Redhawks sign JUCO All-American Wilford

~ The shooting guard attends Connors State College in Oklahoma

Corey Wilford had opportunities to join well-established Division I basketball programs that have experienced considerable success in recent years.

Wilford turned down all of them to join Southeast Missouri State because he feels the Redhawks are on the verge of turning the corner in a big way.

Wilford, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound sophomore shooting guard at Connors State College in Oklahoma who earned second-team junior college All-American honors this year, signed a letter of intent with Southeast on Tuesday.

"I'm really excited about it," Wilford said. "With the addition of me and a couple other recruits ... there is a lot of talent coming back. ... We'll be a top team in the OVC for sure. We'll have the arena rocking."

Wilford said he also seriously considered current Ohio Valley Conference powers Murray State, Morehead State and Austin Peay, along with Missouri State and South Alabama.

"But I really liked it when I came there," Wilford, a native of Hopkinsville, Ky., said about his recent official visit to Southeast. "I got to know all the players real well. They were all real cool. I like the coaches. The campus was nice. It's a nice town and it's close to home, only about three hours."

Southeast coach Dickey Nutt was elated after landing a player he has coveted since he took over the program two years ago.

"We are very fired up about it," Nutt said. "We zeroed in on Corey since we got here and tried to sign him early [during the early signing period in November]. He gave us a commitment last week, but a lot of other programs were still in on him. I'm so proud that he stuck with his commitment."

Wilford, the Region II player of the year, averaged 16.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game this year. He shot 45.5 percent from 3-point range (81 of 178) to rank 19th nationally and hit 83 percent from the free-throw line for a team that went 26-4, was at one time ranked No. 1 in the nation and spent the entire season among the top five.

Wilford broke the school single-game record with 11 3-pointers against Northeast Oklahoma, including eight in the first half.

"Corey is an outstanding shooter, but he can do a lot of different things. He can create his own shot, get to the basket and finish around the rim," Nutt said. "Corey is also an outstanding young man. He will make a big difference in our team. I feel like we added another really good piece to the puzzle."

Wilford, asked to describe his game, said: "I'm an energy player. A scorer. I can shoot and create my own shot. Just being a team player."

Nutt credited his staff, led by assistant Jeremy Case, for playing a major role in the signing. Wilford said Case had a big hand in the process.

"He's been recruiting me for two years. Me and coach Case got real close," Wilford said.

Nutt said there is a good chance Southeast will sign another player in the next several weeks.

The Redhawks are reportedly targeting 6-6 wing Dijon Farr, an all-region performer from Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College who recently visited Southeast.

Southeast signed two touted high school seniors, 6-8 power forward Nino Johnson and 6-3 shooting guard Telvin Wilkerson, from Memphis, Tenn., in November.

That's in addition to Missouri transfer Tyler Stone and Missouri State transfer Michael Porter becoming eligible. The sophomore forwards practiced this past season but were ineligible under NCAA transfer rules.

"We feel like we've added a lot already to what we have coming back," said Nutt, whose 2010-11 squad had just two seniors. "We're excited."