Men's Basketball Welcomes 2026-27 Recruiting Class
June 02, 2026 | Men's Basketball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - Head coach Jeremy Luther and the Gardner-Webb men's basketball team have announced its upcoming recruiting class, featuring 11 players added to next season's roster
DJ Daniel - Daniel appeared in 29 games at Frostburg State at a redshirt freshman in 2025-26 , while starting in 23 of those games. Daniel quickly emerged as one of the best players in the conference, earning All-Mountain East Conference Second Team honors after a standout season in which he averaged 16.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while shooting over 51% from the field. Daniel a season high of 30 points against West Liberty, had 14 rebounds against West Virginia State and 11 assists against Salem (WV). Daniel shot 38% from beyond the arc with 54 made threes on the season. He previously attended Gwynn Park High School where he was named Most Improved Player in 2023 and 2024. Earned Honor Roll from 2022-2024.
Seth Brown - Fresh off a standout season at Fresno Pacific University where he earned All-PacWest Second Team honors after leading the Sunbirds in scoring, three-pointers made, free throws made and minutes played. He averaged 13.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and shot 38% from three-point range and 84.7% from the free throw line while starting all 28 games. Brown a season high 24 points against Hawaii Hilo. Prior to his time at Fresno Pacific, Brown saw action in 26 games with 18 starts at Cal State LA in 2024-25. He averaged 9.4 points and 2.3 rebounds with 50 made threes on the season with a season-high 16 points against Westmont and Cal St. LA. Brown also played one season at Division II Adelphi where he was named to the NE10 All-Rookie Team and earned NE10 Academic Honor in the fall of 2023 and spring of 2024 while scoring 8.3 points, 2.2 rebounds per game and had a career high of 22 points.
Mikhail Pocknett - Pocknett appeared in 23 games at the University of Buffalo in 2025-26 while averaging 3.9 points and 4.1 rebounds a game. He scored a season-high eight points twice at UMBC and against Penn State-Behrend and had a season-high 13 rebounds at East Carolina. In 2024-2025, Pocknett played for Division II King University, earning First Team All-Conference Carolinas after averaging 22.2 points and 9.3 rebounds to go along with a 52% field goal percentage, helping lead the Tornadoes to a Conference Carolinas Tournament semifinal appearance. He finished with 10 double-doubles on the year and earned five Conference Carolinas Player of the Week honors while at King. As a freshman in 2023-24, Pocknett was named Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year, after averaging 17.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game while also earning Second-Team All Conference Carolinas. He is also a two-time Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Month award winner.
Jackson Skipper - Skipper saw action in 31 games with one start for Vermont in 2025-26, scoring a season high nine points against Northeastern. He finished third on the team in free throw percentage. Prior to Vermont, Skipper had a spell at Oral Roberts, sandwiched between a 2023-24 campaign again at Vermont. For Oral Roberts in 2024-25, he appeared in 26 games with 11 starts on the season, scoring 5.0 points with 2.3 rebounds a game while shooting 36% from three on the season. He scored a season high 20 points against Tex. A&M-Texarkana. In his first season at Vermont in 2023-24, he saw action in 11 games as a redshirt freshman. Skipper posted a season-high 11 points and was 3-for-4 from deep in the regular season finale at New Hampshire. He earned America East Academic Honor Roll after the season. Prior to landing in college basketball, Skipper played his 2021-2022 season at Link Year Prep in Missouri, rated as a three-star recruit and the No.2 Missouri high school recruit by ESPN. Prior to Link, Skipper also played at Sapulpa High School, where he averaged 21.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, and 2.0 blocks a game. He was named to the the Tulsa World All-State Team in 2020-2021.
Bryson Luther - Luther finished with one of the most decorated careers at Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, setting a program record with 1,341 career points. As a senior, he averaged 15.5 points a game and shot 38% from three-point range, leading the Gryphons to a North Carolina state championship. Luther was also in national honors society and graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Rue Wells - Wells spent the past year with Link Academy Post Grad in Branson, Missouri. Prior to Link Academy, Wells also enjoyed a standout high school career at Springfield Central High, leading the program to a Missouri High School Final Four appearance and a 25-7 record his junior year. Wells routinley earned local recognition as one of the top guards in the Kansas City area.
David Gaymon - Gaymon played for nationally ranked Putnam Science Academy where he helped the program compete for a National Prep Championship. he posted a 33 point, 15 rebound and 10 assist triple double during the season. Before Putnam, Gaymon emerged as one of New York City's top rising guards while competing in the CHSAA and on the EYBL circuit with NY Lighting. He earned 2024-25 CHSAA AA Second Team honors, NYSSWA Class AAA Third Team recognition and was named MVP of the 2024 Jordan Holiday Classic.
Ginwuine Tropnas - Tropnas spent the 2025-26 season at Lincoln University where he appeared in 30 games, starting in 15 of them. He averaged 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds and finished with 45 blocks on the year including a season-high 14 points against Livingstone, 14 rebounds against Morehouse and five blocks against Elizabeth City State. Tropnas also enjoyed two standout seasons at Lake Region State College, earning Mon-Dak All-Conference Second Team honors in 2024-2025 after averaging 13.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks while shooting 54% from the field. He also averaged 9.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks a game as a freshman, totaling 59 blocks on the season. Tropnas also finished third in the conference in rebounding and set Lake Region State College's career blocked shots record with 105 over two seasons.
Chinedu Okpara - A forward from Wilbraham & Monsoon Academy, Okpara emerged as a rising prospect in the 2026 class while competing for Middlesex Magic on the UAA circuit. He earned recognition on the Prep Hoops All-NEPSAC AA postseason awards list and was named one of the biggest risers in the New England 2026 rankings.
Sam Nosakhare - Nosakhare appeared in 10 games for Quinnipiac last season, with a season-high eight rebounds against Manhattan and a season-high four blocks at Monmouth. Before Quinnipiac, Nosakhere helped lead Putnam Science Academy to its fifth Prep School National Championship in the 2024-2025 season. The star big helped lead Putnam Science to a 41-2 mark during the historic run while earning Power Five AAA Defensive Player of the Year honors. Prior to Putnam Science Academy, Nosakhere was named NEBL Co-Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-NEPSAC AA Honorable Mention recognition at Tifton School. He was ranked the No. 4 player in the state of Connecticut by New England Recruiting Report.
Brave Rutsindura - A 6'11 forward who enjoyed two productive seasons at Navarro College, he appeared in 29 games, starting in 22 of those games last season. During the 2025-2026 campaign, Rutsindura averaged 6.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks a game, while shooting an efficient 64.5% from the field. He had a season high 14 points against Odessa College, 14 rebounds against Paris Junior College and five blocks against Kilgore College. Prior to Navarro, Rutsindura competed internationally with Rwanda at the FIBA U18 African Championships and played prep basketball at Mt. Zion Prep.
