Assistant coach working to keep connection to Southeast Missouri State men's basketball signees as coaching search continues

When Southeast Missouri State men's basketball coach Dickey Nutt was fired on March 23, Southwest Mississippi Community College forward Xavion Dillon, who signed with the Redhawks in November, was upset by the news, according to his junior college coach Thomas Gray.

"It's a situation where a lot to do with why he chose Southeast Missouri was because of the coaching staff, his relationship that he had with [assistant] Coach [Justin] Argenal and also Coach Nutt," Gray said in a phone interview Wednesday. "That was a situation where that separated Southeast Missouri from any other school that was recruiting him just because of their relationship and just where he felt he could trust those guys."

Dillon has not requested a release from his National Letter of Intent and will continue to wait until the 20th basketball coach in the program's history is announced.

"He definitely will have Division I interest if he does opt out of his scholarship or gets a release from the athletic director or the coach," Gray said, noting that he's heard from other Ohio Valley Conference schools as well as schools from the Mid-American, Colonial and Southern conferences since Nutt was fired. "He does like the school, he does like the university; he's just waiting to see who they're going to put at the helm of the program and see if it's a fit for him and if he feels best that his future would be there."

Gray commended Argenal, who still is employed by Southeast, for continuing to remain in contact.

"He's done a great job in communicating with me and with Xavion and his family," Gray said. "I would say he alone is what is keeping Xavion interested in Southeast Missouri. *... If he was not around I would say that Xavion would not even be interested in coming because there's not been any other communication besides from the previous coaching staff."

Gray, who was hired as an assistant to first-year UT Martin men's basketball coach Heath Schroyer's staff last March before taking the head coaching job at Southwest Mississippi, said Argenal and Nutt have both apologized repeatedly and explained they were not aware of Nutt's firing prior to March 23. Another of Gray's players went on an official visit to Southeast the weekend before Nutt's termination was announced. Guard Jaylen Moore, who has three Division I offers, returned to the Southwest Mississippi campus the same Monday that Nutt was fired.

"To be honest I believe he would've signed with Southeast Missouri if they hadn't been let go," Gray said.

Southeast guard Marcus Wallace, who had just completed his freshman season when Nutt parted ways with the university, was also surprised by the news and what it meant for his future, according to his dad, Marcus Wallace Sr.

Wallace Jr. started the final two games of the season after finally seeing his minutes and production increase over the final month of the season.

"Probably the only real affect afterwards was thinking, 'Oh, OK, it's taken me awhile to get the confidence of my coach and now with someone new coming in am I going to have to start all over?' That's the main thing," Wallace Sr. said in a phone interview Wednesday.

Wallace said his son is going about "business as usual" with all of his workouts and has not opened up to him much about how he feels about the situation.

"I guess we're just waiting," Wallace Sr. said. "His former football coach from high school texted him when it happened and said, 'Sorry to hear about your coach, but your job is to just keep working.' Marcus said, 'Yes, sir,' and that's kind of how he's approaching it."

Women's basketball signee Olivia Crozier, a forward from Madison High School in Indiana, has not made a decision on her future since coach Ty Margenthaler resigned on March 23.

"Olivia is considering all options," Madison girls basketball coach Rich Bagienski said in an email Wednesday. "She is still open to going to SEMO but is waiting to find out who the coach will be. She is frustrated about the situation and especially concerned about possible NCAA sanctions that might affect her at SEMO."