SE GIVES THREE-YEAR CONTRACT TO GARNER

New Southeast Missouri State University men's basketball coach Gary Garner received a three-year contract worth $72,000 annually to take over the Indians' program.

That salary makes Garner the highest-paid coach at Southeast, which is also the status that former men's basketball coach Ron Shumate held prior to his dismissal last month amid an NCAA investigation.

Shumate, who coached the Indians for the past 16 seasons, was also paid $72,000 annually prior to his dismissal.

Garner, who was hired as Southeast's new coach last Wednesday, spent the past several days back in Hays, Kan., where for the past six seasons he has been the highly successful coach of Division II powerhouse Fort Hays State.

But Garner said while in Cape Girardeau last week that he plans to move here as quickly as possible and expects to be in his Southeast office some time this week.

One of the first priorities for Garner will be to assemble a coaching staff. He said last week that he had several assistant coaching candidates in mind and hopes to assemble his staff as soon as possible.

Another of the immediate priorities Garner mentioned last week was to contact all of the players who will be on next season's Southeast team. Garner had already met with three players who are staying in Cape Girardeau for the summer -- Bud Eley, Lakeo Keller and Kahn Cotton -- and hoped to telephone the others as soon as possible.

* Allen Hatchett, the third-leading scorer on last season's Southeast team who was given his release so he could transfer, could be headed for another Ohio Valley Conference school.

Middle Tennessee State officials confirmed that Hatchett has contacted the Blue Raiders and they are very interested in the former Sikeston High all-stater.

Hatchett averaged 10.2 points per game as a sophomore guard for the Indians in 1996-97. He was given his release prior to Shumate's dismissal.