I've written it before and I'm writing it again: I wish Southeast Missouri State University would keep the Indians and Otahkians nicknames and bring back the Indian mascot.

I never have understood why this is demeaning to Native Americans -- and I've never really heard all that many Native Americans, either locally or nationally, complain. It's always people championing the political correctness cause -- even when it doesn't seem necessary -- who make the push.

But if there has to be a change -- and it appears inevitable -- some of the five nicknames that a committee has chosen as the finalists don't seem all that bad. The five are: Red Hawks, Red Birds, Red Wolves, Explorers and Sentinels.

I like Red Birds, but I'm throwing it out because it's too closely related to the St. Louis Cardinals, who are often referred to as Redbirds. That could cause some confusion, especially from the newspaper end of it. If we write "Red Birds" in a headline, are people going to think we're referring to Southeast or the Cardinals?

Explorers doesn't do it for me, and I wasn't even smart enough -- no surprise there -- to know what a Sentinel was without looking in the dictionary. I figure there has to be at least a few people out there as dumb as me, so that has to go.

Which leaves me with Red Hawks and Red Wolves. I could live with both, but if push comes to shove, give me the Southeast Red Hawks.

My only question is, will all the rabid politically correct people out there still not be quite satisfied? Will they want Southeast Red Hawks for the men's teams and Southeast Lady Red Hawks for the women's teams?

I'd bet money on it.

Georgia Tech had a tremendous season and simply reaching the NCAA championship game was a phenomenal achievement for a team picked to finish toward the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference standings.

But there is no question who the better team was Monday night as Connecticut romped to a second title in six years -- a championship that was, for all practical purposes, probably won two days earlier when the Huskies rallied from eight points down in the closing minutes to beat Duke.

When the Yellow Jackets thrashed the Huskies early in the season, Connecticut star center Emeka Okafor was hobbled by a bad back, which severely limited his effectiveness.

Okafor's back was fine during the NCAA tournament and he dominated Georgia Tech in the finals with 24 points and 15 rebounds. Throw in 21 points from guard Ben Gordon -- like Okafor a potential lottery pick -- and all that NBA-level talent was simply too much for the Yellow Jackets to hang with.

Speaking of Okafor, he's quite a story. The son of Nigerian immigrants who found success in America, Okafor earned his degree in three years -- with spectacular grades -- and could return for his senior season. But all signs point to him being either the No. 1 or No. 2 draft choice, so he's a virtual lock to come out early.

And I'm all but a lock to have some serious withdrawals now that my beloved college basketball is over.

Best wishes to Steve Sotak, the KFVS sports director for the past 12 years who recently stepped down to begin a new career as a local sales representative with Bayer pharmaceuticals. Steve said he quit the TV gig in order spend more time with his family, particularly at night.

I've gotten to know Steve well over the past decade-plus. He's a good guy and I consider him a friend.

SIU's brand-new basketball coach has a Southeast connection as Chris Lowery spent the 2000-2001 season as an assistant with the Indians.

Lowery, who played for the Salukis, left Gary Garner's staff to return to SIU as an assistant under Bruce Weber, and he spent last season as an Illinois assistant after Weber took over that program.

Now Lowery again returns to SIU as, at age 31, one of the nation's youngest Division I head coaches.

I got to know Chris fairly well during his one season in Cape Girardeau and he seemed like a good guy and a bright young coach. It will be interesting to see how he fares with the Salukis, who return four of their top five scorers from this year's NCAA tournament team.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.