Saluki Basketball seniors looking to go out with a bang

Joei Younker @JYounker@dailYegYptian com

Ending the season with a ring has always been the end goal for this year’s Saluki Men’s Basketball seniors.

“Since the day Marcus [Domask], Lance [Jones], and I showed up on campus, starry eyed, shooting around in the Banterra Center, looking up at all of the banners, we knew for a fact we had to hang one before we left,” said senior Guard Trent Brown.

Coming to Southern for their freshman year in 2019, the three have always had their sights set on hanging a Missouri Valley Conference Championship banner in the Banterra Center.

Over their four years here, this group has stuck together through teammates transferring out of the program, seniors graduating, and freshman and transfers coming into the program. One thing that has stayed consistent is their want to win and willingness to put forward the effort it takes to accomplish it.

“They’ve put in a lot of extra work over the past few years, they all have a year of eligibility left, but in terms of being in their fourth year at SIU, that’s all they’ve been about since they’ve been here. All they’ve cared about is winning, an MVC Championship is the goal this year for sure,” head coach Bryan Mullins said.

Now that conference play is getting well into its stride for the season, there is a difference in attitude and game plan among the Salukis when it comes to Missouri

Valley Conference opponents. Having been in the program for four years now, Brown, Jones and Domask see a lot of familiar faces when it comes to scouting. The courts and arenas have become a little more comfortable and familiar and rivalries have developed.

“When it comes to conference play, it’s all so familiar. It’s a lot of the same names we have played throughout the years so scouting for a team and executing our game plan becomes so vital in order to succeed,” Brown said.

Domask agreed with this: “Our scouting is more in depth, we get into a position where we’ve already played teams once before during the season so we can watch film of ourselves playing them to see what we need to work on more in depth than we would in a non-conference game situation.”

Ending last season 16-15 overall and 9-9 in conference play, the Dawgs have started this season with a will and a want to win which has given them their 15-5 overall and 7-2 in conference records so far this season. There has been a lot of leadership and growth brought to the team this season, and those leaders are partially responsible for the success so far.

“I think a lot of guys have taken a big jump. Marcus, Lance and Trent, this year is by far their best in terms of being leadership. I think JD Muila has stepped up as well as Dalton Banks. Those five guys have been in our program the longest out of anyone, so I think they understand what it takes, how we operate on a day-to-day basis, and what the standards are for this program,” Mullins said.

Along with players who have been in the program for a while, the whole team is always willing to step up when needed.

“We’re able to play a lot of different guys, and, if certain people aren’t playing that well, we have replacements to where we can always have fresh legs on the court,” Domask said.

From a step up in leadership to a locker room full of talented players who are willing to put their all on the line, there is a lot that separates Southern Illinois not only from its MVC opponents but the team that they were last season. There is a new mindset in how the Salukis compete.

“It all started this summer when we got together. We could feel that the energy had picked up and it was up to us to do something with it,” Brown said.

Two of the biggest leaders for this team have been the Jones and Domask duo. Having played a high number of minutes and in some big games throughout their careers, these two have a lot of experience under their belts that helps them understand what it takes to get the best outcome out of each game.

“I’ve trusted them in a lot of close games over the past couple years, and I think as you get that experience you understand how important every single possession is. I think they’ve matured and done a good job leading this season,” Mullins said.

Brown said he, Domask and Jones have one clear goal for ending their fourth season.

“It may seem cliche, but hanging an MVC championship banner in the arena would mean everything. It would show the culmination of all the work we have put in over the years and show that we worked for something bigger than ourselves,” Brown said.

“Justin Strong, Romier Elliott, “Pop” Robert Jones whenever he started getting back healthy. It was just so many weapons in each position group,” Williams said. “It was hard to keep Javon in, but I’m glad that we utilized other weapons, because all my teammates and brothers, they got to grow just as much as I did.”

Although Williams was responsible for 50 touchdowns across his time as a Saluki, one of his favorite memories came during a teammate’s big moment. On October 19, 2019, the Salukis defeated Youngstown State in a 35-10 blowout. Williams showed off his versatility by getting three touchdowns that afternoon: one rushing, one receiving, and one passing.

