Edgar dumps his top assistant

Southeast Missouri State men's basketball coach Scott Edgar is in the market for a new chief recruiter.

Edgar recently informed Ronnie Dean that he will not renew Dean's contract for next season.

Dean has been a Southeast assistant coach the past four seasons, including the final two years of Gary Garner's regime and the first two years of Edgar's tenure.

Before the 2007-08 season, Dean was selected the nation's fourth-best junior college recruiter by Basketball Times, a national publication.

Dean, a Charleston native, also has been an assistant at Division I programs Montana, Jacksonville, Long Beach State and Cal State-Fullerton.

Dean, reached by telephone at the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio, declined to comment. His contract with Southeast expires April 30. All Southeast assistant coaches are under one-year contracts.

Edgar, who also is attending the Final Four, did not return several voice messages left on his cell phone.

The 2007-08 Redhawks went 12-19 during Edgar's second season in charge of the program. They lost 14 of their last 15 games and did not qualify for the eight-team Ohio Valley Conference tournament.