Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow: Salukis Dismiss Sophomore Guard

Two days after the Southern Illinois University men's basketball team tipped off its season with its annual Maroon Madness, the team finds itself without an integral member of the team.

Sophomore guard Ryan Hare was dismissed from the team according to a release via the school's Web site on Sunday night.  Hare averaged 7.5 points per game and started 26 of the team's 31 games as a freshman.  In September, Hare was suspended after being arrested and charged with felony battery and trespassing.

TBDS sources have informed the blog that the charges stemmed from a fight that might be related to a domestic issue.  Hare was given a second chance, but citing a violation of team rules (also known as breaking whatever rules Coach Lowery laid down after the suspension) Hare was dismissed and has left the SIU Carbondale campus.


On the court, the Chicago native drew favorable comparisons to former Saluki great Stetson Hairston.  Like Hairston, Hare was a left-handed shooting grinder who excelled on the defensive end of the court.  I would make the argument that Hare was the team's best on-the-ball defender after senior guard Bryan Mullins bit the dust with a stress fracture injury.

Hare was expected to log heavy minutes for the Salukis in the upcoming 2010 season.  But rumors of his dismissal started as whispers on Friday when Hare was not announced, nor was he in attendance at the team's Maroon Madness event.  The rumors were put to rest Sunday with the official announcement of the dismissal.

So, you won't see Ryan Hare in any of the upcoming Saluki previews that will be posted over the next two weeks.  It's a shame, too.  Soft-spoken and always polite with the media whether the mic was on or off, Hare looked poised to be another great Saluki guard in Southern's stable of backcourt ballers.

Hare is the second member of the much-heralded 2008 recruiting class that also landed guard Kevin Dillard and forward Anthony Booker.  Guard Torres Roundtree left the team after the team's Dec. 31 loss against Northern Iowa.  Hare is the sixth Saluki to leave Lowery's program after playing in the system, joining Roundtree, Christian Cornelius, Joshua Bone, Brandon Wood and Mike Dale.  Other Saluki commitments to never make the court include Josh Tabb, who was snagged by Bruce Pearl at Tennessee and Drew Barham, who got picked up by Memphis after backing out of his commitment in one of the strangest recruiting sagas (see: total bullshit on behalf of Memphis recruiting -- which really shouldn't shock anyone) in recent memory.

Hare's dismissal will likely set off a backlash in the southern Illinois.

At times, there is a divide among the Southern Illinois community.  Chicago and its surrounding suburbs make up a healthy chunk of the Carbondale campus.  And like yours truly, some of the northern kids become Southern transplants.  It's an awkward situation that sometimes sets off rivalries between former city slickers and life long members of a tight-knit rural community.  I have already received backlash as "you Chicago kids" are apparently no good despite the fact that I have a clean record.

It would not surprise me to hear and read those types of comments on blogs, in comment sections and on message boards.  When really, a small sample size shouldn't put everyone in a dark light.

In the end, a black eye for my alma mater is a black eye for everyone involved.

Hare's Legal Trouble Comes At Bad Time For Optimistic Lowery

It was only a few weeks ago when things were looking bright for Saluki hoops.

Blessed with good timing, yours truly was able to sit down with Southern Illinois men's basketball head coach Chris Lowery a few weeks ago in Carrier Mills, Ill.  Lowery was there to speak to youngsters and encourage them to strive to be their best and be on their best behavior for the upcoming school year.

Afterward, I caught up with Lowery and chatted about everything from old times on the Saluki beat, our favorite Michael Jordan memories ... and eventually the future of Saluki basketball.

The SIU front man seemed to express plenty of optimism in regard to the 2009-10 team.  Sure, it lost senior leader Bryan Mullins.  But the team was also rid of distractions, controversy and other in-house issues that plagued the team during a disappointing 13-18 season. 

After a summer that saw improvements by players such as Kevin Dillard and Nick Evans on the court and in the weight room, you couldn't blame Lowery for feeling good about an upcoming season with a favorable schedule that will feature 17 home games on the docket.

And then guard Ryan Hare found himself in trouble with the law. 

I'm not sure of all the details, so I won't go as far as to talk about what I've heard.  But on paper, charges such as "aggravated battery" and "criminal trespassing on a residence after a fight" should not be taken likely.  Hare has been suspended indefinitely from the program, but what that means at this point is still debatable until further notice.

The good news, if there is such a thing, is that Lowery has already been in this predicament -- having to suspend guards Stetson Hairston and Mike Dale prior to the 2004-05 season for their legal issues.  They were later reinstated.  Jamaal Tatum had to serve his time as well thanks to a DUI charge.  I say this is good news because Lowery already knows how to handle off-the-court adversity, which will help greatly for a team that is still young despite being a year older.

Of the Lowery Era suspensions, Tatum has gone on to become a role model in the southern Illinois region with his basketball camps for kids and other community service deals.  Hairston has taken a positive step forward as well, as he now molds the minds and skill sets of young basketball players as a coach.  Mike Dale and I once had a class together.  I say once because I saw him on the first day of class and never saw him again.  He left the team that season and has never been heard from again.

The point is that Lowery is the kind of coach that prides himself on the development of his players on and off the court.  You should hear him gush over Mullins' success in the classroom, on the court, and now, overseas.  The same can be said about other pupils such as Matt Shaw and Randal Falker -- both of whom came back this summer to visit Lowery and the Saluki basketball family after successful stints in Spain and France, respectively.

So, what's next for Lowery's basketball family?  Probably a healthy dose of discipline.  I reckon the remaining Saluki ballers will be on their best behavior until the clouds clear on this situation.  If not, darker days will loom for my alma mater's basketball team.

Saluki Basketball Guard Ryan Hare Suspended Indefinitely

It is never fun when a team must deal with legal troubles on the outside. The Southern Illinois University men’s basketball team was known to be a young squad last year, and that was an excuse on the court.

Unfortunately, the youth took another turn over the weekend as sophomore guard Ryan Hare was arrested for aggravated battery and criminal trespassing.

Head Coach Chris Lowery announced today that Hare has been suspended indefinitely. Hare was a key performer last year, with 26 starts and appearances in every game during his freshman year.

Lowery's twitter update reads, "It is always tough when you have to discipline people in your family. The most important thing is that a lesson is learned from it."

Hare was a bigger guard, with the ability to get to the rim despite not being as quick as some people. He was also able to use his long arms on defense, and was one of the better Saluki defenders a year ago…something that is very important in Coach Lowery’s system.

Carbondale police said they responded to a fight at 9:20 am on Saturday. Hare was sent to Jackson County Jail. The victim, an acquaintance of Hare, was treated at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale and released.

Indefinitely can mean a lot of things. Right now, Hare has bigger troubles than just basketball. I wish him, his family and the team the best as they get through this. The 20-year-old Hare is still maturing, and unfortunately, this is a step backwards in the process.

Jamaal Tatum, a former star guard under Lowery, was once charged with a DUI. Tatum was very remorseful and learned from the mistake. He became one of SIU's leaders on and off the court.

Now, a young Hare brings another legal issue to the team. Again, basketball is not the top priority right now. We still do not have all the details, but there are enough there for Lowery to suspend his key performer indefinitely.

Ryan Hare explains it all

15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the freshman guard who hails from Chicago. Too bad it came in a losing effort ... and by losing effort I mean 22-point loss to Creighton.

This from Hare in the post-game press conference.

"This is a tough loss because we really didn't compete in the first half and we had a packed house. I just want to apologize to the fans because we didn't compete in the first half."

Couldn't say it better myself.