From the Show Me Center to the Ford Center, Redhawks MBB fans are showing out in Evansville

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The electrifying energy coming from the large fan section seated behind the home team’s bench was impossible to ignore.

As the seconds ticked down on the clock Friday night at the Ford Center, it was a sea of red that collectively rose to their feet and erupted with joy at the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament as the Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball team was headed to the conference finals.

The players and coaches earned it. The loyal Redhawk fans deserved it. This was their moment, too.

Two years removed from the program’s first conference finals appearance under head coach Brad Korn, SEMO has returned to the championship game once again and is one step away from punching another ticket to the NCAA Tournament following a 78-59 win over Little Rock in the conference semifinals.

The members of the SEMO fan base who made the three-hour trip out east to Evansville, Indiana saw the lengthy haul end up being more than rewarding.

“This has the potential to kind of be a transformational win,” long-time SEMO sports fan Nolan Brunnworth said before the semifinal game. “You saw us play two years ago in Dayton, Ohio and come close, but that first tournament win will mean a lot. And we're three games away and I can’t wait.”

Brunnworth, who attended SEMO from 1995 to 1999 and is currently a development officer for the university, was among the passionate Redhawk fans who witnessed their historic success in the late 1990s and conference title in 2000. He said this weekend’s conference tournament has led to an emotional reconnection with past glory and old memories in Cape Girardeau.

“There's a couple of things you can't change in life: you can't change your parents and you can't change your alma mater. I'm a proud SEMO alum.

“I was fortunate to catch lightning in a bottle with Gary Garner-coached teams in the late 90s,” Brunnworth said. “I went to Nashville with my buddies two years in a row in ‘99 and 2000 when we punched our ticket to go to the Big Dance and played LSU.”

Long-time SEMO men's basketball fan Nolan Brunnworth holds up a Coach Korn sign during the Ohio Valley Conference semifinals on Friday, Mar. 7, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.Kaiden Karper ~ kkarper@semoball.com

Brunnworth said what makes this Korn-led team stand out is the head coach’s leadership and the selflessness of the players – two things that also remind him of those late 90s squads.

“I love Coach Korn’s leadership and I love the unselfish play of this team,” he said. “You see a team that's not reliant on one big star. They really work well together and they really play well together. So, that's what I love about this team. It actually has some similarities to those Garner-coached teams – team defense and unselfish play. It’s thrilling.”

It’s a thrill built on optimism and a new hope. The feeling of being a top dog in the OVC, especially after reaching the conference finals in two of the past three years, gives the fan base a needed spark and added confidence after rooting for a men’s basketball program that spent the better half of this century as a non-contender.

Tenth-year SEMO president Carlos Vargas pointed out how the unique and dynamic relationship between the fan base and this year’s team is a mutual connection.

“This team has gotten these people to believe and to make this trip, otherwise they wouldn't be here,” Vargas said. “This team has really got the attraction and the energy to make these people come here. They all feel the same way that I do. They want this team. They like them. They're proud of them, and I think that’s reciprocal.”

A raucous SEMO crowd reacts to a big play against Little Rock during the Ohio Valley Conference semifinals on Friday, Mar. 7, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.Kaiden Karper ~ kkarper@semoball.com

Junior point guard Rob Martin, who finished with a game-high 21 points in the semifinal Friday night, said the exhilarating road crowd made it feel like a home game for him and his teammates.

“The fans coming out gave us a little boost and the confidence,” Martin said. “We appreciate that and definitely need that tomorrow. That was huge.”

Korn expressed his appreciation for the SEMO fans who made the trip and have supported the program all season long.

“Something I heard a lot about when I came in, in 2020 was just the history and the fan base,” Korn said. “It's really known for high school basketball as well as the region of Cape Girardeau. They love their basketball. To be able to see that kind of show out the last game of the season at home when we had 4,000 fans was great, and I believe we led the league in attendance this year, if I'm not mistaken. Then when I walked out of the tunnel today for that game, you just hear your fans. It was very, very impactful, and it feels good to make a lot of people proud.”

The SEMO fan section celebrates after the Redhawks defeated Little Rock in the Ohio Valley Conference semifinals on Friday, Mar. 7, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.Kaiden Karper ~ kkarper@semoball.com

SEMO will face No. 2 seed SIUE in the OVC Tournament finals on Saturday, Mar. 8, at 8 p.m. at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind., with an automatic NCAA Tournament berth on the line.

“There's a lot of people in our area and in our town that have a lot of pride, and SEMO men's basketball does a lot for their families outside of just wins and losses,” Korn said. “It's just a true team, and I think the community really has embraced the way that we play, and they can identify with that.”