One on One with Missouri State’s Beth Cunningham

A National Pedigree

(St. Louis, MO) – Missouri State’s women’s basketball team has a national pedigree. The Lady Bears have won at least 20 games six straight years and have finished the past eight campaigns in some form of postseason play. Second year head coach Beth Cunningham is a proven winner with her own national pedigree.

Cunningham is one of the greatest collegiate players to have ever worn the Notre Dame uniform, is Virginia Commonwealth’s all-time head coaching leader in wins and assisted the legendary Muffet McGraw at Notre Dame during the Fighting Irish’s greatest run of success. The former WNBA player knows winning and is determined to see Missouri State climb into the national spotlight of women’s basketball.

McGraw won 936 games during her hall-of-fame career and Cunningham was a vital part as both a player where she scored 2,322 points and as an assistant coach. During her eight seasons working along side McGraw, the Fighting Irish went 244-19, reaching five Final Fours and cutting down the nets of the 2018 national championship.

While serving as VCU’s head coach, Cunningham’s nine seasons produced 167 wins, four WNIT and one NCAA Tournament appearance. All five postseason visits occurred during her final five seasons with the Rams.

Cunningham says playing for and working with McGraw was a great privilege. The two have become far more than just colleagues.

 

 

Not many successful head coaches take a ‘step back’ to become an assistant, but Cunningham dreamt of returning to Notre Dame and rejoined McGraw in South Bend. Helping her mentor earn her second national championship was clearly a goal. Her ‘reverse journey’ was very rewarding.

 

 

Missouri State – A National Pedigree

When McGraw retired, former ND great Niele Ivey became the head coach and Cunningham was hired as an assistant at Duke and expected to stay there a long time. However, when Missouri State came calling, she had to take a look.

Cunningham had been playing and coaching among the national elites, but knew of Missouri State’s success and reputation. While staying at Duke made more sense from a stability standpoint, she began conversations with Dr. Cliff Smart and athletics director Kyle Moats and was impressed with the women’s basketball community in Springfield.

She could see that the right people and pieces were in place for the Bears’ program to be very successful. MSU’s past success was an indicator of what could be possible in building a national pedigree. Cunningham knew there would be pressure, but was excited about the possibilities.

 

 

Old timers will remember when Missouri State and Notre Dame were in the same St. Louis-based, women’s Final Four, featuring the Bears’ Jackie Stiles and the Fighting Irish’s Ivey (a St. Lousian). This writer has often linked the two programs and now more than ever.

A National Pedigree Requires Talent

Cunningham’s squad lost some very significant players to graduation, but returns several key contributors from last year’s 20-win team. Players like Aniya Thomas and Sydney Wilson are not easily replaced.

Valley ‘Freshman of the Year’ Jade Masogayo and all-newcomer member Kennedy Taylor lead the returners. Taylor was a third-team all-Valley player while averaging 12.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Masogayo provided a spark (8.0 points and 5.4 rebounds) off Cunningham’s bench. Indya Green started all 32 MSU games last year and averaged over seven points and seven rebounds per contest.

Paige Rocca, who played nearly 32 minutes per game, is Cunningham’s most experienced backcourt returner.

Cunningham says Green has had a great offseason and that her team is more experienced than last year’s squad that went 14-6 in Valley play.

 

 

The MSU head coach is excited about her incoming transfers. Angel Scott (Stephen F. Austin) and Katrine Jessen (Kansas) are Division 1 transfers and Lacy Stokes is a player with local ties and was a D2 all-American at Missouri Southern.

Cunningham believes this trio’s experience and talent will be a huge boost for the upcoming season.

 

 

Our entire conversation can be heard on the latest Valley Hoops Insider Podcast. We discuss more about her time with McGraw, her evaluation of the Missouri Valley Conference and college basketball’s current ‘portal pandemic’.

Missouri State has enjoyed a national pedigree that could be on an even greater trajectory due to the strengths, experience and winning know-how in Beth Cunningham.

Do Good

 

Editor: Cover photo courtesy of missouristatebears.com.

 

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