CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) – SEMO Men’s Basketball held its first official practice on Monday at the Show Me Center.

Off a disappointing 2023-24 campaign that saw the Redhawks finish toward the tail end of the OVC, head coach Brad Korn has recruited several players to address the team’s weakness, particularly in rebounding and defense.

Many fresh faces are near 7′0 in stature. Among the newcomers is former Cape Central star guard Jay Reynolds, one of the Redhawk’s most-prized signings of the class.

Korn shared his thoughts on this year’s team following the practice.

“We can be a better defensive team and a better rebounding team, so that’s something that we’ve really been harking on, even since the summertime,” Korn said. “Our guys got here June 12 in the summer, so we’ve kept a pretty consistent practice schedule, in formation to the message that we’re trying to send.”

Korn said that while the offense has traditionally had an edge on the defense, this season–so far–it’s flipped.

He expressed optimism in the team getting stronger defensively, also noting that he believed the offense would gradually catch up over the next month and a half.

We spoke with junior guard Rob Martin, one of SEMO’s best offensive stars. Martin led the Redhawks with 11.9 points per game and 3.5 assists per game.

“This year, I just feel like being more of a leader and leading the team, and more comfortable,” he said.

SEMO starts its season on Monday, November 4 at Bradley.

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