UNI men’s basketball welcomes six to 2026 spring recruiting class

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI men's basketball team on Friday announced the signing of six athletes to the Panther roster for the 2026-27 season.

This year's spring signing class includes four Division I transfers in Tate McCubbin, Greyson Uelmen, Ian Smikle and Carson Vis. Also joining the UNI roster is international signee Jules Isebaert from Belgium, as well as Cedar Falls standout Jayden Kimbrough. The six signees join Will Gerdes, another Cedar Falls product on the newcomers list after signing in the fall.

Tate McCubbin | Guard/Forward / 6-8 | (Columbia, Mo. / Battle HS / Austin Peay)

A highly skilled guard/forward from Missouri, McCubbin joins the Panthers after two seasons at Austin Peay University in Tennessee. In 62 games with 54 starts, he averaged 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, one assist and 1.4 steals per game.

During his sophomore season with the Governors, McCubbin posted 9.7 points a game with 5.8 rebounds and 41 total steals, second-most on the team as Austin Peay clinched the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) regular season title with a 22-9 overall record and 15-3 league mark. McCubbin scored a season-high 19 points against Air Force and scored in double figures 17 times.

As a freshman, McCubbin made an immediate impact for Austin Peay, appearing in 31 games with 10.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. Shooting 43.7% from the field and 39% from beyond the three-point arc, he notched 15 games with ten or more points, including a career-high 38 points against Eastern Kentucky. A member of the ASUN All-Freshman Team, McCubbin was the first player in program history to be named the ASUN's Freshman of the Year in 2025 as the Governors reached the conference tournament title game.

McCubbin was a two-time All-State selection at Battle High School in Missouri under coach Ben Pallardy, notching 16.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and two blocks a game as a senior.

"Tate has the ability to stretch defenses as a proven three-point threat," said Green. "He has great length to go with a high skill level. His versatility on both ends of the court will allow him to make an instant impact on our program."

Greyson Uelmen | Guard / 6-2 | (Excelsior, Minn. / Minnetonka HS / North Dakota)

Fresh off an outstanding redshirt freshman season, Uelmen signs with Northern Iowa after spending the past two years at North Dakota. The Excelsior, Minnesota native redshirted the 2024-25 campaign before a breakout season in 2025-26.

As a redshirt freshman this past year with the Fighting Hawks, Uelmen started 34 of 35 games and led UND with a program single-season freshman record 587 points, averaging 16.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Shooting 49.7% from the field and 80.6% from the free throw line, he posted 29 games in double figures, including ten games with 20+ points scored and two with 30+ points.

Uelmen's first postseason in the Summit League Tournament was a memorable one as he scored a tournament record 93 total points in the Fighting Hawks' three games (31 points per game), including a career-high 41 points in the quarterfinals against Denver. Earning conference All-Newcomer and All-Tournament honors, North Dakota reached the Summit League Tournament championship and finished with an 18-17 record on the year.

As a prep player at Minnetonka High School in the Twin Cities area, Uelmen averaged just over 20 points a game on 56.9% shooting and 50% shooting from three-point range as a senior, helping the Skippers to a class 4A state title under head coach Bryce Tesdahl.

"Greyson is a natural scorer," explained Green. "He has an innate ability to create offense and score in a variety of different ways. He is a tough minded competitor and a proven winner!"

Ian Smikle | Forward / 6-8 (West Palm Beach, Fla. / Suncoast Community HS / Tulsa)

A physical big man from the Sunshine State, Smikle joins the UNI roster after two seasons at Tulsa where he appeared in 71 games with 28 starts, averaging 4.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game on 54% shooting.

During the 2025-26 season, Smikle notched 3.1 points and 3.6 rebounds, along with a career-high 37 assists to help the Golden Hurricanes to a 30-win campaign and a run to the NIT championship game against Auburn. He posted a season-high ten points against Manhattan Christian during the season, as well as a season-best nine boards vs. Oklahoma Christian.

As a freshman, Smikle was named to the American Conference's All-Freshman Team after posting 5.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. His 183 total rebounds were third-most all-time by a freshman in Tulsa history. With four games in double figures and three games with ten or more rebounds, Smikle notably pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds against Loyola-Chicago in his first career start.

A three-star recruit by Rivals and ESPN, Smikle averaged 14.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.4 assists with over 1,000 career points scored at Suncoast Community High School under coach Jason Powell. He averaged a double-double in points and rebounds during each of his final three prep seasons, including 20.5 points and 13.5 boards as a senior. Smikle was rated as a top-30 recruit in all of Florida, as well as the state's second-best big man by Prep Hoops.

"Ian has the ability physically to control the paint on both ends of the floor," said Green. "He is a high level offensive rebounder and finisher. He will punish teams around the rim and has the skill level to be a playmaker on the perimeter."

Carson Vis | Guard / 6-3 | (Byron Center, Mich. / Grand Rapids South Christian HS / Western Michigan)

Vis signs with Northern Iowa after playing 31 games as a freshman in 2025-26 at Western Michigan. The Byron Center, Michigan native posted 5.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game, along with 24 total assists and 19 steals while shooting 43.5% from the field with the Broncos last season.

A standout guard for head coach Taylor Johnson at Grand Rapids South Christian High School, Vis held lead the Sailors to multiple conference, district and regional championships, and played a key role in a Michigan Division 2 state runner-up finish as a freshman. Earning multiple all-conference, all-region and all-state honors, Vis averaged double digit scoring totals all four years and was named the 2025 O-K Gold Player of the Year.

"Carson's toughness, intelligence, versatility and the ability to impact the game in a number of ways on both ends will make him an immediate contributor to our success," Green said. "He was a multi-sport star in high school and has proven leadership skills."

Jules Isebaert | Forward / 6-5 (Kortrijk, Belgium / Kortrijk Spurs)

Isebaert becomes UNI's first international signee of the Kyle Green era after spending the last three seasons playing for the Kortrijk Spurs under coach Johan Roijakkers in the BNXT League, the top professional league in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The Belgian national averaged 3.8 points per game on 46.3% shooting in 31 regular season games in the BXNT this season, along with 1.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists a game, helping his team to the Belgian national playoffs for a second straight year. He totaled 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks for the Spurs in the first round of the Belgian national playoffs.

Isebaert has also played internationally for both of Belgium's U18 Division B and U20 national teams. At the 2025 FIBA U20 European Championships, he scored 3.2 points with 4.7 rebounds a game, while also notching 3.6 points on 56.2% shooting with 2.5 rebounds per game during the 2023 FIBA U18 European Division B Championships.

"Jules has competed successfully at a high level in Belgium," said Green. "He has the versatility to play one through four. He is an outstanding on ball defender who competes with a chip on his shoulder."

Jaydon Kimbrough | Guard / 6-4 | (Cedar Falls, Iowa / Cedar Falls HS)

The latest Cedar Falls Tiger to join the Panthers after an impressive prep career, Kimbrough signs with UNI after a breakout senior season with the Tigers, capped by an undefeated class 4A state title.

Averaging 19 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 steals per game, Kimbrough shot 52.4% from the field and 38.6% from three-point range during his senior campaign. A First Team Class 4A All-State performer and First Team All-Metro selection, he was named a finalist for the 2026 Iowa Mr. Basketball award as the third-ranked point guard and 16th best player in Iowa by Prep Hoops.

"Jayden has continued to grow as a player over his time at Cedar Falls," Green explained. "He has always been a lights out shooter who has added playmaking and finishing to his game. He comes from a high level high school program with winning in his DNA."

UNI men's basketball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Men's Basketball), X (@UNImbb) and on Instagram (@uni_basketball). Schedule and roster information, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.

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