INDIANS ENTER THE `GARNER ERA'

Gary Garner doesn't really know what to expect out of his first Southeast Missouri State University basketball team this season, but he is counting on two things.

"I expect us to play hard and I expect us to play unselfishly, which means together," said Garner. "If you do those two things, then I believe good things will happen."

Through preseason practice, two exhibition games -- both victories -- last Sunday's narrow season-opening loss at Colorado and last Friday's win against Central Methodist, Garner has generally been pleased with how the Indians are progressing. But he knows so much work still lies ahead as the 1-1 Indians prepare for their third game, a Thursday night home contest against highly-regarded Bradley.

"We've got a lot of work to do and we need to get so much better," he said. "But so far I've been pleased with how everybody is working and trying to get better."

Garner certainly came to Southeast -- which went 12-18 overall last year and tied for fifth place in the 10-team Ohio Valley Conference with a 9-9 record -- armed with an impressive coaching resume.

Garner, 248-163 overall as a college head coach, is coming off a sensational run of success at Division II Fort Hays (Kan.) State. His 63-2 mark the last two years -- including a 34-0 national championship in 1995-96 -- is the winningest record over the last two years for any division.

Based on what Garner has seen from his players so far, he is optimistic that his first Southeast season will be a solid one.

"I think we can have a good basketball team," he said. "How many games we'll win, I don't know. But I think we can be a solid team."

Garner, who favors an up-tempo offense and a pressure man-to-man defense, bases his optimistic outlook on six returning players, including three starters, and several key newcomers.

It all figures to start for the Indians up front with 6-foot-10 center William "Bud" Eley, who averaged a team-high 17.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per game last season in earning all-OVC honors.

Eley, who has been ranked 17th out of 75 players in the Don Leventhal NBA Draft Report, will be in his senior season although he could gain another year of eligibility if he graduates in June since he was a Proposition 48 student his first year at Southeast.

"Bud is a very talented player who has the best hands of any big man I've ever coached," said Garner. "It's like a suction cup and we'll be throwing it in there a lot. He's certainly one of the keys to our success."

Calvert White, a 6-4 senior swingman who was named to the OVC All-Newcomer Team last year, returns after averaging 13 points per game.

"He's our most complete player," said Garner. "He has a chance to be an outstanding player."

The other returning starter is 6-8 junior forward David Montgomery, who averaged 7.9 points last year.

Other returning players are 5-11 senior point guard Lakeo Keller (6.6 ppg), who has missed the early games with a knee injury; 6-7 senior forward Travis Smith (1.9 ppg); and 5-11 sophomore walkon guard Aron Rauls (0.9 ppg).

Garner will be counting heavily on 5-10 junior point guard Kahn Cotton, who sat out last season but practiced with the team after transferring from Idaho State, where he averaged nearly 14 points.

The coach is also looking for good things from three junior-college transfers: 6-foot junior shooting guards Cory Johnson and DeWayne Saulsberry and 6-4 junior swingman Demetrius Watson.

Johnson, a Clearwater High product, averaged 19 points and shot 45 percent on three-pointers at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff last year.

Saulsberry averaged 18 points and hit 48 percent on three-pointers at St. Catharine (Ky.) JC while Watson averaged 14 points at Mineral Area College in Park Hills.

The only incoming freshman is 6-2 guard Nathan Owen, a homegrown product who averaged 20 points and earned all-state honors at Cape Central High.

Two additional team members are freshmen walkon guards Matt Morris and Darko Babic.

Southeast opened the season with a starting lineup of Eley, White and Montgomery up front, with Cotton and Johnson in the backcourt.

In addition to the game at Colorado, in which the Indians gave a good account of themselves before falling 62-59, Southeast also plays major powers Missouri and Louisville on the road. Other games highlighting the non-conference schedule are Thursday's home date with Bradley and a game at Southern Illinois.

"We've got a challenging schedule," Garner said. "But we won't show up any place thinking we can't win."

As for the OVC, the Indians have been picked to finish sixth, which Garner figures was a fair preseason evaluation.

But he also figures there's no law against proving all the so-called experts wrong and doing much better than that.