SEMO Prep seeing success sending players to next level

When Roy Booker began SEMO Prep, his vision was to create a program that was successful as well as impactful.

Well, Booker has been successful in that as his program continues to assist players in earning scholarships to play college basketball.

“It’s huge,” Booker said. “A lot of prep schools don’t have this type of success with sending kids to college. A lot of prep schools have just one team but we have two teams so it makes it a little harder.”

Over the last three seasons Booker has coached two teams of 11 players and according to Booker, over 40 of them have earned scholarships to play at the next level.

“We just keep getting better and better,” Booker said. “We only have one team this year of nine kids and I would say at least eight of them have offers right now.”

Booker thinks the success his program has had sending kids to the next level will be critical for future success of the program.

“The proof is in the pudding,” Booker said. “If we aren’t sending kids out with scholarships it would be really really hard to get people to come to our program. We have the proof to back it up. The program is getting better and better and what’s happening is we’re starting to get more connections.”

When searching for talent for his program, Booker is looking for more than just on-court talent.

“We want to make sure we have good kids,” Booker said. “Our job is to help them become better men, not just basketball players. We’re with them for seven months straight so we get to mentor them in not just basketball.”

In terms of recruiting strategies from a basketball standpoint, Booker is primarily watching for upside.

“We have to be able to see the upside,” Booker said. “We know they just need to add a couple things to get them better so they can play in college.”

Booker and SEMO Prep hit the road to take on Jefferson College on Monday, Jan. 22, in Hillsboro.