Ray Signs SEMO Extension

Editor: The following is a portion of a press release from gosoutheast.com.

Cape Girardeau  MO – Southeast Missouri Head Men’s Basketball Coach Rick Ray agreed to a two-year contract extension through the 2020-21 season, Director of Athletics Brady Barke announced Tuesday.

In his second season a year ago, Ray led SEMO to a +10 increase in the win column as the Redhawks were the 23^rd Most Improved Team in NCAA Division I Basketball. The Redhawks finished at 15-18 overall and second in the Ohio Valley Conference West Division with a 9-7 mark after going 5-24 and placing last in the OVC in 2015-16.

“When we hired Coach Ray, we knew it would take some time for him to rebuild the program to the level we desired at Southeast Missouri,” said Barke. “The progress the program has made in his first two years is evidence Rick is the right person to lead our program well into the future. I’m pleased with the progress on the court and the quality of student-athletes he is bringing to our institution and look forward to continuing to work with Rick for many years to come.”

SEMO made its 15^th all-time OVC Tournament appearance with Ray winning the first game he coached at the event when the Redhawks overcame a 14-point deficit to beat Tennessee State in overtime.

“I am grateful to President Vargas, Brady, and the administration for demonstrating their belief in me and our program by extending my contract,” said Ray. “Our team cannot be successful without the full support of our administration and this becomes extremely important when it comes to recruiting future student-athletes to our university. I look forward to building on the success we experienced last season.“