The semester is coming to a close, and for December graduates that means the end of college life is approaching a brutally quick end.

Trust me. I’m one of them.

I’ve covered Eastern athletics in some capacity for the past three semesters – once because I made it my job and twice because it was my job. Looking back, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Sports play such an integral role in life. I love to watch them, I love to talk about them and, ultimately, I love to write about them.

Which is good because that’s what I want to do professionally until I reach that oh so sought after retirement age. As a journalist, I’m pinpointing that number to be around 85.

Leaving mid-semester is going to be different because there’s still a full semester of Panthers’ sports left to happen without mentioning Eastern athletics will continue on full force years after I’m gone.

You could call me something of an expert on Eastern athletics. I know the past, I most assuredly know the present and for my final two columns as sports editor – yes two – I’m going to try my hand at the future.

And this will be broken into two parts with more to come in one week’s time because predicting the future is fun, and I want to throw out my opinions on several events I think will happen.

One and done

Eastern head football coach Bob Spoo will be back for another year of Panthers football. He’s earned the right to finish his Eastern coaching career on his own terms, and a retirement following a 5-7 season just isn’t in the cards.

The 2008 season was a disappointment. A sub-.500 record and no playoff game was the last thing expected to happen. But it did, and Spoo will return another season to right the ship.

That being said, the 2009 season could be Spoo’s last. He can essentially dictate when he’ll retire, but at some point, and I think it’s coming soon, he will hang it up.

When Spoo does retire, there is only one direction to go when hiring a new head coach. Stay in-house.

Defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni should be the Panthers’ next head coach. Defense has driven Eastern for several years now, and Bellantoni has been the man behind it. He stayed when others would go, and he should be rewarded for it.

Champs this time around

Eastern’s women’s basketball team fell just short of the Ohio Valley Conference title and trip to the NCAA Tournament last season. This year will be different.

The Panthers have started OVC play with a bang this season with back-to-back wins, and they have every component needed of a championship-caliber team. Eastern has the experience (four seniors start), solid post play (no one can stop Rachel Galligan) and perimeter players that can take advantage of opportunities from teams double-teaming Galligan (5.9 3-pointers made per game).

The Panthers will be dancing come March.

Coach on the move

The above event will be great for Eastern’s women’s basketball, but it won’t be without consequences either. If the Panthers make it to the NCAA Tournament, head coach Brady Sallee could be on his way out.

Sure, he signed a contract extension in April that keeps him as Eastern’ coach through the 2011 season, but college athletics is big business. It will be tough to keep a bigger program from pursuing Sallee, and it will be tougher for him to turn that offer down.

Sallee has proven during his time at Eastern that he is not just a good coach, but also a good recruiter. He rebuilt the Panthers’ program into one of prominence in the OVC, and he did it with his players in his system. The success came slowly at first but is in rapid-fire mode now. That makes Sallee a hot commodity on the coaching market.

Check back next week

This is a start, but there will be more to come – good and bad. Eastern athletics is bound to change in a short amount of time. I’m going to do my best to figure it all out.

Scott Richey can be reached at 581-7944 or at srrichey@eiu.edu.