Coach Mox – Missouri State Women’s Basketball

Wining Games – Changing Lives

(St. Louis, MO) – I have trouble saying her name, but the Missouri State Lady Bears’ coach is unforgettable. Amaka Agugua-Hamilton is winning games and changing lives in Springfield, Missouri. ‘Coach Mox’ has an amazing winning percentage and her Bears are a legit player on the national scene.

MSU has gone to back-to-back Sweet 16 (minus the 2020 covid year), Mox is 53-9 since taking the reins and the Lady Bears have won two-straight Missouri Valley Conference championships.

This season’s murderous schedule has produced a 4-2 record so far and the Lady Bears have played four, ‘power five’ conference games in the opening six contests.

All-Valley award winners fill up her roster and those players are better than when they arrived on the Missouri State campus. Coach Mox is passionate about developing their skills, but more importantly preparing them for life. Her LABS (Life After Basketball) help her players prepare for future endeavors.

For Coach Mox winning games is only part of the equation.

Who Is Coach Mox?

The Nigerian-born, East Coast-raised Agugua-Hamilton played collegiately at Hofstra where she was a multiple-year captain. Injuries hindered her professional career and she jumped into coaching. After several stops along the way, she spent six years at Michigan State before being hired to lead the Lady Bears.

Coach Mox says she loves her heritage, her family, her God, players and husband and son.

 

 

Coach Mox is the first African-American woman to coach any sport at Missouri State. She wants to carry that responsibility and opportunity well, but says she doesn’t want that to be a focus or distraction. The third-year head coach says she’s a relationship kind of person and wants to help others along the way.

 

 

One of her mottos is, ‘Bigger than Buckets’. She truly wants her players and coaching staff to know there is more to life than hoops.

Coach Mox Winning Games

The Lady Bears play tenacious defense and love to rebound the basketball. Coach Mox says it is those ‘effort’ plays that can separate equally talented teams. She wants her team to be physical and push the pace.

 

 

The Bears are loaded with upper-echelon players. Reigning Jackie Stiles – ‘Player of the Year’ Brice Calip and all-Valley first-teamer Jasmine Franklin return. Both were named to the league’s all-defense team with Franklin landing the best defender award.

Abi Jackson was named to last year’s all-newcomer team.

Calip ranks in the top 20 of MSU’s all-time leading scorers (1,400+ points) and in the top 25 in career rebounding. Franklin is right behind her. The 6’1 forward recently reached the 1,000 point level in scoring and is fifth all-time on the Lady Bears’ rebounding list (863).

MSU leads the Valley in scoring defense (55.2 ppg), defensive field goal percentage (.351), defensive three-point percentage (.211) (tied) and rebounding (42.2 per game).

Franklin is averaging a double-double with averages of 16.0 (scoring) and 13.8 (rebounding). Calip is tied with Valparaiso’s Grace White for the steals leadership and Franklin is third. Jackson and Franklin are tied for the conference lead in blocked shots.

The Lady Bears love to defend.

Our entire conversation with Coach Mox can be watched on YouTube or heard at Valley Hoops Insider Podcasts.

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