Missouri State – Aiming High

The Most Talented Team (on paper)

(St. Louis, MO) – Missouri State hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament this century. But the Missouri Valley Conference’s most talented team (on paper) is aiming high and looking to end that drought.

Dana Ford’s team is the Valley’s preseason favorite to win the regular season title and they are loaded. They haven’t played in the National Invitation Tournament since Cuonzo Martin led the Bears to a 2011 regular season title. The NIT is not this Bears team’s goal. They are aiming high.

Two All-Conference Returners

Newcomer of the Year and ALL-MVC forward Tulio Da Silva and fellow All-Newcomer team member and third team All-MVC wing Keandre Cook return for their senior seasons poised for greater things. MSU finished tied for third in the Valley race while Da Silva set a school record for dunks (42) and led the team in scoring (14.3) and rebounding (7.4).

Cook (12.8 ppg) made a living at the free-throw line, getting there 126 times and converting 93 of his chances. His 48 three-pointers were second most on last year’s team. The two transfers combined to score in double figures 45 times and one of them led the team in scoring 21 times.

There are a number of frontcourt players being added to this year’s team. That will free Da Silva to play more his natural position, against players of his similar size and weight, and he can play fewer minutes.

Ford says that will benefit the Brazillian born Da Silva. He also says the Bears are less likely to slow the game down this season.

 

 

Wave of Newcomers

The league’s most talented team (on paper) comes bearing great resumes. Transfers that sat out last season, Tyrik Dixon and Josh Hall came from winning Division 1 programs where they were significant contributors. Dixon was a point guard on some very good Middle Tennessee teams and earned C-USA notoriety for his defense. Hall was a wing on Nevada’s 2018 Sweet Sixteen team and contributed some postseason heroics for the Wolfpack.

That’s just the beginning of the transfer talent.

West Virginia grad transfer Lamont West was ESPN’s ninth highest rated D1 transfer. The 6’8 senior averaged 8.7 points over his 109 Big 12 Conference games. He has accumulated 945 career points, 352 rebounds and 154 triples. West could be the MVC’s most significant newcomer. (See ‘Missouri Valley’s Top Five Impact Transfers’)

Joining the front court is the second rated junior college transfer (jucorecruiting.com) Gaige Prim. This 6’8, 250 post player averaged 20.7 points and 11.5 rebounds last season at South Plains College.

I asked coach Ford about the development of returner Jared Ridder and about what kind of game Prim brings to Springfield.

 

 

Young Bloods Aiming High

There are some uber-talented freshmen on this year’s roster. Ford Cooper Junior is a four-star recruit from North Carolina that reclassified to this year’s class to join the Bears. While his prep numbers were less than gaudy, he ranked as a top-100 player in his class.

Columbia (Missouri) Rock Bridge teammates Ja’Monta Black and Isiaih Mosley led the Bruins to a state title and Mosley was also tagged with four stars by various ranking outlets. Black was the Rock Bridge captain.

From down the road, in Springfield, Missouri Tyem Freeman had a stellar prep career at Parkview. He missed most of his senior year with an injury. While Mosley was ranked the fifth best recruit in the ShowMe State, Freeman came in at number four. Freeman played AAU ball with Black. Freeman will most likely redshirt this season, to rehabilitate his knee.

Coach Ford says the young players have arrived on the MSU campus with a  winning attitude.

 

 

Building The Base

Ford has a geographic center from which he recruits, but is tireless in looking for the talent the Missouri State program needs to compete at a national level. Verbalcommits.com rates this year’s class as dynamically better than any other Missouri Valley team.

Ford is looking for talented players with the right kind of character.

 

 

After Ford’s team won five games during his first season at Tennessee State, the Tigers soared to 20 victories and Ford was named the OVC’s ‘Coach of the Year’, taking TSU to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

Missouri State is aiming high and a CIT invitation will not be a satisfying result for this year’s team. Ford knows the Bears must succeed in Valley play, but must also win their fare share of games during a difficult nonconference season.

The Bears play at Xavier and participate in the Charleston Classic where they will face Miami and either Florida or St. Joseph’s in the second round. Ford also takes his team to LSU, hosts OVC power Murray State and visits Virginia Commonwealth.

Their schedule will not be easy, but the Bears are aiming high.

Do Good