Redhawks' Russell makes impact on the boards

LaMont Russell needed a change, and Southeast Missouri State offered it.

"I wanted to get out of Kansas," he said.

The 6-foot-6 junior college transfer is making the most of his opportunity with the Redhawks basketball team. He's the team's leading rebounder through three games, averaging 9.7 per game. That's even more impressive when you consider he only snagged one board in the Redhawks' season opener at New Mexico.

"I'm just trying to get every rebound," Russell said. "Battle, box out, just play aggressive. It's just heart. Rebounds are about heart. It's not about size."

Russell splashed onto the scene against Kansas State, when he grabbed 17 rebounds against the Big 12's Wildcats.

"I was shocked after they told me I had 17," Russell said. "It felt good to get it."

Russell came to Southeast after averaging 17.5 points and 10.9 rebounds a game at Hesston Community College in Hesston, Kan. That was after playing high school basketball in Wichita, Kan., leading him to want something new.

Southeast interim coach Zac Roman coached against Russell's junior college team, and decided to bring the forward to Cape Girardeau.

"A lot of coaches, they would say he has a nose for the ball," Roman said. "He knows where the ball is going. I think he reads it well off the rim. He just kind of reacts, anticipates, and that's how he gets rebounds. I knew he could get it done at this level, and he's proving that."

Russell followed his 17-rebound performance with 11 against Culver-Stockton, which came in 20 minutes of action.

"I just attack the glass," he said. "It started in junior college and I brought it here. It's part of my game."

Russell still is trying to make the adjustment to Division I basketball. He's set a goal of averaging a double-double in points and rebounds this season, and accomplished the feat against Culver-Stockton with 11 points to go with his rebounds. He's also rooting on his teammates, often standing on the sideline to yell encouragement, and he was the first player to get off the bench and greet his teammates on the court during timeouts.

But he knows he still has a lot of work to do.

"I came from a Division II juco, so it was a little slower," he said. "The speed of the game and the physicality and athleticism is just different.

"I just have to keep my confidence high. I think confidence is very important in basketball. I have to stay conditioned, play defense and score."

The Redhawks need Russell to continue to rebound well. They lost their top rebounder from last season, Brandon Foust, and lost 5.2 per game from Michael Rembert. Calvin Williams is the lone returning player who averaged more than four rebounds per game last season.

"He just chases everything, never gives up," Roman said of Russell. "It's all heart."

And while Russell is enjoying his hot start, he's not letting it get to his head.

"I'm kind of surprised because I was nervous a lot in the exhibition games, being in front of bigger crowds," he said. "I'm just trying to stay calm. My team is backing me up, giving me confidence."