AUSTIN PEAY READY TO HASSELL THE OVC; INTACT GOVES MAY BE ABLE TO SUPPLANT CO-CHAMPIONS MURRAY ST., SOUTHEAST

Led by the sensational Trenton Hassell, Austin Peay is the preseason choice to win the Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball championship this season.

But the Governors are expected to face some serious competition from the likes of Murray State and Southeast Missouri State -- who tied for last year's regular-season title before Southeast won the OVC tournament and earned the league's automatic NCAA tourney berth -- along with perhaps Tennessee Tech and Eastern Illinois.

Austin Peay received 14 of a possible 16 first-place votes (teams are not allowed to pick their own finish) in a recent poll of the league's head coaches and sports information directors.

Murray State, which has won or shared the last seven -- and 12 of the past 13 -- OVC regular-season titles, nabbed the other four first-place votes and was picked second. The Racers have appeared in 11 straight league tourney championship games.

Southeast Missouri, which captured its first OVC regular-season and tournament titles last season, was chosen to finish third.

"We're pleased to be picked high, but I'm a little smarter than I look," said Austin Peay coach Dave Loos. "I know it means absolutely nothing, but we return a good basketball team.

"It's a nice honor (being picked No. 1). It creates some excitement and sells some tickets. But it doesn't mean anything. It will be settled on the court."

Said Southeast Missouri coach Gary Garner, "Austin Peay deserves to be picked No. 1, and I think Murray State should be No. 2. But the race should be very interesting. I think us, Tennessee Tech and Eastern Illinois could all be in the race."

Tennessee Tech was picked to finish fourth, followed by Eastern Illinois, Tennessee-Martin, Morehead State, Tennessee State and Eastern Kentucky.

Teams begin their regular season this week.

The following is a look at the squads as they are presented in the OVC 2000-01Men's Basketball Media Guide. Last year's overall and conference records are in parentheses.

Austin Peay (18-10, 11-7)

The Govs recorded their most regular-season wins since 1976-77 and finished tied for third in the OVC, but for the second straight year they lost in the opening round of the conference tournament.

With four starters back, the Govs are hoping to make a strong push for an NCAA tourney berth. And with Hassell leading the way, they certainly have a lot going for them.

The 6-foot-5 Hassell, a two-time first-team all-league pick, is no doubt among the top talents the OVC has produced in recent years. A do-it-all senior guard/forward, he was the only player in the nation last season to rank among the top five in his conference in scoring (18.1 points per game), rebounds (7.4) and assists (5.2).

Hassell, the OVC preseason co-player of the year, has been selected to Playboy magazine's 10-player preseason All-America team and is highly regarded by NBA scouts.

"Trenton is a very talented player," said Loos. "He does a lot of things for our team and makes the people around him better."

Other returning starters for the Govs are senior guard Nick Stapleton (15.8 ppg, team-high 45 3-pointers), senior center Joe Williams (13.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg, league-best 62 percent shooting) and senior forward Theanthony Haymon (7.8 ppg. 5.5 rpg). Stapleton was a second-team all-OVC pick last year while Williams earned third-team honors.

Sophomore guard Matt Jakeway (3.8 ppg) moved into the starting lineup midway through last season and provides even more experience for the Govs, who are also counting on several newcomers.

Murray State (23-9, 14-4)

The Racers lost all-everything guard Aubrey Reese, the OVC's player of the year, but return senior forward Isaac Spencer (19.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 56 percent shooting), who was second in the league in scoring and third in rebounding and joins Hassell as being the conference's preseason co-player of the year.

"I'm happy to have a guy like Isaac Spencer back," said Racers coach Tevester Anderson. "If it wasn't for having him back, I don't know what we'd do."

That's because the Racers are short on experience save for Spencer and senior forward Ray Cunningham (11.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg), their only other returning starter.

The Racers' other returnees are junior guard Justin Burdine (2.8 ppg) and sophomore swingman Chris Shumate (2.8 ppg), who both saw limited action off the bench last year.

Anderson will be counting heavily on nine new players, including guard Kevin Paschel and forward Antoine Whelchel, freshmen who practiced with the team last year but were academically ineligible for games.

Other first-year players expected to contribute immediately are junior forward Roderick Thomas and 7-foot freshman center Andi Hornig from Germany.

"We've got nine players with no Division I experience," Anderson said. "It's really a tough chore. It's almost a new team."

SE Missouri (24-7, 14-4)

The Indians, coming off their best season at the Division I level, they lost their entire starting frontcourt from a squad that made its first Division I tourney appearance.

But coach Gary Garner still believes the Indians will be solid, thanks to perhaps the OVC's premier backcourt and five other returning lettermen.

"I think we're going to have a good basketball team," said Garner. "Repeating will be tough, but I do believe we have the talent to make another run at the OVC championship."

Southeast's strength figures to be in the backcourt, where seniors Michael Stokes (12.7 ppg, 4.2 apg, 42.7 percent 3-point shooting) and Antonio Short (8.5 ppg) form one of the league's top guard tandems. Stokes earned all-league third-team honors last year while he and Short both made the OVC all-tourney squad.

Senior center Nyah Jones (5.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg)) and senior forward Emmanual McCuthison (5.0 ppg) both saw considerable playing time last season and will step in as starters up front while senior guard Amory Sanders (5.6 ppg) was also a key backup last year.

