Southeast Missouri State men's basketball coach Rick Ray receives two more verbal commitments

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team coach Rick Ray inherited lacked an inside presence and even size on the perimeter after the departure of five players 6 foot 5 or taller.

In just over a month since he was announced as Southeast's coach on April 13, Ray has signed a pair of forwards and received two more verbal commitments from 6-7 players Monday afternoon.

Jaylin Stewart and Clyde Santee both committed to play for Ray on Monday, while Monroe College 6-7 forward Joel Angus and Groveport Madison High School's 6-9 forward Tony Anderson both signed their National Letter of Intent last week.

Stewart, a 6-7, 200-pound forward from Godby High School in Tallahassee, Florida, which went 31-0 this season, arrived in Cape Girardeau on Sunday for his official visit, and after touring the campus on Monday he felt confident in his decision to become a Redhawk. He said he planned to sign his NLI and make his pledge official either Monday night or Tuesday morning before his departure.

"Coach Ray just came from Mississippi State, big-time guy that runs a nice offense and nice defense also," Stewart said. "The campus was very nice, too, so I just feel like I fit in very nice with the program."

Stewart averaged 9.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game as a senior. He said he chose Southeast over USC Upstate, Evansville, Kennesaw State and Florida A&M, among others.

"Very excited. Glad I have it out of the way," Stewart said. "I've already got a couple of teammates reaching out to me right now. It's going to be a good season."

Santee, a 6-7, 210-pound guard/forward, will join the Redhawks for his junior season. He began his collegiate career at the University of Massachussetts, which he attended as a non-qualifier in 2012-13. He played limited minutes in 15 games as a freshman the following year before transferring to Odessa College in Texas.

"When I was at my last school I didn't really get to play much, and I just can't wait to get to prove to people how good I am," Santee said. "I feel like I'm one of the most underrated guys coming in, so I just can't wait to prove how good I am and how good the team is going to be."

The Houston native averaged 12.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game for the Wranglers, who were 20-9 on the season. He was a 40.7 percent shooter, including hitting 56 of 162 3-pointers.

When he came to Southeast for his official visit in recent weeks, he had the opportunity to play with some of the returning Redhawks and liked the talent of his future teammates and Ray's coaching philosophy and ability.

"I loved the campus and everything, but the thing that Coach Ray sold me on was that was this was going to be a winning program and we were going to have a shot at making the tournament my final two years," Santee said.

Verbal commitments are non-binding and Ray cannot comment publicly on specific recruits until they have signed their NLI.