By Marty Gordon, NRVsports@ourvalley.org
Radford Men’s Basketball Head Coach Zach Chu has announced 14 players joining the roster for the Highlanders’ upcoming 2025-26 season.
The Highlanders’ roster additions feature 13 newcomers and one returner promising to deliver a new level of excitement for the debut season under Chu. Radford brings in experience from the state, national and international level, including nine transfers from fellow Division I programs, one transfer from the Division II level, one returner from the 2024-25 campaign and four freshmen, with representation from eight states and four countries.
Tyson Brown, Forward | 6-9 | Virginia Beach, Va. | Georgia Southern
Brown was a standout player for the Georgia Southern program last season totaling 241 points and 225 rebounds while setting the program record for single-season shooting percentage at an impressive 63.4% clip (102-161).
Coach’s word on Brown: “Tyson’s experience, skill and toughness on both ends of the court make him a valuable asset to our program. We place a high value on Tyson’s ability to finish at the rim, breaking the Georgia Southern single-season field goal percentage record this past season. On the defensive end, Tyson can block shots and become the anchor of our defense. Tyson has participated and been successful in multiple levels of college basketball and we are really excited for him to bring that experience with him to our program.”
Brennan Rigsby Jr., Guard | 6-3 | De Beque, Colo. | Minnesota
He played in 29 games with Minnesota during the 2024-25 season with 10 starts averaging 5.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg and 16.8 minutes.
Coach’s word on Rigsbey: “Brennan brings a wealth of experience having started his career at Northwest Florida State Junior College before playing three years in high major conferences at Oregon and Minnesota. He will offer veteran leadership to our younger core. Brennan is a jack of all trades kind of player, known for hard play and defensive versatility. He is an excellent cutter and presents a three-point threat that we will certainly leverage within the framework of our offensive system. Brennan has historically made big shots at crucial times in the game, and we feel fortunate to acquire a player with a clutch gene like he has shown in his career thus far.”
Jaylon Johnson, Guard | 6-0 | Houston, Texas | Tennessee Tech
He spent last season leading Tennessee Tech’s offense with a remarkable 14.3 ppg and 153 total assists. Started in all 32 games played, scoring in double figures 25 times.
Coach’s word on Johnson: “Jaylon possesses the rare qualities of being a commanding floor general, leading the OVC last season in assists, and being able to create his own shot especially late in the game. Jaylon has impacted winning at every level he’s played: Region 10 Rookie of the Year at Concordia University, Region 18 2nd-Team Honors at College of Southern Idaho, and this past season at Tennessee Tech earned All-Ohio Valley Conference First Team and OVC All-Newcomer Team. We will heavily rely on Jaylon’s experience, leadership and skillset to spearhead our team on offense and defense.”
Louie Jordan, Forward | 6-9 | Leicester, England | UMBC
He was a sharpshooter from deep for UMBC in a breakout 2024-25 season hitting 48.8% (59-121) of his three-point shots while averaging 7.5 ppg and 0.9 apg.
Coach’s word on Jordan: “Louie was one of the best three-point shooters in the country at 49% during the 24-25 season. In addition to being one of the best shooters in the nation, Louie has great size at 6’9 and is a perfect fit for our position-less system. Maybe the most overlooked quality for Louie is his effort. He runs the floor consistently in transition and defends with physicality and a bit of savviness. We will lean on Louie’s extensive experience of collegiate and international basketball and look forward to him having a voice in the locker room and on the court.”
Bradley Land, Guard | 6-6 | Dallas, Texas | Colorado Christian
He spent the last two seasons at Colorado Christian amassing an impressive 12.7 ppg, 1.3 apg and 5.4 rpg over 54 career starts.
Coach’s word on Land: “Bradley is an underrated, hidden gem in the transfer portal coming from Division II. He has the strength of a Center and the skillset of a wing player. His ability to play multiple positions on both ends aligns with our positionless identity and will allow him to flourish as he enters the Division I level. He has consistently progressed every year on the court with his shooting, play making and defensive prowess. Bradley’s versatility and high IQ is exactly the type of player we believe will be successful.”
Dennis Parker Jr, Guard | 6-6 | Richmond, Va. | N.C. State
He transfers into the program after spending the last two seasons with N.C. State where he appeared in 52 games and earned 12 starts averaging 13.4 minutes per game.
Coach’s word on Parker: “Dennis is one of the most versatile players in the country and plays the game with an exciting aggression and ferocity. He was one of the nation’s leading rebounders and blocked shots per 40 minutes. Dennis has the ability to play multiple positions and can be a lock down defender for all positions on the court. This versatility and his physical tools make him the perfect fit for our position-less style of play. He is at his best in the open court, playing above the rim and creating chaos on the defensive side of the ball. Dennis was a consensus four-star recruit and top-100 player in the country coming out of high school in the class of 2023. We are extremely excited about the continuing growth of his overall game on both ends.”
Lukas Walls, Guard | 6-5 | Knoxville, Tenn. | Samford
He played 22.8 minutes in the most recent 2024-25 campaign on a very successful Samford program the last two seasons appearing in 59 games.
