basketball preview

19

Upload: the-standardmissouri-state-university

Post on 12-Mar-2016

220 views

Category:

Documents


1 download

DESCRIPTION

Basketball season preview

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Basketball Preview
Page 2: Basketball Preview

2 | Basketball Preview 2012 The Standard

Page 3: Basketball Preview

the-standard.org Basketball Preview 2012 | 3

Basketball Preview 2012This is a publication of MissouriState University’s student-produced newspaper, TheStandard. The university has notapproved and is not responsiblefor its content, which isproduced and edited by TheStandard staff.

The Standard901 S. National Ave.Springfield, MO [email protected]

Advertising staffWil Brawley salesTrevor Collins salesDayle Duggins salesBrandi Frye salesBrent Rinehart graphic designAdam Simpson graphic design

Editorial staffSteph Anderson photo editorMatt Aten sports writerKatie DeJarnette copy editor

Megan Gates editor-in-chiefJon Poorman sports editorJon Sims copy editorGage Turner copy editorMike Ursery sports writer

Professional staffJack Dimond faculty adviserSandy King advertising manager

Standard staff

Cover design by Adam Simpson • Centerfold design by Brent Rinehart

Contents4 Bears lineupMeet the men’s basketball team that willattempt to move on after Kyle Weems

5 Lady Bears lineupMeet the women who represent MissouriState on and off the court this season

6 Men’s previewThe Bears play in their first regularseason game this Friday at JQH ArenaBy Mike Ursery

10 Shorter profileSenior forward Christiana Shorter is thestar player of this year’s Lady Bears teamBy Sam Holzer

11 Downing profileSenior guard Anthony Downing is lacingup for his final season with the BearsBy Sam Holzer

12 Women’s previewThe Lady Bears play in their first regularseason game Nov. 13 at JQH ArenaBy Mike Ursery

14 Freshman forcesSix men are joining the Bears for the firsttime this season and hoping to make animpression By Jon Poorman

15 What’s MSU’s ranking in the MVC?Find out how the Bears and Lady Bearsmeasure up in the Valley this season

16 Home gamesNever miss out on an opportunity tocheer on Missouri State at JQH Arena

18 Steel magnoliasSeven women are joining the Lady Bearsto help fill the shoes of former playerCasey Garrison By Jon Poorman

Page 4: Basketball Preview

4 | Basketball Preview 2012 The Standard

Anthony DowningJersey: 0Year: seniorPosition: guardHeight: 6-foot-1Weight: 190 pounds

Keith PickensJersey: 1Year: juniorPosition: guard/forwardHeight: 6-foot-4Weight: 203 pounds

Michael SimpsonJersey: 3Year: freshmanPosition: forwardHeight: 6-foot-5Weight: 199 pounds

Jarmar GulleyJersey: 5Year: seniorPosition: forwardHeight: 6-foot-5Weight: 225

Ryan CarmichaelJersey: 4Year: juniorPosition: guardHeight: 6-foot-4Weight: 195 pounds

Tomie AromonaJersey: 10Year: sophomorePosition: guardHeight: 5-foot-10Weight: 165 pounds

Marcus MarshallJersey: 11Year: freshmanPosition: guardHeight: 6-foot-3Weight: 181 pounds

Drew WilsonJersey: 15Year: RS freshmanPosition: forwardHeight: 6-foot-7Weight: 217 pounds

Gavin ThurmanJersey: 20Year: freshmanPosition: forwardHeight: 6-foot-6Weight: 223 pounds

Dorrian WilliamsJersey: 23Year: RS freshmanPosition: guardHeight: 6-foot-2Weight: 190 pounds

Nathan ScheerJersey: 30Year: juniorPosition: guard/forwardHeight: 6-foot-5Weight: 205 pounds

Bruce MarshallJersey: 35Year: freshmanPosition: centerHeight: 6-foot-10Weight: 215 pounds

Christian KirkJersey: 42Year: sophomorePosition: forwardHeight: 6-foot-7Weight: 225 pounds

2012-2013 Missouri State University men’s basketball teamProjected starting five: Anthony Downing (G), Nathan Scheer (G),Dorrian Williams (G), Drew Wilson (F) and Christian Kirk (F)Projected starting five based on lineups from exhibition wins over McKendree and Missouri Western.

