COURT SESSION: INDIANS BACK HOME AFTER STRONG WEEK

We had a very good week last week, winning two of three games on the road. We had great victories at Austin Peay and Middle Tennessee and a very disappointing loss at Tennessee Tech.

Our win at Middle Tennessee on Saturday was especially gratifying because we came back from a 20-point loss at Tennessee Tech and beat a team that was tied for first in the OVC.

It was one of our best games of the year and the fact we controlled the game throughout and did the things we needed to do down the stretch really made it special.

We trailed only once at 2-0 and in the second half, every time they would make a run at us, we would answer with a big basket. We also hit our free throws down the stretch.

It was a total team effort. Cory Johnson continued to shoot the ball well, Calvert White had his best game of the season, David Montgomery gave us an inside attack, Kahn Cotton controlled the offense and continually found the open man and Nathan Owen, playing in pain with a sore foot, hit some big threes in the second half.

We also got a great game from walk-on freshman Matt Morris. He had a career-high 10 points, four rebounds and two assists while playing a season-high 28 minutes. He also teamed with another freshman, Owen, in guarding Freddie Martinez, who is the second-best 3-point shooter in the OVC. Against Morris and Owen, Martinez was only 2-for-9 from three.

Morris is a great kid we recruited out of the Rec Center. Prior to the start of practice on Oct. 18, we knew we needed some walk-ons to give us more depth, particularly in practice.

Coach Tom Schuberth was jogging in the Rec Center around the first of October and saw Morris playing. He could tell he was an outstanding shooter and, after talking to me, he invited Morris to join the team as a walk-on.

Morris is attending Southeast on a full academic scholarship and had a 3.8 grade-point average the fall semester. He has done everything we've asked of him. He has shown steady improvement, has great instincts and really understands the game. Because of all our injuries, he has played every position on the team in practice.

Against Middle Tennessee, we needed Morris to step forward and he did. It is a great tribute to his love for the game and competitive spirit.

We are still in the hunt for that fourth-place finish that would give us a Show Me Center game in the first round of the OVC Tournament. We have two crucial home games this week before closing the regular season at Eastern Illinois.

Tennessee-Martin, a team that beat us in double overtime earlier this year, will be at the Show Me Center Thursday night and league-leading Murray State will be here Saturday night.

Everybody asks me about the Murray game, but we have to put our total concentration on Tennessee-Martin. After Thursday's game we'll go to work on the Murray game.

Saturday night's final regular-season home game will give us an opportunity to recognize our seniors: Calvert White, Travis Smith, Lakeo Keller and Bud Eley, although there is a good chance Bud will be back next season.

It is always a sad time when you know that the seniors are winding down their careers. You know you are losing guys who have made great contributions to the basketball program and guys we have grown close to. We've been through the wars together, laughed together and cried together.

Calvert White has really been coming on in the last few games. He is a talented athlete who makes things happen. He leads us in rebounding and is tied for the lead in assists. He has also improved his scoring, with a 20-point effort at Middle Tennessee.

Travis Smith has been with the program for four years and has played in a total of 97 games. He is a great kid who has stayed with the program and worked hard despite not seeing a lot of playing time. Smith had a key steal late in the Middle Tennessee game that helped us maintain our lead.

Lakeo Keller, who like Calvert joined the program as a junior-college transfer last season, has been hampered all year by a knee injury but he has been coming on and been a valuable player off the bench.

Bud Eley is on schedule to graduate by the end of the summer term, meaning he will earn his final year of eligibility and will be back to play a key role for us next season.

Our crowds have been great this season and we really need big crowds in these final two regular-season home games so we can hopefully get the opportunity to play one more game at the Show Me Center in the opening round of the tournament.

Come on out Thursday and Saturday nights. We need your help.

Gary Garner is the head men's basketball coach at Southeast Missouri State University