RAPID CITY, S.D. – South Dakota Mines Men's Basketball and head coach Michael Iseman have announced the 2026 signing class of six players.

The Hardrockers completed their 2026-27 roster with six new signees. Head coach Michael Iseman and his staff have added three high school and prep students along with three transfers. Three of the signees are international, while Iseman stayed in the Midwest with Missouri and South Dakota high school students.

Mason Clark, a 6'0 guard from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, attended Bishop O'Gorman High School. This past season, Clark earned Honorable Mention All-State honors after averaging 14 points per game, three assists, three rebounds and two steals. He also collected All-Tournament Team honors at the state tournament, the academic all-state award and was a national merit finalist.

"We are very excited to welcome a top-level player, person and student from South Dakota," Iseman said. "Mason comes highly recommended to us by many people for his character, work ethic and toughness. As a player, Mason continues to have a relentless drive to be successful, and we expect him to impact winning in many ways during his career at South Dakota Mines. He is a tough nosed guard who has the quickness and playmaking ability to impact us at the college level."

The first of three international players in the 2026 signing class is Tobias Cloninger, a 6'8 forward from Geneva, Switzerland. At Bridgeton Academy in Bridgeton, Maine, Cloninger averaged 6.5 points per game, five rebounds and 1.5 blocks. His team made the Sweet 16 of the National Prep Championship Series, the NEPSAC AAA Playoffs and were winter classic champions.

"Toby is a great young man who has a lot of playing experience at his age," Iseman said "Toby played a key role on a good prep school team this year in Maine, where he helped them make a deep playoff run. He brings us size, skill and has a high ceiling as a basketball player. We are excited to have him join our program; he has a bright future and will be a great fit here."
 
The Hardrockers added Lazario Cornish from North Park, an NCAA DIII institution in the CCIW. Cornish is a 6'6 forward originally from Abaco, Bahamas. With the Vikings this past season, Cornish appeared in 20 games and averaged 7.3 points per game and 5.1 rebounds. He also recorded a 58.3 field goal percentage and 47.8 three-point percentage. Before his time at North Park, Cornish played at Spoon River College.
 
"Lazario is an experienced athletic forward that will provide us rim pressure, rebounding, extra effort plays and versatility on both ends of the floor," Iseman said. "Lazario comes to us from a high-level NCAA Division III conference and school that that we really respect. Lazario is pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering and will be a great fit for our university."
 
The Hardrockers added Azenio Cossa out of Miles City Community College. He comes to Rapid City as a 6'3 guard out of Maputo, Mozambique. Cossa averaged an impressive 21.9 points per game with a 50.3 field goal percentage. He also averaged 6.3 rebounds per game, 3.8 assists. Cossa picked up all-region and all-conference honors with Miles City this season.
 
"We are excited to welcome Azenio to the Hardrocker family," Iseman said. "He is a dynamic two-way guard with good positional size and length. Azenio will add playmaking, finishing and has the ability to be a plus defender who can guard multiple positions. He is a smart young man that will be a great fit here at South Dakota Mines."
 
The final transfer of the 2026 class is Josiah Pierre out of Malone, an NCAA DII institution in the GMAC. Pierre, a 6'5 forward from Everett, Washington, averaged 11 points per game, 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Pierre attended Edmonds College before his time at Malone last season. He recorded 15.2 points per game and 6.3 rebounds on a 53.4 field goal percentage in two seasons at Edmonds.
 
"Josiah is a proven Division II wing and NWAC All-American who we have known for a couple of years," Iseman said. "He has been well coached in his career by coaching friends of mine. He adds size, length and will give us a mismatch threat offensively with the ability to score it on the block and from the perimeter. Josiah is an excellent student that will be a great fit on and off the court."
 
To round out the class, Jason Stokes Jr, a 6'4 guard, joins South Dakota Mines from St. Louis, Missouri. Stokes attended Mary Institute and Saint Louis County Day School (MICDS) and captured the Class 5 state championship this past season, their first state championship in 24 years. Stokes averaged 11 points per game, 4.4 rebounds 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals for MICDS. He is a three-time all-district and all-conference honoree.
 
"We love recruiting winners and Jason's high school team reached the pinnacle by winning the state championship in Missouri this season," Iseman said. "Jason was a three-time all-district and all-conference player during his high school career for MICDS. He is a big athletic guard who can play multiple positions, is very tough defensively and makes a lot of extra effort plays. We are excited to welcome Jason to our program he will be a great fit on and off the court here at South Dakota Mines."
 
What's Next
 
The 2026-27 schedule and tickets will be announced in the coming weeks. Stay tuned at GoRockers.com for more information.