Page 5: Basketball Preview

Basketball Preview 2012 | 5the-standard.org

Hannah WilkersonJersey: 0Year: juniorPosition: guardHeight: 5-foot-7

Kenzie WilliamsJersey: 4Year: RS freshmanPosition: guardHeight: 5-foot-10

Nicole SmallwoodJersey: 11Year: freshmanPosition: guardHeight: 5-foot-8

Whitney EdieJersey: 1Year: seniorPosition: forwardHeight: 6-foot-1

Hillary ChvatalJersey: 12Year: freshmanPosition: forward/centerHeight: 6-foot-2

Desiree PhillipsJersey: 3Year: juniorPosition: guardHeight: 5-foot-10

Karly BuerJersey: 14Year: juniorPosition: guardHeight: 5-foot-7

NiJay GainesJersey: 15Year: sophomorePosition: guardHeight: 5-foot-11

Bry SnowJersey: 21Year: juniorPosition: forwardHeight: 6-foot-1

Tori HendersonJersey: 23Year: freshmanPosition: forwardHeight: 6-foot-0

Alex HillyerJersey: 24Year: freshmanPosition: forward/centerHeight: 6-foot-3

Mikala McGheeJersey: 32Year: freshmanPosition: guardHeight: 5-foot-11

Tyonna SnowJersey: 22Year: freshmanPosition: guardHeight: 5-foot-10

2012-2013 Missouri State University women’s basketballChristiana ShorterJersey: 33Year: seniorPosition: forwardHeight: 6-foot-1

Aly StockJersey: 43Year: seniorPosition: centerHeight: 6-foot-4

Projected starting five:Edie (F), Shorter (F), Williams(G), Phillips (F) and Buer (G)Projected starting five based on lineupfrom exhibition win over Truman State.

Page 6: Basketball Preview

6 | Basketball Preview 2012 The Standard

Let the post-Weems era begin

By Mike UrseryThe StandardThe Missouri State Bears return in

the 2012-13 season with some freshfaces. Only seven squad membersreturn from a year ago, and the addi-tion of six freshmen rounds out theremaining roster. Due to their inexpe-rience, the odds are stacked againstthem this season. The Bears have beenpredicted to finish eighth in the Mis-souri Valley Conference.However, the biggest question the

team might be facing this year is howto deal with the departure of KyleWeems, MSU’s second all-time lead-ing scorer.Leading the Bears this season is

second-year head coachPaul Lusk. Lusk showed in his firstyear that he is an effective recruiter,bringing in such talents as seniorsAnthony Downing and Jarmar Gulley,who finished second and third respec-tively in scoring for the team last sea-son. Last year, Lusk coached theBears to a 16-16 record and a thirdplace finish in the MVC.“We’re excited going into this sea-

son,” Lusk said. “We have a lot of newfaces, and I think that brings opportu-nity for our guys.”The team spent time in Costa Rica

over the summer. Lusk said he saw thetrip as a good opportunity for the newplayers to practice and work with theupper-classmen. Missouri State

played four games against CostaRican teams and recorded a 4-0record.“Our trip was good for so many

new guys who hadn’t played with usbefore,” he said. “It was good from acompetition standpoint and a bondingstandpoint. I thought it was produc-tive.”Downing will be the lone senior on

the floor this season. Gulley suffered atorn ACL over the summer and willnot be available to play until the 2013-14 season.Downing averaged 11.5 points per

game last season, playing his first sea-son with Missouri State after transfer-ring from Independence CommunityCollege. Downing was second on the

team in three-pointshooting, knockingdown 41 shots frombeyond the arc. Down-ing will be relied on tobe an effective scoreragain this season.“He had a very good

year for us last year,”Lusk said. “He’s a guy

who can make shots and defend andbe a good example for the youth in ourprogram. One good thing about him isthat he practices hard everyday.”Another player who will be asked

to contribute more this season is juniorNathan Scheer. He was successful onthe court as well as in the classroomlast season, earning MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team honors. He is agood defender and is also good atshooting the three, according to Lusk.“I’m looking forward to it (the sea-

son),” Scheer said. “We’ve put in along, hard offseason, and we’re readyto get started.”