Other returning lettermen are senior guard Matt Morris (1.9 ppg), sophomore forward Drew DeMond (1.3 ppg) and sophomore forward Tim Scheer (1.5 ppg).

Garner also has high hopes for five newcomers: junior center Terry Rogers, junior forward Monte Gordon, sophomore forward Daniel Weaver, freshman guard Joel Shelton and freshman forward Damarcus Hence.

Tenn. Tech (16-12, 11-7)

The Eagles are coming off one of their most successful seasons in recent history, recording their most overall wins since 1989-90 and matching a school record for OVC victories as they tied for third in the league.

Coach Jeff Lebo welcomes back nine lettermen and a veteran frontcourt, but he must replace a pair of all-conference guards.

Tech figures to be led by senior forward Larrie Smith (15.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg), who earned second-team all-OVC honors last season and was the league's newcomer of the year. He ranked 10th in the conference in scoring and second in rebounding while shooting 58 percent from the floor.

Junior Joey Westmoreland (5.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg) is a two-year starter at forward while junior center Adonis Hart (5.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg) returns after a knee injury ended his season in January.

While last year's starting backcourt is gone, the Eagles return some experience at that position in sophomores Brent Jolly (7.6 ppg) and Leigh Gayden (5.7 ppg). The pair combined for 71 3-pointers.

"We have youth in the backcourt, which concerns me," said Lebo. "But I think we now have a nucleus of young men who understand how to play hard and how to win."

E. Illinois (17-12, 11-7)

The Panthers tied for third in the OVC last year despite suffering numerous injuries and they reached the semifinals of the league tournament for the first time.

With seven lettermen and four starters returning from a team that recorded its highest win total in eight years, coach Rick Samuels has his squad poised for another strong conference run.

The Panthers have one of the league's premier backcourts in seniors Kyle Hill (19.1 ppg, 59 3-pointers) and Matt Britton (10.7 ppg, 3.8 apg, 45.7 percent 3-point shooting). Hill earned first-team all-OVC honors after ranking third in the league in scoring while Britton was second in the OVC in 3-point percentage.

"We're going to get the ball in Kyle Hill's hands as frequently as possible," said Samuels.

Senior forward Merve Joseph (10.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg) returns after suffering a season-ending knee injury in early January, and his presence should boost the Panthers greatly.

Sophomore forward Henry Domercant (9.3 ppg), sophomore guard Craig Lewis (4.5 ppg) and junior forward Todd Bergmann (4.3 ppg) should also all play key roles for the Panthers.

Tenn.-Martin (10-19, 7-11)

Under first-year coach Bret Campbell, the Skyhawks made the OVC Tournament for the first time ever last season (finishing seventh in the league) with a roster that included 10 new players.

With eight lettermen and three starters returning, the Skyhawks should continue their climb toward the top half of the OVC and they have even been mentioned as a possible darkhorse for a high finish.

The Skyhawks return their entire starting frontcourt of senior center Byron Benton (14.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg), senior forward Hayden Prescott (11.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and sophomore forward Okechi Egbe (9.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg), although Benton will be academically ineligible for the first semester.

UTM also returns its top frontcourt reserve in junior Donald Elder (4.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg) while big things are expected from highly-touted junior Brian Foster, a transfer from Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

Exciting guard Andrae Betts was eligible to return but is no longer with the program, so the Skyhawks have a void in the backcourt. The most experienced returning guard is sophomore Jared Bledsoe (3.8 ppg), while juco transfer Michael Jackson is expected to fill Betts' shoes.

"It's nice to have three starters back," said Campbell. "We're excited about the team."

Morehead St. (9-18, 4-14)

The Eagles slipped to ninth place (out of 10 teams last year) in the OVC standings, but coach Kyle Macy hopes to be improved thanks to three returning starters and what he considers to be a strong recruiting class.

Macy will be looking for big things from junior center Kyle Umberger (12.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 54 percent shooting), who should be joined up front by two newcomers, freshman David Aliu and sophomore Iker Lopez.

Two starters are back at guard: sophomore Marquis Sykes (5.4 ppg, 3.9 apg) and junior Greg Hendricks (8.3 ppg).

Tennessee St. (7-22, 6-12)

First-year coach Nolan Richardson III, who assisted his famous father at Arkansas the past several years, takes over the Tigers and returns just four lettermen from an eighth-place OVC team, but three of them are returning starters.

The Tigers' top returnee is senior guard Jamie Roberts (16.7 ppg), who enters the season with a chance to become the OVC's career leader in 3-pointers made and attempted.

Joining Roberts as a four-year starter is senior swingman Kevin Samuel (12.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 63 3-pointers). Senior guard Terrick Brown (6.7 ppg) is the other returning regular while senior guard John Strong (0.8 ppg) is also back.

Richardson will be counting on several newcomers, including senior forward John Gilmore, an Oklahoma State transfer.

E. Kentucky (6-21, 2-16)

Former Kentucky standout Travis Ford is the league's other new coach and he inherits a program that has finished at the bottom of the OVC for the past two seasons.

The Colonels will be extremely young as only one starter and three lettermen return from a year ago. The lone returning starter is senior guard John White (4.1 ppg) and he'll likely be joined in the backcourt by junior Clinton Sims, who averaged nearly nine points a game as a freshman at Boston College before attending junior college for a year.

Other returnees are senior forwards Lavoris Jerry (5.6 ppg) and George Selden (2.1 ppg).

In addition to Sims, a host of other newcomers are expected to contribute.