Redhawks continue uphill battle

When things are going your way, LaMont Russell grabs an errant alley-oop pass off the backboard and scores a key basket, or Jaycen Herring grabs his own miss and converts with 3 seconds left to tie the game.

When things aren't going your way, the opposing team throws two perfect passes in less than 3.5 seconds to exploit your defense and set up an open game-winning shot to avoid overtime.

More often than not right now, things aren't going in favor of the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team.

The Redhawks completed a four-game homestand Saturday night with a 74-71 loss to Eastern Kentucky.

The good news is that the Redhawks had their best performance of the four-game set.

The bad news is that it was still a loss, their eighth straight. The Redhawks fell to 3-16 overall and 0-8* in the Ohio Valley Conference. (* -- For good measure, they even lost to not-yet-full-member Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.)

"We're moving in the right direction," Southeast acting coach Zac Roman said. "Our defense has gotten better. We've gotten better offensively, just executing our stuff, I knew it was going to take a while. I think it's just starting to sink in and starting to click for our guys."

Roman has the helm of the Redhawks under the most unlikely of circumstances. Head coach Scott Edgar was put on leave Oct. 9 and his contract was terminated with a buyout in late December.

"Me taking over when I did, before the first day of practice, these guys are looking at me like, 'Who are you?'" Roman said. "I knew it was going to take a while for some of the kids to buy in, and it's starting to happen right now. It's showing; it's just not showing up in the win column. We're right there. We've just got to take the next step."

After pushing league-leading Morehead State in a 73-67 decision Thursday night, the Redhawks came back to the Show Me Center on Saturday and fought EKU to the final second. A 3-pointer by Mike Rose with less than a tick left made the difference.

"What can you say? The kid made a great shot," Roman said.

In each game of the homestand, the Redhawks got closer.

And with standout post player Calvin Williams missing part of the four-game set with an injury, with other forwards battling through injuries, with just eight scholarship players dressed out Saturday, the Redhawks aren't showing signs of quitting on this season.

"That's one thing I'm very proud of," Roman said. "It's our job as a coaching staff to keep their spirits high and make them believe in us and believe in what we're doing right now."

Losing hurts, as a couple of the Southeast players said Saturday night.

They've had performances that show flashes of a breakthrough. Senior Kenard Moore tied his career high with 31 points against Morehead. Senior Jaycen Herring scored a season-high 25 against EKU. Junior Calvin Williams had 14 points and nine rebounds Saturday as Southeast rallied from 17 down to take a lead, lost it and rallied again in the final minutes.

"Those three have to click for us," Roman said. "We have to have two out of three clicking nightly for us to have a chance. I think everybody understands that. They've taken that challenge head on."

And this week's juggling of bodies on the front line allowed junior Bijon Jones to thrive in a three-guard set with Herring and Moore able to focus on scoring. Jones, a junior college transfer, had his best game in scoring (11) and assists (5) Saturday.

"I've been struggling all season long, and I feel like I've been playing the worst basketball of my career," Jones said. "I've just been working harder and coach tells me to just keep doing the things I'm good at, 'Keep shooting, keep penetrating, and it will come together.' Last game, I felt it a little bit, and tonight I turned the corner just a little bit.

"Hopefully, we can just keep pushing to get better and get some wins."

Jones, like the rest of the Redhawks, is hungry for one.

"Our record doesn't show how good we are," he said. "If we play like the last 15 minutes tonight and the last 15 minutes from last game, and put them together, we're going to get us a win."

Southeast, two games behind everyone in the 10-team OVC standings, would have to put together an unlikely streak to get back in the race for the top eight and the league's postseason tournament. That would be the kind of turnaround that it might take for Roman to get consideration to stick around as Southeast's next head coach.

He realizes his audition is winding down, but he has more reasons for wanting to get some wins than just his future.

"Of course that's something I think about," Roman said. "I think it's natural to think about your future, think about your staff's future. We're all in this together. It's something I think about, but it's not something that gets in the way at all of what we're trying to do with these kids this season."

Toby Carrig is the online editor of semoball.com.