ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Henderson State's men's basketball team returns to the floor for the first time since March on Tuesday night when the Reddies travel to face NCAA DI Southern Illinois in an exhibition game in Carbondale, Illinois.
REDDIES REPORT
- The Reddies will have a blend of old and new faces this season with a roster that features eight returners and six newcomers. Henderson finished 11-9 last season during the abbreviated COVID year and reached the GAC Tournament semifinals for the third-straight season. In the last three seasons, HSU has the best winning percentage (65.4%) of any school in Arkansas at any level of competition.
- Junior guard Malik Riddle is the top returning scorer (12.6 points per game) and rebounder (5.7 rebounds per game) for HSU, who also brings back veteran guards Quawn Marshall and Xavier Davenport. Marshall and Davenport have combined to play in 92 games for the Reddies and, along with Graham Chenault and Tomislav Miholjcic, are the only remaining holdovers from Henderson's 2020 GAC Championship squad.
- HSU brought in four transfers in the offseason, all of whom will have a chance to make an early impact. Franck Kamgain from UMKC played in every game for the Kangaroos last season and averaged 7.5 points per contest, while Ryan Boyce brings tons of athleticism with him from Georgia State. Fellow newcomers Alvin Miles and Andre Washington both excelled at the JUCO level and averaged 15.5 and 10 points per game, respectively.
- Tuesday's contest is Henderson's fifth exhibition against an NCAA DI opponent in Elgas's tenure. The Reddies have faced Wichita State, Louisiana-Monroe, and Arkansas State twice. HSU and Southern Illinois have never before met on the hardwood.
SCOUTING SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
- Southern Illinois comes into the 2021-22 season picked fifth preseason in the Missouri Valley Conference. SIU was 12-14 and 5-13 in the MVC last year, but returns 97% of its scoring and seven players who started 10 or more games.
- The Salukis are led by head coach Bryan Mullins, who is in his third year at the helm of his alma mater. As a player, Mullins helped lead Southern Illinois to the 2007 Sweet 16. He has been named to ESPN's 40-Under-40, which honors the Top-40 young coaches in college basketball.
- SIU's top returner is junior guard Marcus Domask, who was the MVC Newcomer of the Year back in 2020. Domask averaged 16.3 points on 48.4% shooting from the floor last season before an injury sidelined him after just 10 games. Fellow guard Lance Jones was a Third Team All-MVC selection last season and started 25 games for the Salukis at point guard. Jones averaged 13.4 points and 2.9 assists per game in 2020-21.
