SE PLAYERS FIND TEAMS OVERSEAS

Two members of last season's Southeast Missouri State University men's basketball team are currently hooping it up overseas, including one professionally.

Roderick Johnson, a 6-foot-6 forward who was the leading scorer and rebounder for the 1999-2000 Indians, recently signed a professional contract to play in Poland.

Nyah Jones, a 6-11 center who will be a senior for Southeast this year, is playing with a collegiate all-star team that is in the middle of a 10-game schedule in Israel.

Johnson averaged 14.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game last season as the Indians went 24-7, won the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time ever.

Named the Chevrolet Player of the Game for Southeast during the Indians' near-upset of LSU in the first round of the NCAA tourney, Johnson is currently in training camp with Alba, a team that plays in the First League of professional basketball in Poland.

Johnson, the first player from the United States to play for Alba, scored 38 points and grabbed 10 rebounds during the team's first exhibition game.

"It's great that Roderick is getting the opportunity to play professional basketball," said Southeast coach Gary Garner. "He had a tremendous season for us last year and he deserves this chance."

Johnson is the third Southeast product from the past three seasons to compete in the professional ranks. Center Bud Eley, the 1998-99 OVC Player of the Year, competed last season in Turkey's top league while forward Calvert White, who completed his eligibility in 1997-98, spent last season with a team in the Netherlands.

Another senior from last season's Southeast team, third-leading scorer Mike Branson, has reportedly received an offer to play professionally overseas but he is still exploring his options. The 6-foot-6 forward averaged 11.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game last season.

Jones, who is with the Sports Reach team that is competing in Israel, was a key reserve for the Indians last season and is being counted on to fill a much bigger role this year. He averaged 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while seeing about 16 minutes of action as a junior.

"This is a great opportunity for Nyah to get some additional game experience playing against the top teams in Israel," said Garner. "Nyah is one of the keys to our success this season and the added game experience should really be a benefit for him."