Redhawks' winless opening weekend is little surprise

I don't think any realistic Southeast Missouri State basketball fan thought the Redhawks wouldn't start the season with two losses.

So it came as no surprise that the Redhawks were handled over the weekend by two teams from major conferences.

New Mexico, which hammered Southeast 102-59 Friday night, might be the best team the Redhawks play this season.

The Lobos returned four starters from last year's squad that went 24-9, finished third in the Mountain West Conference and earned an NIT berth.

Kansas State, which downed Southeast 88-68 on Sunday afternoon, is not expected to be a Big 12 Conference contender after losing two players to the NBA, including No. 2 overall draft pick Michael Beasley.

Still, after going 21-12 last year while finishing third in the Big 12 and making the NCAA tournament, the Wildcats likely are at least the second-best opponent on Southeast's schedule. That the Redhawks outscored K-State in the second half has to be a bit encouraging.

For one game at least the schedule should lighten up for the Redhawks, who figure to notch their first win Friday when they open their home schedule against NAIA Culver-Stockton.

That game will mark the return of junior forward Calvin Williams -- at 6-foot-9 Southeast's tallest player -- after he missed the first two contests due to a suspension.

Williams not only will add a much-needed inside presence for the Redhawks, he also will bolster their thin roster.

After the Culver-Stockton contest, the Redhawks visit Iowa on Nov. 25 as part of the Las Vegas Invitational (the Kansas State game was also part of that event).

Iowa is in a rebuilding mode after going 13-19 last year and finishing eighth in the Big Ten Conference, but still will present a challenge for the depleted Redhawks.

Southeast then will close out the Las Vegas Invitational with two games in Sin City, against Longwood on Nov. 28 and either Oakland or Delaware State on Nov. 29. Both those contests should be winnable if the Redhawks perform well.

It was a tough way to start what figures to be a challenging season for the Redhawks, although I don't think the first two games really give us a true indication of what lies ahead.

n

Southeast acting coach Zac Roman already has showed that he won't mess around when it comes to running a tight ship.

The Redhawks' already-thin roster became even thinner for the first two games as junior guard Jimmy Drew remained on the bench in street clothes for disciplinary reasons.

Roman did not give a specific reason for Drew's benching, saying it was internal and that Drew would be back to play against Culver-Stockton.

n

The Southeast women's basketball team got a nice season-opening win, beating a tradition-rich Missouri State squad 67-64 on Friday night in an entertaining game at home.

Like their male counterparts, Southeast's women face plenty of tough nonleague foes, but at least they get to enjoy a lot of home cooking early in the year.

Southeast has two more games at the Show Me Center this week, Tuesday against Central Arkansas and Friday against Arkansas-Little Rock.

All told, the Redhawks play seven of their first eight games at home.

n

Southeast women's basketball team loaded up with high school recruits, already landing six during the early signing period. Another still could be coming as the Redhawks have one more scholarship left.

Coach John Ishee told me he's really happy about this recruiting class that features three players from Tennessee, two from Ohio and one from Missouri (St. Louis).

A particularly interesting signee is Brittany Harriel, a 6-1 forward from Lakota West High School in Cincinnati.

Harriel averaged just 3.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game as a junior last season, which might make some people wonder why Southeast was even interested in her.

But there are extenuating circumstances because Harriel received limited varsity playing time behind Amber Gray, who signed with Tennessee.

Ishee told me he was impressed with Harriel as he watched her play in the summer and believed she could become a big-time player this season now that Gray has moved on.

Recruiting is always an inexact science, and we'll see over the next few years how all these young ladies pan out.

n

Say what you want about the Southeast football program, but at least the Redhawks are consistent.

Every year you can pretty much pencil the Redhawks in for three or four wins, usually nothing more or nothing less.

In case you don't know, I wrote that with tongue planted firmly in cheek, although there is plenty of truth to it.

n

On a less humorous note regarding Ohio Valley Conference football, Saturday's results around the league set up an exciting finish to the regular season.

Tennessee-Martin, Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee State all entered the weekend tied for first place at 5-1.

While Tennessee-Martin beat Southeast and Eastern Kentucky downed Murray State, Tennessee State lost at Jacksonville State to fall out of the title chase.

As the luck of the schedule would have it, Eastern Kentucky visits Tennessee-Martin on Saturday in a head-to-head matchup that will decide the OVC champion and automatic playoff berth.

The loser of that game will, along with perhaps Tennessee State and Jacksonville State -- all three teams have two conference losses -- have to sweat out a potential at-large playoff bid.

n

How about this sensational playoff run for the Jackson football team?

The Indians, who faced a rugged early schedule, were 3-5 after losing their district opener to Eureka and appeared headed toward a mediocre season.

But five straight wins later and the Indians find themselves in the Class 5 semifinals for the second year in a row, thanks to Saturday's 10-7 win over Eureka.

I covered Southeast's game against Tennessee-Martin and wasn't in Jackson, but I understand it was quite a battle. I'm sorry I missed it.

Here's hoping the Indians continue their remarkable turnaround with a date in the state championship contest.

By the way, you've got to give first-year coach Van Hitt and his staff tons of credit. The Indians lost their entire offensive line from last year, which probably contributed to their slow start.

But Jackson has gotten better and better as the season has gone along, and I understand the coaching staff also made some personnel changes that have helped.

That's what coaching, especially on the high school level, is all about, making adjustments based on the talent at hand.

Jackson deserves kudos in that department.

n

The OVC will play a major role in a future women's basketball Final Four.

It was announced Friday that Nashville, Tenn., has been awarded the 2014 Final Four, with the OVC serving as the host institution.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.