The Illinois Springfield men's basketball team announced four new additions for the 2026-27 season. The newest Prairie Stars are Kobe Clark, Ty Lenhardt, Jake Nosek and Quenton Parker.

Kobe Clark, a St. Louis native, comes to UIS from Maryville. Clark is a 6-foot-7 graduate forward who won multiple state titles at Vashon High School under coach Tony Irons. Last year, Kobe averaged 8.8 rebounds per game, which ranked fifth in the GLVC. He ranked seventh in the GLVC in assists, averaging nearly four per game. He started his career at Georgetown.

"Kobe has a very unique skill set," said UIS head coach Matt Brock. "He can defend at a high level, was one of the best rebounders in our league and one of the better playmakers. He will fit in very nicely with our current roster. We're excited to have him in our program!"

Ty Lenhardt is a 6-foot-4 graduate guard who comes to UIS by way of Illinois College, where he played for coach Steve Schweer. Lenhardt, a Waterloo, Illinois, native, was a high school teammate of Alex Stell. He is a 38% career three-point shooter who averaged 18.7 points per game in 2025-26. He was selected first-team all-conference, was named Conference Performer of the Week on Dec. 1 and helped the Blue Boys win the conference championship in 2023-24.

"Ty can score and shoot the ball," Brock said. "He has been in a successful program at IC and will bring some leadership qualities to our team. He has a lot of gravity and will help our spacing. Ty is a great addition to our team!"

Jake Nosek is a 6-foot-7 freshman forward from Naperville who spent the last year at Cushing Academy in Massachusetts. Last year, Nosek helped Cushing win a NEPSAC Class AA championship. Jake played at Metea Valley High School with UIS teammate Tre Watkins. He averaged 20 points per game while shooting 47% from three-point range during his senior year.

"Jake is a stretch forward who can really put pressure on defenses," Brock said. "He has great feel and can really pass the ball as well. He is an older freshman who will transition to the college game quickly. Stars fans will love Jake!"

Quenton Parker is a 6-foot-3 junior transfer guard from St. Louis who spent the last two seasons at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Parker averaged 4.2 points and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting 41% from 3-point range. Quenton prepped at Cardinal Ritter, where he averaged 10.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, leading his team to the Missouri Class 5 state championship in 2023 and 2024.

"Quenton is a dynamic guard who can impact the game on both ends of the floor," Brock said. "He can shoot the ball at a high level, and he has high rebound, block and steal rates in his two years in the GLVC. We think he has the potential to be very impactful for the Prairie Stars this year!"

Brock said the additions will bring a mix of talent and experience to the Prairie Stars.

"We are thrilled for these additions to our program. Our assistant coaches, led by Zack Jadzak, did a tremendous job in the process. We addressed a couple of key needs and added some excellent young men to our roster. We can't wait to get to work with them this fall. Our fans will be pleased with what they see out of Springfield's team this year!"

These four players join high school signees Luke Blackford and Tre Watkins, as well as nine returning players, on the 2026-27 roster.