On the road again - Indians log hours, miles, two losses

Southeast Missouri State University's basketball team was struggling.

Entering a two-game road trip to play Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech last week, the Indians had posted just one Ohio Valley Conference victory, were last in the standings and in danger of missing the league's postseason tournament for the first time since Gary Garner became coach five years ago.

In all, they'd won only three of their 19 games this season, moving closer to the program's worst record in more than 20 years.

But this is, after all, college basketball, where anything can -- and often does -- happen. Besides, Garner's philosophy is to remain positive, no matter how bleak the situation. Otherwise, he says, this team has no chance of turning things around over the final half of the conference season.

"I don't think you can ever beat a team down," he says. "You have to try and do things to keep them positive or you've got no chance of turning it around."

So, as Southeast prepared to head out for one of its two longest trips of the year, both in distance traveled and time spent away from home, the mood was upbeat and the Indians clinged to hope of making a late-season run.

Wednesday, Jan. 30

After a two-hour practice at home, the Indians' travel party of 21 people boards its chartered bus, which pulls away from in front of the Show Me Center at 5:15 p.m. headed for Nashville, Tenn. A meal stop is scheduled in Paducah, Ky.

The bus won't return to Cape Girardeau until early Sunday morning after the Indians play Tennessee State in Nashville on Thursday night and Tennessee Tech in Cookeville on Saturday night. Total mileage: About 600, most of it over four-lane interstate highways.

Garner, like most coaches, never likes to arrive in a town the day of the game if the travel distance is more than three hours or so. Ideally, Garner says, the team would have departed early enough to practice in Nashville, but he wants his players missing as few classes as possible.

So, knowing the players will miss all of their classes the next two days anyway -- and with the longest road trip of the season distance-wise, to deep into eastern Kentucky, coming up quickly from Feb. 6-10 -- he wants them to attend their Wednesday classes.

"It's important they miss as few classes as possible," says Garner. "We know they'll have to miss some, but we send all their teachers letters and we like for them to also go to their teachers. They're able to make up the work when they get back."

Mindful of the missed classes, several of the team's 11 players carry study materials on to the bus, along with pillows. There's an assortment of movies -- players' choice -- that will be shown on the small screens that line every few rows of the bus. Most of them are light comedies or action flicks.

"The bus trips are pretty boring, but it's usually not too bad," says junior center Drew DeMond, one of the team's veteran players who will miss the Tennessee State game with knee and ankle injuries. He hopes to play against Tennessee Tech. "We've got stuff we can do to pass the time, like movies and sleep, and we can study some if we want."

As one of the squad's co-captains, along with junior forward Tim Scheer, DeMond is distressed about the Indians' record. But, as he points out, the many close games they've had demonstrate that nobody on the team has given up hope.

"We just have to keep working and fight through this," he says. "Our attitude is still really good."

The team fills up on barbecue ribs in Paducah, then it's back on the bus for the trip to Nashville. They pull up to the team motel at 10 p.m.

For the players, it's time to get a night of sleep, although Garner and his assistants will be up for a while watching game tape on the two VCRs they bring on every trip.

It's the same late-night routine the coaches will follow each night while they're on the road.

Thursday, Jan. 31

The team meets for breakfast at 10 a.m., then it's on to a light early-afternoon practice at the Tennessee State gym and the pre-game meal -- the team's big meal of the day -- at about 3:30 p.m. That's four hours before tipoff, ideal to most coaches. Mixed into that schedule are team meetings to watch tape and talk strategy.

The bus departs for the short drive to Tennessee State's Gentry Center at 6:15 p.m., which will allow the squad to cheer on the Southeast Otahkians during the preceding women's contest before it's time to enter the locker room and make final preparations.

"This is a big trip for us. We just want to get in the (OVC) tournament," Garner said earlier in the day. He repeated a story about when he was an assistant at Missouri in the 1970s and the Tigers finished last in the Big Eight Conference, then went on to win the league tournament and qualify for the NCAA Tournament. "Right now, that's about all we have to shoot for, getting in that tournament. Once you make it, anything can happen."

Despite Southeast's record, Garner sees Tennessee State as a team the Indians can beat. Even though the Tigers defeated Southeast by 12 points at the Show Me Center earlier this season, they're no powerhouse.

"If we could just get a win and get a little confidence and momentum going," Garner says.

