Semoball

Bogan's back: Former Charleston boys basketball standout dazzles in return to Show Me Center

UT Martin's Delfincko Bogan dribbles as Southeast Missouri State's Isaiah Gable, left, and Jonathan Dalton defend during the second half Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018 at the Show Me Center.
Fred Lynch

By Trent Singer

Southeast Missourian

A lot has changed for Delfincko Bogan since he graduated from Charleston High School in 2015, but one thing remains a constant.

He’s still putting on a show.

On Saturday, the former Blue Jay made his return to the Show Me Center but this time donned a UT Martin jersey, pouring in 17 points in the Skyhawks’ 72-66 victory over Southeast Missouri State.

It was a welcome homecoming for Bogan, whose last appearance at the Show Me Center came during his freshman year at Jacksonville State.

Since then, Bogan has weaved his way in and out of the Division I ranks, playing at Moberly Area Community College last season before landing at UTM prior to the start of the 2017-18 season.

UT Martin's Delfincko Bogan puts up a shot as Southeast Missouri State's Delzel Mahoney defends during the second half Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018 at the Show Me Center.
Fred Lynch

“It was good,” Bogan said about his return to Southeast Missouri. “... It was a very special moment for me tonight.”

The 5-foot-10 point guard wrapped up his junior campaign averaging 9.3 points and a team-high 3.0 assists per game. He shot a team-high 40.2 percent (41 of 102) from 3-point range and appeared in all 31 contests for the Skyhawks, making 16 starts. Defensively, he led the Ohio Valley Conference with 1.9 steals per game.

Bogan made his way to UTM through the recruitment of associate head coach Jermaine Johnson, and it’s proven to be an ideal fit.

“We needed a guard late, and he obviously had Division I experience,” Skyhawks head coach Anthony Stewart said. “He’s come in and fit right into our culture. He’s an unbelievable kid. No problems. He’s self-mannered. He goes to class. You can count on Fincko off the court, and that’s important to what we do.

“On the court, he’s a tremendous basketball player, and his best basketball is ahead of him. I can’t wait to see what he’s going to contribute next year.”

Bogan was in fine form on Saturday, providing four crucial free throws down the stretch to lead UTM to a season-ending win on the road.

He played 37 minutes in hopes of delivering a victory in the final game of senior teammate Matthew Butler, who did his own part in delivering a 25-point performance on 5-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc.

“Even though it hasn’t been the best season, I didn’t want Matt to have to end his career with a loss,” Bogan said. “That was the best thing for me, playing for him and carrying it on to next year.”

It’s been a challenging journey for Bogan in his three years at the college level.

Southeast Missouri State's Donnie Lewis tries to shoot as UT Martin's Delfincko Bogan defends during the first half Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018 at the Show Me Center.
Fred Lynch

As a freshman at JSU, Bogan played in 30 games, averaging 4.0 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.

But when Ray Harper took over the Gamecocks’ program the following year, Bogan didn’t figure into the team’s plans, and he spent a year in the junior college ranks at Moberly, where he averaged 12.2 ppg and helped guide the Greyhounds to a 27-5 record.

Bogan was ranked as the 44th best JUCO prospect in the nation, according to JUCORecruiting.com, and the transition back to the Division I level has been practically seamless.

“In this game, with Division I basketball, it’s good to be old,” Stewart said. “Old anymore is just logging Division I minutes, and so it’s important to get a guy that’s played Division I minutes and knows the ins and outs of this league and what the demands are and what it takes to be successful.

“He wasn’t kept at Jacksonville, so he’s got something to prove. And that’s a guy with a chip on his shoulder, not vocally, but he plays with a chip on his shoulder to let people know that he belongs.”

Bogan got a chance to flash his chip against the program that let him get away on Jan. 25, scoring a team-high 21 points in the Skyhawks’ 67-63 road win over JSU.

He led UTM in scoring six times in 2017-18, including a 19-point performance in a 70-69 win at Eastern Kentucky that propelled him to OVC Newcomer of the Week honors.

His growth has been evident as well. He finished the year averaging 11.2 ppg in OVC play, a figure that ranks second on the team.

“He wants the ball at the end of the game,” Stewart said. “He doesn’t delegate. He doesn’t say, ‘Here, Matt. Here’s the ball.’ He’ll go get it instead. His confidence has grown. In a sense, it’s Matt’s team, but it’s kind of migrated and become his team.

“Toward the end of the game, he’s got the ball in his hands a lot. He makes great decisions. He shoots a high percentage from the free-throw line, and he can get in there and finish.”

Long gone are the high school days in which Bogan wreaked havoc throughout the SEMO Conference, but he still keeps in touch with his former coaches and teammates in Charleston.

Coach Danny Farmer is still his “buddy,” and he has plenty of advice to offer the current crop of Blue Jays.

“I keep track of them and try to keep their heads up,” Bogan said. “I try to tell them how college life is because it only gets harder after high school.”

As for the present, many are fixated on what Bogan might be able to accomplish in his final college season.

Stewart is among those interested.

“He’s got a filter on knowing what he needs to do and when he needs to do it. A lot of people don’t have that. A lot of people have to be told those things,” Stewart said. “It’s a feel. He’s truly a point guard, and that’s what point guards do. They know what the team needs.

“He tends to be more of a quieter guy, but he leads by example. He plays his butt off every night. He plays his butt off in practice. I love him.”

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