Final night inspires hope for brighter days

There was quite a scene Saturday night as the largest crowd for a Southeast Missouri State home basketball game in five years witnessed the season-ending 71-68 overtime loss to Austin Peay.

Southeast's Show Me Sellout promotion drew an announced 5,515 fans, the most to watch the Redhawks since the 2004-05 season, when two larger crowds turned out.

It brought back memories of about a decade or so ago, when Southeast basketball averaged that type of attendance during a three-year run that saw the team go a combined 62-28 and make its only NCAA Division I tournament appearance.

With the program having fallen so far so quickly, it seems like a lot longer than 10 years since the Show Me Center was rocking on a regular basis.

It was only for one night, but the Show Me Center was certainly rocking Saturday. Toward the end of regulation and for much of overtime, the noise in the arena was deafening.

That used to be a regular occurrence for Southeast hoops, when even a nondescript game against a lower-level Ohio Valley Conference opponent would bring in 4,000 or 5,000 fans and a really big matchup would pack the Show Me Center.

Coach Dickey Nutt, who just completed his first season, hopes in the not-too-distant future to bring back this type of support and enthusiasm for Southeast basketball.

Nutt knows it won't be easy and he also knows the key to a potential Redhawks revival is recruiting, which is the lifeblood of any college program.

Southeast had several recruits on hand Saturday, including two players from the Atlanta area who stand around 6 foot 8, along with local stars Otto Porter and Bobby Hatchett from Scott County Central. Nutt said the potential signees told him they were impressed by what they witnessed, which sure can't hurt.

When Nutt was hired last March, he was well behind in the recruiting process and had only a short period of time to put together a roster.

Nutt did a good job under the circumstances and signed some promising players. Leon Powell, who never took the court due to a knee injury, is supposed to be legit, and the freshmen, led by Marland Smith, showed plenty of potential. But Nutt knows the recruiting must be amped up considerably for the Redhawks to make really big strides.

It's going to be interesting to see what kind of players Nutt and his staff land for next season and beyond, because that ultimately will determine whether the big crowd at the Show Me Center on Saturday is going to be a regular happening or just an every-now-and-then event.

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Kudos to everybody involved with the Show Me Sellout, led by new Southeast associate athletic director for external affairs Frank Cuervo.

The energetic Cuervo, only on the job since early January, really beat the bushes trying to make the event a success, which it certainly was. Many other people also deserve praise.

I thought a neat aspect of the night was the honorary captains as former Southeast greats were introduced prior to each contest.

Pat Colon served as the women's captain, while Carl Ritter and Otto Porter -- the father of the current Scott County Central star -- served as the men's captains.

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Fans are always hoping for the best, but people really shouldn't be surprised by this season's final results for both Southeast basketball teams.

The men were in a reconstruction mode after last year's 3-27, 0-18 OVC debacle. They had some strong early moments, then suffered some injuries, bottomed out and lost their final 10 OVC contests and final eight games overall.

Nutt's first Southeast squad finished 7-23 and a ninth-place 3-15 in the 10-team OVC.

The women also were rebuilding with nine freshmen and one senior. They flashed some early promise, then were done in by injuries and inexperience. They bottomed out and lost their final nine games.

Coach John Ishee's fourth Southeast club went 7-21 and a last-place 4-14 in the OVC. The Redhawks matched the program record for losses in a season and missed the conference tournament for the first time since the 1996-97 campaign.

You've got to expect both Southeast teams to be improved next season. The big question: How much?

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.