CARBONDALE, Ill. (KFVS) – Saluki Athletics hosted a meet and greet for their men’s and women’s basketball teams, Thursday at the Banterra Center.
Southern Illinois welcomed a couple hundred fans into the lobby of their arena, with head coaches Scott Nagy and Kelly Bond-White speaking in front of the crowd shortly, along with athletic director Tim Leonard.
Fans were introduced to returning players and newcomers from both squads.
Select players from each team sat down and did a Q&A with Voice of the Salukis, Luke Martin and fans asking questions.
Drew Steffe, a redshirt sophomore who’s been in Carbondale since 2024, spoke at the event, “It’s great. All the fans, they were great last year and I know they’re going to continue to beat. As a team, it’s just great to get together and show love to the community and show love to all our supporters.”
The women’s team wraps summer practice this week. The men finish up the following week.
Despite roster changes and the loss of Kennard Davis. Jr. to BYU, the offseason has been much simpler for second-year men’s head coach Scott Nagy. Nagy originally inherited the job in 2024 with just three players on the roster, with only Davis having played significant minutes.
“We have six returning players. All the staff is returning. [We] don’t have to worry about moving or any of that,” Nagy said. “Then we were able to take our time in the recruiting process, too and get guys that we think are Salukis.”
The men’s team features eight newcomers, including freshman Luke Walsh. Walsh starred for an extremely competitive St. John Vianney High School team in St. Louis.
On the women’s side, Karris Allen joins the Salukis. Allen comes to Carbondale via Western Kentucky, but the senior has roots in the Heartland, having grown up in and played at Sikeston High School.
“Knowing my area, 573, Bootheel, they always come and support, whether it’s SIU, SEMO, Lindenwood, they always come and support,” Allen said. “They’ve definitely created the person that I am, and it’s an honor to be able to play in front of them.”
The Salukis open play later this year with schedules expected to be released for both teams in August.
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