Southeast Missouri completed its men’s basketball staff with the addition of Sam McMahon and Aaron Proctor Wednesday. McMahon joins the Redhawks as an assistant coach, while Proctor will serve as the program’s director of operations.
McMahon worked the last six years at Missouri Southern in roles as an assistant coach and associate head coach. MSSU is an NCAA Division II institution that is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, the same conference SEMO was a member of prior to its Division I era.
“Sam has all the qualities you look for in an assistant coach,” said SEMO Head Coach Brad Korn. “He is loyal, hard-working and values relationships in addition to having a great basketball mind. All Sam has known or been around is a winning culture. He is a great teacher and communicator that pours his heart and soul in every aspect of his job.”
The Lions averaged 20 wins per season and accumulated a 124-60 record with McMahon on their coaching staff. MSSU earned at least a top four finish in the MIAA regular season every year McMahon was there and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen in 2019.
Last season, MSSU went 23-8 overall and placed third in the MIAA with a 14-5 mark.
McMahon helped recruit, develop and coach multiple Lion players that earned All-MIAA, All-Region and All- American honors. Elyjah Clark was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year in 2017. Four players later went on to sign professional contracts overseas. McMahon was involved in all aspects of the program while coaching both the guards and post players during his tenure at MSSU.
McMahon started his coaching career at Central Methodist University as a member of Missouri Hall of Fame coach Jeff Sherman’s staff. During his two years at CMU, the men’s basketball team went a combined 52-16 and earned a pair of NAIA National Tournament appearances (only time in school history to make the NAIA National Tournament in two straight years). The 2009-10 team recorded a 24-9 season, claimed a Heart of America Conference regular-season title, led the nation in three-point accuracy (.423), earned the school’s first-ever win over an NCAA Division I opponent and finished with a No. 13 national ranking while giving up just 60.7 points per game.
After that, McMahon continued his coaching career at Missouri State. He spent four seasons with the Bears working alongside Korn. McMahon helped the Bears post a 75-60 overall record in that span, with teams winning 20 or more games in two seasons. The 2010-11 MSU squad posted a 28-9 record and won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title for the first time in school history. The 2013-14 team then won 20 games and reached the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. McMahon also worked with Paul Lusk (current Creighton assistant coach) and Cuonzo Martin (current Missouri head coach) during his time at MSU.
A standout prep player at Jefferson City (Mo.) High School, McMahon spent a year at Bridgton (Maine) Academy and then played four years of Division I basketball at the University of Delaware (2004-08).
At Delaware, McMahon earned four letters, was team captain his senior season (2007-08) and earned Second-Team Colonial Athletic Association All-Academic honors twice. He earned a spot on the CAA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and averaged 10.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists his junior season. McMahon ranked second in the CAA in free throw percentage (.840) his senior campaign and was third in 3-point shooting (.444). He also scored 20 or more points five times, put together a streak of 16 consecutive double-digit scoring games and earned his team’s Most Improved Award in his career.
On his way to earning a degree in Sports Management from Delaware in 2008, McMahon was also on the Dean’s List. After his tenure with the Blue Hens, he spent three months interning at Wilmington University in New Castle, Delaware, where he was the team’s video coordinator while also working on scouting and fundraising. McMahon boasted a perfect 4.0 GPA while earning his Master’s in Education at Central Methodist (2010).
Proctor also comes to Cape Girardeau from an in-state school, Missouri-West Plains. He spent the last year there as an assistant coach.
He has 14 years of coaching experience which includes a season as an assistant at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith and two years as a graduate assistant at Kansas State.
“Aaron has worn many hats and served in many different roles throughout his coaching journey,” added Korn. “Whether it has been at the high school, junior college, Division II or Division I levels, he has gained valuable experience in those roles. Aaron has a lot of class and integrity, which will make him a great fit as the Director of Operations here at SEMO.”
At UAFS, Proctor was involved in all facets of the program, including recruiting, scouting, game and practice preparation. At KSU, he assisted in the breakdown of game video, scouting and on-court skill development and recruiting.
In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Proctor coached for 10 years at the high school/prep school level. He served as head coach at North Forest High School (2017-2018) and Heights High School (2012-2013) in Houston, Texas, and at Alvin High School (2013-2015) in Alvin, Texas. Proctor also spent six years as assistant coach of Bellaire High School in Houston, Texas, and has coached 15U and 17U teams with the Texas PRO Adidas Guantlet summer program.
A native of Houston, Texas, Proctor attended California State University in San Bernardino (CSUSB), where he played one season for Head Coach Jeff Oliver. During that season in 2004-05, Proctor helped lead the Coyotes to a 21-6 record. CSUSB captured the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) title and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament that year.
Proctor graduated from CSUSB with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 2006. He then taught high school English for 10 years. Proctor completed a Master of Science degree in Academic Advising from KSU in 2017.
SEMO Basketball Staff Update
