THE LATEST LINE: ELEY'S STOCK CONTINUES TO RISE AND RISE

The stock of Southeast Missouri State University basketball standout Bud Eley apparently continues to rise.

Eley had a sensational senior season as he helped lead the Indians to their best-ever Ohio Valley Conference and Division I finish this year.

And two recent developments have the 6-foot-10 center apparently climbing even higher in the eyes of professional scouts.

First, Eley reportedly fared extremely well recently during the first of three NBA pre-draft camps, held in Portsmouth, Va. These camps are considered crucial for players like Eley, who maybe aren't regarded as the top-level performers in the country but are still legitimate prospects.

Second, Eley was this past week selected to compete on a team of senior college standouts that will play the Harlem Globetrotters in a three-game series this spring.

Only 12 players were selected for the prestigious squad and Globetrotters owner Mannie Jackson said that all of them are highly thought of at the next level and all of them were invited to participate in the NBA pre-draft camps.

The last time a group of college all-stars faced the Globetrotters, in April of 1997, that collegiate squad featured seven future NBA first-round draft picks.

There is no way to know right now if Eley will fall into that elite category. But based on the way NBA scouts are looking at him, he's certainly got a chance.

* All indications -- based on comments from players, fans and boosters -- are that Missouri made a very popular choice by selecting Quin Snyder as the school's new basketball coach.

The extremely personable and youthful Snyder -- who earned his stripes as Duke's top assistant the past few seasons -- appears to relate extremely well to just about everybody and he earned rave reviews at Duke as an ace recruiter.

Now everybody will get to see how good he is at running an overall program on the big-time level.

* Congratulations to Jackson High girls basketball coach Ron Cook for being named the state's Class 4A girls co-coach of the year by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association.

Cook, along with the other state coaches of the year, will be honored April 18 during the Academic All-State Banquet in Columbia.

Also at that banquet, the academic all-state teams -- several local players made the list -- will be honored and the Mr. and Miss Show-Me Basketball winners -- signifying the state's top male and female players -- will be announced.

Richland's Corey Gipson is one of 11 nominees for the Mr. Show-Me Basketball award.

* Good luck to SEMO assistant sports information director Marlin Curnutt as he begins his new position as the director of media relations and marketing at Carson-Newman College in Tennessee.

Marlin, whose last day at SEMO will be April 30, did a great job helping out all the area media members during his four years working in the SEMO sports information department. He will be missed.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian