No shortage of enthusiasm, chemistry on Redhawks' opening day of hoop season

In this era of college athletics where players transfer with abandon, it’s a difficult task for coaches to have to build team chemistry and instill a program culture on an annual basis. However, on the opening day of college basketball (practice) season on Monday, leadership, communication, and enthusiasm were in abundance within the Southeast Missouri State men’s squad.

“It starts with Dylan (Branson),” fourth-year Redhawk coach Brad Korn said following the two-plus hour workout. “He is a four-year player, which is an outlier in college basketball.”

The entire Redhawk roster is a bit of an “outlier,” as Korn has nine of 15 student-athletes returning from being in the program a year ago.

“What that does,” Korn said, “is when there are moments of doubt in practice or ‘This is hard,’ it gives that stamp of ‘This is what we have to do to try and get back (to the NCAA Tournament).”

SEMO is coming off a memorable season in which Korn’s kids won 19 games and advanced to the 2022 NCAA Tournament after winning the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. Of the nine returning players this season, six competed in the 75-71 loss to Texas A&M Corpus Christi in the opening round of “March Madness.”

“Are we going to get back,” Korn pondered. “Who knows? But it is the work that you put in within the practices to give yourself that chance.

“That is what is exciting about these guys.”

There was no shortage of instruction and encouragement, not just from Korn and his staff, but from the players coaching each other on Monday.

Branson, who is a junior guard, and Aquan Smart, another junior guard, were constantly yelling (in positive ways) at teammates when plays were made.

“One thing about Aquan,” Korn explained, “even in the summertime, he is always verbalizing. He is always talking. Dylan is a loud, vocal guy.”

And surprisingly, so is redshirt freshman center David Idada, who sat out last season, but was part of the program every day in practices and meetings.

“David is one of the loudest defending big men that I have ever coached,” Korn said. “He is yelling all of the time.

“There is a saying that a quiet team is a scary team (to its coaches).”

Short-handed

There were some notable ailments on the opening day of practice, as senior center Josh Earley missed the first practice due to an illness, and junior forward Kobe Clark is working his way back from a severe knee injury suffered in January.

Clark, who led the Redhawks in rebounding (8.7 per game) through 19 games, took part in most drills, though he was noticeably limited with his speed and athleticism.

Also sitting out with an injured left foot was sophomore guard Rob Martin, who spent last season as a freshman at Indiana State before transferring to SEMO in the off-season.

The Redhawk's first competition will be on Oct. 23 in an exhibition game at the Show Me Center against Henderson State.