Aquan Smart ready to 'step up' his role with SEMO hoops at both ends

A year ago, there was no more offensively productive men’s basketball squad in the Ohio Valley Conference than eventual OVC Tournament champion Southeast Missouri State. However, nearly 1,700 of those points, including the Redhawks’ top three scorers, are not back this season, which begs the question: Who will put up points this season for SEMO?

Redhawk followers will find out beginning tonight, as SEMO hosts NCAA Division II Henderson State (Ark.) at the Show Me Center at 6:30 p.m. for an exhibition game.

“You look at guys like (returning starters) Dylan Branson and Aquan Smart,” fourth-year Redhawk coach Brad Korn said earlier in training camp, “everyone slides up that scouting report.”

Branson and Smart combined for 52 starts last season, and will join returning post player, Josh Earley, who averaged 17 minutes per game last year in 32 games, in tonight’s starting lineup.

Those three will be joined by sophomore guard Evan Eursher and redshirt sophomore forward Adam Larson to start the 2023-24 season.

“That is the exciting part for them,” Korn said of every player having a new and more significant role this season, “and for us, as coaches. We get to mold them and put this ball of clay together as we go.

“As coaches, that is what is so fun about the whole thing is developing those roles.”

For Smart, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, will most assuredly see his offensive production increase.

In his first season with the program last year, the Florida international transfer, who started his career at Maryland, averaged nearly eight points per game.

“I do have to take a step up (offensively),” Smart said. “Regardless of whether it is scoring or play-making or anything, I have to step my level up.”

Both Korn and Smart said that his impact will be felt as much defensively as it will be offensively.

“Defense is fun to play,” Smart said.

Smart isn’t telling the media that he loves to play defense because it sounds good, he stands by that mantra even when no one is looking.

“In practices,” Smart said, “I always want to be on the first team to play defense. Getting a stop is better than starting with the ball. Stopping the other team from scoring is very fun.”

That is something that the Redhawks will have to improve upon this winter.

SEMO ranked 9th in the 10-team league in defensive field goal percentage, 3-point defensive field goal percentage, and seventh in rebounding margin a year ago.

“People are going to see a super athletic, fast, defensive-minded team,” Smart said.

SEMO has five players returning (Branson, Smart, Larson, Earley, and Kobe Clark) who are returning after seeing significant action a year ago. Korn also has centers David Idada and Mason Hanback, as well as Eursher and guard Gavyn Elkamil returning after being part of the program for a year, either in limited roles or as a redshirt player.

Korn added six newcomers to this year’s squad, including guards Rob Martin, BJ Ward, Braxton Stacker, Asa Barnes, and Marqueas Bell, and wing TJ Biel.

“It’s a ‘working’ team,” Korn said. “They just come to work every day.”

The Redhawks open their regular season on Nov. 6 at Grand Canyon at 9 p.m. (CT).

SEMO’s regular-season home opener will be on Nov. 15 against Evansville (6:30 p.m.) at the Show Me Center.