'STORM'N' NORMAN' PROWLS SE SIDELINE

After 43 years of coaching -- including 38 as a head coach -- Norm Stewart can finally relax a little bit when basketball practice rolls around.

And part of that relaxation had the former longtime University of Missouri boss taking in Southeast Missouri State University's workout at the Student Recreation Center Wednesday.

"It's different," said Stewart of his watching a practice instead of directing one. But he said his retirement as Missouri's coach after last season hasn't left him yearning for his old job.

"It hasn't been much of a problem for me," he said. "I enjoyed what I did for 43 years and I'm enjoying what I'm doing now.

"My wife and I both like to travel and we've got a wonderful family. We'll be able to do some things we haven't been able to do for a while."

Stewart was in Cape Girardeau because of his close relationship with Southeast coach Gary Garner, who was an assistant under Stewart at Missouri from 1977-81. The two have remained friends, often seeking each other out for advice.

"I've always talked to Norm quite a bit over the years and I wanted him to come down and critique our practice," said Garner. "We're good friends and I really respect him, both as a basketball coach and a person."

Stewart was more than happy to take Garner up on his offer.

"Gary and I have stayed close over the years. We talk quite a bit and I watch his team on TV when I can," Stewart said. "We've been talking about my coming down here to look at his team and I told him after I retired, if he didn't mind, I'd be glad to."

Stewart also expressed considerable respect for Garner, both on and off the court.

"Gary will always have good looking teams. If he has an off year, it won't be often," said Stewart. "He works hard, he's got a wonderful background and he's fundamentally sound on and off the court."

Stewart, who earned more than 700 wins as a head coach -- including more than 600 in 32 seasons during a brilliant tenure at Missouri -- said he has only been keeping track of his former team from a distance so new coach Quin Snyder can build his own identity.

"I think it's pretty good to stay away for a while and let Quin do his own thing and establish himself," Stewart said. "But I'm from Missouri and I'll always be a Missouri fan.

"I think we left with a very good basketball team. We won the (Big 12 Conference) North Division, we went to the NCAA Tournament and they've got good players coming back. I think they're in a very good position to have a very good year."

Stewart said he has enjoyed his trips to Cape Girardeau over the years, particularly when he was recruiting players from Southeast Missouri. Several former area greats have played for Stewart, including Cape Central's Stan Ray and Ron Jones, Notre Dame's Greg Flaker and Charleston's Ricky Frazier and Lamont Frazier.

"When I came here for the first time, the people here were wonderful to me," he said. "I've always had a soft spot for Cape Girardeau. And some great players (from the area) played for me."

And yes, Stewart watched on TV last season's gut-wrenching championship game of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, when Murray State hit a shot at the buzzer to beat Southeast and deny the Indians their first-ever berth in the NCAA Division I Tournament.

"Anybody who has been in a position like that has had losses like that," said Stewart. "Gary and his ballclub had a chance to do something that, if you had said five years ago that Southeast would be in the NCAA Tournament, you would have been checked into an institution for a number of reasons.

"But Gary will keep working to get them there."