Weber State basketball: WSU men get commitment from California prep scorer
Women add post player from Oklahoma State
Photo supplied, Max Russell
Weber State men's basketball freshman commitment Max Russell poses for a photo in May 2026 in Ogden.Weber State men’s basketball picked up the addition of a true freshman spark plug Thursday as California prep point guard Maximillian Russell announced his commitment to Kaleb Canales and the Wildcats.
Russell averaged 26 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.8 steals as a senior at Tracy High School, according to the Stockton Record, which named Russell its co-MVP for the boys basketball season.
The 6-foot guard was named Most Outstanding Player of the Tri-City Athletic League, the region for high schools in San Joaquin County, which is the greater Stockton area.
“I’m fully bought in and ready to learn! Thank you (Damian Lillard), (Kaleb Canales) for allowing me to be (a part) of the brand new level of @weberstatembb,” Russell posted to Instagram. “I’m all in on the plan of doing this thing the right way!”
In the first round of California’s Division II section playoffs, the Stockton Record reports, Russell totaled 25 points, 15 rebounds and four assists to give Tracy its first playoff victory in more than 20 years.
In 13 of his team’s games that were logged into MaxPreps last season, Russell shot 60% overall, 55% from the 3-point line and 81% at the foul line.
Russell, a veritable ArDarius Grayson clone, is the sixth freshman set for Weber State’s 2026-27 roster. He’s currently the only true freshman directly from high school, however.
Along with returning missionary and Fremont High alum Hunter Hansen being out of high school for two years, Sir Marius Jones, Mason Abittan, Dyllan Thompson and Chamberlain Burgess are all incoming freshmen who have been out of high school for one year.
WSU also hosted Cal State Fullerton freshman transfer recruit Cameron Smith on campus this week. Smith is a 6-foot-7 shooting guard/wing who signed with Fullerton as a three-star prospect from state-title-winning Duncanville High in Texas, but did not play in the 2025-26 season.
On the women’s side, the Wildcats announced the addition of 6-foot-5 junior post player Favour Onoh out of Oklahoma State. A native of Nigeria, Onoh averaged 10.7 points and 13.9 rebounds per contest for the University of the Philippines in the 2023-24 season. She appeared in five games for Oklahoma State last season.
“She’s an impact player who adds a lot of length and will without a doubt affect the game on both sides of the ball,” WSU head coach Jenteal Jackson said in a news release. “We are excited to coach her and watch Favour’s growth and success here as a Wildcat. She’s an incredible addition to our team.”
