SEMO men’s head basketball coach discusses road to NCAA Tournament

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - We talked with SEMO men’s head basketball coach Brad Korn on their first NCAA Tournament in 23 years.

He said the last week has been busy for him and the team.

“Going into the conference, four games in four days, so just getting the guys prepared,” Coach Korn said. “Mentally for the standpoint of being able to accomplish that goal. That’s not an easy task, but our guys are ready for it. So, it’s just been...making sure that we’re right, our locker room is right, the guys feel good. To be able to accomplish that, and have that life experience, is, um, you know, we’re really looking forward to selection Sunday, getting everybody together and, really, everybody enjoying that moment.”

Coach Korn said they hope the community comes out for the selection show Sunday watch party at the Show Me Center.

“We’ve been starving for this type of championship and attention,” he continued. “So now that we have it, we have to capture this moment; and, hopefully, everybody comes out on Sunday...”

For the past three years, he said they’ve been trying to build a bridge between the community, their program and the university.

“It’s not very often you have a university in your backyard like we have, so just trying to build that and create that bond and create that relationship.”

Korn has been to the tournament as a player at SIU, as an assistant there and at Kansas State.

He explained how it’s different going this time as a head coach.

“Just knowing that you took a program there and the way that we did it, four games in four days, it’s going to be very, very exciting,” he said. “I haven’t been in a few years, so I don’t take any of those things for granted. It’s very hard to do and, so, I’m really looking forward to the opportunity too to be able to be a head coach at the NCAA Tournament. So many people don’t get that opportunity.”

He said being on CBS with Clark Kellogg on Sunday is the stuff dreams are made of.

“In our world, in the college basketball world, this is basketball Christmas.”

What’s he most excited about on this journey? The experience.

“To me, it’s going to be five and 10 years down the line of all the experiences that everybody, you know, not just the players, the staff, the administration, fans, everybody is going to have this experience to take with them forever,” he said. “I remember all the tournaments I’ve been on, it’s just one of those, you can’t replicate it any other kind of way. You have to go earn it, we earned it, and now to have this, these experiences, in this moment...”

We’ll find out who the Redhawks face on Sunday, March 12. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Selection Show starts at 5 p.m.

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