Monday afternoon it became official that the Marquette men’s basketball team would be getting some serious first-year firepower come the fall of 2026, as four-star big man Sheek Pearson made it official that he will be joining Shaka Smart’s next batch of recruits.
Committed
pic.twitter.com/tZPRLAt3Su
— Sheek pearson (@Sheek_Pearson) May 12, 2025
Having chosen the Golden Eagles over schools such as Purdue, Iowa State, and Illinois, Pearson is the second recruit of the 2026 Marquette recruiting class and is ranked by 247Sports as a consensus top 100 player among the class of ’26. According to ESPN Recruiting, Pearson is rated the fifth best power forward recruit in the nation as well as the #66 overall player in the ESPN100.
Pearson’s commitment comes just five days after 2026 wing Ethan Johnson, a top-150 recruit out of Pottstown, PA, pledged his allegiance to the Golden Eagles.
Pearson is widely considered the best 2026 recruit in Missouri and hails from Saint Louis where he plays for the John Burroughs School, whom he later helped lead to an 18-6 record this season. Pearson averaged just over 13 points per game on just under 70 percent shooting, with every field goal coming from inside the 3-point arc.
Pearson also played in the Nike EYBL for Brad Beal Elite, a program known for producing NBA-level talent year-in and year-out. Prime examples are the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, Cavaliers’ Darius Garland, and Hornets’ Brandon Miller, two of which are reigning NBA All-Stars and all of whom were top 5 draft picks in their respective years.
With a wingspan that allows him to make plays on both sides of the ball as well as a near-200-pound frame, Pearson is agile for his height and position and operates very well in the fast break.
Pearson has also shown displays of hustle and situational awareness, particularly when working on the offensive glass and generating quick second chance opportunities, where he always has ready hands to take down boards and promptly make plays. He also has a good knack with positional awareness, finding mismatches down low and operating well from the dunker spot.
One of the most eye-popping aspects of Pearson’s film, however, is despite his frame, which may be considered lanky for his position, he can drive and score through contact; and even when he doesn’t, he will always be ready to crash the glass.
By the time Sheek makes his way into the Golden Eagle locker room, he will be joining a Ben Gold-less big man corps comprised of Royce Parham, Joshua Clark, and Caedin Hamilton.
Given how highly touted of a high school prospect Pearson is, when the 2026-27 season gets started up, it will be very interesting to see just how Coach Smart molds him into the next Marquette big man of the future.
This article was written by Eamon Bevan. He can be reached at eamon.bevan@marquette.edu.