I’ll admit it: I made a mistake.
Last year around this time, when former head coach Bryan Mullins was fired, I wrote a column titled “Mullins decision one SIU will come to regret.”
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I don’t think anyone’s regretting it right now, or if they are, it’s because they’re incredibly short-sighted. The trajectory for Saluki basketball is seemingly only up, and doesn’t seem as limited as it once did.
The hiring of Scott Nagy was welcomed with the traditional fanfare that a new coach experiences, but not much more, and certainly not acceptance from a great many fans. People, including me, were upset about Mullins’ firing, and didn’t think that Nagy’s play style and ideas about the transfer portal would translate at SIU.
Suffice to say, I was wrong. While it remains to be seen how he and his staff handle the transfer portal when they actually have most of a roster in place, Nagy and his assistants still did nothing short of a remarkable job of putting together a fairly competitive roster, especially with how little time they had to do it.
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The on-the-court product for the 2024-25 season was fun and usually enjoyable to watch, even if it was wildly inconsistent and frustrating at times. I don’t want to lean into cliches too much, but they exhibited the highest highs and the lowest lows.
A high? Beating the University of Northern Iowa by 25. A low? Losing to Indiana State by almost 20 (though beating them four days later to keep the season alive helped to cut the sting).
In the later portion of the season, the Salukis showed that they can beat the teams that they’re supposed to and at least sometimes be competitive against the upper tier of the Missouri Valley. Their regular season matchup with Drake saw them lose by only 10, and they were within 3 points for over 30 minutes of action. They lost two games to Belmont, who finished fourth in the MVC, by a combined 9 points.
On the surface, a 14-19 and 8-12 mark in the Valley is not overly impressive. But when considering the conditions under which this team was assembled, I would consider it a success.
This year wasn’t about winning the MVC. It would have been nice to finish higher in the standings, and it was certainly possible as there were four games decided by 5 or fewer points, but that’s not what should be focused on.
Nagy can coach; while his motion offense didn’t show up too often in his first year, he was able to make adjustments and run a usually-effective offense different from what he may have wanted to.
He also trusts his assistants; veteran coach Steve Hawkins, who himself spent decades as a head coach, was tabbed as the defensive coordinator during the season. A dramatic turnaround was seen for several games after Hawkins’ appointment, though the defense again dropped off towards the end of the season.
The fact that players bought into Nagy’s scheme, seemed to enjoy playing for him and his staff, and were able to show flashes of implementing his scheme are by far the most important parts of this season. Not the wins or losses.
The question that will forever be pondered about the 24-25 Salukis is “What if Elijah Elliott never got hurt?” The Dawgs clearly missed having an experienced distributor, and having this kind of player could maybe have led to some extra wins.
Kennard Davis Jr. did an admirable job stepping into this role, as he played point guard — by default — for much of the season, while Ali Dibba and Drew Steffe saw limited time as a primary ball handler too. As well as he did, it’s not Davis Jr.’s natural position, and at times it felt like he was being asked to do too much on the offensive end.
Dibba was a fantastic scorer for the Salukis, demonstrating a deadly first step and an efficient skillset. He averaged over 17 points per game on 49% shooting and ranked second in the MVC in scoring per game and seventh in field goal percentage.
Davis Jr. and Dibba both got it done on the defensive end too, ranking 11th and sixth respectively in steals per game.
Outside of that pair, there wasn’t another consistent scoring threat. Toward the end of the year, Steffe showed that he may be able to be that kind of guy moving forward, but he, nor anyone else, was able to show up game-in and game-out.
Jarrett Hensley showed flashes but was up-and-down offensively, though he was an underrated defender, ranking 11th in the MVC in blocked shots and 10th in defensive rebounds.
Three-point shooting was never going to be a huge strength for this team. They shot only 35.1% from beyond the arc for the year, with Davis Jr. leading them with 64 made 3s and Steffe pacing them in percentage at a 37.7% clip.
For all of its flaws, this season was still nothing less than a step in the right direction, and leaves me confident that the only way forward is moving up the MVC standings, especially with coaching changes at Drake and Murray State
Davis Jr. is the heart and soul of Saluki basketball right now, and making sure that he remains in Carbondale after entering the transfer portal has to be the top priority for Nagy. Dibba has the potential to play another season, though he would have to file a waiver with the NCAA and have it approved.
Steffe, whose role will only expand in his sophomore season, has already announced that he is returning. Guard Luke Walsh from St. Louis, a former high school conference player of the year, and forward Daniel Pauliukonis, a top-10 prospect in the state of Illinois’ 2025 recruiting cycle, are both set to join the Dawgs as well.
I’m incredibly excited to watch where this team will go, and truly feel that it’s in good hands with Nagy at the helm. Gear up Saluki fans: let’s look forward to the prospect of March Madness again.
Sports reporter Ryan Grieser can be reached at rgrieser@dailyegyptian.com. To stay up to date on all your southern Illinois news, be sure to follow The Daily Egyptian on Facebook.
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