What does an ex-collegiate basketball player do to pass the time?

Play basketball, naturally.

For several ex-Southeast Missouri State University basketball players, Cape Girardeau's Parks and Recreation Department league is a chance to run the court, stroke a 3-pointer or just get the blood pumping.

The winter league features a host of recent ex-Southeast players: Cory Johnson, Luther Bonds, Danny Dohogne, Otto Porter, and Antonio Short and Emmanuel McCuthison, both members of Southeast's only NCAA Division I Tournament team.

Several of them will be on the court today for the championship of the league's top men's division -- division I -- at the Osage Community Centre.

But don't think that opposing teams and players approach these ex-Southeast stars with awe or trepidation.

"Every night you've got to be ready to play," Dohogne said. "Any team out here can beat you."

Even though the skill levels of players like Short, McCuthison and others may still be at a higher level than some players in the league, that doesn't turn into a great advantage over the competition.

Dohogne said with so many familiar faces, the intimidation factor is pretty much nonexistent.

"You see the same faces every year," he said. "I've played against these guys a few years now."

McCuthison, who said he hopes to play on the professional level next season, said for many of the players scoring against an ex-collegiate ballplayer can become a sort of bragging right.

"They get the credibility from their friends if they player better than you in a game," he said.

Although the games and competition can get pretty heated, Short said he just wants to keep his game sharp for a shot at professional basketball.

"I don't look at it like that," he said. "I try not to get too serious."

Dohogne, a Notre Dame Regional High School graduate and leading scorer for Southeast in the 1990-91 season, said running up and down the courts of the Osage Centre serves a simple purpose.

"I just like to play the game, and it's a way to get some exercise," he said.

And as in his college days, the game still revolves around the camaraderie of teammates and competitors.

"It's a chance to play with friends, guys that have played basketball before," Dohogne said. "I think we're at the point where we want to play for as long as we can."

With so many ex-college players in the league, including as many as four on Tammy's Daycare, the top team, some may think the competition level could be unfair.

Cecil Carter, a former high-school varsity starter, said the skill level throughout the league has improved this season.

"This is one of the first seasons everyone's got a pretty good team," he said.

Carter, whose Shooters will face Tammy's Daycare in today's finals, said having college-level players in the league makes the games more exciting.

"Since I can't play at school this is the second best thing," he said.

jjoffray@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 171