Missouri State moveson, despite losing oneof its all-time greats

Missouri State season records2011-12: 16-16 (9-9)2010-11: 26-9 (15-3)2009-10: 24-12 (8-10)

2008-09: 11-20 (3-15)2007-08: 17-16 (8-10)2006-07: 22-11 (12-6)

u See MEN’s page 7

Page 7: Basketball Preview

Basketball Preview 2012 | 7the-standard.org

The potential in the freshmen points to apromising future for the program, accordingto Lusk. One player to keep an eye on isGavin Thurman. Thurman comes fromHeights High School in Wichita, Kan., wherehe played alongside highly touted Universityof Kansas recruit Perry Ellis. Thurman hasalready made his impact felt in two exhibi-tion games, scoring 21 and 17 points againstMissouri Western and McKendree, respec-tively.

Missouri State will play a competitivenonconference schedule before beginningMissouri Valley Conference play againstSouthern Illinois on Dec. 30. The Bears will

play No. 20 San Diego State Nov.17 at JQHArena as part of the MVC-Mountain WestConference Challenge.

Missouri State also hosts Horizon Leaguepowerhouse Valparaiso on Dec.15. The teamwill also face tough road tests against Okla-homa State and Tulsa.

“We have a lot of competitive games,”Lusk said. “It will be eye-opening to our newguys, but they’re going to be better offbecause of this schedule come the middle ofthe season.”

Missouri State played two exhibitiongames at JQH Arena last week. On Oct. 30,Missouri State cruised to an 81-67 victoryagainst Missouri Western, and on Nov. 3, theBears defeated McKendree, 82-54.

Missouri State will open the 2012-13 reg-ular season at 7:05 p.m. on Friday againstPhilander Smith at JQH Arena.

Men’sContinued from page 6

Steph Anderson/THE STANDARDMissouri State junior guard/forward Keith Pickens goes up for a shot against Okla-homa State last season at JQH Arena. Pickens will be a key player for the team thisyear.

Page 8: Basketball Preview

8 | Basketball Preview 2012 The Standard

Page 9: Basketball Preview

Basketball Preview 2012 | 9the-standard.org

Page 10: Basketball Preview

10 | Basketball Preview 2012 The Standard Basketball Preview 2012 | 11the-standard.org

Two seniors light up the scoreboardShorter stars for the Lady Bears Downing brings hoops pedigreeBy Sam HolzerThe StandardMissouri State forward Christiana

Shorter has been a starter for the LadyBears for the past three years. She hasgained a tremendous amount of expe-rience and has evolved into a leader,both on and off the court. Entering her senior season, Shorter

is on a quest to finish her college careeron a high note.The playerShorter is poised to leapfrog some

former players on statistical lists andcement herself as one of the best play-ers in school history. Shorter enters hersenior campaign with 1,196 careerpoints scored, good for 17th in schoolhistory. She’s on pace to finish 8th onthat list. She is also in Missouri State’s top-

10 list in double-doubles, rebounds pergame, blocks, rebounds and freethrows made.According to head coach Nyla

Milleson, Shorter’s value to the teamcannot be stressed enough.“She’s one of them we can’t have go

down with an injury,” Milleson said.“She’s a presence on the boards. Shecan guard 1-5 on defense. She just doesa little bit of everything for us.”The personShorter is the heart and soul of the

Lady Bears basketball program, bothon and off the court. According tocoach Milleson and a few teammates,however, her personality always sticksout, no matter where she is.“She’s silly. She’s funny and easy-

going,” Milleson said.“She’s one of a kind,” fellow senior

Whitney Edie added. “She’s going tobring it every day. Her heart’s here. Shejust loves to play the game.”Junior forward Bry Snow views

