THE LATEST LINE: SEMO SUPER FAN SHOWS PLENTY OF DEDICATION

MISSOULA, Mont. -- There are Southeast Missouri State University basketball fans.

And then there is Lee Flanagan -- the super fan among all SEMO fans.

Flanagan's motto is simple: Have tickets, will travel.

That includes driving approximately 1,800 miles -- one way -- for the University of Montana Tournament held Friday and Saturday.

A Cape Girardeau resident, the 32-year-old Flanagan runs his own lawn service company, so he said he can take time off when he wants. And he noted that there isn't all that much demand for his work during the winter months.

But driving about 3,600 miles round trip to watch a pair of basketball games?

"It was a nice drive," said Flanagan with a grin as he awaited the start of Friday night's first-round game between SEMO and host Montana. "The weather was pretty good and I was keyed up the whole time.

"I left Tuesday about 2 p.m. and spent that night in Kansas City and Wednesday night in Rapid City (S.D.). I got here about 4 p.m. Thursday."

A bachelor, Flanagan said he has not missed a SEMO game -- home or away -- the past two seasons. That includes some pretty lengthy road trips, including places like Stillwater, Okla., and Morehead, Ky.

Flanagan said he has missed just one game since Gary Garner took over as SEMO's coach three years ago, that being the contest at Colorado early in Garner's first season.

Since then, every place the Indians have played, Flanagan has been there. And according to SEMO assistant coach Tom Schuberth, that kind of dedication means plenty to the Indians.

"It means a lot to the team, the coaches and the players, when they see a loyal fan with that much dedication," said Schuberth. "The way Lee shows up at every game is very impressive. And the same goes for our other fans who go to all the games."

The parents and grandparents of SEMO senior forward Mike Branson also attend all the games, and parents of a few other players the past few seasons have also made most if not all of the contests

But Flanagan is the only SEMO fan to never miss a game who doesn't have a son on the team, which makes his commitment all the more impressive, as does the fact he drove all the way to Montana instead of flying.

But Flanagan doesn't look at it like he's doing anything special. He said he enjoys basketball, likes supporting SEMO and tries to make vacations out of all the road trips.

"Some of the closer trips, I go with friends, but it's hard for them to get off work on the longer ones, so I usually go on those alone," he said. "I'm not really a big vacation person in general, but I try to make little vacations out of some of the longer trips."

Any coach will tell you it takes extreme dedication and commitment to be a championship-type team, regardless of the sport.

The same goes for being a fan or, in this case, a super fan.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian