Redhawks leave a veteran searching for words

I've never been known for being speechless.

But I came close Saturday as I sat and watched the unbelievable second-half performance of Southeast Missouri State's women's basketball team during the Ohio Valley Conference tournament final in Nashville, Tenn.

I fully expected a down-to-the-wire thriller, much like last year, when Southeast came so close to making school history before Eastern Kentucky pulled off a stunning double-overtime victory in the tournament championship game.

After Tennessee Tech went into halftime with a 32-31 lead Saturday -- and after the Eaglettes opened up a 37-31 advantage early in the second half -- I became even more convinced that, if the Redhawks were going to advance to the NCAA Division I tournament for the first time, they would have to squeeze out a win in the late going.

But a 30-4 run later -- that doesn't happen very often in basketball -- meant the Redhawks would not have to sweat out a ticket to the "Big Dance."

By outscoring Tech 40-18 over the final 20 minutes, the Redhawks were able to celebrate on the Gaylord Entertainment Center court in Nashville, Tenn., with a 71-50 victory.

I almost couldn't believe it -- not that the Redhawks won, because I figured they had a pretty good chance of that going in.

But never in my wildest dreams would I have envisioned a 21-point blowout over a team Southeast shared the OVC regular-season championship with.

Not that I minded being wrong -- far from it. I was so happy for coach B.J. Smith, his assistants and all their players, because I know how hard they've worked for this, and how devastated they were last year after Eastern Kentucky broke their hearts by hitting a tying shot at the regulation buzzer, and then prevailing in double-overtime.

Not only that, but I've gotten to know this group of Redhawks -- players and coaches -- well, and they are genuinely good people, as are most of the athletes and coaches that I come across at the university.

Technically, as a reporter, you're supposed to remain objective in your coverage, but one of the good things about working for a smaller-type newspaper is that you can get away with pulling for people you like, as long as you don't make too much of a scene on press row.

So although I might have come close to being speechless Saturday -- not really, I was just using that to exemplify how impressed I was by Southeast's crushing second half -- I had plenty of voice left to throw some congratulatory shouts the Redhawks' way.

And here's wishing Southeast well in the NCAA tournament. First-round upsets do happen, and maybe the Redhawks can be a part of one.

While Southeast's women used a dominant second half to break open Saturday's final, Murray State's men did the same as the Racers proved without a doubt they are the OVC's top team.

After basically running away with the OVC regular-season title -- winning by three games over Samford -- the Racers beat Samford 74-57 for the tournament crown, after trailing 33-32 at the intermission.

The OVC might not have any super-hot NBA prospects this year, but several scouts still attended the conference tournament over the weekend.

I had a chance to speak with one of the scouts, and he told me that Southeast senior guard Roy Booker -- the OVC's leading scorer this year -- is at least on the NBA's radar and has a shot to be invited to one of the big pre-draft camps, but most likely he'll wind up playing professionally overseas.

And speaking of Southeast pro prospects, you've got to think women's star Tatiana Conceicao will be making some pretty good money playing ball in the near future, either in the WNBA or overseas.

In the wake of Gary Garner being let go as the Southeast men's basketball coach, you can bet the university will have no shortage of impressive candidates.

I'm sure a host of young, up-and-coming assistants at major programs across the country will apply for the job, along with former Division I head coaches who are now assistants, as well as current head coaches from lower-division programs.

Just look at the type of candidates Southeast attracted nine years ago, after Ron Shumate was fired for NCAA infractions.

In addition to Garner, who had success at Division I Drake before leading Division II Fort Hays State to a national title, one of the four finalists was Bruce Weber, then a young, up-and-coming assistant at Purdue. We all know what kind of a career Weber has gone on to have.

While former Southeast assistants Tom Schuberth and Anthony Beane -- they were the top two aids on the NCAA tournament team of 1999-2000 -- have already made public their interest in the position, several other names are also being bandied about on various web sites.

Among the more prominent names being mentioned are Missouri assistant Jay Spoonhour, son of noted former coach Charlie Spoonhour; and Tennessee assistant Scott Edgar, a former head coach at Murray State of the OVC.

Charlie Spoonhour, who now does television work for Missouri Valley Conference games, reportedly told people during the MVC tournament in St. Louis over the weekend that Jay is very interested in the Southeast job.

I'm sure the same could be said for at least one assistant at perhaps half of the major programs across the country.

It will certainly be interesting to see how the search develops over the next few weeks.

While what the Southeast's women's basketball team has accomplished this year is mighty impressive, the Southeast women's track program also deserves plenty of love.

Talk about a remarkable accomplishment -- coach Joey Haines' Redhawks have everybody at Southeast beat in that department.

Last weekend, Southeast's women captured their third consecutive OVC indoor title, to go along with three straight conference outdoor crowns.

That is some kind of dynasty, and Haines -- who picked up yet another OVC women's coach of the year honor last weekend -- doesn't expect it to end in the near future.

Southeast's men also fared well, finishing second behind sensational sprinter Miles Smith, after the Redhawks captured last year's OVC outdoor title.

Area fans will get a special treat this spring when Southeast hosts the conference outdoor championships, giving the program a rare chance to hopefully celebrate more championships on its home turf.

This is a great time of the year to be a college basketball fan, with major conferences winding down their regular seasons and mid-major conferences fully into their tournaments.

I particularly enjoy following all those tournaments involving the smaller leagues, many of whom -- like the OVC -- will only receive one NCAA berth, which goes to the tourney champion.

And this time of the year also signifies one thing -- NCAA Selection Sunday is just a week away, and March Madness is just around the corner, if it hasn't already started.

We're still a long way off from football season, but that doesn't mean it's too early to start thinking about it.

That's because college teams across the country are getting ready to begin -- some have already started -- spring practice.

Locally, Southeast's Redhawks kick off their first spring workouts under new coach Tony Samuel on Monday -- at the early time of 5:30 a.m.

Samuel insists having his players rise virtually before dawn to practice has nothing to do with discipline, but rather it's the only time they can all be together to avoid class conflicts.

I guess I'll buy that.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian