2025–26 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team

2025–26 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball
ConferenceSun Belt Conference
Record1–9 (0–0 Sun Belt)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Jeff Dunlap (1st season)
  • Jarvis Hayes (7th season)
  • Allen Payne (4th season)
  • Stevie Taylor (1st season)
Home arenaGSU Convocation Center
2025–26 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Arkansas State 2 0   1.000 9 4   .692
Georgia Southern 2 0   1.000 10 5   .667
Troy 1 0   1.000 8 5   .615
South Alabama 1 1   .500 9 4   .692
Appalachian State 1 1   .500 8 6   .571
Texas State 1 1   .500 8 6   .571
Coastal Carolina 1 1   .500 7 6   .538
Southern Miss 1 1   .500 7 6   .538
Old Dominion 1 1   .500 4 9   .308
Georgia State 1 1   .500 3 10   .231
Louisiana 1 1   .500 2 11   .154
Marshall 0 1   .000 7 5   .583
James Madison 0 2   .000 7 6   .538
Louisiana–Monroe 0 2   .000 3 10   .231
† 2026 Sun Belt tournament winner
As of December 20, 2025

The 2025–26 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represents Georgia State University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by third-year head coach Jonas Hayes, play their home games at the GSU Convocation Center in Atlanta, Georgia as members of the Sun Belt Conference.

Previous season

The Panthers finished the 2024–25 season 14–19, 8–10 in Sun Belt play to finish in a four-way tie for eighth place.[1] They would defeat Georgia Southern in the third round of the Sun Belt tournament[2] before losing to Marshall in the fourth round.[3]

Offseason

Departures

Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Jason Jackson 0 G 6'4" 185 Freshman Sarasota, Florida Transferred to Howard
Malik Ferguson 1 G 6'4" 190 Sophomore Grovetown, Georgia Transferred to Tennessee Tech
Justin Archer 2 F 6'7" 210 Graduate student North Brunswick, New Jersey Transferred to La Salle
Cesare Edwards 4 C 6'10" 235 Senior Hartsville, South Carolina Graduated; signed as a UDFA for the Oklahoma City Thunder
Brevyn Coleman 6 G 6'2" 185 Sophomore Lakewood, Ohio Transferred to Seward County CC
Zarique Nutter 7 F 6'7" 210 Senior Newark, New Jersey Transferred to Fordham
Darnell Evans 8 G 6'0" 165 Senior Amityville, New York Transferred to Clark Atlanta
Toneari Lane 11 G 6'5" 205 Senior Atlanta, Georgia Transferred to San Diego
Dhiaukuei "DK" Manyiel Dut 12 F 7'0" 210 RS Freshman Rumbek, South Sudan Transferred to California
Aaron Oh 14 G 6'0" 185 RS Sophomore Buford, Georgia
Nick McMullen 33 F 6'8" 235 Senior Greensboro, North Carolina Exhausted eligibility

Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Jakai Newton 1 G 6'4" 205 RS Sophomore Covington, Georgia Indiana
James Cooper 2 F 6'8" 235 Graduate student Mauldin, South Carolina Oregon
Anthony Enoh 12 F 6'7" 225 Junior Uyo, Nigeria Jessup
Ayouba Berthe 20 G 6'5" 200 Senior Minneapolis, Minnesota Minot State

Recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Christian Beam
C
Woodland, Alabama Southern Union State Community College 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 255 lb (116 kg)  
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (N/A)
Joah Chappelle
F
Atlanta, Georgia Pearl River Community College 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg)  
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (N/A)
Chris Jones
G
Atlanta, Georgia Douglass High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg)  
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (N/A)
Isaiah Sherrard
F
Westlake Village, California Moorpark College 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg)  
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (N/A)
Micah Tucker
G
Atlanta, Georgia Overtime Elite 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg)  
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (N/A)
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals.

Preseason

Preseason Sun Belt Conference poll

The Panthers were picked to finish in eleventh place in the conference's preseason poll.[4] Redshirt sophomore guard Jelani Hamilton was named to the conference preseason second team.[4]

Coaches poll
Predicted finish Team (1st place Votes)
1 James Madison - 175 (1)
2 Arkansas State - 154 (3)
3 South Alabama - 152 (4)
4 Troy - 148 (1)
5 Old Dominion - 145 (2)
6 Marshall - 128 (1)
7 App State - 123 (1)
8 Texas State - 106
9 Louisiana - 95 (1)
10 Georgia Southern - 66
11 Georgia State - 59
12 Southern Miss - 57
13 Coastal Carolina - 43
14 ULM - 19

Roster

2025–26 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Micah Tucker 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Overtime Elite Atlanta, Georgia
G 1 Jakai Newton 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS So Indiana Covington, Georgia
F 2 James Cooper 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) GS Oregon Mauldin, South Carolina
F 4 Trey Scott III 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Fr Mount Vernon Presbyterian School Atlanta, Georgia
F 6 Joah Chappelle 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Pearl River CC Atlanta, Georgia
G 7 Emmanuel Koveos 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Jr DME Academy Rhodes, Greece
F 8 Isaiah Sherrard 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Moorpark College Westlake Village, California
F 9 Kwame Tanic 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Lycée Français d'Irlande Paris, France
G 10 Jelani Hamilton 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS So Iowa State Marietta, Georgia
F 12 Anthony Enoh 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Jessup Uyo, Nigeria
G 20 Ayouba Berthe 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Minot State Minneapolis, Minnesota
F 21 Clash Peters 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So Word of God Christian Academy Long Beach, California
G 22 Malachi Brown 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Seton Hall Buford, Georgia
C 32 Christian Beam 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 255 lb (116 kg) So Southern Union State CC Woodland, Alabama
G 55 Chris Jones 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Douglass High School Atlanta, Georgia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: October 16, 2025

