Magazine picks SEMO football to win OVC

The college football season is still more than two months away, but Southeast Missouri State University has already drawn some pretty nice team and individual attention.

Street & Smith's Magazine recently picked the Indians to win their first Ohio Valley Conference title this year.

That's not surprising considering Southeast came close last year by going 8-4 overall for the program's best record since 1969, and the Indians return 18 starters. It's likely that more preseason publications -- not to mention the official OVC poll of head coaches and sports information directors -- will pick the Tribe either at or near the top.

While coach Tim Billings and his players would probably rather sneak up on people like they did much of last year rather than have a big target on their chests, the remarkable 2002 turnaround has rendered that virtually impossible.

It will be interesting to see how the Indians handle all this newfound attention. Knowing the coaches and players, I don't think it will hamper them too much.

And individually, a few Indians have been singled out for national accolades by The Sports Network, which covers NCAA Division I-AA like a blanket.

Quarterback Jack Tomco, who set numerous school records during his first season with the Indians last year as a junior, has been listed as the nation's fifth-best returning I-AA quarterback for the 2003 season. Tomco is listed by Street & Smith's as the OVC's top offensive player.

Southeast's other two quarterbacks also received mention.

Jeromy McDowell -- who was injured most of last season after starring two years ago as a redshirt freshman -- was listed as the nation's third-best backup signal caller.

And Andrew Goodenough, a transfer from Arizona State, was chosen as the nation's No. 10 transfer of impact among quarterbacks.

Also, Southeast tailback Corey Kinsey was picked as the nation's 16th-best returning running back. Southern Illinois' Mo Abdulqaadir is listed No. 1.

But somewhat curiously, no member of Southeast's tremendous offensive line was found on any of the lists covering those positions, although only five centers, six tackles and six guards were chosen.

Still, the omissions should serve as some nice motivation for the Indians' talented O-linemen as they continue their summer workouts in anticipation of practice in early August.

While Southeast's football team was picked by Street & Smith's to win the OVC, the magazine did not list the Indians -- or any OVC team -- among its preseason I-AA top 25. That's somewhat surprising since Southeast finished last year nationally ranked.

But the Street & Smith's omission is no doubt a reflection of how poorly OVC squads have fared on the national level in recent years. No current OVC member has won a first round I-AA playoff game since 1996. And no current OVC member has reached the third round of the playoffs since 1991.

Still, the Indians figure to be ranked in other preseason top 25 polls. And, if they are fortunate enough to earn their first-ever I-AA playoff berth -- a distinct possibility -- just maybe they'll be able to finally end the OVC's long run of playoff futility.

One more quick Southeast football note, although it has nothing to do with the actual gridiron: Three more teams are still needed to complete the field for Monday's golf tournament at Dalhousie that will serve as a fundraiser for the Indians' program.

The entry fee for the four-person scramble is $75 per person, which includes cart, food, beverages and a host of attractive prizes from area businesses.

There will be a noon cookout with food and beverages, followed by a 1:30 p.m. shotgun start. Billings told me he promises loads of fun for everybody who participates -- and golfers will be helping out the football program as well.

Prospective golfers should call 651-2561 any time today and leave a message and a phone number where they can be reached.

I always look forward to the NBA draft, which will take place this week, but this year there is little suspense at the top of the two-round affair.

It is virtually set in stone that LeBron James, Darko Milicic and Carmelo Anthony will be the first three picks. But after that, it'll be fun to see how everything falls into place. Every year there are plenty of surprises and disappointments regarding a host of players.

And still on the subject of James, I really think he's going to be a superstar, but things are definitely getting a bit out of hand when a high school senior gets over $90 million from Nike without having played an NBA game.

But that's the times we live in. And all I can say is more power to the young man, who from everything I've read and heard seems to have a pretty solid head on his shoulders.

One last thought on the NBA Finals:The series was probably a little more competitive than I thought it would be, with virtually all of the six games being closely contested.

But the Spurs proved they were the superior team, mainly because Tim Duncan is probably the best player in the league right now. The Nets never did have an answer for him.

The Spurs deserved the title, but I believe that if Chris Webber had not gotten hurt, the Kings would have emerged as champions.

A quick comment on all this "slump" talk that has centered around Tiger Woods.

No, he's not in a slump by normal professional golf standards when winning even one major in a span of several years is considered quite an accomplishment.

But Woods has to expect all the slump talk because he created the monster himself by doing such remarkable things at the outset of his career. His success fueled continued expectations that were probably unrealistic to begin with.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.