Indians sign on top-100 prep pick

As a senior at Kirkwood High School in St. Louis, Randy Holbrook was ranked among the nation's top 100 prep basketball players.

At Odessa (Texas) College, Holbrook was ranked by one recruiting service as the nation's fourth-best junior-college power forward.

Now Holbrook will try to translate those skills into helping Southeast Missouri State University's men's basketball program get back into the Ohio Valley Conference championship hunt.

Southeast coach Gary Garner received Holbrook's national letter of intent on Wednesday, making the 6-foot-10, 240-pounder a member of the Indians squad for next season. He will have two years of eligibility at Southeast.

"I'm excited about coming to SEMO," Holbrook said. "I think we're going to get something really good going."

Holbrook signed with national power Xavier out of high school and again after completing his two seasons of eligibility at Odessa College. After failing to meet NCAA eligibility standards following his junior-college career, Holbrook spent last season away from basketball while gaining college credits.

"After being away from basketball for a year, I'm very excited, I can't even explain it," he said. "I'm just ready to get the summer over with and get going at SEMO."

Holbrook still must pass seven hours this summer, but he said "that won't be a problem."

Garner is excited to land a coveted recruit who can play either power forward or center and features a variety of skills.

"He should be a great addition," Garner said. "He's a very talented big man who can put the ball on the floor and shoot the ball from the outside.

"For us to sign a kid that out of high school was ranked one of the top 100 players in the nation, and to have signed twice with a top-20 program like Xavier, is a very good sign for us."

After averaging 13 points and seven rebounds per game while being the Suburban West Conference Player of the Year as a senior at Kirkwood High School, Holbrook averaged 12 points and eight rebounds for a strong Odessa College team. He averaged 23.5 points and nine rebounds per game in the junior-college postseason tournament, with a high game of 31 points.

While spending the past season at home in St. Louis and taking classes at Meramec Community College, Holbrook was pursued by several schools. He said it didn't take long for Southeast to stand out.

"The coaches made me feel so comfortable, and so did the players when I visited. It was a family type thing," Holbrook said. "They're real, they're genuine. That's what I was looking for in a school.

"I want to be successful on and off the court. I'm looking to get my diploma and help the team do really well."

Holbrook's signing probably completes Southeast's recruiting class for next season, said Garner, although there is still a chance the Indians could add another player. They have two scholarships remaining and can carry those over, which would give Southeast five scholarships to use next year.

Holbrook will be one of five new Southeast players next season. The others are 6-7 forwards Dainmon Gonner and Reggie Golson from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College; 6-4 guard Norman Prather from Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Mo.; and 6-foot guard Mike Nelke, a transfer from Valparaiso. All will be juniors in eligibility.

Gonner, Golson and Nelke all practiced with Southeast last season, while Prather signed in the fall. Golson played in one game with the Indians but received a medical redshirt because of a knee injury.

"I really feel good about our recruiting class, which includes the three kids we had sitting out," Garner said. "We're adding five very good players."

In addition to the five new players, Southeast returns most of the other players off last year's team that went 11-19. Garner has high hopes for a turnaround after two down seasons.

"We've had a couple of rough years, but with the people we have returning and the five new players, I think we will be back in the hunt," Garner said.

mmishow@semissourian.com

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