~ Nutt hopes to meet the team's need for size during the signing period that begins today

Southeast Missouri State men's basketball coach Dickey Nutt sat behind his desk in his office at the Show Me Center on Monday and mentioned several players that he'll return for next season. He rattled off what he thought of their performance during the past season and what he believes their individual potential is next year before his excitement for the program's future culminated in one sentence.

"You throw that in the mix and I just think you have a chance to be good again," Nutt said, "and we do."

With the NCAA's spring signing period officially open today, Nutt might also have some excitement about new players that he's going to add.

Southeast has four available scholarships, and while Nutt cannot talk about recruits, he did give an indication of what he's been chasing after.

"Our single-most priority has to be bigs," Nutt said. "I feel like that we need some young big guys to come in behind these guys that we have. Right now if you look at our team, we have Nino Johnson, you have Josh [Langford], you have JB [Jarekious Bradley] and that's about it. But Josh and JB play on the perimeter more so than the inside, so I think that the inside [is a top priority]. We've got a good commitment -- a big -- and hopefully get another one within the next 24 hours, and maybe even get a third."

The gaping hole in the paint comes from all-OVC first-team member Tyler Stone. The 6-foot-8 senior forward led the Redhawks with 19.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game this past season.

Stone is competing at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in Portsmouth, Va., starting today. The PIT is a four-day, 12-game tournament that 64 college seniors play in front of representatives from every NBA team.

"I just can't tell you how proud we are of him and his development over the years, turning from a young man into a man, a very mature man," Nutt said.

The only other player that the Redhawks won't return is senior point guard Lucas Nutt, and while Dickey Nutt appreciates his son's help in getting the program to where it is, he's also optimistic about Houston transfer J.J. Thompson being able to fill that role after sitting out a year due to transfer rules.

"Lucas did an outstanding job in his career," Nutt said about his son. "He got us off the ground floor and kept us steady and solid throughout ... but you look at a guy like J.J. Thompson and a couple of things stand out: character, and the other thing is his speed and quickness is phenomenal. I think our fans are going to love to see and enjoy watching his speed and quickness."

In Nutt's fifth year at the helm, the Redhawks compiled a record of 18-14, which was the most wins since the 2000-01 season. It also marked back-to-back winning seasons for Southeast -- the first time that had happened in 13 years and only the second time since the program moved to Division I.

Southeast, which was picked as the Ohio Valley Conference West Division favorite along with Murray State, finished 8-8 in conference and second in the West behind the Racers.

"I think all in all we're encouraged," Nutt said. "We feel like that certainly because of our predictions it's easy to say that we underachieved. But after going back and looking at all the situations and evaluating from top to bottom, with the injuries and the lack of experience that we had on our team, and to win 18 games -- hey it's very difficult in Division I basketball to win games."

The Redhawks made the OVC tournament for the fourth consecutive year under Nutt but bowed out in the quarterfinal round in as many years.

"I do think next year needs to be a breakout year, and I believe that," Nutt said. "My expectations and our goals and my goals for our program -- I feel like we've got to break that door down. I think that we've been in that tournament every year, we've gotten out of the first round every year, but we've been stopped at the quarterfinals ever year. We've got to break that door down."

Nutt received a vote of confidence from Southeast when he received a contract extension through 2016-17 last week. His previous contract ran through next season.

"It was critical and it was crucial," Nutt said. "That's what I'm so proud of and I'm so appreciative to [Southeast President] Dr. [Kenneth] Dobbins and [athletic director] Mark Alnutt for. They understood and they understand the timing of it is crucial. Every player -- it's advised by the NCAA -- on a home visit or whatever is to ask your coach, 'How long is your contract? How long are you planning to be there?' That's the No. 1 question that I get everywhere that I go, and if I have to answer that, 'Well, they're working on it,' people use that against you."

Nutt feels that he's been on a more level playing field recruiting the past two seasons since the university is no longer on probation.

"The biggest problem that I saw, that I didn't realize that we had to overcome in the first four years was the probation," Nutt said. "That's the thing that if I heard it once I heard it a thousand times, every home that I went in to, 'Coach, I'm not sending my son to your school. You're on probation.' And we had the attitude to just, 'OK, best of luck,' and we'd go to the next one."

Nutt no longer has to have that attitude, and his attitude about where he, and Southeast's program, is at now was nothing short of positive.

"I just feel like I have one of the best jobs in the league," Nutt said. "I certainly have one of the best campuses in the league. I think our city is second to none -- I know they can argue Nashville all day long, and I'll give them that one. I'll give Belmont and Tennessee State that one. But outside that, Cape Girardeau is the best basketball city in our league.

"We just haven't arrived yet, and hopefully next year will be a start of something big. I think we're getting ready to have some fun. I do believe that. That's what I told my administration. I do feel like the next few years, we feel like that we're going to go to another level and be consistent."