Three Rivers men's basketball has a long history that includes two NJCAA Championships under head coach Gene Bess, who is entering his 49th season. You don't have to tell that to sophomore Willie Lucas and redshirt sophomores Chris Stocks and Abiodun Ayetimiyi.
They already know the program's history and have been part of it long before they began attending the school, although each of them traveled a different path to wind up where they are now.
"My mom is from here, and I always used to come to camps as a kid, so I knew about them as a little kid," Lucas said. "I always followed them. That's kind of how I knew them."
Before participating in his first camp while he was in fifth grade and still living in St. Louis, Lucas attended games and witnessed the environment of a packed gym firsthand. Once he moved to Poplar Bluff in seventh grade, he started coming to every home game.
"I'd go to every home game because I'm here, so why not come here?" Lucas said. "I watched them play pretty much every home game."
Throughout that time, Bess was always the same coach, except maybe a little nicer to children while using a tough love approach with his players.
"When I first met him, he was very strict," Lucas said. "Very strict and very loud, but he wanted to help his players, so I always knew that. He was always nice to me as a kid, but now as his player, he's really hard on me now, but I'm happy to have him around me."
Stocks started his collegiate journey at New Hampton Prep before transferring to Austin Peay, but a coaching change caused him to move 200 miles back home to Three Rivers.
"It's kind of funny because I had been at a different school before here, but my coach ended up retiring," Stocks said. "I wanted to stay at Austin Peay, where I was before, but the new coach -- nothing against him -- I could just tell he would like his own players.
"I'd rather play for a coach who knew me and knew my game, so I got ahold of coach Bess and I asked him for an opportunity, and he gave me one."
After that call, Stocks was a Raider, one of the guys he looked up to when he was younger and went to his first game in junior high.
"It was cool," Stocks said. "I remember when I was younger I just thought the Three Rivers Raiders were like the coolest guys ever. I just remember them coming out of the tunnel and before the game you could just tell the program coach Bess had built up. They were serious, and they were good every year."
Ayetimiyi, who the team calls "AB", heard about Three Rivers when he was in his home country of Nigeria. When several guys came from the school and told him about the work they'd put in, it became a goal of his to play for the Raiders.
"I was praying one day I'd get the opportunity to go," Ayetimiyi said. "I was so glad I came down here. When I first heard about Three Rivers and got to researching and understanding more stuff about this school, I got to realize (Bess) is the winningest junior college coach.
"When I came down here, I was like, 'Oh, I'm going to be around a legend.'"
Ayetimiyi had always wanted to come to America to play basketball, and although he had some other options, Three Rivers was his first choice, and the welcoming environment he saw when he arrived to the area made the choice even easier.
Having done his research before coming to Poplar Bluff, as well as experiencing the city's love for basketball during his days with the Mules, Ayetimiyi feels like this team owes it to the town to win.
"There's a lot we have to give to the community because this community loves basketball. We don't want to be the group to lay down and make everything look different. We're trying to help out and make everyone understand we have to do everything right."
With six freshmen coming in from outside Butler County and 11 players from outside the region, the guys who are knew to the city need some help getting acclimated.
That's where the local trio steps in.
As players who know the ins and the outs of the city, and its passion for the black and gold, the three local guys have been doing their part to make the team feel more like a cohesive unit than last year's 12-18 squad.
"Since most of them can't drive I help them out most of the time," Lucas said. "I'll take them to go eat or go to the movies. We always hang out. I'm open-handed to everybody. I try to be a good teammate and a good friend to everybody."
Added Stocks, "One of the biggest things we've done this year compared to last year is we've all kind of hung out together more. Coach Gene has taken us a couple places. We went to an escape room up in Springfield. Just doing different things like that. I think we're quite a bit closer than last year's group."
For the freshmen from out of state, having that leadership and camaraderie on the team makes the adjustment much easier.
"They push us through any and every workout we do," said freshman Jay Hines, an Indianapolis native. "Because a lot of things are pretty new, especially being a freshman. So they pretty much help me out. We go out to eat a lot and even when we don't have practice still try to meet up. I appreciate it a lot. It means a lot to me. It may not seem like it to them, but being away from home for a while, basically having these guys help me get through school and practice means a lot to me. They've been doing a good job."
Bess has loved what he's seen from his sophomore leadership.
"These guys have really stepped it up this year in the spring and in the offseason into this fall," Bess said. "Freshmen come in and they come from every kind of situation imaginable ... Those guys are leading really well."