Kendre Talley, alumnus and former professional basketball player, rejoined the Oklahoma Christian University men’s basketball team, but this time as part of the coaching staff.
Talley will be on the team as a graduate assistant while he pursues his master’s degree.
As a former basketball star for the Eagles, Talley was a three-year starter. During his senior year he was selected for the NCAA Division II All-American team.
Talley was the first player in history to lead the Heartland Conference in three stat categories. Talley led the league in scoring, with 17.5 points a game, 5.6 assists a game and 2 steals a game.
In 2012, the Eagles final season in NAIA, Talley led the Eagles to an unexpected conference tournament championship and was awarded MVP honors of that tournament.
Talley joins Head Coach Dan Hays and assistant coaches Terril Hankins and Rob McKinzie to try and rebound from a 6-20 season.
Talley said he wants to stay around the game as long as he can.
“I knew that I would want to be around the game of basketball for a career,” Talley said. “I know that you cannot play forever, so I want to help and assist those who are playing and share my knowledge.”
Talley said he is also hoping to learn from the experienced coaches and be a good mentor and role model to the players.
“My main goal is to learn from this coaching staff as much as I can to prep me for a career of my own,” Talley said. “I would also like to be a mentor for the players so that they feel comfortable asking questions that they might not want to ask the coaches; especially the guards because I know what they go through since I was a guard.”
Talley played professional basketball in Germany with BBG Herford in the 2014-2015 season. According to Talley, his time playing pro ball was an immense help to his basketball mindset, and he will incorporate it into the way he coaches.
“Just being able to experience another culture and style of play helped me so much mentally and technically on the game,” Talley said. “I will definitely incorporate what I’ve learned in the advice that I give. I also experienced similar situations there that I did here that were handled differently. That experience was priceless.”
Hays said Talley was a great influence and role model for his players.
“You know, this is a guy that is pursuing a masters degree, along with balancing a full-time job as well as helping out the team,” Hays said. “That’s the kind of work ethic he will bring to this team, and the players will hopefully be able to learn from that.”
The Eagles will begin full-time practice in October, and open the season with an exhibition game with Central Christian Kansas on Nov. 7. The Eagles’ regular season starts Nov, 13 against Texas A&M Commerce.
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