Southeast gives glimpse of upbeat style at workout

~ Scott Edgar put his players through some fast-paced drills.

Scott Edgar barked at his players -- "Go, go, go!" -- during Friday's first workout of the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team.

The message was for the fans as much as the players, reflecting a new attitude about tempo.

About 70 people attended the first team assembly for individual drills at the Show Me Center.

"The people who came out, I appreciate their support," said Edgar, who took over the Southeast program in the spring. "Maybe they will spread the words that good things are on the horizon."

Different things are here now.

"Coach runs a very high tempo practice," Southeast senior Terrick Willoughby said. "He likes to get up and down and get easy buckets."

Friday's drills proved that. One 2-minute layup drill sent two-person tandems up and down the court. The team made 44 layups in the first, 45 in the next, with the coach imploring them to speed it up.

"When we get good, we'll get 50," Edgar told his team.

Between groups in 1-minute 3-on-3 games, Edgar said, "That group dribbled way too much. Pass and move."

After the workout, Edgar said, "This is what we've been working on thus far. It's about transition basketball, running up and down the floor, and it's about guys making some plays.

"At this time of year, we have to work on conditioning," he added.

Players have been able to work out individually for up to two hours per week and will continue to do so before the official start of practice on Oct. 15. Team sessions, a new wrinkle in the NCAA rules, were allowable beginning Friday. Edgar plans to have the team sessions weekly.

Friday's session was the first chance for Southeast fans to see newcomers such as Michael Rembert, a transfer from Bradley; Brandon Foust, a transfer from Oklahoma; and freshmen Roderick Pearson, JaJuan Maxwell, Johnny Hill, Herbert Terry and Xavier Delph.

"This is my fourth year," Willoughby said, "and we're definitely a lot more athletic than past years."