Men's Basketball 5/19/2025 11:52:00 AM Walter Moore

Men's Basketball Announces 2025-26 Recruiting Class

SAVANNAH, Ga.- Savannah State University interim head men's basketball coach Clevan Thompson has announced the Tigers 2025-26 recruitment class.

The class of six newcomers includes three transfers, two junior college transfer and one post graduate transfer.

Ladarrius Chigano, D'ontaye Strawter, Braylon Jackson, Mekhi Witter, James Leach and Isaiah Isichei have all signed their letters of intent and announced their commitment to play basketball for Savannah State next season.

Chigano (6'9", 215-lb.) is a transfer center from Valdosta State University. The Chattanooga, Tennessee native has strong defensive abilities and is an elite shot blocker. He is a strong athlete who dunks everything and can finish strong down low along with having elite footwork. Chigano had a season high of 10 points against Alabama-Huntsville and five blocks against Morehouse last season. He finished the season shooting 67 percent from the field and made 87 percent of his free throw shots. Before attending VSU, Chigano also spent time at Chattanooga State Community College and Bethel University.

Strawter (6'10", 230-lb) comes to SSU from the College of Coastal Georgia. A native of Riviera Beach, Florida, he is a two-way dominant big man who has great touch around the rim with a great low post presence and a shot blocker on the defensive end with an innate ability to rebound the ball. Last season at Coastal Georgia, Strawter averaged 3.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. He had a season-high of eight points and nine rebounds against Brewton Parker and four blocks against Abraham Baldwin. Before playing at Coastal Georgia, Strawter also played two seasons at St. Petersburg College.

Jackson (6'0", 160-lb) transfers to Savannah State from the University of Tennessee-Martin. Hailing from East Dublin, Georgia, he is a three-level scorer who competes on defense and is dedicated to make him and his teammates better. Jackson saw limited time at UTM during the 2023-24 season and before that, he was a all-region player at Newman High School where he averaged 14.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 steals per game.

Witter is a 6'5", 190-lb. sophomore junior college transfer forward from Andrew College. The Conyers, Georgia native averaged 12.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists and shot 51.9 percent from the field at Andrew. Witter scored 36 points and pulled down 17 rebounds against Marion Military Institute this past season. He is a two-way wing who does it all from the floor score, defend, and play makes for others.

Leach returns to the "Port City" after spending the past two seasons at St. Petersburg College. The 6'6", 200-lb. junior college transfer averaged 6.3 points and 8.8 rebounds during the 2024-25 season while shooting 51.2 percent from the field. He had 18 rebounds against Miami Dade College and 16 points against Daytona State College. He is an elite rebounder and defender and can guard all five positions on the court. Leach is ultra explosive human highlight reel that dunks the ball with power with exceptional leaping ability and a knockdown mid-range jump shot. During his high school days at Beach High School, Leach was a all-region performer who finished the season averaging 10.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks a game.

Isichei is a 6'2", 190-lb. guard who comes to SSU from DME Sports Academy in Daytona Beach, Florida. A pure shooter with ice water in his veins, Isichei averaged 27.8 points a game. He averaged 6.5 made two-pointers and 3.6 made three-pointers per game this past season. He is a dedicated and driven player, bringing an international perspective to the university. A native of Berlin, Germany, he honed his skills at John F. Kennedy School and led his division in points and three-pointers.

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