Hudson & Co. pay Redhawks a visit tonight

Lester Hudson almost passed up his senior season of college basketball.

But with 30 minutes to spare, the Tennessee-Martin standout withdrew his name from the NBA draft in June.

That meant opposing Ohio Valley Conference basketball coaches and players would have to deal with Hudson -- among the top players in OVC history -- for one more year.

Struggling Southeast Missouri State (3-13, 0-5 OVC) gets its first crack at Hudson tonight when UTM (9-6, 2-3) visits the Show Me Center for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

Southeast and the Skyhawks also will square off Jan. 22 in Martin, Tenn.

"He's a special player," Southeast acting coach Zac Roman said. "He showed that last year."

Hudson burst onto the Division I scene a year ago after transferring from junior college, averaging 25.7 points per game to rank fifth nationally.

He also was fourth in steals (2.8) and 10th in 3-pointers made per game (3.8), while ranking among the top 90 in rebounding (7.8), assists (4.5), 3-point percentage (38.8) and free-throw percentage (83.4).

Those all-around skills displayed by the 6-foot-3 guard got him invited to the NBA's pre-draft camp and had him regarded as a potential second-round pick.

At the OVC media day in October, Hudson acknowledged that thoughts of the NBA were enticing, and he nearly kept his name in the draft.

"It was very close," Hudson said. "But I made a good decision. I want to get my degree."

Hudson, a physical education major who said he would like to coach one day, also wanted to help the Skyhawks make school history by winning their first OVC championship.

UTM last year tied for its highest finish -- fourth -- since joining the OVC in 1992.

That led to the Skyhawks having their highest preseason ranking this year -- second.

"It's very exciting. We've never been picked that high," Hudson said in October. "We have a great team. We'll go out and try to meet the expectations or better."

So far the Skyhawks have not done that as they are tied for sixth in the 10-team OVC, although they have 13 more conference games to make their way toward the top.

UTM's slow start in OVC competition has been through no fault of Hudson, the reigning conference player of the year who was tabbed to repeat that honor.

Hudson entered last week as the nation's second-leading scorer as he tops the OVC with a 26.7 average.

In addition, Hudson leads the league in free-throw shooting (90 percent) and steals (2.5 per game), while ranking among the top 10 in rebounding (7.0), assists (3.8) and 3-pointers made (2.9).

Hudson -- an All-American last season and a preseason All-American this year -- hasn't hurt his chances of making the NBA this time around.

"I think he's got a very good chance to get to the NBA," Roman said. "He can make shots at any angle. That's going to be a tough matchup for us."

The Skyhawks have another marquee player in sophomore guard Marquis Weddle, the OVC's freshman of the year last season when he averaged 17.1 points.

Weddle is averaging just 13.2 points this year, although the Skyhawks still lead the league in scoring at 77.6.

Weddle broke out during Saturday's 78-65 home win over Tennessee State with 23 points. Hudson led the way with 30 points.

"Weddle is very good, too," Roman said. "They have two very good guards."

It will be another challenge for the Redhawks, who began a four-game homestand with Saturday's 83-63 blowout at the hands of Eastern Illinois.

The Redhawks, who have lost five straight and 10 of 11, are last in the OVC.

"We have to bounce back," Roman said. "We still have a lot of games to play."