This article is the first in a series previewing each team in the Ohio Valley Conference.
When it comes to OVC basketball, no team plays that style better than SEMO. The Redhawks have finished top three in defensive efficiency in the OVC in two of the past three seasons, with last year finding themselves mere moments away from the OVC championship game, yet falling in a defensive battle to Morehead State.
Head coach Brad Korn returns senior Marqueas Bell, who is one of the most anticipated returners in the OVC. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 9.1 points and 5.2 rebounds on 52.5% shooting from the field in his third season in Cape Girardeau. Now, as he returns for year four, Korn reflects on the rarity of having a four-year player in today's college basketball landscape.
"I don't know how many Division-I offers [Marqueas] had out of high school," Korn said. "We were one of few, and he drove over here, and Kansas City's five and a half hours from us. His dad drove him over to our elite camp, and we got to take a look at him a little bit longer after the July AAU scene. We just knew a lot about his family and who he was, and I don't want to say we took a chance on him, but I just I loved the spirit that the kid had, the way that he plays, the way that he's playing now and just who he is as a young man, and just to be able to be a part of that kid's journey for four years now.
"It really is my hope that Marqueas Bell could lead off ESPN and CBS and any other media outlet of just showing, like, 'hey, there is still some good here in college basketball and college athletics in general.' The kid should be celebrated for staying for four years. He's a great young man. He's a great kid, and his basketball game has improved tremendously since he's been here."
Bell returns to a new-look roster following the exit of all but four players from last season. Korn added nine new players to the lineup, seven of them transfers.
"It's my hope that we're not taking any steps backwards, even though we did lose a lot,," Korn said. "We lose a lot every single year, just like people like us in our league and our level. So, to feel that you don't have to hit a complete restart after losing a lot and having success is a good feeling."
"Anything But Mid" OVC Men's Preview
Of the new additions, the backcourt looks to improve even more alongside Bell with Fontaine Williams Jr. coming in from Division-II West Texas A&M. The 6-foot-2 guard had a 20.5ppg-season (second in the Lone Star Conference) and led the Buffalos to a 20-11 record. He comes in with NAIA transfer Alonzo Clawson-Smith (IU Kokomo), who averaged 20.1 points and 6.3 assists in his freshman season, to form a true three-headed beast in the backcourt.
"If you look back at what we've done with our guards here, our guards have been dynamic," Korn said. "Of course, Rob Martin was a point guard, but he really scored a lot of his points off-ball, same with Phillip Russell even going back to 2023, or Chris Harris, OVC tournament MVP, was a bigger guard.
"We've done well with a lot of different guards that allow for different spots, which our system allows for a lot of growth and freedom in that. So, I see Marqueas being able to blend in at any of those positions. The more that we can continue to harp on what our system allows and what we're really trying to accomplish, I think there's room for not just three guards but four and five."
The Redhawks also welcome back Landren Blocker, who started the majority of his outings last year as a wing defender, for his second season under Korn.
"Landryn, who's only 6-foot-4-ish, 6-foot-5, he played some of that forward for us, but again, in our system, we really just have point guards or lead guards, if you will, big men," Korn said.
Korn brings in a much wider array of taller players this season, with the ability to play much bigger this year without sacrificing mobility. Highlighting this group of players is Missouri State transfer Darrion Sutton, a former four-star recruit from Overtime Elite who spent his first collegiate season with Georgia Tech. Korn is looking for Sutton, now a junior, to make a leap for his team.
"We had size last year in David Idada and Elliot Lowndes," Korn said. and "Brendan Terry wasn't necessarily a big guy from a height standpoint, but to be able to have you know those 6-foot-8, 6-foot-7 front court guys, just with some physicality and just the mobility of those guys, there's a lot that those guys can do. Darrion can be out on the perimeter and still help you run a functional offense. His ability to be able to be interior, mid, and outside. You talk about guys stretching the floor east to west, and I think those guys can stretch the floor north to south as well."
Korn has a million and one ways to run his offense, and a few of them might be good enough to take home another conference championship.