The latter was a 41-yard pass to fullback Jacob Garrett, who had entered the game with only three career receptions. It was Garrett’s first of what would be 10 career touchdowns over the next four years.

“Just to throw that to him and be a part of that experience, that moment of him getting his first career touchdown in college. It was just so surreal, so amazing to be a part of,” Williams said.

For five years, Williams represented Southern Illinois on the field. As a local product, his connection to southern Illinois spans farther than just donning the Maroon and White.

“If any kid at a young age got the opportunity, or even told they get the opportunity to play somewhere close, and continue to put where they grew up on the map even more, and bring more popularity, it’s just a blessing,” Williams said.

There are only a few athletes from Centralia who have reached the level that Williams has. Regardless of how his NFL career may go, his accomplishments as a college football player already put him in elite company.

Dwight “Dike” Eddleman graduated from Centralia High School in 1942, and went on to participate in basketball, football and track for the University of Illinois. The university’s hall of fame page describes Eddleman as being “generally considered the greatest athlete in UI history.”

Edelman was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 1947 NFL Draft, as well as the Cleveland Browns in the 1948 AAFC Draft. However, he would never play in either league, as he chose to play basketball professionally in the NBA.

Other notable athletes from Centralia are Saluki Hall of Famers Harvey Welch and

Bill Norwood. Welch made history as SIU’s first Black athlete to earn a varsity letter in basketball, while Norwood did so as the school’s first Black quarterback.

Both would go on to have distinguished careers in the U.S. Air Force. Norwood would break barriers in the aviation field, as the first Black pilot for United Airlines and first to achieve the rank of captain. Meanwhile, Welch returned to SIU as the Dean of Student Life and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs.

The announcement video released by Saluki athletics, titled “Leaving a Legacy,” highlighted Williams’s connection to the region. For a student-athlete representing a small town and a small school, and carrying his father’s name on the back of his jersey, Williams has not only left a legacy at Southern Illinois, but has carried on that of his roots.

“Hard work comes in with it, but being from Centralia and coming here to Southern, an hour away, it felt right,” he said. “It felt great, knowing that I have family at home. I know they’re gonna be at my games. When players play and they get their families to be able to watch, it brings a little flair to the game. It brings a little bit more passion, because you want to represent your last name. You want to represent your family well.”

Head coach Nick Hill, who had a hand in Williams’s recruitment, is a native of Du Quoin. He spent his college career representing the region in a similar fashion to how Williams has done so.

“It’s just a special feeling to be a Saluki, and to grow up in this area, and then to come here,” Hill said. “For him to kinda have that pressure on him since he stepped foot on campus, and then have the career he had. I think no doubt will go into our hall of fame.”

In preparation for the draft, Williams has been working with Meade Smith, the head strength coach for Saluki football since 2016. In addition to his experience in college sports, Smith worked with professional athletes during his time with the then-Anaheim Angels of Major League Baseball in 2003.

“He’s known my body for the last five years, how to sculpt it and mold it,” Williams said.

“It’s good to just be there with somebody that knows you, because it’s all safe, it’s cautious. It’s all taken care of.

Williams is also linked with agent Brett Tessler, who represents notable NFL players like Minnesota Vikings kicker Greg Joseph and Miami

Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert. Tessler also represents former Saluki linebacker Bryce Notree.

Only 1.6% of college football players make it to the professional level. Among them, a large portion come from a Power Five conference like the SEC or Big Ten. Simply put, it is a rarity for someone from a school like Southern Illinois University to have an opportunity to play in the NFL. Whether Williams gets drafted or not, the fact that he is in the position he is now speaks volumes to his ability as a player. With his Saluki career now officially in the books, he will be remembered as one of the best of his generation, and among those who helped put the Salukis back on the national stage.

“I feel like I’ve done everything I could do to my best ability,” he said. “I gave my all. I put my heart out there every game. And my body, I’ve been hit several times, ankles wrapped up several times. Just being able to get back on that next rep, next play. I’m coming again. I’m playing hard every play. I feel like I had a great career.”

Staff reporter Brandyn Wilcoxen can be reached at bwilcoxen@dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @BrandynWilcoxen.