Indians slowly regain players

Just moments after his team had lost at Southwest Missouri State Saturday night, Southeast Missouri State University coach Gary Garner laughed and said, "We'll have seven scholarship players Tuesday night. I won't know what to do."

Despite still being short-handed, the Indians (0-2) are indeed slowly but surely getting back more pieces to the puzzle entering tonight's game against Arkansas-Little Rock (2-2) at the Show Me Center.

The Indians had only five available scholarship players for their season opener, a 62-51 loss to visiting Birmingham Southern. Against Southwest Missouri, Southeast had six scholarship players in uniform during the 73-63 setback.

Tonight, the Indians will have seven available scholarship players -- and Garner will be able to use an overall eight-man rotation -- as center Daniel Weaver returns after missing the Southwest Missouri game to attend his brother's wedding.

"No question, getting more players back is going to help us," said Garner. "Our depth was definitely a big factor at Springfield, from a stamina standpoint. Getting another player back will help out."

Of course, the Indians -- who will welcome back Damarcus Hence from a three-game suspension when Western Illinois visits Saturday night -- won't be at totally full strength until the second semester, which begins Dec. 15 at St. Louis University. That's when Kenny Johnson, Justin Smith and Monte Gordon all become eligible.

In the meantime, Garner knows it will continue to be an uphill battle for the Indians, who need a victory to avoid the program's first 0-3 start since its inaugural Division I season in 1991-92.

More than anything, Garner believes the Indians need a win for their confidence.

"We've really improved from the first week to the second week, but this young team needs a win. It would do wonders for us," he said.

Athletic opponent

Garner knows getting that victory tonight will be a chore because UALR's Trojans are an athletic bunch that will severely test the Indians' depth and lack of consistent ballhandling right now.

"They're a good basketball team, the most athletic team we've played, a very quick team," Garner said. "They'll press us. They press anyway, but they'll see the Southwest Missouri tape and see us having trouble against the press. Until we get Kenny Johnson back, we'll have a hard time against the press."

The Trojans, who have lost highly competitive games against Massachusetts and Mississippi State, have started nine different players so far this year and 11 players are seeing an average of at least 13 minutes of action.

Sophomore guard Nick Zachary is averaging 16 points per game and shooting 46 percent from 3-point range. Junior forward Danny McCall is next in scoring at 12 points a contest.

UALR second-year coach Porter Moser had a dazzling debut season last year. He inherited a team that had won just four games the previous season and led it to an 18-11 mark, the largest turnaround in Sun Belt Conference history.

Winans honored

Southeast redshirt freshman guard Derek Winans, who scored 18 points against Southwest Missouri in his collegiate debut, was named the Ohio Valley Conference Rookie of the Week Monday.

Winans, who had missed the season opener while serving a one-game suspension for a minor NCAA rules infraction, also had seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.

"Derek plays with a lot of confidence and poise for a freshman. He has more confidence than any freshman I've ever been around," said Garner. "I keep saying he's going to be a good player, but he's a good player right now. And he's only going to get better."