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HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Southern Miss men's basketball program has had one heck of an offseason, as head coach Jay Ladner and his staff did about as well as anyone could've asked for by reloading the roster via adding players through high school recruiting and through the transfer portal, in addition to having star guard Isaac Taveras return for his senior year.
This summer, we've been rolling out player profiles for every player on the Golden Eagles' roster, and we'll continue to do so to help pass the time between now and November, when the 2026-27 college basketball season tips off. Today, we're taking a closer look at Brandon Weston, who is an athletic three-level scorer destined to fit like a glove in Hattiesburg.
Weston By the Numbers + How He Fits With Eags
Weston, a Brooklyn, N.Y. native, was a highly sought-after former top-75 recruit who spent the first three years of his collegiate career at Seton Hall (2021-22) and Rhode Island (2022-23, 2023-24). He spent the last two years with Tennessee State. However, due to an ACL injury he sustained during the 2024-25 season, he didn't play in the 2025-26 season and redshirted.
Before suffering the injury about halfway through conference play during the 2024-25 season, Weston was on pace to win the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year award, as he averaged 16.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals through 24 games while shooting 44.4 percent from the floor, including 30.9 percent from deep and 84.2 percent from the free-throw line. He scored 20+ points four times in a five-game stretch that year, including a career-high 33 points against South Indiana.
Health permitting, Weston figures to be a big key to this Golden Eagles' team reaching its potential. After missing an entire year, the talented veteran is happy to be back on the court and is looking forward to finishing his collegiate career in Hattiesburg. Weston not only brings a veteran presence to this roster but also a winning pedigree.
"I am very excited to get back to what I do and show everyone I am still a dawg," Weston said. "It was hard for me to watch from the sidelines last year, but I’m more than ready to turn up this year, make the tournament, and make an impact on this program."
Although Weston is listed as a 6-5 guard, he's really more of an athletic, versatile three-level scoring wing who is elite at getting fouled. During the 2024-25 season, he averaged 6.9 free-throw attempts per game. That is a welcome attribute for this Golden Eagles roster, considering how elite former Southern Miss wing Tylik Weeks, who transferred to Memphis this summer, was at getting to the charity stripe. After finding out which players Weston has looked up to and modeled his game after, it's no wonder where he gets his grittiness from.
"One player that I look up to is Jimmy Butler," Weston tells us. "He is a hard-nosed guy who plays hard every possession, but I would say I model my game after Paul George."
Given his athleticism, Weston is also a versatile defender. He is switchable enough to guard shooting guards, small forwards, and power forwards. Weston collected 44 steals during his junior year at Tennessee State.
More That Golden Eagle Fans Should Know + Why Southern Miss?
One recurring question we've been asking all these new guys this summer is: Out of all the places they could've chosen as their next home on their college basketball journey, why did they choose Southern Miss? As has been the case with all of the players we've spoken to so far, community and coaching have been the biggest factors.
"What I liked most about Southern Miss was the community and the coaching staff," Weston tells us. "It gave off a family and positive vibe that I knew I wanted to be a part of, especially after talking with Coach Ladner and all the great players he has had."
We know what kind of player Weston is, but what about when he's off the court?
"Southern Miss fans should know that I am a very hardworking person and a very passionate player on the court who is looking at every possible outcome to come out with the win," Weston said. "I am also very friendly and humorous, so I would like to interact with the fans and students."
As we continue down the list of players on the 2026-27 Southern Miss men's basketball roster throughout the offseason, it's becoming apparent that Coach Ladner and Co. have prioritized not only recruiting grit and skill, but also high character. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more Golden Eagles men's basketball content, as we'll be rolling out a player profile on seven-foot German big man Max Blank later this week.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/southernmiss as USM Basketball Player Profile: Brandon Weston 'More Than Ready' to Impact Winning.
