Savannah State adds six newcomers, including three junior college transfers

Savannah State is not waiting on freshmen to grow into the job. The Tigers unveiled six newcomers for 2026-27 on June 30, and three of them come from the junior college ranks, a clear sign Clevan Thompson is trying to accelerate a roster that finished 16-12 and came within one point of the Miles upset in the SIAC quarterfinals.

Antonio Sisk II looks built to help right away. At Dallas College Cedar Valley, the 6-foot guard averaged 18.6 points per game in NJCAA Region 5 play in 2023-24 while shooting 53.5% from the field and 46.8% from three-point range, and he added 3.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.0 steals a night. He earned First Team All-Conference and All-Region V honors there, then moved on to Mississippi Valley State, where he played 28 games with 15 starts in 2024-25. Savannah State also is bringing in Fortune Anslem-Ibe, who gives the Tigers a different kind of immediate edge after ranking among the KJCCC top five in total blocks and field-goal percentage.

That JUCO backbone matters because Savannah State’s last run showed how narrow the margin already is. The Tigers went into the 2026 SIAC Tournament as the third seed, beat Kentucky State 81-79 in the first round and then fell 48-47 to Miles in the quarterfinals. Thompson’s latest class is designed for that kind of game, with older, more battle-tested additions expected to tighten the rotation from the opening tip of next season.

The high school side of the class brings scoring, too. Chace North, a Central High School product in Carrollton, Georgia, finished his career with more than 1,000 points, made the AJC Super 11 and averaged 24 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists per game as a senior after shooting 54% and scoring 24.3 points per game. DJ Miller of San Antonio, Texas, adds another perimeter threat after being described as a 1,000-point scorer and First Team All-State guard.

The mix stretches across Georgia, Texas, Tennessee and Nigeria, giving Savannah State a class that is both regional and international. One of the six newcomers is an international student from Nigeria, and the release listed Walter Moore as the athletics department contact, but the bigger message was roster construction: Thompson is blending junior college readiness with high-school upside and a Division I transfer to push the program forward now rather than later.