Southeast basketball's early struggles are surprising

It's way too early to write off the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball season, especially since the Redhawks have only played two Ohio Valley Conference games.

But I've got to admit I am surprised at how much Southeast struggled through its first 10 contests.

No way did I expect the Redhawks to contend for an OVC title, not after they went 7-23 overall and a ninth-place 3-15 in league play during coach Dickey Nutt's first season. And not with the shape the program was in -- really bad -- when Nutt took over.

I did think the Redhawks might be able to claw into the middle of the pack of the 10-team OVC, something that still could happen.

I definitely didn't expect an 0-10 start, the worst since the program moved up to the Division I level with the 1991-92 season.

Southeast finally broke into the win column Saturday, routing NAIA Hannibal-LaGrange 101-52 at the Show Me Center. The victory was probably more relief than celebration.

Although you can't read much into a performance against a bad NAIA squad, it was nice to see sophomore guard Marland Smith break out of his shooting slump. We'll see if he can keep that going. And junior college transfer guard/forward Nate Schulte continued to play well.

Now the Redhawks will attempt to start climbing out of the 0-2 OVC hole they have dug themselves beginning Sunday at Jacksonville State.

It won't be easy with two key players -- juco transfer guard Nick Niemczyk and senior forward Cameron Butler -- hampered by injuries.

Niemczyk has not played the past five games as the knee he had surgery on in April continues to bother him.

It's almost certain that Niemczyk, second on the Redhawks in scoring with a 13.4 average while also being their top 3-point shooter, is done for the season. He likely can receive a medical redshirt and still have two years of eligibility left.

Butler, who has played in just four games, continues to show toughness as he battles foot problems.

Niemczyk being out and Butler being hobbled is certainly not conducive to reversing a slow start, but it's the reality the Redhawks face.

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I'm not saying it's going to happen, but even if the season does turn out really bad like last year -- and the 2009-10 struggles were expected -- I would hate for people to get down on Nutt so soon.

Sure, there were some relatively high hopes for this season, but turning around a program that was so far down in the dumps rarely happens quickly.

Let's face it, Nutt inherited a mess of a program that was and still is on NCAA probation.

Nutt has upgraded the talent level from when he took over, and that will increase next year when transfers Tyler Stone and Michael Porter become eligible and the two touted high school signees from Memphis arrive on campus, along with other possible additions.

So far I like the direction Nutt has Southeast headed and I think next season is shaping up as a potentially good one regardless of what transpires the rest of this year.

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I saw some good high school basketball -- in a great atmosphere -- Thursday and Friday as I covered the semifinal and championship rounds of the SEMO Conference tournament in Sikeston.

Sikeston was impressive in rolling to its third straight SEMO Conference tournament title, extending its home-court dominance. They have won 41 straight games at the Sikeston Field House, their last home loss coming in December of 2007.

Central also was impressive. The Tigers led Sikeston by four points at halftime in the finals before the Bulldogs pulled away for a 76-55 victory.

I'm looking forward to seeing Central senior guard Curtis Branch when he becomes eligible next month.

I've heard a lot of good things about Branch, a transfer from the Jonesboro, Ark., area, who is receiving interest from several Division I programs, including Southeast.

Jackson and Notre Dame also showed promise in the tournament.

And one final tourney note: Nutt was in the packed house the two nights I attended.

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The Eastern Washington football team that eliminated Southeast from the FCS playoffs still is alive thanks to Saturday's 38-31 overtime win over North Dakota State. The Eagles needed a late touchdown to force overtime.

Top-ranked EWU will host its third straight playoff game this week against defending national champion Villanova in the semifinals.

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The Austin Peay men's basketball team suffered a severe blow last week when junior forward Anthony Campbell, among the OVC's top players, suffered a torn ACL in practice.

Campbell, a second-team all-league pick last year who was averaging 13.9 points per game, will miss the rest of the season.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.