ROSTER FOR NEXT SEASON RELEASED

The ongoing mystery as to just which Southeast Missouri State University basketball players would not be returning next season is apparently a mystery no longer.

Wednesday afternoon, the school's sports information office released the 1997-98 men's basketball roster -- even though the team currently has no coaching staff.

Southeast is in the process of searching for a new head basketball coach after last week's dismissal of Ron Shumate amid an NCAA investigation.

Also last week, assistant coach Randy Curl was suspended and will not have his contract renewed when it runs out at the end of June while fellow assistant coaches Kirt Cochran and Scott McCowan resigned.

Four players who were underclass scholarship members of Southeast's 1996-97 squad -- Devron Kirksey, Allen Hatchett John Economos and Shaun Cole -- are not included on the 12-player 1997-98 roster.

Hatchett and Economos had already said several weeks ago that they wished to transfer and weren't planning to return to school next year. Hatchett said he wished to transfer to another Division I program while Economos said he would probably transfer to St. Francis, an NAIA school in Joliet, Ill.

Kirksey, reached Wednesday, said he would also likely be transferring, perhaps to Kennesaw State, a Division II school in Georgia.

Cole could not be reached.

Also not included on the roster released Wednesday are two other members of last season's squad: Dante Bryant and Aron Rauls. Bryant is on football scholarship at the school so he was technically a basketball walk-on. Rauls was also a walk-on.

An incoming coach would have the option of putting Bryant and Rauls on next season's team -- if they are interested -- just like that coach would have the option to include any walk-on on his roster.

Listed on the 1997-98 roster released Wednesday are six players off last season's team: Bud Eley, Calvert White, Richard Lyte, David Montgomery, Lake Keller and Travis Smith.

The other six players listed on next season's roster are Kahn Cotton, who practiced with the team last year but could not play in games because of NCAA transfer rules; and five incoming recruits: Cape Central High's Nathan Owen and junior-college transfers Johnny Cobb, Cory Johnson, Dewayne Saulsberry and Demetrius Watson.