at Edmond North High School. He earned All-Conference Honorable Mention and Academic All-Conference honors as a senior and helped Edmond North win a state championship during his sophomore season and finish as the state runner-up as a junior.


NEXT: MSSU opens the 2026-27 campaign with the MIAA/GAC Crossover Nov. 13 and Nov. 14 in Wichita, Kansas. The Lions will face Arkansas Tech and Southwestern Oklahoma State.

Fall Missouri Southern Tickets are currently on sale online. Fans can also purchase an MIAA Network subscription to support Missouri Southern Athletics and catch all the Lions action this 2026-27 season.