Semoball

SEMO WBB adds experience, physical post presence in Stallings

Southeast Missouri State junior forward Tamia Stallings

It would be hard to pinpoint a specific area to explain how the Southeast Missouri State women’s basketball program fell from being one of the top programs in the Ohio Valley Conference to finishing the 2021-22 season in ninth place in the 10-team league. However, being a team that brought physicality to the post is among the many areas in which the Redhawks (6-23, 2-16 OVC) struggled.

Veteran Redhawk coach Rekha Patterson believes she has greatly enhanced that aspect of her roster, first by adding experience in junior Julia Sion last January, getting sophomore post player Dionna Reed to return after initially deciding to leave after her freshman season, and lastly, adding another NCAA Division I experienced player recently in Tamia Stallings.

“We felt like we needed a physical presence,” Patterson said. “We sort of lacked some toughness in the post.”

The 6-foot Stallings can help in that regard after playing three seasons of NCAA Division I basketball at both Jacksonville University, as well as last season at Alabama State.

In her debut with Alabama State last year, Stallings scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds against Southeastern Conference program Mississippi State.

The Mississippi native ultimately played in 24 games for Alabama State and made six starts.

“She is someone who brings a physical nature to the game,” Patterson said. “She is someone who is not going to get bullied. She is going to push people around and be a very physical presence.”

SEMO ranked eighth in the OVC in rebounding last season, which is one of the many areas that Patterson has addressed in workouts this summer, which concluded Wednesday.

In the case of Stallings, who played in 42 games at Jacksonville University in two seasons, she will not arrive in Cape Girardeau until next month.

“A huge emphasis for us,” Patterson said, “was culture and getting back to meeting and exceeding the standards that we have in this program.”

SEMO won 40 games overall in the two seasons prior to last year.

Patterson has added seven new players to the 2022-23 roster.

Stallings and Sion each have two years of eligibility remaining, while Reed has three.

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