sportsMarch 4, 2025
SEMO men’s basketball secured first-ever outright OVC regular season title: Here’s how the Redhawks did it
SEMO men's basketball clinched their first-ever outright OVC regular season title, fueled by a 10-game win streak and standout performances from Rob Martin and new transfers. Discover their winning formula.
For the first time in program history, the Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball team has claimed the Ohio Valley Conference regular season title outright.
On the way to the title, the Redhawks went on a 10-game winning streak, the longest in program history since SEMO joined NCAA Division I in 1991.
The win streak ended in the final game of the season when the team fell to Eastern Illinois 58-73.
The Redhawks are making history as they put last year's dismal season in the rearview. But how did they do it? The answer is a mixture of playing style, personnel and depth that has fed a mantra of getting 1% better every time the team hits the floor.
Martin’s Madness
At the center of SEMO’s historic run is junior point guard Rob Martin. The St. Louis native, in his second season with the Redhawks, has lifted the team with 15 straight games scoring in double figures.
On Feb. 27, he dropped a career-high 31 points against SIUE, one of four times this season he surpassed 25 points.
Martin’s improvement is undeniable. Last season, he averaged 11.9 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.2 rebounds. This year, he has elevated his game across the board, posting 14.5 points, 4.6 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game.
The 5-foot-10 playmaker leads the team in assists for the second straight season. His ability to create shots for himself and his teammates has been a driving force in SEMO’s success.
“I got a lot of guys who can score the ball at a high level, so just getting them involved and just finding them in their spots … it opens up for me scoring-wise … it just helps me all around be able to get to my spots when I can and find my guys as well,” Martin said.
Head coach Brad Korn said the point guard has grown in all areas of the game.
“The thing I liked the most is when I watched Rob play, the growth that he's had in that position … A year ago, Rob was asked to score on a bad team, and then now learning how to assist and score on a good team, and defend and block out and do all of the things and really understand and learn the game at a different level,” Korn said.
On Feb. 20 against Western Illinois, he notched his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 11 assists.
New faces, immediate impact
While returning players have emerged, SEMO’s transformation this season has also been fueled by key additions. Senior guard Teddy Washington Jr., junior forward Troy Cole Jr., and junior forward Brendan Terry have played crucial roles in the Redhawks' “turnaround" in their first season with the Redhawks.
Washington Jr., a transfer from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, is second on the team in scoring (14.4 points per game), and leads the team in rebounding (5.4 per game), and steals (1.9 per game). His aggressive defense and leadership have been instrumental in SEMO’s success.
Cole Jr.’s contributions go beyond the stat sheet. The junior forward plays with intensity on both ends of the floor, knocking down open shots, making hustle plays, and finishing strong at the rim.
In the Redhawks’ game against Lindenwood University on Feb. 22, Cole Jr. took on the challenge of guarding Lindenwood’s leading scorer and hometown favorite freshman guard Jadis Jones, and effectively shut him down during the first half limiting the guard to 1 point.
Terry, a transfer from Pensacola State, has been a dominant force in the paint despite being slightly undersized for the position. He leads the team in field goal percentage at 66.8% and averages 11.3 points per game.
On Feb. 20, he delivered a career-best performance, scoring 25 points in a win over Western Illinois.
Terry’s mentality and confidence has fueled his game, as he says that he feels untouchable at his position.
“Every game recently has kind of just been like, I can [beat] these dudes. I feel like I'm probably, if not, the best, one of the best bigs in the league, And I feel like I can just do something like this [hit a season high], every game, just dominate simple and do simple stuff and finish around the basket,” Terry said.
Korn mentioned these transfers have added depth to the team and have adopted the team mantra of getting 1 percent better every game.
“You add all those new pieces into the guys that came back, and we are getting better in practice … I don't know if our talent and our skill level was as high a year ago… This group has got depth, so every time we practice, we're getting just a little bit better. We're getting incrementally better, that 1% better. I think that's been the biggest difference, but it's because of good recruiting, good assistants, [and] good staff identify the right kind of guys,” Korn said.
Small ball, big results
In his fifth season as head coach, Brad Korn has embraced a modern approach to the game, implementing a small-ball style that prioritizes speed, versatility, and floor spacing over traditional size.
The Redhawks’ starting lineup features Brendan Terry as the tallest player at 6-foot-7, followed by Troy Cole at 6-foot-5, Teddy Washington at 6-foot-2, BJ Ward at 6-foot and Rob Martin at 5-foot-10.
Despite having two 7-footers on the roster in David Idada and Elliot Lowndes, Korn has opted to bring them off the bench, using their size strategically while maintaining a faster, more dynamic style of play.
The strategy has paid off, as SEMO’s smaller, quicker lineup has outmatched opponents with speed, defensive pressure, and offensive efficiency.
Coach Korn spoke on this system, saying it allows the team freedom to perform to the best of its ability.
“I think the system that we play allows freedom, it is organized chaos, but then we can organize and orchestrate what we need to. We start two point guards, and then Teddy, you know, he does a lot with the ball, but you can't take the ball from him,” Korn said.
Rewriting the record books
SEMO’s historic season goes beyond their first OVC regular season title. The Redhawks posted their first winning road record since the 1999-2000 season and secured their first 20-win season in 24 years. Their 10-game win streak is now the longest in their Division I history.
Along with this, the Redhawks have also notched 15 conference wins, tying the most conference wins in a season, and 12 wins at home, the most in 25 years.
With the regular season complete, the Redhawks turn their attention to the OVC Tournament in Evansville, Indiana. SEMO will take the court on March 7 in the semifinals, with their opponent yet to be determined.
A year ago, the Redhawks were near the bottom of the conference. Now, they enter the postseason as the team to beat.
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