Nutt gets opportunity to meet Missouri's high school coaches

~ The Redhawks coach will speak today at the MBCA's annual clinic

First-year Southeast Missouri State men's basketball coach Dickey Nutt has made it a priority to meet the state's high school basketball coaches.

Nutt will have an opportunity to get a lot of that done in one spot today as he is among the speakers at the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association's annual clinic in Columbia.

"I'm very excited for the opportunity to talk basketball. It's a privilege and I'm grateful for that," Nutt said. "It's a great time for all coaches to get together.

"And to be in a group with that many high school coaches. ... One of the biggest things on our agenda right now is to get out and meet as many high school coaches in the state of Missouri as we can."

While Nutt will try to impart some of his basketball knowledge on the gathering of prep coaches, he said he and assistant Kyle Gerdeman -- who is making the trip with Nutt -- "will be trying to learn as well."

Nutt said what he has learned so far about his first Southeast team through roughly its initial week of practice is mostly positive.

"I have been very pleased," said Nutt, whose squad held its first official practice last Friday. "We really try to stress attitude and effort. They certainly deserve an A-plus for that.

"But we still have a lot to put in and so much to work on. It's a process."

Nutt has placed a major emphasis on defense, which he believes will be a key to any possible success the Redhawks have this season because they are likely to be somewhat challenged offensively.

"It better be [a priority]," Nutt said. "We're probably spending about 80 percent of our time defensively. We want to be a defensive team. We want to stop people.

Southeast will take a break from its normal practice routine Saturday with an intrasquad scrimmage beginning at 9 a.m. at the Show Me Center. The public is invited to attend the session that will feature officials.