Says Scheer, "We're so close, but we just keep coming up short. We still think we can beat a lot of teams. Nobody has given up. We still think we can do something in the (OVC) tournament if we can get there."

As it turns out, the Indians have to wait for their game longer than anticipated. Scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start, the contest doesn't tip off until about 8:20 because the women's game goes into two overtimes.

"It's just something you have to adjust to," says Garner.

After a slow start, the Indians evidently adjust fine and rally for a 55-50 lead with a little more than five minutes remaining. But, continuing their trend of close losses, they aren't able to hold on. The Tigers post a 72-65 comeback win.

"It's pretty much the story of how our season has gone," Garner says. "We hang in there and hang in there and have a chance to win with five or six minutes left. But we don't make the big plays down the stretch and they do."

The bus ride back to the hotel is quiet. Garner announces to the players that they'll have pizzas delivered to their rooms and that the team won't leave town until about 1 p.m. the next day, meaning the players will get to sleep in. The rooms at the motel in Cookeville won't be ready until mid-afternoon.

Friday, Feb. 1

At 1 p.m. sharp, the bus rolls out of Nashville for the hour-long trip northeast to Cookeville. The Indians will practice at Tennessee Tech's Eblen Center at 7:30 p.m., meaning they have free time during the afternoon, which is rare.

"We usually stay pretty busy on these trips," DeMond says. "When we do have some free time, everybody just sits around in one of the rooms. We might watch some basketball."

Garner likes the players to stay busy on the road, the better to concentrate on the task at hand -- winning games. Although the Indians have not won away from home yet this season, Garner's teams usually are strong on the road.

"We want to keep them fairly busy. You don't want them just laying around, you don't want them distracted," he says. "If we were going to Hawaii or some place like that, you'd want to go out and do things. But in the OVC, other than Nashville, there's not really anything to see. What are you going to see in Morehead (Ky.)?"

Garner admits he actually likes road trips where the team is gone for several days in a row. It offers a chance for the squad to bond, he says.

"A team can really come together on the road," he says. "And in our case this year, the way we're struggling, just getting the team, the staff together, away from everything, it has to help."

DeMond agrees. "I think being on the road brings people a lot closer. It's just us out there together," he says.

Garner jokingly knocks on wood when he says he has never had a problem with players getting into trouble on the road.

"As far as I know, we've never had a problem on the road," he says. "We go around at night, or call them on the phone, for bed check. Sometimes they don't know we're even bed checking. We might call to ask a question, but we're really making sure they're in their rooms."

Saturday, Feb. 2

The Indians will repeat their day-game routine from Thursday of breakfast, a light practice, film sessions and meetings, then a pre-game meal.

If the Tennessee State contest was a winnable one, Garner says the Tennessee Tech matchup is more daunting. The Eagles, defending OVC champions, were heavy favorites to repeat and have done nothing to dispute that. They are unbeaten in the league and could become the first OVC team to finish that way since 1970.

Earlier this season, the Indians played the Eagles tough at the Show Me Center, leading at halftime before Tech pulled away to win by 13. But at the Eblen Center, the Eagles have won 22 straight games.

"It's going to be so hard to have a chance at beating them on their home floor," Garner says, then laughs as he remembers what sophomore forward Damarcus Hence said before the Indians left home three days ago.

"I told Damarcus before we left that we can beat Tennessee State. He said, 'Coach, we can beat Tennessee Tech, too.' That shows you how much our players still believe they can make something happen."

But it doesn't happen, and Tech once again proves too tough. The Indians stay close most of the game and trail by just six points with under seven minutes left, but the Eagles pull away to win 82-67.

The team is frustrated as they board the bus just before 10 p.m. for the trip home. Garner remains upbeat and tells them they played well. He says he's confident they can go back on the road next week and win.

As is custom after the final contest of a two-game road swing, food is brought on the bus, with Wendy's being the stop in this case. Then it's time to settle in for the nearly five-hour trip back to Cape Girardeau, with more movies -- and more sleep than on Wednesday's departing trip -- to help pass the time.

It's a little before 3 a.m. Sunday when the bus pulls into the parking lot of the Show Me Center.

The trip has yielded two more losses, dropping the Indians to 3-18 overall and 1-9 in the OVC. Garner has a few quick words for the players, who will take off Sunday before returning to practice Monday.

And just two days later, the Indians will do this all again -- this time hoping for better luck at Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky.

mmishow@semissourian.com

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