SEMO basketball rounds out roster

It was announced on Thursday that the SEMO men’s basketball team added three new players to the final roster for the 2023-24 season. These players include Rob Martin, Braxton Stacker and TJ Biel.

Martin comes to SEMO as a sophomore after spending last season at Indiana State out of the Missouri Valley Conference. As a freshman for the Sycamores, Martin totaled 11 points, nine assists and four rebounds in 12 appearances. Martin also had an illustrious high school career at Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis where he won the Missouri Class 6 state championship and was named the Missouri 6A Player of the Year and St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro Player of the Year.

Redhawks head coach Brad Korn said in a statement what he likes about Martin and how he can help the team.

"Rob is a true point guard with vision, IQ, and toughness. No matter what level of basketball you are playing, you must have good guard play that can function with and without the basketball," said Korn. "Rob is all about being a leader, defending his position and playing with toughness. Between his high school pedigree at Christian Brothers, AAU upbringing with Brad Beal Elite and time with MoKan Elite, he has the experience to come in and compete immediately."

Stacker also joins the Redhawks as a sophomore after playing his freshman year at former Ohio Valley Conference school Murray State. During his time for the Racers, Stacker totaled 12 points and four rebounds in 12 games coming off the bench. Before college Stacker played at Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School in St. Louis where he was a two-time Missouri All-State selection and the 2020-21 Defensive Player of the Year.

In the same statement, Korn had nothing but good things to say about Stacker.

"Braxton's athleticism and energy jump out at you the first time you are able to see him play," said Korn. "He has a game that is only going to continue to grow within our system. We were fortunate to see him through the AAU circuit (Brad Beal Elite) as well as on the prep scene at Cardinal Ritter where he was a proven winner at those stops. In the OVC, we need big, strong, and athletic wings that have a multitude of talents to go along with a very high ceiling of potential. We are excited about Braxton and ultimately look forward to seeing where he can end up as a SEMO graduate."

Biel comes to SEMO as a junior after spending last season at Triton College where he appeared in nine games and started four of those. In his appearances, he averaged 9.3 points and 4.1 rebounds while also totaling three assists, five steals, seven blocks and seven three-pointers made. Biel earned All-Region 24 Honors his freshman year at Vincennes University where he played in all 31 games and averaged 11 points and 5.5 rebounds. He scored in double figures 18 times and had a career-high 26 points at #5 ranked John A. Logan College.

Korn said in the statement he thinks Biel will be able to make an impact on the team.

"TJ comes to us from two very well-coached and respected junior colleges," commented Korn. "His versatility is something we felt we needed this offseason, and he fills that void for a lot of the positions we have. TJ has a good motor, size, long arms, and athleticism to go along with a nice inside/outside game that could allow us to have him at different spots on the court."

These three players join incoming freshmen Marqueas Bell and BJ Ward in the 2023-24 signing class. The five of them will look to add to the success that SEMO had in the 2022-23 season.

During last year's season, the Redhawks finished 19-17 (10-8 OVC) and won the OVC Tournament which punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament where they ultimately lost 75-71 to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. SEMO also will be replacing All-OVC first team member Phillip Russell and All-OVC second team member Chris Harris along with Nate Johnson, Israel Barnes and Tevin Gowens.