COURT SESSION: IT WAS QUITE A SEASON FOR THE INDIANS

We've just completed a very successful and exciting basketball season. A group of young men banded together as a family and attained their goals.

We wanted to win the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship and we gained a co-championship. We wanted to win the OVC Tournament championship and advance to the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time in school history, and we did.

The trip to Salt Lake City for the NCAA West Regional was a great experience for our players and our fans. I'm particularly happy for our players who worked so hard to become a part of the elite group of athletes who participate in what has become one of the biggest sporting events in the world. This is an experience that our players will remember the rest of their lives.

I'm proud of the fact that our players stayed focused despite all the distractions that are a part of the NCAA Tournament experience. Despite being in the tournament for the first time and being a long way from Cape Girardeau, the players were focused and followed our Louisiana State game plan perfectly. We hoped to play one of the nation's top teams close so that we would have an opportunity to win at the end.

I told our team that if we rebounded with LSU, we would have a chance to win the game. Well, we were around at the end and had the lead late in the game. LSU made the shots they needed to win and our final 3-point attempt by Roderick Johnson barely missed.

LSU won and has moved on to the Sweet 16, but they know they had a real battle with Southeast Missouri State.

I am extremely proud of the effort!

It is always sad to know your seniors have played their final game in a Southeast uniform. We had three special seniors this season in Roderick Johnson, Brian Bunche and Mike Branson. They gave us great leadership both off and on the court and helped us achieve our goals. Our three seniors will all graduate this spring and that will again be a proud moment for this basketball team.

As I look back on the season, I think the overall accomplishments of Roderick have been somewhat overlooked because he wasn't flashy, just solid. His game against LSU exemplified his season. Playing against future NBA players Stromile Swift and Jabari Smith, Roderick had 19 points and 11 rebounds while Swift (co-MVP in the Southeastern Conference) had 13 points and five rebounds and Smith had 17 points and four rebounds.

Roderick led our team in scoring, rebounding, field-goal percentage, blocks and steals. He had a tremendous season!

We are all disappointed that we didn't beat LSU, but we have to be pleased with the season we had. A Division I-school record of 24 wins, a regular-season co-OVC championship, the OVC Tournament title and the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament.

We will miss our three seniors, but I feel confident that we will have another good team next year that will have the opportunity to return to the NCAA Tournament.

A special thanks to the fans who made the long trip to Salt Lake City and to all the fans who watched or listened to the game. I've always said that Southeast has the greatest fans in college basketball.

There is going to be a Championship Celebration honoring the team from 5-7 p.m. Friday at the Show Me Center. It is one final time to show your appreciation for the effort and accomplishment of our players. I hope to see you there.

Gary Garner is the head men's basketball coach at Southeast Missouri State University. This is his final column for the 1999-2000 season.