Aquan Smart at home as SEMO's 'glue guy'

Southeast Missouri State guards Chris Harris and Phillip Russell get much of the attention and credit.

It’s rightfully so. Russell leads the OVC in scoring with 19 points per game. Harris, averaging 13.8 points, can potentially score his 1,000th career point this week. Even Israel Barnes is averaging double-digits at 10.1 PPG.

Yet, among this trio of offense, the player that plays an important role while being under the radar is guard Aquan Smart.

“I tell him all the time if he doesn't show up, we have no shot at winning,” Russell said. “He's really like the glue guy. He's gonna do all the little things. He's gonna defend you on the floor, and do a lot of grimy things. He's a big part of this team.”

“They tell me sometimes if I don't contribute then we have no chance of winning,” Smart said. “I just feel like I have to do all the little things for us to even have a chance to be in games.”

Despite being a sophomore, Smart is playing for his third school in three seasons. His career started in Maryland, averaging 7 minutes per game over 22 games for a Terrapins team that finished in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Smart then transferred to Florida International in Miami, where he averaged 13.1 minutes in 26 games for the Panthers last season.

This year at SEMO was the first place where Smart not only saw extensive minutes but also started games.

“I feel like the coaches have so much trust in me,” Smart said. Every day they tell me that I'm a huge and integral part of this team. So them believing in me and being confident in me is the reason why this stop feels so much different than the other two places.”

Transferring from one part of the country to the next can take a toll on the student-athlete, but Smart seems to have found a home.

“It's hard to adjust,” Smart said, “but I felt like being in SEMO, I've adjusted well and I just love the community.”

After losing three games in a row, SEMO (13-14, 8-6) has fallen back to below .500 and is in a five-team tie for second place in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Redhawks host Cape Central alum Kinyon Hodges and the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Hodges arrived at EIU after spending three years at Three Rivers College and is leading the Panthers with 14 points per game. It will be his first game at the Show Me Center as an NCAA Division I player.

The Redhawks are two games behind Morehead State for the regular season title. While it may be too late to catch up to the Eagles with four games to go, they will likely be in a favorable position in the OVC Tournament, which rewards the winner with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

“I feel like we could still win the whole thing,” Russell said. “As I walked into the locker room, I see everybody shaking their head down. I know we lost, but that just showed me that the guys care. So I mean, it's just little tweaks in practice and hopefully, we can bounce back.”