Shorter as a vital part of the team, asshe describes how Shorter is, in someways, the pulse of the team.“She’s definitely a spark on our

team,” Snow said. “A lot of the energyand laughter that we have comes fromChris.”Shorter has the rare blend of being

able to be fun, yet fiercely competitiveat the same time, according to coachMilleson.“She knows how to flip the switch

when it’s time to step on the floor andget down to business,” Milleson said.The leaderShorter’s solid play and efferves-

cent personality have allowed her to bethe type of leader that every teamneeds.According to Snow, Shorter’s lead-

ership has helped her develop into abetter player as well.“She’s definitely a leader in the post

position,” Snow said. “I’ve learned alot from Chris.”Shorter knows that she has the num-

bers. She knows that she has alreadyput together one of the best careers inLady Bears history. As a senior, ac-cording to her, the only thing that mat-ters now is winning, and her goal is tohelp this young squad do just that.“It’s my final year, so my biggest

goal, like every year, is to win theMVC Championship,” Shorter said.“We have a lot of potential. We havesix young girls, but once we get it alltogether, we’re going to be really goodthis year. You should expect a lot fromus.”

By Matt AtenThe StandardWith Kyle Weems having moved

on to professional basketball in Ger-many, 2012-13 means it’s AnthonyDowning’s time to shine for theBears.Basketball runs in Downing’s

blood. His grandfather Chic Downingwon four state championships atAtchison High School in Kansas. Downing’s father, Matthew,

played at the University of Marylandfrom 1990-92. Now, it’s Anthony’stime to make his mark.Point guard importanceHaving a player with pedigree, in-

telligence and skills is just what MSUhead coach Paul Lusk was looking forto guide his young squad this season.“Having a good point guard is cru-

cial,” Lusk said. “ It’s just like havinga good quarterback in football — youneed one to be successful, and that’swhat he (Downing) gives us.”While the Bears will look like a

younger, smaller and faster team thisseason, the one constant that remainsis Downing, who returns as the team’stop returning scorer with 11.5 pointsper game.Downing was honored for his per-

formance last season by landing aspot on the MVC All-NewcomerTeam in 2011-12 after transferringfrom Independence Community Col-lege.Despite his strong performance in

2012-13, Downing was not recog-nized as a part of the Preseason All-MVC Team this season.“Last year was his first year play-

ing college basketball at this level,”

Lusk said. “He dealt with some grow-ing pains last year, but overall had anice season. That’s going to make hima better player, and I look for him tohave a good year.”Leading the packOn a team that carries four true

freshmen and two redshirt freshmen,the lone active senior (senior JarmarGulley is out for the season with atorn ACL) will be asked to lead theyouth movement and take on the roleof team leader in 2012.Downing insists that the task is

nothing new to him.“It’s part of playing the position,”

he said. “I felt like I was a team leaderlast year, too. When you play this po-sition, you have to take charge whenyou’re on the court.”Those natural leadership skills, as

well as his status as the only activesenior, combined to make Downingthe obvious choice to be the unofficialteam captain.“It’s not something the coaches

came to me and asked me to do in ameeting or anything like that, but Iknow it’s expected of me and it’ssomething I’m comfortable with,”Downing said.Downing is mainly focused on

winning, and while he isn’t looking tobe a motivational speaker to hisyounger teammates, he prefers tohave them watch how he goes abouthis business on the court.“I like to lead by example, but if

any of the young guys need help, I’mhappy to talk to them because I’vebeen there before, and if we’re goingto be competitive in the Valley we’regoing to need those young guys tostep up.”

Steph Anderson/THE STANDARDSenior Christiana Shorter will lead the Lady Bears this season.

Steph Anderson/THE STANDARDSenior Anthony Downing is the Bears’ returning leading scorer.

Page 11: Basketball Preview

By Mike UrseryThe Standard

The Missouri State Lady Bearsreturn for the 2012-13 season withhigh hopes to build on what theyaccomplished last season. After win-ning the MVC regular season champi-onship, along with advancing to the thirdround of the WNIT, the Lady Bears areback and hungry for more.

