NEW ERA BEGINS WITH HIRING OF GARNER AS COACH

With the selection of Gary Garner as Southeast Missouri State University's men's basketball coach, Indians fans will be anxiously awaiting the start of next year's basketball season and a new era in the school's basketball program.

Garner, 53, the head coach at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kan., since 1991, replaces Ron Shumate, who left in mid-May after 16 years at the helm of Southeast's basketball program. Shumate put together a string of successful NCAA Division II teams that made eight NCAA appearances, seven regional titles and two national runner-up trophies. Shumate can be proud of his years at Southeast. He served the school and players who went through his program exceptionally well, and brought a lot of excitement to the school's thousands of fans.

But a new era has begun. Garner, one of four well qualified finalists for the job, brings to Southeast an impressive win-loss record over his 20 years of coaching college basketball. At Fort Hays State, he compiled a 138-44 record in six seasons. His 1995-96 team went undefeated in 34 games to capture an NCAA Division II national championship. His Fort Hays teams posted the best overall record in college basketball over the last two seasons, winning 63 and losing only two games. A win streak of 49 games was the fourth longest in the history of college basketball.

Garner also brings experience as an NCAA Division I coach to the school, which recently moved from Division II to Division I and is trying to put together a winning team in the Division I Ohio Valley Conference. Before going to Fort Hays State, Garner compiled a 95-104 record in seven seasons at Drake in Des Moines, Iowa. His teams went 50-39 over his final three seasons at Drake. Garner was named the 1981-82 Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year while at Drake.

Garner, who played basketball at the University of Missouri, earning a second-team All-Big Eight Conference spot in 1965, also served as assistant coach at Tulsa University and the University of Missouri, and as head coach of basketball programs at three other smaller colleges.

Like Shumate, Garner takes pride in recruiting student-athletes, those who not only do well on the basketball court but in the classroom.20"I've always had a saying that talent wins games and character wins championships. I want to win championships," the new head coach said when his hiring was announced Wednesday.

Garner comes to Southeast in the midst of an NCAA investigation into rules violations by Southeast's basketball program. Garner said he would have come here even if sanctions had already been imposed, which is not to say they will be. But the point is he is making a long-term commitment to the school.

Gary Garner is a standout in the coaching profession, and we join in welcoming him and his family to Southeast and Cape Girardeau.