SOUTHEAST REVEALS FOUR COACHING FINALISTS; CANDIDATES TO VISIT NEXT WEEK

The search committee for a new head men's basketball coach at Southeast Missouri State University has announced the names of four finalists who will visit the Southeast campus next week.

Finalists for the position are Missouri assistant Kim Anderson; Fort Hays (Kan.) State head coach Gary Garner; Iowa State assistant Sam Weaver; and Purdue assistant Bruce Weber.

"In just two week's time, 54 candidates applied for the coaching position," said Ken Dobbins, Southeast executive vice president and co-chair of the search committee. "We could not be any more pleased with the outstanding pool of candidates the university received for the position.

"The four coaches who have been named finalists have impressive backgrounds. We are looking forward to having them on campus next week."

Garner will visit the campus Monday, Weber Tuesday, Weaver Wednesday and Anderson Friday.

A full day of activities and meetings is planned for each candidate, beginning with breakfast with members of the search committee at 7:30 a.m. each day.

Members of the community, along with faculty, students, alumni and members of the Southeast Foundation, are invited to meet the candidates during their respective visits at an open meeting from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Show Me Center south meeting room.

Each candidate will make a statement and field questions from the media during press conferences scheduled each day at 4 p.m. at the Show Me Center. Following the press conferences, candidates will meet with the Southeast Booster Club from 5 to 6 p.m.

Anderson has been one of the top assistants on Norm Stewart's staff at Missouri for the past six seasons after previously spending six seasons as an assistant at Baylor. He was also a standout player at Missouri, earning Big Eight Conference Player of the Year honors in 1977. He was later selected in the first round of the NBA draft.

Garner, a former Missouri assistant under Stewart, has been head coach at Division II Fort Hays State the past six seasons, compiling a 63-2 record the last two years and leading the squad to the Division II national title in 1995-96 with an undefeated mark.

Previously, Garner was head coach at Drake for seven seasons from 1981-88, compiling a 95-104 record. His best record at Drake was a 19-11 mark in 1985-86 when he led the Bulldogs to the NIT.

Weaver, who was a Southeast assistant under former coach Ron Shumate from 1981-85, has been an assistant at Iowa State for one season.

A former assistant at Drake and Southern Illinois, Weaver spent three years as head coach at Alcorn State, going 20-58 during a time when the program was under NCAA sanctions for violations committed before he got there.

Weber has spent the past 17 seasons as a Purdue assistant and he is referred to in the school's basketball media guide as veteran coach Gene Keady's `right-hand man.' Weber joined the Boilermakers' staff when Keady took over the program in 1980-81.

Weber has been a part of some outstanding teams at Purdue and his tenure for an assistant coach at one university ranks first in the Big Ten Conference.

The Southeast coaching position came open earlier this month when Shumate was dismissed after 16 seasons as coach amid an NCAA investigation that is still going on.