Leading the team will be head coachNyla Milleson. Entering her sixth year atthe helm, Milleson said the ultimate goalevery season is to win an MVC title, andthat’s exactly what they’ll aim for this sea-son.

“We’re always looking to do a little bitbetter, but I continue to applaud what wegot done last year,” Milleson said. “To wina conference championship is very good,and we won it in commanding fashion. Butit is the goal of this team to make it to theNCAA Tournament.”

Milleson has three returning seniors inWhitney Edie, Cristiana Shorter and AlyStock, who are ready to step up and leadthe team into the season.

“We have a pretty experienced group,”Milleson said. “Our three seniors are doinga great job, and they’re pretty experiencedat the post. They have a lot of anticipationgoing into the year.”

Ediehas

recorded42 blocked

shots thus farin her career at

Missouri State. Shecurrently sits at 14thall-time in that catego-ry and is 10 shy ofcracking the all-timetop 10.

“I’m looking for-ward to bonding as a

team and workingtoward our goal everyday,” Edie said. “I wantto help my team win a

championship.”Shorter is 17th on Mis-

souri State’s all-time scor-ing list, with 1,196 points.

She is on pace to finisheighth. Last season, Shorterwas an offensive force, aver-aging 11.6 points per gameand grabbing 102 offensiverebounds. Shorter was alsoeffective on defense with 77steals and 15 blocked shots.Shorter has earned Second

Team All-MVC honors for two consecutiveseasons now and was named to the Presea-son All-MVC Team this season.

“I’m really excited,” Shorter said.“We’re very young this year, so a lot ofteams will underestimate us. I’m ready tosee how everything goes.”

Missouri Statereturns threesenior playersthis year

12 | Basketball Preview 2012 The Standard

Lady Bears prepare to defendMissouri Valley Conference title

Head coach Nyla Milleson

u See WOMEN’S page 13

Page 12: Basketball Preview

Stock blocked 15 shots in 2011, givingher 28 for her career. She currently sits26th on the all-time list at Missouri State.She will be asked to come off the benchand provide defense when needed, Mille-son said.

The Lady Bears have a competitive non-conference schedule before beginning MVCplay on Jan. 3 against Wichita State. Mis-souri State plays against Oklahoma State onNov. 13, the team that knocked the LadyBears out of the WNIT last season. TheLady Bears will also play at the HardwoodTournament of Hope in Puerto Vallarta,Mexico Nov. 20-22. They will competeagainst Gonzaga, who made it to the Sweet16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament lastseason. Other notable teams in this tourna-ment are Louisville and Central Florida.Missouri State faces stiff competition earlyon, but they welcome the opportunity.

“This schedule will definitely make usbetter,” junior Bry Snow said. “Playingteams of that caliber will definitely help uswhen we start conference play. Hopefully,we can get a couple of good wins to buildup our confidence.”

Missouri State will be young this seasonwith six true freshmen joining the team.These freshmen have already had thechance to bond with the rest of the teamwhen they played in Costa Rica during thesummer.

The team played in the Costa RicaNationals from Aug. 6-9, winning all threeof their games. Playing in the tournamentwas a good opportunity for the upper class-men to bond with the freshmen and seehow they can contribute, Milleson said.

“We’re grateful that the university gaveus the opportunity to go over there (CostaRica),” Milleson said. “The competitionwasn’t great, but it was great for teambonding and getting back on the court. Idon’t think you can put a price tag on that.”

Basketball Preview 2012 | 13the-standard.org

Women’sContinued from page 12

Steph Anderson/THE STANDARDJunior guard Desiree Phillips watches aloose ball go out of bounds during agame at JQH Arena last season.

Steph Anderson/THE STANDARDJunior guard Karly Buer takes the court during pregame introductions for a game atJQH Arena last season. Buer will be a key player for the Lady Bears this year.

Page 13: Basketball Preview

Freshmen forces14 | Basketball Preview 2012 The Standard

By Jon PoormanThe Standard

Drew Wilson and Dorrian Williamshave been a part of the Missouri State bas-ketball program for more than a year, andthey will finally have the chance to makecontributions on the court instead of cheer-ing from the sideline.

