OVC Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2023-24 season

3. Southern Illinois Edwardsville – Head Coach Brian Barone

2022-23 record: 19-14 overall, 9-9 in the OVC

Brian Barone received a contract extension too. After several turbulent OVC seasons, this league looks like the model of stability. Long-term contracts for coaches abound and fan bases are growing.

SIUE’s season was unquestionably its best in D1 history. 19-wins were a high water mark and they won their first ever Ohio Valley Conference Tournament game. During Barone’s four seasons, the Cougars have won eight, nine, eleven and 19 games. How do they get to 20? That’s the question for this season.

Four returning starters means Barone’s team can hit the ground running. Ray’Sean Taylor has to avoid another injury. The all-OVC guard has struggled with knee injuries every year since his senior high school season. When healthy, he is as good as any OVC backcourt player.

Second leading scorer Damarco Minor (14.3 ppg) deserved his OVC all-newcomer team recognition. The 6’ guard grabbed 5.5 rebounds per game and handed out 2.8 assists. He was second in the OVC from the free-throw line (.876).

The Wright twins are back for one final season. As fifth year seniors they have each played in over 100 Cougar contests and have been the faces of the SIUE program longer than Barone. The left-handed Shamar has scored over 1,000 points and grabbed over 500 rebounds. His 6’7 twin, Lamar emerged as a dangerous outside shooter, as the righty netted .413 from deep.

Other returners include veteran forwards Terrance Thompson and Dorion Staples. Each will be leaned on to replace the departed DeeJuan Pruitt. The team’s third leading scorer and leading rebounder left for Jacksonville. Staples appeared in just ten games, but Thompson was Pruitt’s top replacement last season.

Longwood transfer Adeola Seun could factor into the SIUE frontcourt.

Barone has stockpiled guards like he’s in charge of Fort Knox. Milwaukee transfer Brian Taylor (Ray’Sean’s cousin) returns to the St. Louis area where he was a top ten Missouri recruit one season ago. He appeared in seven Milwaukee games. Desmond Polk flirted with the portal, but chose to return after appearing in 27 Cougar contests. In coming freshman Jordan Pickett from nearby Belleville East High School might be Barone’s best high school recruit since Taylor.

Indian Hills transfer Eddien Tirado was instrumental in the Warriors’ 29-win season and Ethan Yancy was a double-digit scorer for Northwest Kansas Tech.

SIUE made history last season and this team could take that history one step farther.