The Cowboys are going international.

Tuesday, McNeese State head basketball coach Bill Armstrong announced the signing of his newest player, 6-foot-10, 210-pound Peitok Machar of Sydney, Australia.

With two years of junior college experience at a couple of high-level programs, Machar is expected to fit right into Armstrong’s system.

“Where he jumps off the page for me is that he can switch with any position on defense,” said Armstrong. “On his tapes, you see him jumping out and staying with point guards and small forwards easily. That’s the type of defense we will want to play.”

Armstrong is in his first year with McNeese after replacing Will Wade, whom he assisted while the two were at LSU. He is expected to play a similar game as Wade, who guided the Cowboys to a 58-11 record, including a win over Clemson in last year’s NCAA Tournament, during these two seasons with the Cowboys.

Machar can run the floor and protect the rim, two things Armstrong was looking for on the recruiting trail. The coach said he also has tremendous potential, noting that he has only played organized basketball for a short time.

“His upside is through the roof,” Armstrong said. “He can do a lot of things already, even shoot some threes. I think that will be a part of his game.”

Last season, Machar played at Triton College in River Grove, Illinois, just a few miles west of Chicago. He averaged 8.9 points and 7.7 rebounds a game while blocking 69 shots (2.4 average) in 29 games, starting 15 of them.

He led the National Junior College Athletic Association in field goal shooting on the Division I level. Machar hit on 75.8 percent (97-128) of his shots from the floor and was also solid from the free-throw line.

“Peitok is incredibly agile and has phenomenal hands,” said Armstrong. “We believe he’s only beginning to tap into his full potential. While he’s mature beyond his years, he’s only been playing basketball for five years.

“He can switch to stay in front of guards and has a natural instinct for blocking shots. We are really excited that he’s only getting started.”

Machar recorded seven double-doubles at Triton, scoring in double-digits 12 times and pulling down 10 rebounds in 10 games.

He played his first season at Indian Hills Community College in Centerville, Iowa. He will be the tallest Cowboy since 7-foot-1, 245-pound Brendan Medley-Bacon, who played one year at McNeese during the 2021-22 season.

Machar has three years of eligibility remaining. He is the second player to sign with McNeese this month.

Yanis Ndjonga, a 6-foot-7, 210-pound redshirt sophomore, signed to follow Armstrong from Baylor to McNeese State. Armstrong was an assistant at Baylor last season.

Ndjonga is likely considered a depth piece after missing the last two seasons. He suffered a knee injury before the 2023-24 season and missed the entire campaign. He redshirted last season. 

Before Baylor, Ndjonga, a native of Yaounde, Cameroon, played his first year at New Mexico Military Institute. There, he averaged 13.5 points and 8.3 rebounds in 26 games. 

Ndjonga is expected to sign officially with McNeese in the coming days.

The signings leave McNeese with just two roster spots, which Armstrong hopes to fill soon.

“We would like to get a combo, fast guard who can shoot at one of the spots,” Armstrong said.

McNeese is expected to have such a player visit campus early next week.