Maybe the songsmith had it right.

The secret to a happy ending, Patterson Hood wrote, is knowing when to roll the credits.

The credits for Radford University's basketball team rolled a game too late.

The best conclusion for this bittersweet campaign would have been for the Highlanders to cut down the net somewhere and turn in the equipment after the 64-61 overtime victory in the Big South tournament quarterfinals over Charleston Southern. That one had all the elements on which the Highlanders prided themselves: Grace under pressure, determination, finding a way.

Unfortunately, that was just the first round of the Big South Conference tournament.

Once that affair reconvened at Coastal Carolina's infamous Chicken Coop, 1,039-seat Kimbel Arena, a couple of days later, Radford got plucked clean in a 61-46 semifinal loss to eventual tourney champ Winthrop.

That melancholy performance included many of the qualities the team has tried to work through and overcome all year: Sorry outside shooting, limited scoring options, and no depth.

So what began as the most promising season ever for the then-defending Big South champs ended abruptly.

"Disappointed as we are, I'm still proud of our guys," Radford coach Brad Greenberg said after the game.

To be sure, there were triumphs, most particularly in the development of 6-foot-11 Art Parakhouski. In two years, the junior college transfer from Belarus became the greatest player ever at Radford. Parakhouski, who played 39 minutes in the loss to Winthrop and collected his nation-leading 26th double-double with 11 points and 18 rebounds, is only the seventh player in league history with over 1,000 points, 700 rebounds, and 100 blocks.

Parakhouski was a repeat choice as conference player of the year and was a seven-time league player of the week including four this year.

The answer awaits to whether Parakhouski will achieve his dream of an NBA career. Pro scouts have been frequent guests at Radford games.

The pressure on Parakhouski has been immense as was the extent of the rough stuff inside he was forced to endure as one collapsing zone defense after another took aim.

"The thing I love about Art," Charleston Southern coach Barclay Radebaugh said, "and it's extremely unusual when you watch college basketball, guys as dominant as Art often lose their poise. Because he gets hacked, he gets pushed, he gets fouled more times than not and he never loses his poise."

How much of a toll this took on him physically Parakhouski would never admit.

This much was clear, though, especially against physical, active teams with good depth such as Winthrop, he did seem to tire.

Even so, there would seem to be more basketball left in the big guy, assuming he lands in the right league whether that be here or abroad.

"Parakhouski I think has a great attitude toward the game," said UNC Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach, who has seen 14 seasons worth of Big South players come and go. "He works hard, he's strong, he's developed his body.

"Last year, I thought he was a monster. He's developed even more this year."

So did a couple other seniors. Amir Johnson, whose petit larceny conviction was the talk of last year's offseason, came back to close out his career as the league's all-time assist leader. A tough defender (his 190 steals are two short of Rod Cousin's school record) and a solid floor general, Johnson eventually was exposed for the mediocre outside shooter he was and the ballclub paid for it. To his credit, he was a stand-up guy on basketball matters as well as past transgressions.

Joey Lynch-Flohr also closed a fine career and was an able inside complement to Parakhouski. A starter most of his career, the 6-8 Lynch-Flohr finished with 1,267 points and 666 rebounds, top-10 all-time on both Radford lists.

Two more seniors finished up. Roanoke Catholic's Phillip Martin was a good defender but limited offensively. Cole Wilder from George Wythe got a lot of playing time for a walk-on but his minutes dwindled this year.

Players that return include:

n Freshman Blake Smith, who started at wing all year and was the second-best passer on the team

n Laz Trifunovic, the 6-8 transfer from Binghamton was the third member of Radford's imposing front line.

n Jeremy Robinson is the most experienced returning point guard and he didn't play much.

n Freshman Evan Faulkner, who seemed to lose favor with his coaches as the season went on.

n Freshman Gorkem Sonmez, who was up and down this year in limited roles.

n Redshirts who will be eligible next season include 6-9 Tolga Cerrah, 6-7 Tommy Spagnolo, and 6-8 Jamal Curry.