POWELL TACKLES BOOKS, 'BACKS AND RECEIVERS

Southeast Missouri State University football player Isaac Powell is proud that he was recently honored as a 2000 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar by the publication 'Black Issues in Higher Education.'

In order to be nominated for the award, athletes must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.3 or higher. Powell qualified easily with a 3.523 cumulative GPA. He acknowledges that the accolade is something special, and it means a lot to him.

But Powell isn't too interested in getting very wrapped up in the award right now. He wants to put all of his focus on practice for the upcoming season. The Indians began two-a-day workouts Wednesday.

"It's a good accolade to have, and I'm actually kind of surprised I got it," said Powell. "But I'm not too concerned about it right now. I'm basically just concentrating on football."

Powell, a strong safety who is the Indians' leading returning tackler from last season and figures to be one of Southeast's central defensive figures this year, believes he -- like many of the other Indians --has an extra bounce in his step these days.

That's because a new coaching staff -- as it generally does at a program that has been down -- has brought renewed optimism and hope.

"Everybody is excited," said Powell. "The whole team, the whole school. A lot of professors are showing more interest than usual."

Powell said the Indians have made a relatively smooth transition to first-year head coach Tim Billings and his virtually brand-new coaching staff.

"I think it's been a good transition," he said. "I think it was a little hard at first, and we had some people leave at first. But the team has gotten better along the way. We've got a lot more skill."

Defensively, the Indians will utilize a pro-style, attacking scheme that relies on a lot of pressure and different looks. Powell is looking forward to the change.

"I'm very excited about the defense," he said. "We'll be doing a lot of different things, putting a lot of pressure on the other team's offense. I think we'll be exciting to watch."

Powell should be one of the Indians' most skilled defensive performers this year. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder from St. Louis will be entering his third season as a starter. Last year, he recorded 80 tackles and intercepted three passes, the same number of interceptions he had as a sophomore.

"Isaac is a very good football player," said Billings. "We're going to be counting on his play and leadership a lot."

Said Powell, "I've enjoyed it here. Even though we haven't won that much, it's been fun."

Powell is particularly excited that Billings has shied away from any type of rebuilding talk for his first Southeast team. The new coach has emphasized that he expects to succeed right away and, as a senior, that is exactly what Powell wants to hear.

"No rebuilding. That's one of the most exciting things I've heard," said a grinning Powell. "As seniors, we definitely want to win. We have our vision set."

That vision, according to Powell, includes surprising the so-called experts who have picked the Indians to finish seventh in the eight-team Ohio Valley Conference in virtually every preseason poll.

"I think we're going to shock the OVC," he said with a smile.