Weber State basketball: Forwards give Wildcats plenty of talent, flexibility
High-rated recruit Burgess and two 'Dylans' lead important group
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- Weber State forward Chamberlain Burgess handles a ball during the first day of WSU men’s basketball summer workouts on June 1, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.
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- Weber State forward Dyllan Thompson dribbles two balls in a drill during the first day of WSU men’s basketball summer workouts on June 1, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.
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- Weber State’s Dylan Warlick leaps to grab the ball during the first day of WSU men’s basketball summer workouts on June 1, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.
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- Weber State forward Chamberlain Burgess, left, rises to shoot against assistant coach Bobby Jones Jr. during the first day of WSU men’s basketball summer workouts on June 1, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.
Editor’s note: This story is Part 3 of a five-part series with Weber State men’s basketball coach Kaleb Canales discussing his roster and newly signed players as the Wildcats get on the court for the first time for summer practices.
PART 1: Canales wants guards to set tone defensively, make plays
PART 2: Mature approach, shooting key for new group of wings
OGDEN — If flexibility and the ability to play big are high on the list for Kaleb Canales and his Weber State men’s basketball squad, the players he groups in his “four” or forward position might be the key to the whole thing.
Offensively, Canales says his ones and twos go in a guards group, and his threes and fours are in the “wings” group in terms of their responsibilities and roles. To him, the number system for basketball positions is more about who is guarding what position defensively; offensively, he’s more concerned with versatility.
That’s where the first-year head coach looks to freshmen Chamberlain Burgess and Dyllan Thompson, and sophomore Dylan Warlick, to cause problems for defenses. Burgess, he says, is a true four, Thompson is a four who can swing to the three, and Warlick is a “3.5” like a Swiss Army knife.
“They’re swing guys who can go back and forth between the three and the four spot,” Canales said.
CHAMBERLAIN BURGESS
Burgess is one year removed from high school, and changing plans mean he’s yet to step on the floor in college. But in terms of the high school evaluation industry, Burgess is likely the top-rated recruit to ever sign with Weber State men’s basketball. Coming out of Orem High School in the 2025 class, Burgess had a 247 Sports composite rating (factoring in multiple recruiting service rankings) of 94.23 (out of 100).
That’s higher than Koby McEwen (88.38), Damian Lillard (87.22) and Isiah Brown (86.54). 247 Sports ranked him No. 103 in the country for the class of 2025.
“Home run for us all the way through as a program. Him coming here is a big deal for us and how we envision this program to go,” Canales said. “We’re really grateful for him and his family deciding to be a Wildcat. He’s a homegrown kid and he’s going to be a homegrown Wildcat. Super stoked about him and his trajectory as he gets his college career started here.”
Burgess signed with BYU (over Illinois, Hawaii and Utah Valley) in November 2024 just before his senior year of high school, in which he averaged 13.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game.
The 6-foot-9 player gives Weber State a lot of upside as a stretch forward.
“Uber talented, can play both ends at a high level, can shoot the ball, put it on the floor. He’s the prototypical four-man,” Canales said. “The way we’re going to play, him at that four-spot makes a lot of sense for us. He’s going to have the opportunity to do some big things. There’s areas in his game that definitely need to improve, but it’s like a lot of our guys: we need to play. We need to get out there, get up and down the floor in live games.”
Burgess left on a church mission in 2025 but soon returned home and ended up grayshirting at Snow College. Canales says the new plans and new destination have little bearing on who Burgess is as a player.
“He’s ready to go. He was one of the first guys asking when he could work out, one of the first guys who wanted to get on the floor, the first to get in the weight room. He’s just hungry, he wants to play,” Canales said. “He looks great, shooting the ball really well, looks in shape. He’s hit the ground running. Love the kid, love the person, his personality and what he’s about. He had a lot of success in this state and we want to keep it going.”
DYLLAN THOMPSON
The two “Dylans” have some abilities to play like guards, Canales says, but will spend time as forwards as well.
First is the 6-foot-7 Thompson, who’s two years removed from high school and looking to make a mark. Thompson spent two seasons at Georgia Tech but didn’t take the floor, one year due to a redshirt and one due to injury. If he has or does file for an injury hardship waiver, he can still have four years of eligibility remaining under the old framework that’s giving way to the new 5-for-5 system.
In his senior year of high school, Thompson averaged 18 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
“Super excited about him and his development, and the skill set he brings. He gives us length at either spot,” Canales said. “He’s already one of the best communicators on the floor. He plays with a sense of joy that I really like, bringing that to the team. So he’s going to have an opportunity to get out there and produce for us.”
Thompson is the son of women’s basketball great Tina Thompson, a nine-time WNBA All-Star, four-time WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist.
DYLAN WARLICK
Canales says Warlick, a 6-foot-5 native of Oklahoma, will literally be a swing player for the Wildcats, able to play the wing or the frontcourt equally.
“I think he can play both at a high level,” the coach said. “He gives us plenty of that flexibility we’re looking for, whatever direction we want to go with it.”
Warlick averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds per game as a senior at Edmond North, where he led his team to two state championships and one runner-up finish with a 65-10 overall record. He was a three-star recruit who went to Saint Louis and averaged 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in a reserve role as a freshman, then left the team for personal reasons in 2025.
Former WSU star and Big Sky MVP Kellen McCoy said Warlick is a good finisher and has great hands and footwork in the paint. Canales said Warlick is a “bigger wing” who is more a playmaker than he is a scorer.
“He’s a really good passer; he can really play-make from his position,” Canales said. “He can score for sure, but he’s a good passer, really good feel for the game, knowledgeable, really tough.
“We’re going to challenge our guys to be the best defensive team we can be, and rebounding is a big part of that, but Warlick unlocks some of the things we can do offensively because of his size.”
