Three schools later, SEMO WBB's Lexi McCully finds her stride

Lexi McCully has been overlooked from the moment she began playing women’s college basketball.

As a freshman, McCully began her career at the junior college level and played for current Southeast Missouri State head coach Briley Palmer at Mineral Area College (MAC). The Grand Rapids, Michigan, native oozed potential, capping off a two-year stint at MAC with third-team NJCAA All-America honors as a sophomore in 2022-23.

But it was easy to look past the athlete who hadn’t even received any college offers coming out of high school.

“Coming straight out of high school from COVID, everything messed me up,” McCully said. “Not being able to have that ‘perfect plan’ was hard. She (Palmer) really took me in with everything. I struggled a lot with mental health coming in and she just helped me understand things. She not only teaches basketball, but life.”

The next year, McCully joined Division II program Georgia Southwestern, which reached the Elite Eight in 2024. But her game was still somehow overshadowed. After averaging just 21 minutes per game, McCully did not feel it was the right fit and she needed another change. Fortunately, she crossed paths with the newly hired SEMO head coach.

“I'm a JUCO and a DII kid,” McCully said. “Coach Palmer wanted me because she trusted me. When I came here, I was not playing the best, but she kept putting love into me. She kept pushing me. There's not a lot of people, especially at a Division I level, who are willing to put as much love into you as a person.”

SEMO guard Lexi McCully runs out of the tunnel during pregame introductions in the home opener against SIU on Monday, Nov. 25.Kaiden Karper ~ kkarper@semoball.com

As a senior, it’s officially now McCully’s time to shine. There’s no ignoring just how good the East Kentwood High School product is becoming, and her performance Monday night in a 70-58 win over rival Southern Illinois could vault her into the early all-Ohio Valley Conference honors conversation. Her final line: 18 points, five rebounds and 2-of-3 shooting from 3-point range. It showcased McCully’s growth from solid off-ball scorer to dominant lead guard, one of the spark plugs of a program that finally captured its first win of the season and for first-year coach Palmer.

“I mean, what a story with her,” Palmer said. “I think this was God doing this because Lexi needed a game to get her feel back. Because this is the Lexi I know. And she did not play by any means terrific, but she did exactly what Lexi does, and that she's a solid player. And it's just taken some time. Of course, it's taken some time because we’ve played a tough schedule, but for her to get to do this tonight, I'm so excited to see that confidence back in her, that drive back in her.”

For Palmer, it’s never easy starting a program over from scratch, especially in your first DI coaching gig. She utilized the transfer portal all spring and now leads a team that features 13 new faces, including seven transfers. The expectations for SEMO women’s basketball this season are by no means sky-high, but laying a foundation and instilling a culture is step one of Palmer’s agenda.

It certainly helps when you find a player such as McCully, who is currently averaging 11 points per game and was seemingly hiding in plain sight in the previous offseason transfer portal cycle. It’s early yet, but McCully, junior Kennedy Claybrooks and true freshman Zoe Best are beginning to form one of the top women’s basketball trios in the OVC. Claybrooks is coming off a career-high 19 points against SIU, while Best scored double-digits in the first three games of her college career.

SEMO senior Lexi McCully passes the ball to teammate Kennedy Claybrooks in the first quarter against SIU on Monday, Nov. 25.Kaiden Karper ~ kkarper@semoball.com

For as long as McCully is helping lead the charge, SEMO (1-4) will have a puncher’s chance against a handful of teams in the conference.

“At the end of the day, she helped me start a culture at Mineral Area,” Palmer said. “And now we're here starting it again. When she's happy and when she's smiling, that's what makes me the best. You're going to hear her passion as soon as you hear her open her mouth because she's about her school and her teammates. And that's one thing we get to have here at SEMO.”

McCully and the Redhawks will return to their home court at 5:15 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, when they host Indiana State at the Show Me Center.