ATLANTA — Georgia State men's basketball has officially released its 2025-26 roster, as announced by head coach Jonas Hayes on Tuesday afternoon.
The Panthers will feature a balanced squad of returners and newcomers, returning six players from last year's roster while welcoming six new faces to the team, including three veteran transfers.
Among the key returners are standout guards Jelani Hamilton and Malachi Brown, who played pivotal roles during the 2024-25 season.
Hamilton returns after a breakout sophomore campaign in which he appeared in all 33 games, earning 21 starts. He averaged 10.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while leading the team with 38 total steals. Hamilton made headlines early in the season with a career-high 32-point performance against Toccoa Falls on Nov. 18, the highest single-game total by any Panther last season. He also posted a career-best nine rebounds and six assists in a rivalry win over Georgia Southern (Jan. 8), and delivered clutch free-throw shooting in key conference games.
Brown, one of the most reliable players on the roster last season, started 31 of 33 games while averaging 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and a team-leading 3.36 assists per game. He finished fourth in the Sun Belt with a 1.85 assist-to-turnover ratio and ranked in the conference's top 10 in both total assists (111) and assists per game. Brown recorded 12 double-digit scoring performances, highlighted by a career-high 19 points and five three-pointers against ULM (Feb. 5). He also tallied a career-high nine assists and six made free throws against James Madison (Jan. 25), and pulled down a career-best seven rebounds at Buffalo (Feb. 8).
Joining the returning core are four transfers who bring collegiate experience and depth to the program. That group includes Ayouba Berth (Minot State), Joah Chappelle (Pearl River C.C.), Anthony Enoh (Jessup University) and Jakai Newton (Indiana), a former four-star recruit with high-major pedigree.
Hayes also adds three freshmen to the roster, headlined by Atlanta native Micah Tucker, a dynamic guard from Overtime Elite.
Georgia State Athletics will release the full 2025-26 men's basketball schedule at a later date.
