More departures announced from Southeast Missouri State men's basketball roster in turmoil

The attrition in Rick Ray's first year at the helm continues, as the list of freshmen departing the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball program has reached four.

On Monday the university announced the dismissal of Eric McGill and the transfers of Robby Dosier and Jaylin Stewart.

That trio joins freshman Tony Anderson, who left school and announced plans to hire an agent and declare for the NBA Draft on March 7.

McGill, from Memphis, Tenn., was dismissed for a violation of department policies and procedures, according to a press release.

Harold Rivera, who was McGill's AAU coach, tweeted on Friday afternoon that McGill had committed to play at Eastern Florida State College, a junior college in Melbourne, Florida. When contacted at the time of the tweet, the Southeast athletics department could not confirm McGill's transfer.

McGill played in 27 of the Redhawks' 29 games this season. He made 13 starts, including 12 in the first 14 games before he was benched for a violation of team rules against Eastern Kentucky on Jan. 9.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard averaged seven points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals in 27.4 minutes per game.

He was a 36.8 percent shooter and made 30 of 92 attempts from beyond the arc. He scored in double figures seven times, including a career-high 20-point performance on 6-of-6 shooting from 3-point range against Murray State on Feb. 4.

The other transferring players have not yet announced destinations.

There are currently only five players set to return from the roster that the Redhawks -- who went 5-24 overall and 2-14 in the Ohio Valley Conference -- completed the 2015-16 season with. Four freshmen have announced their departures since season's end, with senior Isiah Jones also graduating. That follows the in-season dismissals of sophomores Marcus Wallace, Ladarius Coleman and JT Jones in December.

Dosier, a 6-3, 170-pound freshman guard from Carbondale, Ill., averaged 6.2 minutes and scored six points in 16 games last season.

"I am very appreciative of the opportunity that Coach Ray gave me here at Southeast," Dosier said in a press release. "I enjoyed my freshman season, but think it is better for me to transfer and look for a place where I can reach my highest potential as a student-athlete."

Stewart plans to move closer to his hometown of Tallahassee, Florida, as his father has been diagnosed with cancer.

The 6-7, 210-pound forward scored 46 points in 26 games off the bench. He averaged 8.1 minutes per game.

"I enjoyed my time at Southeast with Coach Ray and his staff," Stewart said in a release. "I feel it is important for me to move closer to home so I can be around my family to help my father as he battles cancer."

There will be plenty of room on the roster for incoming recruits, and Ray signed a pair of high school seniors during the early signing period in November.

Guards Denzel Mahoney of Oviedo, Florida, and Ray Kowalski from Concord, North Carolina, each inked a National Letter of Intent to play for the Redhawks.

The spring signing period for basketball begins Wednesday and ends May 18.

Ray has received a verbal commitment, which is nonbinding, from Tahj Eaddy of Tennessee Preparatory Academy. Ray is not allowed to speak publicly about specific recruits due to NCAA rules.

"There were over 700 transfers in college basketball across the country and we are not immune to that," Ray said in a release. "My staff and I have been working tirelessly on the recruiting trail and feel confident that we will sign quality student-athletes to improve our program."