Wilson and Williams, who both red-shirted last season, will now get theiropportunities to suit up for a young Mis-souri State team that features six true, orredshirt, freshmen.

“Dorrian didn’t get to practice a wholelot — actually at all — because of his tornlabrum,” head coach Paul Lusk said.“Drew dealt with some injuries, but he gotsome practice time in. I think the summerhas been very beneficial for those guys.”

Joining Wilson and Williams in theyouth movement will be four true fresh-

men — forwards Michael Simpson andGavin Thurman, guard Marcus Marshall,and center Bruce Marshall.

“I like our freshmen,” Lusk said. “Ithink they’re all very good players. Thefour true freshmen; I think all those guyshave great potential, but you have to tem-per some of that as well because they’venever scored a basket or been in a real col-lege basketball game. I know they’re theright guys, and they all have different andunique talents, so we’re excited aboutthem.”

Simpson, who is 6-foot-5, will likely beresponsible for helping to fill the vacancyleft by Jarmar Gulley, who is out for theseason with a torn ACL. Simpson aver-aged 9.3 points and four rebounds duringthe team’s four-game trip to Costa Ricaover the summer.

“The transition has been good,” Simp-son said of moving from high school to

college basketball. “It’s a lot more compet-itive; a lot more physical. You’ve just gotto get tougher, bigger and stronger, andyou’ve got to work harder than you usedto.”

The freshmen received a lot of valuableexperience on the Costa Rica trip, and allof them played a big role in helping theteam to a 4-0 record.

“It was a very good experience for thewhole team, especially the new guys onthe team,” Simpson said. “It made us bondas a team, and I think that was a big key.”

Simpson said that, even though thetransition has been a little challenging attimes, the help he and the rest of the fresh-men have received has been beneficial.

“I got some great advice from thecoaches and upperclassmen,” Simpsonsaid. “They just told me to keep workinghard. It’s not going to be easy, and you’vegot to work for what you get.”

Steph Anderson/THE STANDARDGavin Thurman dunks the ball during a dunking com-petition at JQH Arena as part of the Twilight Tipoff onOct. 13. Thurman is a true freshman joining the Bearsteam for the first time this season.

Six freshmen are suiting up for the Bears this season andhoping for an opportunity to make an impact on the court

Page 14: Basketball Preview

Basketball Preview 2012 | 15the-standard.org

Missouri Valley Conference preseason pollsMen’s preseason poll1. Creighton2. Illinois State3. Northern Iowa4. Wichita State5. Evansville6. Drake7. Indiana State8. Missouri State9. Bradley10. Southern Illinois

Women’s preseason poll1. Creighton2. Wichita State3. Illinois State4. Northern Iowa5. Missouri State6. Bradley7. Indiana state8. Southern Illinois9. Drake10. Evansville

Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference TeamsMen’s team*Doug McDermott, CreightonColt Ryan, EvansvilleJackie Carmichael, Illinois StateJake Odum, Indiana StateBen Simons, Drake

Women’s team*Carli Tritz, CreightonChristiana Shorter, MSUJessica Diamond, Wichita StateJacqui Kalin, Northern IowaJamie Russell, Illinois State

* = Preseason Player of the Year

Page 15: Basketball Preview

Bears’ home schedule 16 | Basketball Preview 2012 The Standard

Date Opponent TimeNov. 9 Philander Smith 7:05 p.m.Nov. 17 San Diego State 1:05 p.m.Nov. 19 Jacksonville 7:05 p.m.Nov. 21 Malone 7:05 p.m.Dec. 1 Oral Roberts 4:35 p.m.Dec. 15 Valparalso 7:05 p.m.Dec. 30 Southern Illinois 5:30 p.m.Jan. 8 Illinois State 7:05 p.m.Jan. 11 Creighton 7:05 p.m.Jan. 23 Wichita State 7:05 p.m.Jan. 27 Drake TBAFeb. 2 Evansville 2:05 p.m.Feb. 12 Indiana State 7 p.m.Feb. 19 Northern Iowa 7:05 p.m.March 2 Bradley TBA

A full season schedule is available on the Missouri State Athleticswebsite at http://www.missouristatebears.com. All Bears games

are played in JQH Arena.

