1988-1989 basketball team makes Southeast's hall of fame

The 1988-1989 Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team ranks among the best in school history.

More than 20 years later, the squad officially was recognized as such Friday night at the Show Me Center during the university's Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

That team, which went 27-6 and finished second in the NCAA Division II national tournament, was part of Southeast's eighth induction class, along with five individuals.

"It was a really good team," said point guard Dwayne Rutherford, Southeast's career assists leader whose 200 assists that year as a junior ranks as the school's single-season record. "I think we overachieved. We played so hard and so together."

Rutherford, in addition to having 541 career assists, also dots many of the program's other all-time lists, including ranking 11th with 1,191 career points, second with 153 career steals, eighth with 107 3-pointers and sixth with a 40.2 percent 3-point success rate.

"We had great shooters. I was the recipient of that," said Rutherford, who earned All-American honors the following season as a senior.

Rutherford, who lives in his native Memphis, Tenn., enjoyed reuniting with former teammates.

"This is very special to get everybody together," he said. "Even though we're spaced out across the country, we still talk regularly."

Six of the 12 squad members attended the induction ceremony, which was held in the main part of the Show Me Center and attended by about 250 people.

Along with Rutherford, other players on hand were Mike Lewis, Malcomn Henry, Johnnie Coleman, Darryl Harris and Keith Ressel.

Rounding out that team were Earnest Taylor, Ray Pugh, Lawrence Wilson, Darren Shepard, John Simpson and Calvin Jones.

Pugh, a smooth 6-foot-5 wing from Malden, Mo., was the squad's star as he averaged 17.8 points and 5.2 rebounds to earn All-American honors. Pugh ranks as Southeast's No. 8 career scorer with 1,237 points.

Henry, a rugged 6-6 forward from Neelyville, Mo., led in rebounding with a 6.7 average.

"It's always great to see everybody," said Henry, who lives in St. Louis.

Lewis, from Jackson, was the team's top 3-point shooter as a sophomore. He hit 64 from beyond the arc while making 49.2 percent for the second-highest single-season accuracy rate in school history.

Lewis nailed a 3-pointer with about a minute left in regulation to send the national semifinal against California-Riverside to overtime. Southeast went on to win the contest that still ranks among the top games in Division II tournament history.

"It was from deep, beyond the NBA line," Lewis, who lives in St. Louis, said with a smile.

Lewis is second on Southeast's career 3-point percentage list at .446 and fifth in career 3-pointers made with 166.

"This is great. I haven't see most of these guys in a long time," Lewis said.

Another local member of that squad was Ressel, a Notre Dame Regional High School product who was a freshman reserve guard.

"What I remember the most, it was an unselfish team. Nobody cared who scored," said Ressel, who still lives in the area. "It was a nice ride."

Coach Ron Shumate was met with a big ovation as he was introduced and brought on stage, following the players, assistant Rick Kestner, student coach Mike Brey, trainer Tim Barron and student trainer Jeff Perkins (assistant Randy Curl did not attend due to an illness).

"These guys got the job done. I was just kind of along for the ride," said Shumate, the school's all-time winningest men's basketball coach. "It was a pleasure to coach these guys. The old saying goes, great players make great coaches. My assistants did a great job."

Shumate, also on hand when his 1985-1986 national runner-up team was inducted two years ago, built a struggling Division II program into one of the country's best and then led Southeast into Division I.

In Southeast's last 10 Division II seasons -- all under Shumate -- Southeast won at least 20 games nine times and made eight national tournament appearances, including two runner-up finishes.

"We set the standard," said Shumate, retired and living in Chattanooga, Tenn., although he came in for the ceremony from his summer home in Fort Myers, Fla. "People expected us to win big every year."

Shumate delivered more often than not, finishing with a 306-171 record in 16 seasons.

"We raised the bar," Shumate said.