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 15, 2025*
7:00 pm
Georgia
CareSource Invitational
L 61–65 
                     GSU Convocation Center 
Atlanta, GA
October 24, 2025*
7:00 pm
at Morehouse W 73–62 
                     Forbes Arena (1,867)
Atlanta, GA
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025*
6:30 pm
at Eastern Michigan
MAC–SBC Challenge
L 49–71  0–1
 13  Hamilton   8  Enoh   3  Brown  George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,729)
Ypsilanti, MI
November 7, 2025*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Cincinnati L 64–74  0–2
 26  Hamilton   9  Chappelle   4  Hamilton  Fifth Third Arena (10,009)
Cincinnati, OH
November 10, 2025*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Presbyterian L 61–63  0–3
 23  Chappelle   6  Tied   4  Tucker  GSU Convocation Center (1,262)
Atlanta, GA
November 13, 2025*
7:00 pm
Fort Valley State W 90–56  1–3
 18  Tucker   12  Chappelle   3  Tied  GSU Convocation Center (1,832)
Atlanta, GA
November 17, 2025*
9:00 pm, ESPN+
at Arizona State L 62–75  1–4
 15  Brown   9  Newton   4  Brown  Desert Financial Arena (5,925)
Tempe, AZ
November 21, 2025*
8:00 pm, SLN
at South Dakota State
Cancún Challenge
L 58–105  1–5
 21  Hamilton   4  Beam   4  Tucker  First Bank & Trust Arena (2,641)
Brookings, SD
November 25, 2025*
3:00 pm, FloSports
vs. Samford
Cancún Challenge
L 63–78  1–6
 21  Tucker   7  Tied   3  Brown  Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya 
Cancun, Mexico
November 26, 2025*
3:00 pm, FloSports
vs. New Mexico State
Cancún Challenge
L 58–77  1–7
 15  Tucker   11  Chappelle   5  Brown  Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya 
Cancun, Mexico
December 2, 2025*
7:00 pm
at Mercer L 67–78  1–8
 18  Newton   9  Chappelle   3  Brown  Hawkins Arena (955)
Macon, GA
December 6, 2025*
3:00 pm, ESPN+
at Kennesaw State L 69–92  1–9
 15  Brown   8  Enoh   2  Tied  Convocation Center (3,064)
Kennesaw, GA
December 13, 2025*
2:00 pm
Jacksonville State       GSU Convocation Center 
Atlanta, GA
Sun Belt regular season
December 18, 2025
8:00 pm
at Georgia Southern       Hill Convocation Center 
Statesboro, GA
December 20, 2025
1:00 pm
at Appalachian State       Holmes Center 
Boone, NC
December 28, 2025*
5:00 pm
Columbia College (SC)       GSU Convocation Center 
Atlanta, GA
December 31, 2025
4:00 pm
at Marshall       Cam Henderson Center 
Huntington, WV
January 3, 2026
1:00 pm
at Coastal Carolina       HTC Center 
Conway, SC
January 8, 2026
7:00 pm
Appalachian State       GSU Convocation Center 
Atlanta, GA
January 10, 2026
4:00 pm
Marshall       GSU Convocation Center 
Atlanta, GA
January 17, 2026
3:30 pm
at Louisiana–Monroe       Fant–Ewing Coliseum 
Monroe, LA
January 22, 2026
7:00 pm
Southern Miss       GSU Convocation Center 
Atlanta, GA
January 24, 2026
2:00 pm
Arkansas State       GSU Convocation Center 
Atlanta, GA
January 29, 2026
8:00 pm
at Louisiana       Cajundome 
Lafayette, LA
January 31, 2026
2:00 pm
at South Alabama       Mitchell Center 
Mobile, AL
February 4, 2026
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Troy       GSU Convocation Center 
Atlanta, GA
February 7, 2026*
2:00 pm
TBA
MAC–SBC Challenge
      GSU Convocation Center 
Atlanta, GA
February 12, 2026
7:00 pm
at James Madison       Atlantic Union Bank Center 
Harrisonburg, VA
February 14, 2026
3:30 pm
at Old Dominion       Chartway Arena 
Norfolk, VA
February 19, 2026
8:00 pm
Georgia Southern       GSU Convocation Center 
Atlanta, GA
February 21, 2026
4:00 pm
James Madison       GSU Convocation Center 
Atlanta, GA
February 24, 2026
7:30 pm
Coastal Carolina       GSU Convocation Center 
Atlanta, GA
February 27, 2026
7:30 pm
Old Dominion       GSU Convocation Center 
Atlanta, GA
Sun Belt tournament
March 3–9, 2026*
vs.        Pensacola Bay Center 
Pensacola, FL
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Sources:[5][6]

References

  1. ^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Standings". Sun Belt Conference. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  2. ^ "Big Games from Lane, Nutter and Edwards Lead Georgia State over Georgia Southern 80-71". Georgia State University Athletics. March 6, 2025. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  3. ^ "Hamilton, Nutter Combine to Score 47, Georgia State Falls to Marshall 79-76". Georgia State University Athletics. March 7, 2025. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "James Madison Tabbed 2025-26 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Favorite & ODU's Davis Named Preseason Player of the Year". sunbeltsports.org. October 20, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  5. ^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". Georgia State University. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  6. ^ "Georgia State Panthers 2025-26 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved October 16, 2025.