Published Stories from the Southeast Arrow:

SEMO to Host Eclipse Block Party for Local Community and Students

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Chandler Jansen ~ Arrow Reporter

Southeast Missouri State University is preparing for the approaching total solar eclipse on April 8. For the first total eclipse since 2017, a slew of activities are planned for SEMO students, their families and the local community to enjoy.

Associate Vice President for Student Life, Dr. Bruce Skinner is on the planning committee for the Block Party and commented on the rare eclipse event.

“By showing the many accomplishments of the University over this past year, it only seems appropriate to have the last event of the 150th be something that is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many,” Skinner said.

There will be several Block Party events taking place on campus to celebrate the solar eclipse on April 8. These events will be open to SEMO students, faculty and staff. Two NASA speakers will bring their expertise to the Academic Auditorium at 10:30 a.m. At 11:00, students will be able to experience many attractions such as SEMO’s Greek Week and the Student Organization Fair. Normal Avenue will be closed for all eclipse festivities.

Director of Recreation Services, Eric Redinger, is managing the Block Party event. He says that five food trucks will be on site offering free samples of their products while supplies last.

“Missouri National Guard will also be in attendance, grilling hot dogs and handing out small bags of chips, all free for our attendees,” Redinger said.

There will be a special invitation for high schools to attend the Block Party event. The Office of Admissions will host a brief program, a tour of campus and lunch.

Director for SEMO’s Office of Admissions, Lenell Hahn says that over 300 high school students will be on campus for the solar eclipse.

“Most are coming to us from the St. Louis area, but we have some coming from as far as Georgia, Nebraska, Minnesota, and California,” Hahn said.

Check out SEMO’s website for more information about the solar eclipse. All the fun and games are set to begin at 11:00 AM.

SEMO men’s Basketball defeats Southern Indiana 85-80 in a race to the finish

Saturday, February 18, 2023

Chandler Jansen ~ Arrow Reporter

SEMO men's basketball rallies at the Free throw line. The Redhawks were 78% accurate from the Charity Stripe on Feb. 18.

Photo by Chandler Jansen

The Redhawks improved their record to 15-14 for the season after a home win against the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles on Feb. 18. Fans and athletes also celebrated Senior Night, as the matchup marked SEMO’s last regular season home game of the year.

SEMO jumped out to an early lead at the beginning of the game but began trailing 39 to 36 at halftime. The Redhawks came out on top in the second half and put on a solid offensive performance scoring a total of 49 points, leading them to victory.

“It took us a little while to get going within the flow of the game offensively. We were able to find our way as the game went on. Really a great start to the second half,” Coach Brad Korn said.

Senior Chris Harris led the Redhawks in scoring with 20 points. Harris also scored the 1,000th point of his career during the second half of the game.

“It feels amazing. Coach Korn is an awesome coach and has always believed in me. My teammates were always making sure I was on pace so I could go out here and achieve that goal,” Harris said.

There were 17 seconds remaining in the game when Saturday night’s matchup came to an unexpected ending. Junior Tyler Henry of Southern Indiana collapsed on the sidelines during a timeout. Henry was tended to by first responders for nearly 20 minutes before he was taken to the hospital on a stretcher. The game did not resume play. Players, coaches, and fans gave Henry a standing ovation, paying their respect as he left the building. Details have not been released yet on the cause of his collapse.

SEMO is now tied for 2nd place in the Ohio Valley Conference along with TN-Martin. Both teams have a conference record of 10-6. Morehead State remains at the top of the OVC with a 12-4 conference record. The Redhawks will be back in action at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, Feb 23. to take on Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO.

What it took for SEMO men’s basketball to punch their second ticket ever to NCAA Tournament

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Chandler Jansen & Owen Korando ~ Arrow Reporters

Sophomore guard Aquan Smart poses with the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Trophy at the NCAA Selection Show watch party held at the Show Me Center on March 12.

Redhawks head coach Brad Korn’s team currently sits at 19-16, securing his first winning season in only his third year at SEMO. The team finished the regular season at 15-16, earning the five seed in the OVC Tournament.

During the tournament, the Redhawks reeled off four wins in four days, marking the second time the feat has ever been accomplished and the first time by the fifth seed in the OVC. The only other team to win four games in four days to win the OVC Tournament was the eighth seed Austin Peay team in 2016.

