MSSU announces men's basketball additions to complete roster for upcoming season

Aug. 11—Missouri Southern men's basketball head coach Sam McMahon has announced the final additions to the upcoming 2023-24 season, with four transfers and two freshmen added to the roster.

"I am extremely happy about this recruiting class," McMahon said in a statement. "All of the guys are very good players but even better people, they will help us continue to build upon our culture and improve our program one day at a time and I can't wait to coach them."

—Cam Williams: 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, guard from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (St. Louis).

"Cam is a seasoned veteran. He has played in almost a hundred Division I college basketball games in his career so he has seen it all. He is a big tough guard who can score in multiple ways and guard multiple positions," McMahon said. "I had the opportunity to coach against him in the (Ohio Valley Conference) when I was at SEMO, so I have seen his talent firsthand. He will be tremendous for us."

Williams was a member of the SIU-Edwardsville basketball program from 2018-23 where he appeared in 93 games with 48 starts as a Cougar. During his time at SIUE he averaged 9.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 made threes in 22.4 minutes per game. In his first two seasons as a Cougar, Williams finished as one of the top-four scorers on the team and was second on the team for assists as a sophomore after being second on the team as a freshman in made threes and three-point percentage. The 2020-21 season was off to a good start averaging 8.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game through 10 games before he suffered a season-ending injury. In 2021-22, Williams appeared in 22 games off the bench finishing with 4.5 points and 1.8 rebounds a game in 12.8 minutes.

He plans to work on a master's in business at Southern.

—Darius Dawson: 6-foot-6, 215, forward from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (Sumter, South Carolina).

"Darius is a versatile forward who can score in a variety of ways, and with his strength, athleticism and motor, he will be great for us on both ends of the floor," McMahon said.

Dawson played the 2022-23 season at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, where he averaged 13.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks a game in 26 starts. For his performances, Dawson was a second-team All-MACCC honors. Prior to his time at MGCCC Dawson was at Francis Marion University, a Division II program that plays in the Conference Carolinas where he averaged 8.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 32.3 minutes per game in 14 starts. Dawson began his collegiate career at Marion Military Institute where he started in 27 of the 28 games he played in while averaging 12.3 points and 9.0 rebounds a game. Dawson prepped at West Florence High School for coach Daryl Jarvis where he was named onto the High School Report's AAAAA All-State Team and was the MVP of the Pepsi Classic along with helping lead his team to the state playoffs as a senior.

He plans to major in finance at Southern.

—Ibn Loyal: 6-foot-5, 220, forward from West Virginia State University (Newark, New Jersey).

"Ibn is an explosive forward who can play multiple positions that are extremely strong and tough, which will help us tremendously on the defensive end with his relentless motor that doesn't stop," McMahon said.

Loyal played the 2022-23 season at West Virginia State University, which competes in Division II and for the Mountain East Conference. At WVSU, he averaged 7.8 points and 4.4 rebounds a game in 29 appearances. Prior to his time at WVSU Loyal was at Clarendon College in Texas from 2020-22 where he started in 28 games from 45 appearances while averaging 10.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 1.1 assists and 1.0 blocks per game.

He plans to major in drama at Southern.

—Justin Duff: 6-foot-3, 185, guard from De Smet Jesuit High School (St. Louis).

McMahon: "Justin is an elite shooter and has a knack for scoring the basketball and comes from a successful high school program in De Smet where he is their all time leading 3-point shooter, which says a lot. He has a bright future."

Duff prepped at De Smet High School where he was a four-year letter winner for coach Kent Williams. He also was a two-time All-MCC selection along with receiving All-State, Metro and District honors during his time as a Spartan. Duff etched his name into the programs record books with the most three pointers made in a career with 167 while shooting above 40% from deep in three seasons and is seventh all-time in career scoring with over 1,100 points.

He plans major in business at Southern.

—Isaiah Atwater: 5-foot-10, 155, Guard from Maize South High School (Wichita, Kansas).

McMahon said: "Isaiah is a true point guard who has a great feel for the game and makes everyone around him better. He knows how to read the defense and get open shots for his teammates. He is a winner."

Atwater prepped at Maize South High School for coach Joe Jackson where he was a four-year letter winner for the Mavericks. While at Maize South High School he averaged 15 points and six assists a game with his name atop the single-season and career records at the school for assists. A two-time first-team All-State selection and Kansas Player of the Year finalist who was also a three-time All-Conference selection, he helped lead the Mavericks to a sub-state championship during his time.

He plans to major in sports management at Southern.

—Prince Agbaeze: 6-foot-4, 205, guard from Wayne County Community College (Detroit).

McMahon said: "Prince is an athletic guard who is a good rebounder and defender along with being an awesome kid and will be great for our culture."

Agbaeze played at Wayne County Community College where he appeared in 48 games with 46 starts. As a sophomore in 2022-23, he averaged 8.1 points and 5.8 rebounds a game while shooting 51.8% from the field. During his freshman campaign, he averaged 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds (3.8 offensive rebounds) per game while shooting 66.1% from the field.