It was only a few weeks ago when things were looking bright for Saluki hoops.
Blessed with good timing, yours truly was able to sit down with Southern Illinois men's basketball head coach Chris Lowery a few weeks ago in Carrier Mills, Ill. Lowery was there to speak to youngsters and encourage them to strive to be their best and be on their best behavior for the upcoming school year.
Afterward, I caught up with Lowery and chatted about everything from old times on the Saluki beat, our favorite Michael Jordan memories ... and eventually the future of Saluki basketball.
The SIU front man seemed to express plenty of optimism in regard to the 2009-10 team. Sure, it lost senior leader Bryan Mullins. But the team was also rid of distractions, controversy and other in-house issues that plagued the team during a disappointing 13-18 season.
After a summer that saw improvements by players such as Kevin Dillard and Nick Evans on the court and in the weight room, you couldn't blame Lowery for feeling good about an upcoming season with a favorable schedule that will feature 17 home games on the docket.
And then guard Ryan Hare found himself in trouble with the law.
