Missouri State Basketball Team Preview by:Trevor Metke


                           Missouri State Team Preview 2020-2021


     Missouri State is coming off a very average season, where the Bears went 16-17, 9-9 in conference and a second round exit in Arch Madness where they defeated the 3 seed Indiana State, only to get upset by Valpo, who made a run to the Arch Madness title game. The Bears had a couple quality wins throughout last season, but their best overall win was a 74-62 win over Loyola-Chicago, one of if not the best teams in the MVC. They also had a few close losses against power 6 schools, nearly knocking off #21 Xavier on the road in a narrow 59-56, and a close loss against Miami 74-70. 


The Bears lost a lot of key pieces over this offseason, including star guard Keandre Cook, who was the leading scorer averaging 14.9 points per game and also grabbing 4.6 boards per game. Cook ended up signing with the Charlotte Hornets as an undrafted free agent. The Bears  also lost Tyrik Dixon in the transfer portal who ended up with Coastal Carolina. Dixon averaged 7.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in his one year with Missouri State. Forward Josh Hall also transferred to CSU Fullerton after averaging 5.2 points and 4.1 rebounds a game last season. Ross Owens and Kabir Muhummad, 2 solid players off the bench graduated and Ford Cooper Jr, who averaged 1.9 points per game to South Carolina.


Although the Bears lost a ton of talent, they brought in 4 new freshmen for the 2020 recruiting class. Melvin Ebonkoli will be joining the team, as the 6’’7 210 pound PF from France played at the Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut. Missouri State landed 6’6 guard Skylar Wicks, who chose the Bears over power schools like TCU and DePaul. Wicks was a great add for the Bears this offseason. Lu’Cye Patterson also committed to the Bears over the summer choosing them over Vandy and Idaho State. Raphe Ayres also committed to the Bears this past spring, which I believe is a great get as Ayres can shoot the 3 well and defend. His only other offer was Siena. Missouri State also landed multiple transfers, including guard Demarcus Sharp, who previously played at Colby CC in Kansas and earned Jayhawk West offensive and defensive honors and averaged 16.5 points per game and shooting 44% from three. Keaton Hervey, the #40 JUCO prospect, also committed to Missouri State. Hervey averaged 15.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in his lone season at New Mexico JC. 7 foot Center Dawson Carper transferred from Hawaii and averaged 6 points per game as a member of the Rainbow Warriors, and had a 20 point double double in a victory over Cal Poly. Missouri State also picked up Nic Tata from Blinn College (Texas). Tata started all 32 games in his sophomore season at Blinn and averaged 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds as a member of the Buccaneers.


Overall, coach Dana Ford brings a new, but experienced Missouri State team to the floor this season. The Bears picked up some great talent in the offseason and returns senior Gaige Prim, who had a great season last year being 2nd on the team in scoring last season. Expect Prim to play a major role in this offense in the upcoming season. Missouri State may very well be a surprise team in the Missouri Valley this season, but I see them finishing near the 5 mark in the conference standings, and could definitely make some noise in Arch Madness, even possibly sneaking into the NCAA tournament. Although this Missouri State team has a lot to prove, they should be a very fun team to watch this season with the combination of young freshman and experienced transfers and veterans.

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