Championship game was fitting finish to classic NCAA tournament

There was no fairy-tale finish to Illinois' storybook basketball season.

But at least Monday's NCAA tournament championship game lived up to its hype -- which certainly isn't always the case.

The first title matchup between the nation's top two teams in the rankings since 1975 was an instant classic, with No. 2 North Carolina building a 15-point second-half lead and holding off No. 1 Illinois 75-70.

Illinois certainly had chances to cap off its miraculous season with a victory, as a furious rally resulted in a 70-70 tie with less than 2 minutes remaining.

But the Illini -- despite several open shots in the late going -- never could take the lead.

Still, it's hard to argue with the kind of year Illinois had under former SIU coach Bruce Weber, as the Illini went 37-2 to tie the NCAA record for most wins in one season. It was a campaign for the ages, and second in the nation sure isn't bad.

All in all, it was a fitting conclusion to one of the best NCAA tournaments in recent memory.

As an unabashed college hoops junkie, I'm already licking my chops for next season.

* The Southeast Missouri State basketball teams -- especially the men -- figure to be busy beginning Wednesday as the spring signing period opens.

Coach Gary Garner's Redhawks have five available scholarships -- one has already been used with an early signing -- but they could ink an additional player or two if some current roster members don't return next year.

Recruiting for coach B.J. Smith's women -- who return many of their top players --won't be as vital, but it's still important that the Redhawks continue bringing in quality talent that has become a staple of Smith's program.

It's going to be interesting to see what kind of players both squads land over the next few weeks.

* That was quite an atmosphere at Capaha Field on Wednesday night, as the second-biggest crowd for a Southeast baseball game in school history watched the Redhawks knock off 19th-ranked Missouri 8-5 in 10 innings.

With free food and beverages part of the lure that attracted an announced gathering of 2,732, it almost felt like I was at Mardi Gras in New Orleans instead of a baseball game in Cape Girardeau.

* He laid really low -- so low that only a handful of fans even appeared to know that he was in attendance -- but Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson was at Capaha Field last weekend for all three of Southeast's Ohio Valley Conference games against Jacksonville State.

After spotting Gibson behind Southeast's dugout during last Saturday's doubleheader, I approached the former St. Louis Cardinals great, introduced myself, shook his hand and asked if he would agree to a brief interview.

Gibson, never known as being totally comfortable in the media spotlight during his playing days, politely declined to be interviewed, but it was still a thrill for me to meet -- even for just a moment or two -- one of my earliest sports idols while growing up in St. Louis.

* Southeast's football team began about four weeks of spring practice last Saturday, with the workouts scheduled to culminate in the annual spring intrasquad game on April 30.

Coming off a disappointing 3-8 season, this figures to be an important spring for the Redhawks, who have several new coaches and will be looking to fill a host of positions after numerous starting seniors completed their eligibility.

Particularly interesting should be the expected battle at quarterback between returnee Mike Haley, who saw little action as a junior last season, and junior college transfer Kevin Ballatore, who is already enrolled in school and is taking part in spring drills. Ballatore's participation this spring will be limited as he continues to recover from knee surgery.

* Southeast's tennis season has gone by so fast, the Redhawks are preparing for their final match as Tennessee-Martin comes to town Monday for a 2:30 p.m. start.

It will be Senior Day at the Southeast Tennis Complex, as lone senior Daniela Garcia is honored prior to the match.

The program has improved considerably this season under second-year coach Jay Pacelli, and the Redhawks are still in the running to qualify for the OVC Tournament, which was their goal at the start of the campaign. Eight of the league's 11 teams make the field for the event, which will be played later this week.

* I just finished reading "Show-Me Kings," Chaffee native Mike Mitchell's book about Southeast Missouri high school basketball, and I came away thoroughly impressed.

While the book covers a lot of territory, it particularly delves deeply into the dynasty at Scott County Central built by legendary coach Ronnie Cookson.

Since I've worked at the Southeast Missourian for about 21 years, I covered many of Cookson's 12 state championship teams, including the squads that won seven consecutive titles from 1985 through 1991 -- and it was particularly interesting for me to learn about all the human interest stories and behind-the-scenes details that went into Cookson forming the Braves' program.

While the book is largely about basketball, it also is about so much more, including the impact the sport makes on lives and communities.

I'm certain that anybody who has followed area high school basketball over the past 50 years or so -- if not every high school basketball fan in general -- will get tremendous enjoyment from reading "Show-Me Kings."

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.