Southeast teams ready to take chances in tournaments

We're only a couple of days away from the start of college basketball's March Madness --and Southeast Missouri State's teams hope things get crazy for them in a good way.

Southeast's men, who just a few games ago seemed to be in great shape to host a first-round Ohio Valley Conference tournament contest, stumbled down the stretch and must now hit the road for Tuesday's opening round.

But, for diehard Southeast fans in search of a silver lining, this is probably one year -- because of the overall balance of the league and no apparent dominant squad -- where you can go on the road and have a solid chance to win.

The men's tournament looks as wide open as it's ever been, and whichever four teams survive Tuesday's play to advance to Nashville for the OVC's version of the final four this weekend, you could probably toss them in a hat and have a decent shot at picking the winner.

Southeast's women, on the other hand, continue to roll, with their lone hiccup for a long time being that narrow loss at Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 17. But they've won three straight and 16 out of 18 heading into Tuesday's first-round tournament home game.

Coach B.J. Smith's crew, which has already posted the program's first 20-win season on the Division I level, should breeze into Nashville this weekend.

Once there, Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee Tech figure to be tough, but you've still got to like the Redhawks' chances of reaching the NCAA Division I tournament for the first time.

Here's hoping both Southeast teams make it to Nashville and beyond -- but no matter what happens, March Madness figures to be as wild and entertaining as ever.

* Since only Southeast's women will be playing a tournament game at the Show Me Center on Tuesday, the start time will be at 7 p.m., which means it would be a shame if at least a couple of thousand fans -- if not more -- didn't come out to watch the final home appearance for what is without a doubt the Redhawks' best team on the Division I level.

* Tatiana Conceicao, Southeast's standout junior college transfer, should definitely be in the running for OVC player of the year when the award is announced Thursday. She appears to be one of the top candidates, along with Tennessee Tech's Emily Christian and perhaps Eastern Kentucky's Miranda Eckerle.

But it's a shame that, inexplicably, the conference has decided to no longer award a newcomer of the year, which Conceicao would have won in a landslide.

Smith should be a leading candidate for coach of the year, along with Eastern Kentucky's Larry Joe Inman.

On the men's side, Southeast's Dainmon Gonner and Reggie Golson should both garner their share of support for player of the year, but it's hard to imagine Tennessee Tech's Willie Jenkins -- who has had a big season playing for the team that entered Saturday having already clinched at least a share of the regular-season title -- not taking the award.

* Congratulations to Carroll Williams, who was honored during Saturday's basketball doubleheader against Tennessee-Martin for being in his 50th year of service to Southeast athletics, including 45 years on staff.

Williams began his Southeast career as a walk-on football player in 1955 under legendary coach Kenneth Knox, then coached basketball for 10 years at the old University High School that was affiliated with Southeast.

Later, on the actual Southeast athletic staff, he was an assistant baseball coach under the legendary Joe Uhls, an assistant basketball coach, head basketball coach from 1976 to 1981, interim athletic director for two years in the 1990s, and has served as head golf coach twice, from 1968 to 1975 and from 1990 to the present.

Williams' 50 years of service to the university will officially come to a close after this year's golf season, as budget cuts have forced the program to be dropped.

I've known Williams for most of the 20-plus years I've been with the Southeast Missourian, and I can honestly say that you'd be hard-pressed to find a classier person or a more distinguished gentleman.

* Southeast's baseball team, after two long road trips -- to Tulane and to Southeastern Louisiana -- will make its first home appearance Wednesday when St. Louis University visits Capaha Field for a 2 p.m. start.

That contest marks the beginning of a scheduled seven-game homestand for the Redhawks, including a three-game set against Bradley this weekend.

And not to get some of my fellow "older" baseball fans excited, but could we perhaps have some Bob Gibson sightings at Capaha over the next couple of weeks?

The Hall of Fame pitcher's son, Chris Gibson, is a first-year Southeast player, and I've been told that Bob Gibson attended many of his son's junior college games in Kansas, so you'd think that he'd also make his way to Cape Girardeau at least a few times.

* Southeast's softball squad is finally going to open its season this week, when the Redhawks participate in the All Missouri Cancer Tournament in Kansas City.

The Redhawks are slated to open their home schedule March 8 against Lipscomb.

* Local tennis fans will have their first opportunity to watch Southeast's new-look, improved women's team in action Saturday when the Redhawks host Tennessee State in a 2:30 p.m. match.

* Congratulations to the record 145 individuals who were honored Wednesday during Southeast's annual Scholar Athlete Luncheon.

Those recognized have a 3.0 or higher cumulative grade point average -- including 13 with perfect 4.0 averages -- and they represent 51.2 percent of all the athletes at Southeast.

That's some pretty heady academic stuff -- and it especially impresses a guy like me who never was the most studious type in high school or college.

* Also major kudos to Notre Dame High School senior Bryce Willen, who beat some extremely long odds to get back on the basketball court and make a major impact as he helped the underdog Bulldogs to a surprising Class 4 District 1 title.

Willen, after suffering a serious knee injury late in the soccer season, was considered to be out for the entire basketball campaign.

But through hard work and sheer willpower, he made it back for the Bulldogs' final few games, including a brilliant 25-point performance in a district semifinal win over Sikeston. He added 18 points in the title victory over favored Dexter.

Also congratulations to the entire Notre Dame squad. And who knows, maybe this is going to be a Cinderella season that winds up in the final four.

* And more kudos to Jackson High School senior Cody Rouse, who finished an amazing wrestling season as undefeated Class 4 state champion at 152 pounds.

I did some wrestling in high school and know just how grueling and demanding a sport it is. To pull off what the 52-0 Rouse did is remarkable.

* Here's an update on Mario Whitney, the former Jackson High School standout running back who spent one injury-plagued season at the University of Missouri and then resurfaced at Garden City (Kan.) Community College last year.

According to the Garden City Telegram newspaper, Whitney -- who also had an injury-plagued season at GCCC and appeared in just two games -- has decided to give up football and concentrate his athletic efforts on track as a sprinter with the GCCC squad.

Whitney, while starring in football, was also the state's premier sprinter as a senior at Jackson.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.