SIUE’s New Look Roster (& Breaking News!)

Brian Barone – Part Two

(St. Louis, MO) – After leading Southern Illinois Edwardsville to the NCAA Tournament, coach Brian Barone is reshaping his roster. Cougar all-time great Ray’Sean Taylor and guards Desmond Polk, Brian Taylor III and Declan Dillon are gone and a wave of talented players are on board to replace them.

A significant part of the SIUE’s recent success is Barone’s ability to maintain roster stability. During Part Two of our interview with the seventh-year coach gave us some insights into his returning players and newcomers.

Ring Malith, Myles Thompson, Jordan Pickett, Arnas Sakenis  and Kyle Thomas are returners with significant playing time on last year’s Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship squad. During their first season at SIUE Malith and Thompson were named to last spring’s all-tournament team.

The previous season they won a national junior college tourney championship at Barton Community College.

Barone says he likes to recruit players that carry a ‘winning DNA’. He believes ‘winners’ bring unique qualities to the culture of a basketball team.

 

That ‘winning’ nucleus is joined by two players returning from injury, three Division 1 transfers and an NAIA all-American. Barone believes the Cougar program and Edwardsville have a lot to offer players that are looking for somewhere special to play.

 

New Look Roster

Player retention has been a strength of the Cougar program. Holding on to that five player nucleurs is virtually unthinkable. Malith is considered the ‘headliner’ of that returning group. The 6’9 wing averaged 11.1 points and seven rebounds while utilizing his wing-span to record 24 blocks and 27 steals.

Three interchangeable parts with different talents patrol the Cougar ‘paint’. The 6’11 Sakenis received the most starts in the post (16), and Thompson (6’7) and Thomas (6’10) were part of a rotation in the four and five spots that averaged 15.5 points and 10.9 rebounds.

Darion Baker’s return from injury gives Barone four talented frontcourt players that few OVC teams can match. Thomas missed the beginning of the season and Baker was playing significan’t minutes. When Thomas returned, Baker went down with his season-ending injury.

Barone says Baker is a versatile player that is a proven winner.

 

Joe Valrie is another high-level player returning from injury. After a great NAIA career, Valrie was averaging over eight points and six rebounds before a foot injury ended his 2024-25 season. Barone believes the sky is the limit for the 6’5 Valrie.

 

New Look Backcourt

Pickett brings stability to the SIUE backcourt. While his numbers don’t stand out, he provided a steady late season hand, to the season ending momentum. Losing Ray’Sean Taylor means SIUE lacks that recognizable, ‘lead-dog’ or ‘alpha’ player heading into preseason workouts.

Barone says each player has to be an ‘alpha’ in their individual roles.

 

SIUE’s backcourt may be deeper than its frontcourt. Pickett’s experience is matched by Southern Indiana-transfer Jack Campion. The 5’11 Campion is a proven OVC point guard. He has averaged just under 100 assists per OVC season.

Oral Roberts-transfer Darius Robinson, Mississippi State newcomer Harrison Alexander, NAIA all-American C.J. Hall and incoming freshman Dehrio McCaskill bring expansive talent and athleticism to SIUE ball-handling roles.

Robinson made 49 triples while averaging 7.4 points. Hall averaged 19 points, four rebounds and four assists and helped lead his team to the NAIA’s national tournament. McCaskill won three Missouri State titles with the legendary Vashon High School program.

And don’t forget high-level junior college transfer Tyler King. He was a top-100 junior college player last season while averaging over 21 points per game.

This is the deepest and most balanced team in SIUE history. SIUE Director of Athletics Andrew Gavin and the university administration recognize the Cougar program’s growth and recently rewarded Barone with a five-year contract extension.

Barone is grateful for the stability provided by the school’s support.

 

BREAKING NEWS! GAVIN INKS A FIVE-YEAR EXTENSION!

As we were preparing to hit ‘publish’ on this article, it was confirmed to us that Andrew Gavin has signed a five-year extension with SIUE. The foundation stones are in place for a successful OVC basketball program.

During Part One of our interview we reviewed last year’s success. Head to Valley Hoops Insider Podcasts to hear Part Two of our interview about the Cougar roster.

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