Otahks expect test from Div. II opponent

B.J. Smith doesn't look for a cakewalk in his official debut game as Southeast Missouri State University women's basketball coach

Smith, Southeast's first-year coach, expects Division II Henderson State to give the Otahkians plenty of competition in tonight's 7 p.m. season opener at the Show Me Center.

"They'll be very talented," Smith said. "We'll have to play well. If we don't come prepared to play, they'll give us all we want."

Smith is anxious to see the Otahkians in a game that actually counts after they posted a pair of exhibition victories, over St. Louis Goldstar and Division II Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

"It's amazing that we're here, but we're ready to go. It's time to play a game," Smith said. "We still have a long ways to go as far as where we want to be as a basketball program. All coaches pretty well think they need a lot more practice time, but I guess it's good we've got a game coming up."

Henderson State, located in Arkadelphia, Ark., will also play its first official game under a new coach tonight as former Texas A&M assistant Jeff Caldwell took over the program this season.

The Reddies, who went 13-13 overall last year and 7-9 in the Gulf South Conference, returned seven players from that squad and also added six transfers. Among the newcomers is TaKeela Ball, who saw limited action in nine games at Southeast last year before leaving the program.

Henderson State won two of its three exhibition games, including an impressive 22-point rout of Division I Arkansas-Little Rock.

"They'll shoot the three and they will be real athletic. They get up and down the floor," Smith said. "They play a similar style to us so it should be a fun game to watch."

Smith said he was relatively pleased with the Otahkians' two exhibition performances, but added, "We still have so much to work on. It's just a matter of getting everything instinctive like we need it to be."

While not expecting an easy time tonight, Smith hopes the Otahkians put together a strong performance in order to help build confidence for a tough upcoming stretch of games.

Southeast visits perennial power Southwest Missouri State Tuesday and the following weekend competes in the rugged Wisconsin-Green Bay Tournament, where the Otahkians open with a host squad that qualified for the NCAA Tournament last year.

"We're going to really be tested in those next few games," Smith said. "This is probably the toughest women's schedule ever at Southeast, but hopefully it's going to help get us ready for the conference season."