Jeff Reed: Red Wolves To Hone Skills in Canada

Back in March, there was talk about the Arkansas State Red Wolves participating in one of those other post-season basketball tournaments.

We say “other” because the NCAA and the NIT are the mainstream post-season basketball events even though the NIT has been the butt of jokes because they did not get to participate in the NCAA’s part of March Madness. It still ranks higher than the other ones, which at this time we can’t recall, we just know there are at least a couple of them.

CSI? No wait … that is a TV show isn’t it?

Regardless, a decision was made with the future in mind not to play in those other tournaments. So in August, coach John Brady’s team, coming off its second division title in three seasons, will be invading Canada.

This foreign exhibition tour into the land of the McKenzie Brothers will begin on Aug. 15 in Calgary, Alberta where the Red Wolves will play three area college teams over four days.

“This will be a great start to our upcoming basketball season because of the practice time we will have in August,” said Brady. “The opportunity to combine our returning players with those three who we had sitting out this past year along with our own incoming recruits will be a benefit.

“As I have said before, I like the way our team is coming together for next season and this is an excellent way for us to prepare for the upcoming season.”

The approaching season will be Brady’s sixth at Arkansas State University. The Red Wolves have won two of the past three West Division titles and has one second-place finish in his tenure.

The Red Wolves lost three senior starters from a 19-12 — the most victories since 1998 — team that lost in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament to Western Kentucky by two points.

Still Brady thinks this new team has a chance to be pretty good.

“I like our team,” he said.

Sitting out last season were Melvin Johnson III, a 6-foot-6 guard who is a transfer from Texas-San Antonio; Seth Kisler, a 6-8 junior college transfer who was redshirted; and Kirk Van Slyke, a 6-10 transfer from Houston. The early practices and games in Oh, Canada should help get the rust off.

Last season when the Red Wolves shot well they were a very good team — note the two victories over Westerm Kentucky. When they didn’t, defense and rebounding kept them in games but it was a struggle at times. All of the newcomers are good shooters.

A fourth veteran newcomer of sorts, Brandon Reed, who is returning to ASU after leaving following his freshman year to transfer to Georgia Tech, will not get to make the trip. Reed, who had one class to finish this summer at Tech to earn his degree, was the SBC Freshmen of the Year his rookie season.

The other recruits will be eligible to play along with key lettermen and starters from last season — guards Rakeem Dickerson, Cameron Golden and Ed Townsel, swingman Gator Worsham and post players Kelvin Downs, a 6-9 soph who had a promising freshman season, and Kendrick Washington.

Red Wolves fans are waiting to have that breakthrough season like football has produced the past two seasons. The road trip, they hope, is the first step.

Jeff Reed is editor of astatenation.com.