SE's GARNER COLLECTS HIS 300TH WIN

Southeast Missouri State University men's basketball coach Gary Garner gets so caught up in trying to direct his team to victories, he barely has paid attention to a major career milestone he was approaching.

Thursday night's win over Tennessee-Martin was Garner's 300th triumph as a collegiate head coach. In his 17th season, Garner has an impressive record of 300-190 for a winning percentage of .612.

"I'd heard it a couple of days ago when (Southeast sports information director) Ron Hines mentioned it to me," said Garner. "I hadn't even realized it until then.You don't pay any attention to it during the season. Your so wrapped up in what your doing and trying to win each game you play."

A second-team All-Big Eight Conference guard at the University of Missouri in 1965, Garner has actually been coaching since 1967. He spent nine seasons as head coach at two junior colleges, four years as a Missouri assistant under Norm Stewart and one year as a Tulsa assistant.

As far as his head coaching at four-year schools prior to coming to Southeast, Garner went 15-15 in one season at Missouri Southern in 1976-77; 95-104 in seven seasons at Drake from 1981-88; and 138-44 in six seasons at Fort Hays (Kan.) State from 1991-97.

Garner's Drake record might not seem all that impressive, but he led the Bulldogs to only their third NIT berth in 20 years and ranks as the school's third all-time winningest coach. Drake has not even come remotely close to matching that success since Garner left.

At Fort Hays State, Garner led the Tigers to their first-ever Division II national title in 1996, when they went 34-0. He was the nation's winningest college coach from 1995-97, with a 63-2 record, and at one point his Fort Hays teams won 49 straight games for the fourth-longest streak in college basketball history.

Now in his third season at Southeast, Garner is 51-27 as he has turned the Indians into one of the Ohio Valley Conference's top teams.

Southeast went 14-13 in Garner's first season. Last year, the Indians were 20-9 for the school's best-ever Division I record and they finished a best-ever second in the OVC, narrowly missing out on a berth in the NCAA Tournament when they lost at the buzzer in the OVC Tournament finals.

So far this season, the Indians are 19-5 and in first place in the OVC.

Speaking of his milestone, Garner said, "You're so far removed from it when you're coaching. I'm sure when you're through coaching, that's when you look back on it and reflect on it.

"I've just been very fortunate to have gotten 300 wins, to have coached some really good teams. And I've been fortunate to get to do something I love doing."

Garner, 56, has often said that he enjoys coaching so much, he never wants to retire from the business.

"I hope I coach long enough to get another 300," he said with a laugh.