Garner confronts challenging task in fifth year at SE

Southeast Missourian

Southeast Missouri State University men's basketball coach Gary Garner hates to use the word rebuilding -- most coaches do -- but that appears to be exactly the situation his team finds itself in.

The Indians, who held media day activities at the Show Me Center Monday afternoon in anticipation of Saturday's beginning of official practice, lost their top four scorers (who all completed their eligibility) and return just one full-time starter -- along with only four other players -- from last year's squad that went 18-12 and finished a fifth-place 8-8 in the Ohio Valley Conference.

"We're kind of in a rebuilding situation. We've got a young and inexperienced team," acknowledged Garner. "But at the same time, I really like the foundation we've laid. I really feel good about the future of the program because of our new players."

Garner, who enters his fifth season at Southeast with a 75-41 record at the school, at one time thought the 2001-2002 Indians would be a front-runner for their second OVC championship since he took over the program. But that all changed last offseason when coveted transfer point guard Bobby Smith and big center Terry Rogers ran into legal problems and were dismissed.

But Garner still believes the Indians can make some noise in the OVC race -- even though many of the so-called experts don't think so. Two major national publications -- the Sporting News and Basketball News -- have picked Southeast to finish eighth in the nine-team league. Another magazine, Athlon, has the Indians tabbed for fifth.

"That's probably where we should be picked because it's based on what you have coming back," he said. "I think it will take us until the conference season to become a good basketball team, but I think we can be a factor in the OVC race."

Returning players

The Indians, who have just one senior among their 11 scholarship players, return one full-time starter in athletic junior forward Drew DeMond (6-feet-7, 215 pounds), who averaged 5.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game last year while ranking second in the OVC in blocked shots with 48. DeMond shot 57 percent from the field and 78 percent from the free-throw line.

Junior forward Tim Scheer (6-7, 215) and junior center Daniel Weaver (6-8, 220) made five and nine starts, respectively, a year ago, and both came on strong down the stretch. Scheer averaged 6.8 points per game while Weaver was at 4.0.

A fourth returning player who is being counted on heavily is athletic sophomore swingman Damarcus Hence (6-6, 180). Hence, who averaged 3.1 points per game, became a scoring spark off the bench late last season.

"Drew has really matured as a player, offensively and defensively," Garner said. "Tim, Daniel and Damarcus have all improved a lot."

The Indians' fifth returnee is lone senior Monte Gordon (6-5, 225), a forward who was hampered by injuries all last season and averaged just 3.1 points in 11 games. Gordon is academically ineligible until the second semester.

Several newcomers

While virtually all of Southeast's returning experience lies up front, the Indians' backcourt will be brand new.

Two of the players expected to make the biggest immediate impact are swingman Demetrius King (6-4, 190) and point guard Kenny Johnson (5-10, 165), a pair of touted athletic junior-college transfers. King is from Okaloosa-Walton JC in Florida while Johnson is from Penn Valley JC in Kansas City, Mo.

Garner compared Johnson to Michael Stokes -- who ran the offense the past two years -- in terms of quickness while the coach said King can shoot from the outside as well as post up.

Another guard expected to help out plenty right away is redshirt freshman Derek Winans (6-2, 175), a former Shawnee (Ill.) High School star who won the Illinois slam-dunk contest as a senior.

Garner also has high hopes for two more guards. Sophomore Justin Smith (6-3, 200) will be ineligible until the second semester after transferring from Arkansas State at mid-semester last year. True freshman Brett Hale (6-3, 180) had a standout career at Dexter High School.

"Derek and Brett are going to be outstanding players, but you have to remember, they're just freshmen," said Garner.

Rounding out the 11 scholarship players is the squad's tallest member -- by far -- true freshman center Adam Crader (6-11, 230) from Doniphan High School. While Crader is a bit raw, he figures to see some backup action this year.

Two other squad members are walk-on freshmen Ben Jones (6-4, 200) and Kevin Roberts (6-3, 175) from St. Louis.Strengths, weaknesses

The Indians are not very big, but Garner said that's not much of a concern in a mid-major league like the OVC.

Probably the Indians' biggest drawback, according to Garner, is their youth and inexperience, particularly in the backcourt.

On the plus side, Garner expects to have an extremely good shooting team, with Scheer, Hence, Johnson, King, Winans, Hale and Smith all considered strong outside marksmen.

What remains to be seen, said Garner, is how the Indians mesh as a unit.

"The term chemistry cannot be overused," he said. "I think we'll have really good chemistry and if we do, then I think we can have a good basketball team."