SEMO Hall of Famer Antonius Cleveland inspires current generation of Redhawks

During every mid-February basketball game at Southeast Missouri State, the newly inducted Hall of Fame class is brought to the center of the court to be honored during halftime.

Zach Borowiak (baseball, 2000-03), Antonius Cleveland (basketball, 2013-17), Emily Scannell (volleyball, 2000-03) Carroll Williams (coach, 1968-75, 1975-81, 1990-2005), and the late Paul Ebaugh (football/track, 1962-67) were honored during halftime of SEMO's 83-69 win over Tennessee Tech on Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Show Me Center.

This year's Hall of Fame class has a unique element compared to prior classes. Cleveland became the first basketball player during SEMO's Division I era (since 1991) to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Before Cleveland, the only SEMO athlete to appear in the NBA was Rich Eichhorst, who played one game with the St. Louis Hawks in 1962. Cleveland also played for the Hawks in Atlanta in 2018. He spent most of his time in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks and went on to become the first former SEMO men's basketball player to play and score in an NBA playoff game Aug. 25, 2020, when the league was playing in the Disney bubble in Orlando during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was a rare opportunity for the current Redhawks to see not just a former NBA player attending their games but an alum.

"It was an example of what we all trying to get," SEMO point guard Rob Martin said, "just how hard you have to work and how much work you have to put in and just stay focused, and everything else will take care of itself. I feel like that was a huge thing for us."

According to Martin, Cleveland met with the Redhawks and gave them advice not just for their college careers but to make a career in the professional ranks. The time he took to meet with them had an impact on the Redhawks.

"Just meeting him and learning his everyday pro life, I'm gonna take that in as much as I can," SEMO guard Teddy Washington Jr. said. "I really respect him and look up to that."

Cleveland currently plays professional basketball in Russia as a member of Lokomotiv Kuban of the VTB United League. He made the 16-hour flight to attend the ceremony and return to his alma mater.

Cleveland put the Redhawks on the map when he became the school’s first representative in the college slam dunk and 3-point championship. Cleveland scored 1,556 points for a 12.9 points per game average and was a first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection as a senior in 2016-17.

"The stuff that he accomplishes at the school, you can't knock it," Washington said. "If it weren't for him, there wouldn't be us."

SEMO (17-10, 12-4) hosts Western Illinois on Thursday, Feb. 20, and Lindenwood on Saturday, Feb. 22 to close out the home slate of the 2024-25 season.