Longevity paying off for SEMO senior guard

Southeast Missouri State has six games remaining in the regular season, starting with Thursday’s road contest at Tennessee State at 7 p.m.

After their rematch with the Tigers, the Redhawks will close out the home slate of their schedule with three straight games, two of which are against OVC title contenders.

This is the position Chris Harris envisioned when he first arrived at SEMO. The senior has been with the Redhawks longer than Brad Korn has been the head coach. He is closing his fourth season with the unique opportunity of winning the Ohio Valley Conference championship.

“He’s kind of like a unicorn,” Korn said. “He’s an outlier. You don’t see many kids being at school for four years. He’s seen it before and he’s seen it to where we are now. To see the progress and the growth of the program, he’s been a part of all those things.”

The last time SEMO finished with a winning record was in 2013-14 when the Redhawks went 18-14. It was also the last time SEMO had back-to-back winning seasons.

SEMO will enter Thursday’s game with a 13-12 record and 8-4 in the OVC. Since losing at SEMO, TSU has racked up three straight wins to rise up to the middle of the pack with a 6-6 conference record, led by senior Jr. Clay's 18.7 points per game. Regardless of the result, the Redhawks will return home on Saturday at or above .500 in a showdown against Morehead State with first place of the OVC at stake.

“I anticipate there’s going to be a lot of support and a lot of energy,” Harris said. “It’s been a work in progress, but it’s awesome to see how much the program has grown since Korn got here and how much the fan base is growing as well."

During the Redhawks’ most recent home game, athletes from other SEMO sports came to the court at halftime to be recognized by the fans. After their halftime ceremony, much of them stuck around to cheer on the Redhawks rally to make a second-half comeback to beat Little Rock on Feb. 2 and stay on top of the OVC.

Athletes supporting other athletes is a sign of a successful program, and the sentiment was not lost on Harris.

“Those are the people we’re going to class with, who we’re working out with in the weight room, who we see in the treatment center,” Harris said. “When you have those guys who you’re with every day cheering you on and screaming your name, it’s a personal connection that makes you want to play harder on the court.”

Harris arrived as a junior college transfer in 2019 under Rick Ray, but injuries derailed his first season, and the Redhawks went through a coaching change. He started all 26 games and averaged 12.3 points and 30.2 minutes per game to lead the Redhawks to the OVC Tournament in Korn’s first year.

Harris spent the next season coming off the bench but still averaged 9.4 points and 24 minutes per game. This year he is averaging a career-high 14 PPG and shooting a career-best 37.3 perfect from the three-point line and 78 perfect from the free-throw line.

“He’s been an all-league guy since I got here,” Korn said. “He had a little bit of a dip last year but he still had great statistics last year. So I think that speaks to the level of Chris and the way that he can play. He just seems to hit the timely shot for us and that’s what you need from your senior.”

Harris scored 21 points this past Saturday against Tennessee Tech, which was the third time this season he’s scored over 20 points. He has also shot 4-of-7 from the three-point line. He’s a volume scorer overall and a more efficient game would do wonders for the Redhawks, but in this final stretch, Korn just wants Harris to keep doing what’s working.

“Chris has to continue to be the guy that he’s meant to be, rock solid and consistent,” coach Korn said. “That’s what we're looking for from all our guys. We’ve got to continue to be who we are and really just try to find a way in the next 26 days to get a little bit better. We don’t have to become brand new, we just have to be very solid and consistent.”

The OVC Tournament begins on March 1 in Evansville, Indiana, and SEMO will be a high seed. Whoever wins the tournament will get into the NCAA Tournament and this is an opportunity that Harris has spent the last four years striving for.