Few dinner or luncheon speakers are as in demand in the region as Gary Garner. The West Plains native has turned Southeast Missouri State University into a legitimate NCAA D-I contender and has reestablished the Indians' strong base of fan support throughout the region.

Tuesday Garner spoke at the Jackson Rotary Club's weekly noon meeting and lauded his hard-working team, which is currently perched atop the Ohio Valley Conference.

"This group of young men has really come together," he said. "They really want to have a basketball team. Really, they're not that talented offensively. They're pretty talented defensively, though."

The Indians were 16-3 overall and 9-1 in OVC play at the time of Garner's speech. Most amazing to the third-year coach is the team's shot-blocking capabilities. This year's squad is on a pace to obliterate the school record.

Garner called 6-8, 240 pound center Brian Bunche "one tough son of a gun" and Roderick Johnson as another "tough kid."

We really take tremendous pride in our defense," he said. "That carries over to offense. Right now we're a really confident basketball team. That makes them pretty easy to coach."

After bringing Southeast back to the .500 level tow years ago, Garner led the tribe to a 20-9 record a year ago, losing its first NCAA D-I berth on a last-second shot by Murray State. Garner feels the benefits of that widely replayed game are still being felt.

"We got so much exposure from that Murray game," he said. "The final seconds were replayed over and over on national TV. It's helped recruiting."

Prospects seem bright this year for big-time post-season action. Obviously, winning the OVC tournament would put the Indians in the "Big Dance." Failing to win it, but "win out" the rest of the schedule, should give the team a strong shot at an NCAA berth. Garner sees 24 to 25 wins getting Southeast to the NCAA's and 22 victories getting the Indians into the NIT.

"Our goal every year is to make the NCAA's," he said. "We were close last year. We want the NIT, if not. We have a good chance if we continue to win. Hopefully we'll be in some form of playoffs at the end of the season. Of course making it to the Big Dance,' as the players call it, would give us so much credibility nationally."

Garner also took questions from the Rotary members. Asked about guard Michael Stokes, a superb junior college transfer in the back court, Garner glowed with praise.

"This is a young man with extremely high moral character," he said. "He won't even say Darn.'"

Stokes played at perennial JuCo powerhouse Trinity Valley (Tex.), where an assistant was friends with one of the Southeast assistants.

"We got on him early and recruited him hard," Garner said.

He was also asked about the Indians' dramatic comeback at Murray recently -- after Garner was ejected for two technicals.

"They were down by 12 after Murray made the free throws on my techncials, then went on a 22-2 run," Garner recalled. "They are champions."

He also discussed this year's recruiting efforts -- although he noted that NCAA rules prohibit him from mentioning specific high school players or teams he may be watching. He did agree that the Southeast Missouri region has some prospects this year. He also noted that the prospectus is higher, thanks to the current success of the program.

"Recruiting is like shaving," he said. "If you don't do it every day, you look bad."