For the 22nd straight season, coach Rodney Watson will be sitting on the bench at the SIU Arena. Only this time, he will be on the opposition’s bench.
The Salukis will finish up their exhibition season at 3:05 p.m. Saturday against the Southern Indiana Eagles. The game will mark the return of Rodney Watson, who accepted the head-coaching job at Southern Indiana after spending 21 years at SIU as an assistant coach.
Head coach Chris Lowery said this matchup will be different from other games because of Watson’s involvement.
“He’s been in my life since 1989, and now all of a sudden, he's my enemy. It'll be different for our kids, too,” Lowery said. “The good thing about it is that we'll be seeing a mirror image of what we're trying to do defensively, and we'll get a chance to see our practice actually play out on the floor.”
Watson had been the assistant coach at SIU since 1988, joining then-head coach Rich Herrin’s staff. Watson served under Bruce Weber, Matt Painter and Lowery while at SIU.
Sophomore center Nick Evans said he still keeps in contact with Watson.
“I still talk to him all the time over the phone. He was really close to the players and is still interested in all of our lives,” Evans said. “It’s going to be different facing up against him Saturday.”
Although the game is an exhibition, the Salukis still hope to come out and impress. Senior Tony Freeman said the team is still trying to get its feet wet and develop chemistry.
“We’re looking for the strong effort on the offensive and defensive end. Just looking to do better than we did the previous game,” Freeman said. “And of course, we’re looking for the win.”
That win may be tougher to get for the Salukis with the talent the Eagles are bringing to Carbondale.
Southern Indiana is coming off a 27-win season last year. But because of NCAA violations, all the wins had to be forfeited and former head coach Rick Herdes was fired, paving the way for Watson’s hiring.
The play of transfer guard Jamar Smith should also help the Eagles against the Salukis.
The former Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection while with the University of Illinois was dismissed by the Illini his junior year after he pled guilty to aggravated DUI after he drove his car into a tree.
He began school at Southern Indiana last fall and gained eligibility to play for the basketball team in the spring. He led the Eagles in scoring with 18.5 points and 3.9 three-point field goals per game.
Lowery said facing a player of Smith’s caliber so early in the season should be a huge help for the development of the Salukis.
“We wanted to play somebody with a high-end scorer this preseason, and Jamar Smith is capable of getting 30 or 40 in a game,” Lowery said. “We wanted to address that. If it wasn't Southern Indiana, it was going to be somebody else that caliber, because we wanted to test these guys right away. We just need to see if we can hold a good guy under 20, which we couldn't last year.”
Evans said he did not want to make any predictions about the outcome of the game, but said if the Salukis win, he knows who the first person he calls will be.
“I’m sure I’ll give Watson a call that night. Just to remind him of what happened at the game. It’s all in fun though, I think he’ll be able to handle it,” Evans said.
