TWO INDIAN GRID PLAYERS JOIN BASKETBALL SQUAD (SOUTHEAST NOTES)

Southeast Missouri State University's basketball roster expanded to 12 over the weekend.

The Indians picked up a pair of players off this year's Southeast football team, 6-foot-4, 270-pound senior Albert Bateman and 6-4, 200-pound junior Maurice Sanders. They worked out with Southeast last week in practice and were in uniform for Friday and Saturday night games in the Capital Bank Classic.

"They'll give up some more depth and especially help us out for practice," said Shumate. "We were at the point where if somebody went down (with an injury), it would have been hard to even practice five-on-five."

Bateman, from Memphis, Tenn., was a four-year starter at defensive tackle for the Southeast football team. He led the Indians' in quarterback sacks and earned honorable-mention All-Ohio Valley Conference honors this year. He played basketball at Northside High School in Memphis.

Sanders, from Little Rock, Ark., was a wide receiver who saw limited action on this year's Southeast football team. He was an all-conference basketball player at McClellan High School in Little Rock.

* The Indians begin a stretch of four straight road games Tuesday night when they take on Fairfield in Fairfield, Conn. Southeast defeated Fairfield 82-75 last year in the Indians' early-season tournament, marking the only meeting between the teams.

Following Tuesday's contest, the Indians will compete in the Pepsi Illinois Classic at the University of Illinois next weekend. Southeast will face host Illinois Friday night in the opening round. Other teams in the tournament are Ball State and San Jose State.

The Indians will close out their four-game road swing Dec. 14 with a contest at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

Southeast's next home game will be Dec. 16 against Oral Roberts.