Now that the losing is done, just the hiring remains

Now that the gruesome Southeast Missouri State men's basketball season is over, the real suspense begins.

I'm talking about who might be named the Redhawks' next coach, an announcement that should come soon.

A host of potential candidates have already been tossed about on the Internet, but nobody really has any idea who new athletic director John Shafer is targeting.

I've done my share of throwing out names, but now I'm just going to wait and see who Shafer — with, of course, approval from Southeast president Ken Dobbins — ultimately decides is the best person for the job.

I'm looking forward to the day the announcement is made.

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Southeast finished the year with 19 consecutive defeats, which represents the longest active losing streak in the nation.

But there is still a chance the Redhawks won't enter next season carrying that tag all by themselves.

DePaul has dropped 16 in a row, and the Blue Demons still have two regular-season games remaining, along with the Big East Conference tournament that features all 16 league members.

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I've said it before and I'll say it one more time:

Southeast acting coach Zac Roman and assistants Rodney Hamilton and Tommy Suitts deserve plenty of praise for handling an unbelievably bad situation with such class and dignity.

Who knows what the future holds for the three — at best it's likely only one will have a chance to be retained by the next coach — but I know they'll land on their feet. Here's wishing them all the best in the future.

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Even though they only got to experience three wins this season — none in the Ohio Valley Conference — you can't blame Southeast's two seniors.

Kenard Moore and Jaycen Herring both had fine seasons as they rank fourth and seventh in OVC scoring at 19 points and 16.6 points per game, respectively.

Perhaps just as impressively, Herring and Moore were first and third in the league in minutes played as they proved to be iron men.

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If the Southeast women's basketball team is going to reach the OVC tournament semifinals for the seventh straight season, the Redhawks will have to make it in unfamiliar territory.

The last time Southeast did not advance to the tournament's final four was also the last time the Redhawks did not host a first-round game, during the 2001-02 campaign.

Southeast has to go on the road in the tournament for the time since 2001-02 as the Redhawks slumped to the finish line by losing their final two regular-season contests.

The sixth-seeded Redhawks play Tuesday night at third-seeded Tennessee State, less than a week after they were routed by the Tigers 70-54 in Nashville, Tenn.

Tuesday's winner advances to Friday's semifinals in Nashville.

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One of the most amazing personal streaks in area sports circles has come to an end — and it doesn't even involve a player or coach.

Longtime Southeast sports information director Ron Hines finally missed a Southeast men's basketball game, Saturday's season-ender at Austin Peay.

That broke a string of 851 consecutive Southeast men's hoops games worked by Hines, the longest-ever streak by a sports information director.

Hines had not missed a Southeast contest since 1980, his first year as the school's sports information director.

With Hines set to retire after this school year, and with him having an opportunity to announce the Southeastern Conference indoor track meet over the weekend in Lexington, Ky., Hines figured this was a perfect time to end the streak.

As I wrote in a recent column, I plan to do a more detailed story about Hines later in the year as it gets closer to his official retirement.

But, having gotten to be friends with Hines over the years — I've attended a good number of the same Southeast games and have spent plenty of time on the road with him — I thought this was an impressive feat for people to know about.

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Ronnie Dean told me last week that Will Bogan is doing great both on the court and in the classroom at Highland (Ill.) Community College, where Dean is an assistant coach.

Dean, a former Southeast assistant, helped Bogan land at Highland this semester after the ex-Bell City star played one season at Southeast in 2007-08 before leaving the program.

Bogan isn't eligible to play at Highland this year, although he is practicing with the team and — barring any complications — will compete for the Cougars next season in his final year of junior college eligibility.

Dean said the 6-foot-10 Bogan is down to 269 pounds. Bogan had left Bell City weighing about 340 pounds and played for Southeast at just over 300.

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Former Southeast quarterback Jeromy McDowell recently was named football coach at North County High School.

McDowell was an assistant at Farmington the last two years and he previously was an assistant at North County, his alma mater.

McDowell set Southeast's freshman record for passing yards in a single season when he threw for 2,051 yards in 2001. Injuries later limited his college career.

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I didn't even know about it until the other day, but former Southeast baseball star Justin Christian is now with the Baltimore Orioles organization after spending part of last season with the New York Yankees' major-league club.

Christian, an outfielder, had a home run and two hits during Thursday's exhibition game against the Cardinals.

Also, ex-Southeast star Zach Borowiak is back with the Boston Red Sox organization. Borowiak, an infielder, spent five seasons in Boston's minor league system before taking last year off as he completed his degree at Southeast and played for the Capahas.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.