Super SEMO soph has turned his/team's season around quickly

A lot can change in two weeks and the perspective of people evaluating the play of Southeast Missouri State sophomore guard Phillip Russell is evidence of that.

Following a road loss at UT Martin 14 days ago, a game in which Russell picked up his Ohio Valley Conference-leading eighth technical foul and had had 14 fouls called on him in a three-game stretch.

The Redhawks were 1-2 during that trying run, and Russell was becoming known as a talented, but emotionally combustible, player.

Since that night, Russell has received just one technical foul, committed just eight fouls overall, led SEMO to three consecutive wins, and in the eyes of many, has emerged as possibly the best player in the conference, thus far.

“I thought he was the Freshman of the Year last year,” third-year Redhawk coach Brad Korn said. “And I was pretty outspoken about that a year ago.”

Russell will lead the Redhawks (9-10, 4-2 OVC) against UT Martin (11-8, 3-3) tonight at 7 p.m. at the Show Me Center, and his productivity of late is leaving little margin for being snubbed this postseason.

“I thought he was robbed a little bit,” Korn said of Russell not actually being named as the OVC’s top freshman for the 2021-22 season. “If I am being completely honest.”

This year, particularly over the past two weeks, Russell has been a “very, very good player,” according to Korn.

The 6-foot guard leads the OVC in league play in assists (4.7 per game), steals (2.3 per game), and ranks second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2 per game), and scoring (20.3 points per game).

“There is not a lot (defensively) that you can do with Phil,” Korn said. “He can make open shots. He can create for others and get his own shot.”

Russell is the current OVC Player of the Week after he averaged 26.6 points, five assists and 1.5 steals to lead SEMO to a pair of victories.

The Vashon High School graduate shot 55.2 percent from the field, 57.1 percent from 3-point range, and made 86.7 percent of his free throws.

In the Redhawks’ latest win (91-86 at Morehead State), Russell tied SEMO’s NCAA Division I single-game scoring record with 37 points, which is the most by any OVC player this year.

“Give Phil a lot of credit,” Korn said following the win. “That was just a miraculous performance.”

Russell was named to the OVC All-Newcomer Team a year ago, as well as was an All-OVC Second Team selection, and he has built on that really good first season this year.

In 30 games a year ago, Russell, who ranks fourth in the OVC this season in 3-pointers made, connected on 48 long shots. Through 16 games this year, he has already made 47 and is shooting a higher percentage (35 percent compared to 33 a year ago).

He has also significantly elevated his free throw shooting (he ranks seventh in the OVC in this category) from 73 percent to 85 percent.

Despite his scoring increase (13 points per game to 17) this season, he is also distributing the ball more.

A year ago, Russell passed for 95 assists and already has dished off 86 this year with two months of playing remaining.

“He is the ultimate competitor,” Korn said of Russell. “There isn’t a whole lot you can do with him and he gets others involved.”