Page 16: Basketball Preview

Basketball Preview 2012 | 17the-standard.org

Date Opponent TimeNov. 8 Southwest Baptist 7:05 p.m.Nov. 13 Oklahoma State 7:05 p.m.Nov. 29 Oral Roberts 7:05 p.m.Dec. 1 Northern Kentucky 1:05 p.m.Dec. 15 Arkansas State 2:05 p.m.Dec. 30 Coppin State 2:05 p.m.Jan. 19 Drake 12:05 p.m.Jan. 21 Creighton 7 p.m.Feb. 1 Indiana State 7:05 p.m.Feb. 3 Illinois State 2:05 p.m.Feb. 8 Bradley 7:05 p.m.Feb. 10 Northern Iowa 2:05 p.m.Feb. 21 Southern Illinois 7:05 p.m.Feb. 23 Evansville 7:05 p.m.March 9 Wichita State 2:05 p.m.

A full season schedule is available on the Missouri State Athleticswebsite at http://www.missouristatebears.com. All Lady Bears

home games are played in JQH Arena.

Lady Bears’ home schedule

Page 17: Basketball Preview

Steel magnolias18 | Basketball Preview 2012 The Standard

By Jon PoormanThe Standard

Casey Garrison? Gone. Jaleshia Rober-son? Gone. Jasmine Malone? Gone. LaceyBoshe? Gone. There’s no question the Mis-souri State Lady Bears lost some of their fire-power with the graduation of one of the topsenior classes in recent memory.

With six true freshmen and one redshirtfreshman on the roster this season, however,there is reason to believe that these youngplayers could develop into a core that couldresemble the freshman class of 2008.

When Garrison and the rest of the gangwere freshmen, they received valuable play-ing time and eventually culminated theircareers with a Missouri Valley Conferencechampionship. Now, the 2012 version islooking to have similar success.

“I’ve been pleased with our freshmen,”

head coach Nyla Milleson said. “A couple ofthem are going to have to play for us. They’regoing to have to step up and play some roles.What that’s going to be, I’m not really sureright now, but there’s definitely some talentin that freshman class.”

The freshman group includes redshirtguard Kenzie Williams, true freshmen guardsNicole Smallwood, Tyonna Snow andMikala McGhee, centers Alex Hillyer andHillary Chvatal, and forward Tori Hender-son.

The Missouri State fan base got its firstlook at the new members of the squad on Oct.13 at the Twilight Tipoff, which featured a20-minute scrimmage.

“It was nice to get out here and kind ofjust get some — especially for the six fresh-men — pregame jitters out of the way beforethe season starts and we’re playing in front ofa packed house, hopefully,” McGhee said.

The biggest challenge in coming into aDivision I program as a true freshman is toadapt to a whole new level of intensity,McGhee said.

“I think that, at first, it’s always going tobe a struggle for people,” she said. “It’s a dif-ferent speed of game; different strength level— you definitely have to get your body andmentality accustomed to it.”

Although the team is in need of someyounger players to step up and contribute,every minute of playing time must be earned,McGhee said.

“You have to give 110 percent every play;there are no plays off,” she said. “If youaren’t running, then you won’t be on thefloor. In high school, you could take a playoff here or there. It was no big deal becauseyou were all the best. Out here, we’re theunderdogs right now, and we have to workfor a spot just like everybody else.”

Steph Anderson/THE STANDARDFreshman Tyonna Snow (right) goes upagainst sophomore NiJay Gaines (left) atthe Twilight Tipoff in JQH Arena on Oct. 13.

Seven women are taking the court for the first time this year andattempting to fill the shoes of four former stand-out Lady Bears

Page 18: Basketball Preview

Basketball Preview 2012 | 19the-standard.org

Page 19: Basketball Preview

20 | Basketball Preview 2012 The Standard