Redhawk hoops to 'experience' history in tonight's game

There are a number of things that fourth-year Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball coach Brad Korn wants his student-athletes to get out of being a Redhawk, none more important than growing intellectually and maturing into successful adults. However, he also wants his players to gain experiences in life through their time in Cape Girardeau, and tonight will be the latest example of such.

The Redhawks (0-1) will visit Butler (1-0) at 7:30 p.m. (Central Time), which will allow the Redhawk players to compete in Hinkle Fieldhouse, which is regarded by all who follow college basketball as one of the most iconic in America.

It is the first time SEMO will have faced the Bulldogs.

“If we’re going to play basketball,” Korn said, “let’s go play (in some memorable places). Hinkle Fieldhouse, we went to Arizona (earlier this week at Grand Canyon), we’ve gone to Florida, we’ve gone to California.

“If we have to play (guarantee games), then let’s go experience something.”

The game will not only allow Korn’s kids to battle in front of 7,000-plus fans in a really cool arena, against a Big East opponent, but it will also give the Redhawks some exposure to recruits in the state of Indiana, which currently has 164 players on NCAA Division I rosters this season.

“The state of Indiana obviously is a basketball state,” Korn said. “There are certain states that you associate with a sport.”

Korn, who grew up in the Chicago area, noted that Indianapolis is “only 4 ½ hours” from Cape Girardeau while Chicago is six hours away.

“It’s even closer,” Korn said. “People gravitate towards Chicago because there have been so many great players from there. The only caveat to recruiting Indiana is that there are so many other Division I schools there (11 of them).”

Korn said his with his guarantee games each season, he would prefer to fly to one and keep a drivable distance to the other.

“But you don’t want to just play Memphis and Vanderbilt every year,” Korn said. “The criteria is, is it within driving distance? Financially, does it match what we are needing? And, can it be an experience for our guys?

“Obviously, Butler checks all of those boxes.”

Short-handed

The Redhawks will not only be competing against a formidable opponent on the road, but Korn’s team won’t have its full arsenal of weapons for the second straight game.

Junior guard Dylan Branson is out “at least a couple of weeks,” according to Korn.

Branson broke a bone in his foot and is currently in a boot and on crutches.

“We’ll have more of a definitive timeline come Thanksgiving,” Korn said.

Freshman guard BJ Ward played well in his collegiate debut on Monday against Grand Canyon, but he is questionable tonight after hitting his head during the game with the Antelopes.

The Chaminade College Prep School graduate came off the bench to lead the Redhawks with a game-high five assists on Monday while also scoring seven points and making a couple of steals.