In an interview for Hawksnest, Korn said this feat helps set the stage for the future.

“Just a sense of belief from our guys that they knew they could accomplish a goal like that to win four games in four days — I don't care who you are, or what conference it's in or anything like that, that's a pretty special feat, especially when you know that the NCAA Tournament is the reward for that,” Korn said. “So, [I] couldn't be more proud of our guys. The way that they played represented not only themselves and their families, but also the university.”

SEMO defeated No. 8 Lindenwood 84-65 in the first round, No. 4 Tennessee State 91-83 in the quarterfinals and knocked off regular season champions Morehead State 65-58 and No. 2 Tennessee Tech 89-82 in overtime to punch their ticket to the NCAA tournament.

In that same interview, Korn discussed the importance of the role the Cape Girardeau community has played throughout the season.

“You could see the crowds progressively grow, coming out of the COVID year, and last year, we made some progress, and this year, it was up and down,” Korn said. “We had some rough patches there throughout the season, which most teams do. But we found our way at the end and really saw some people come out and support us.”

In the year 2000, SEMO's men’s basketball team made it to the NCAA Division I tournament for the first time. Twenty-three years later on March 4, 2023, they punched their ticket back to the big dance.

The 1999-2000 SEMO team finished 24-7 overall and went 14-4 en route to sharing the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) regular season championship with Murray State University. The 24-win season is the school record for wins in a season at the Division I level.

SEMO’s head coach of the 1999-2000 team, Gary Garner, said the team he had that year was extremely talented.

“It was a very talented team — we had all the necessary ingredients. We had a big center, 6’9” about 240, a couple of wing guys who were good and the guards,” Garner said. “We had good talent on the bench. So, we really had good players — that was good talent. That's always the most important thing.”

Southeast went on to beat the University of Tennessee-Martin 76-74 in the quarterfinals, Middle Tennessee State 78-60 in semifinals and Murray State 67-56 in the championship game, marking the first time they made it to the NCAA Division I Tournament.

In the 1998-99 season, SEMO lost to Murray State in the OVC Tournament championship game, making the 1999-2000 win extra special.

“It was really good and maybe a little better than some other years, because Murray State had beaten us on a last-second shot in the finals the year before,” Garner said. “I mean, it was a last-second desperate desperation shot. So, that was still stuck in our craw, and we had most of those players back. We were able to win that and go to the national tournament.”

With a 64-61 loss in the first round to No. 4 seed Louisiana State University (LSU), they were knocked out of the tournament. The Redhawks would go 21-11 in the 2000-01 season and did not have another winning season until the 2012-13 season, in which they went 17-16. They lost to Eastern Kentucky in the quarterfinals of the OVC Tournament that year.

The next year, the Redhawks went 18-14 before once again losing to Eastern Kentucky in the quarterfinals. The 2013-14 team featured both Michael Porter, father of NBA player Michael Porter Jr., and Antonius Cleveland, one of only two SEMO basketball players to make it to the NBA. The 2013-14 season would be the last time the Redhawks had a winning record until the current 2022-23 season.

SEMO alumni Matt Brucker said he is pumped to see the Redhawks punch their ticket in the NCAA tournament.

“SEMO will be representing us on the biggest stage in college athletics. For the community, it's huge,” Brucker said.

When SEMO defeated Tennessee Tech on March 4 for the OVC Championship, Brucker was in the front row right behind the Redhawks bench.

“When we went up 7-0, our fans had a lot of confidence out of that and got behind the team,” Brucker said. “I think that really helped push them forward to eventually win the game.”

Brucker attended every home game this season. Depending on the location of where SEMO will play during the first round, he is hoping to travel to watch them play.

Sophomore criminal justice major Josh Chambers is an avid SEMO basketball fan.

“It’s important to the community because those that were around for the team that won 23 years ago or have gotten the chance to meet them were able to relive that moment,” Chambers said. “For us students here at SEMO, it allows us to take pride in our school and have the opportunity to say we witnessed history.”

Since the OVC Conference Tournament was the first to finish, SEMO was the first team to punch an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament. The Redhawks will play Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi on Tuesday March 14. The game will be televised on truTV with tipoff set for 5:40 p.m. CT.