Coach’s word on Walls: “Lukas is a high IQ, skilled and fearless hooper. His physically imposing build and incredible competitive stamina gives Lukas the ability to set the tone for our team on both ends. Lukas is coming from a winning program and shot 39% from three-point last season. Through our development program, we are going to instill irrational confidence in Lukas’ shooting through live reps and depend on his versatility to play multiple positions on the floor. Lukas is going to be a fan favorite because he has the gift of playing extremely hard and unselfish.”
Mari Jordan, Guard | 6-5 | Atlanta, Ga. | Tulane
He appeared in 24 games and earned four starts last season at Tulane as a consistent scoring threat for the Green Wave averaging 7.0 ppg.
Coach’s word on Jordan: “We are incredibly excited about Mari becoming a Highlander. Mari is a very driven, versatile and talented prospect. He is a former four-star prospect and top 100 player in the High School Class of 2023. He has had previous stops at the University of Georgia and Tulane University and his experience at the upper levels of college basketball is invaluable to us as a team. Mari’s size, skill and character are a perfect match for our position-less and selfless brand of basketball.”
Del Jones, Guard | 6-3 | Arlington, Va. | Clemson
He appeared in 32 games with Clemson during the 2024-25 season totaling 123 points and 32 assists in his freshman campaign.
Coach’s word on Jones: “Del is a dynamic and explosive guard that has played at the highest level in college, high school and on the EYBL circuit. Due to his incredible speed, Del thrives in the open court by putting constant pressure on the rim and creating for his teammates. His competitiveness and grit makes Del an ideal addition to our offensive system and is an immediate impact player on the defensive end as well. A former top-75 player in the nation coming out of high school in the class of 2024, Del has only scratched the surface of the player he is going to be, and we are committed to relentless development of his game once he arrives on campus at Radford.”
Zion Walker, Guard | 6-2 | Burlington, N.C. | The Burlington School
He returns to the Highlanders after a solid debut season in 2024-25 where he appeared in 27 games and earned one start averaging 10.9 minutes despite being sidelined with an injury at the end of the season.
Coach’s word on Walker: “We are extremely excited in Zion’s decision to return as a Highlander for this upcoming season. It was a joy getting to know Zion this Spring. He is a very intelligent individual who has a natural charisma about him that serves as an attractive energy. Having Zion back as our only returning player places a large amount of responsibility on him at a young age to lead and guide our players who are coming from a diverse set of backgrounds. Zion is a talented scorer who has playmaking attributes and a strong frame at his position.”
Diogo Alves, Guard | 6-2 | Tualatin, Ore. | Tualatin HS
He brings a plethora of Elite High School and FIBA National Team experience and was known as a knockdown shooter for Tualatin High School in Tualatin, Oregon. Following the 24-25 season Diogo was named Defensive MVP for his team.
Coach’s word on Alves: “We are really excited about Diogo’s commitment to our program. He has a great work ethic, and the development o his game is evident over the last couple years. Diogo has a real gift to shoot the basketball on the catch and off the dribble. Diogo is a high character young man that comes from a great basketball family, and we are ecstatic to have him join our team.”
Frederik Erichsen, Forward | 6-9 | Copenhagen, Denmark
He spent the last year playing for Ratiopharm ULM in the German NBBL averaging 16.8ppg, 7.4rbs, 2.0 apg, 1.5stl/g in just 22.9mpg
Coach’s word on Erichsen: “We are ecstatic about adding a player as talented and versatile as Frederik to our first Highlander recruiting class. He is someone with his size & skill set can play any position on the floor which makes him compatible with our positionless style of play. He is a proven player at the highest levels of international basketball & we expect him to make an immediate impact in his first season as a Highlander. Lad os arbejde!”
Gabriel Ferreira, Center | 6-10 | Paulista-Pernambuco, Brazil
He comes to Radford from NBA Latin America Academy where he was the starting Center. During the 24-25 season he averaged 15.5ppg, 10.1rbs, 1.6 blocks/g and 1.4 stl/g while shooting 38% from 3.
Coach’s word on Ferreira: “Gabi offers a unique ability to stretch the floor as a forward. His ability to dribble, pass and shoot from the Forward or Center position puts pressure on opponent big men to defend him out to the three-point line. He has tremendous length and a knack to block shots around the basket. Gabi is showing to develop quickly through his time at the NBA Latin America Academy in Mexico. We are extremely encouraged by the rate of which he has shown improvement and look forward to further developing his skillset around a position-less style of play. Vamos trabalhar!”
Ladavian King, Guard | 6-2 | Aurora, Colo. | Rangeview HS
He joins the Highlanders from Rangeview High School in Aurora, Colorado. During the 24-25 Season LD led his team to the State Title Game averaging 16.2ppg, 3.2apg, and 4.9rbs/g.
Coach’s word on King: “It brings me great pleasure to welcome LaDavian to the Highlander family. LD is a gifted scorer and competitor. His quickness provides him the ability to blow by primary defenders to create for teammates or himself. LD’s passion for basketball and team first mentality has labeled him as a winner throughout his high school career and we are excited to have his successful pedigree in our freshmen class.”
