Column: SEMO hoops needs to field a 'team' this season

Southeast Missouri State sophomore guard Alex Caldwell cheers on his teammates against Lincoln University in a recent exhibition game at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

“The team, the team, the team.”

Rick Ray knows exactly what those words mean when he reads them and he knows I do too when I type them.

Ray spent seven years as an assistant coach at Indiana State University under former Sycamore coach Royce Waltman, which was one more than I spent under Waltman at both DePauw University and the University of Indianapolis earlier and Waltman never had season goals, per se, he simply wanted to have a “team” in the truest sense of the word.

The above words were his mantra and indicated what held the highest importance for everyone associated with the program.

Ray’s fifth “team” at Southeast Missouri State will embark on its journey today at Vanderbilt at 7 p.m. and what will differentiate success and failure over the next four-plus months – and quite frankly, play a pivotal role in Ray’s future in Cape Girardeau - is whether this “team” can truly be that or not.

I’m not unveiling some deep secret when I write that, Ray knows what I am talking about and so do his players.

Fifth-year senior forward Skyler Hogan gave serious consideration to walking away from the Redhawk program last spring because of a lack of bond inside the locker room. However, when he decided to finish his career at Southeast, Hogan vowed he was going to do so in a different atmosphere.

“We didn’t have a lot of team togetherness last year,” Hogan said, “that is why I was thinking about leaving. But I probably made that decision too quickly. When I came back, we decided that we were going to change the culture and that is going to start with the older guys on the team.”

Hogan hasn’t just talked the talk this preseason, he has walked, make that ran, the walk.

Southeast Missouri State fifth-year senior forward Skyler Hogan rests during a free throw break against Lincoln University in a recent exhibition game at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

At some point in every single practice, Ray has his team run sprints for various reasons, and in every single run, Hogan is the first to cross the finish line.

Every single one.

“I just want to build a better culture,” Hogan said. “We’ve got the talent, if we can build a culture, then we can win here.”

No truer words have ever been spoken.

Southeast has three post players (Quatarrius Wilson, Sage Tolbert, and Darrius Agnew) with ability; shooters in Hogan, Chris Harris, Oscar Kao, and Isaiah Gable; and two guards that are as quick as any in the OVC (DQ Nicholas and Alex Caldwell).

“I feel like we can score at all levels,” Hogan said.

Southeast Missouri State men's basketball coach Rick Ray instructs his team during a timeout against Lincoln University in a recent exhibition game at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

In some regards, Ray has built a tremendous “culture” within the Redhawk program.

This is a program that graduates its student-athletes and biblically follows the NCAA by-laws. When it comes to integrity, Ray may be the highest-ranked coach in the NCAA. However, this is a cut-throat business and off-the-court achievements only get a coach and players so far.

The Southeast win total within the Ohio Valley Conference has declined each of the past three seasons and no one associated with the program from athletic director Brady Barke down to the fans in the Show Me Center stands wants to see a fourth.

“Our togetherness off the court is really good,” Hogan said. “We just need to get in a little bit better shape, just learn with the new guys, because everybody is different, we haven’t played together that much.”

To Hogan’s point, 8 of the 15 Redhawk athletes have never played a game in the red-and-black, so unity will be a process throughout this season. However, whether it evolves or not won’t be an option, it has to at some point.

“As far as everybody being on the same page in practice every day,” Hogan said, “I like what I see.”

Time will tell if the Southeast fan base feels the same way in March.