Time for Southeast to move on - carefully

After nearly three years, the Southeast Missouri State athletic department finally has some closure regarding NCAA rules violations within its women's basketball program.

The NCAA handed down its decision last week, including penalties that were fairly significant, led by the vacation of wins from the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons.

That totals 44 victories, along with the program's first Ohio Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles, and the Redhawks' first NCAA tournament appearance as a Division I member.

But things could have been worse. The NCAA planned to vacate the wins from each of former coach B.J. Smith's four seasons, but reduced that to two after a Southeast appeal.

Southeast's entire athletic department also has been placed on two years probation.

While that might not seem important, since it doesn't include any sanctions — like a ban on postseason competition — it's still significant because it means every Southeast program has to toe the line the next two years or risk being hammered by the NCAA.

The NCAA stated in its report that the violations were secondary in nature, but became major because of their volume.

Regardless of how the violations came to light, Smith is primarily to blame, but the university also has to take responsibility, which is why it was hit with the dreaded "lack of institutional control" tag.

Southeast still can appeal the penalties, and administrators are considering that option.

After one appeal didn't get the NCAA to drop the vacation of two years worth of wins and "lack of institutional control" tag, I say the best thing is to simply end this entire ordeal and move on.

Nearly three years is long enough.

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I don't really have a strong opinion regarding Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville joining the OVC.

It does get the OVC closer to 12 schools — there will be 10 members beginning in 2008-2009 since Samford has left for the Southern Conference — which is what the league ideally wants in order to have two divisions for basketball.

From a selfish standpoint, if the OVC was intent on adding another school, I'm glad it was one relatively close to Cape Girardeau.

The two-hour drive will be an easy road trip for me to cover athletic events between Southeast and the Cougars. And the same goes for Southeast fans who follow Redhawks' teams on the road.

Nobody has to worry about that for a while, however, since SIU-E has to go through a five-year certification process as it makes the jump from Division II to Division I.

SIU-E will not become an OVC member in most sports until the 2011-2012 school year. The exception is softball, as that program joins the OVC in 2010-2011.

By the way, I got a kick out of Southeast athletic director Don Kaverman's comments on KFVS about how the university's athletic programs don't get much media coverage in the St. Louis area, so he believes the OVC's addition of SIU-E should help in that regard.

The reason Southeast athletics don't get much media coverage in St. Louis is because the Redhawks have fared so poorly over the past several years in the high-profile sports of men's basketball and football.

SIU-Carbondale, which is about the same distance from St. Louis as Cape Girardeau, has received all kinds of media coverage in the St. Louis area for its successful men's basketball and football squads.

The same would be true for the Redhawks if those two programs were successful.

When Southeast men's basketball had its best Division I season, reaching the NCAA tournament in 1999-2000, St. Louis media gave the team plenty of coverage.

I specifically remember the St. Louis Post-Dispatch sending a reporter to games, including the NCAA tournament contest in Utah.

SIU-E's addition to the OVC will bring the conference as a whole more media coverage in the St. Louis area, but I don't see it doing much for Southeast specifically, except for maybe an initial surge and the two men's basketball games between the schools each season.

SIU-E doesn't play football, so it won't help in that area.

The bottom line is winning. Start doing better in the two marquee sports and the attention will be there.

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Now that Southeast track and field star Miles Smith has officially completed his collegiate career, he can start earning some money in his sport.

Southeast coach Joey Haines said Smith, despite being bothered by a hamstring problem the last few years, established himself enough that he will receive a nice contract from a shoe/apparel company and then also be able to make money on the lucrative European professional track circuit.

Haines said it will all add up to a nice living for Smith over the next few years.

Smith wrapped up his brilliant collegiate career with a sixth-place finish in the 400 meters at the recent NCAA outdoor championships.

Smith, a five-time All-American at Southeast, will next compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. The first round of the 400 is set for Sunday.

Also at the Olympic Trials will be Scott City native Loren Groves, a junior at Kansas State. She will compete in the hammer throw beginning July 3.

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The Southeast football team has added a big, talented player from the region.

As I first posted in my blog on the Southeast Missourian Web site Monday night, Charleston High School product Ashton Farmer will suit up for the Redhawks in 2008 — at tight end — after he spent the past two seasons playing basketball at Arkansas State.

The 6-foot-7, 240-pound Farmer averaged less than two points per game in each of his seasons at ASU. He left the program earlier this year and announced his intention to pursue a football career at another school.

At Charleston, Farmer was among the state's top basketball recruits. He played just one season of football, but also starred in that sport during his senior campaign.

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For OVC men's basketball teams who thought they might be spared from having to deal with one of the nation's top players next season, that chance is gone.

Tennessee-Martin guard Lester Hudson withdrew his name from Thursday's NBA draft, meaning he will return to UTM for his senior season.

Hudson, who was considered a possible second-round draft pick, put together one of the best all-around seasons in OVC history in 2007-08, including averaging 25.7 points per game to rank fifth nationally. He was the OVC player of the year.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.