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Season 4, Games 1-4 Game #1 @ New Mexico (0-0): We pulled away immediately and stormed to a 44-22 halftime lead. We then just simply held the Lobos off in the 2nd half and won easily, 76-59. C Joey Brown scored 22 and hauled down 12 rebounds. SF Greg Brooks scored 12 and SG Austin Hunter added 11 in their first games as Tigers. PG Howie Tyler had triple 6’s...points, rebounds and assists. New Mexico’s SG Jeff Hannah tossed in 26 points. (1-0) Game #2, UTEP (0-1): We again scored first and never relinquished the lead. By the end of the first half we led 42-24. We played a dispirited 2nd half but won 66-54.C Joey Brown scored 15 and had 8 rebounds. SF Greg Brooks scored 11. PF Adrian Bains played strongly coming off the bench and scored 13 points. SG Austin Hunter scored 9, and had 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals. (2-0, Ranked 7th nationally) [C Joey Brown was selected as the AAC’s Player of the Week] Game #3 @ St. Bonaventure (0-1): In the first half, we completely forget to play defense and trail 49-44 at the break. A half-time scorching talk causes the team to focus on defense in the 2nd half, but that focus results in our players failing to produce sufficiently on offense and we head home with a bitter 86-79 loss. St. Bonaventure hits 12 of 25 3-pointers and SF John Marks and SG Bryan Hutson combine to score 40 points against us. C Joey Brown scores 22 points and grabs 8 rebounds. SG Lamont Holiday also scores 22 points and he picks off 7 rebounds. PG Howie Tyler and PF Angelo Craft both score 11 points with Tyler racking up 5 assists and 4 rebounds. (2-1, Ranked 18th in the polls) [sG Lamont Holiday was selected as the AAC’s Player of the Week] Game #4, #2 KENTUCKY (5-0): Coming off the last loss, we take on a very tough regional foe. The Wildcats took an early lead but we fought back and captured a 34-28 halftime advantage by employing a devastating defense. In the 2nd half we steadily pulled away from Kentucky and scored a big-time win to the tune of 76-63. SG Lamont Holiday again came off the bench to lead our scoring with 21 points in just 17 minutes of time on the court. PG Howie Tyler scored 17. SG Austin Hunter tossed in 14 points and scored a double-double by hauling down 10 rebounds while dishing out 8 assists to nearly achieve a triple-double. C Joey Brown got into foul trouble and played only 14 minutes, scoring 11 points. All of Kentucky’s starters played between 30 and 36 minutes, but they were unable to break us. Our fans went wild after the game. (3-1)

Let the Season Begin... Non-conference Schedule @ New Mexico UTEP @ St. Bonaventure #2 KENTUCKY OREGON STATE @ North Carolina State BRADLEY TENNESSEE #23 ARIZONA Memphis Tigers Roster for Season 4 Starters: PG—Howie Tyler, 6-4 St from Gresham, SC...8.8 ppg, 3.5/4.0 stars SG—Austin Hunger, 6-1 Jr from Harvey, NC...JC last season, 4.0/4.5 stars SF—Greg Brooks, 6-7 Fr from Tenafly, NJ...high school last season, 3.5/4.5 stars PF—Angelo Craft, 6-8 Fr from Lebanon, TN...high school last season, 1.5/4.0 stars C—Joey Brown, 6-8 Jr from New Martinsville, WV...17.4 ppg and 10.1 rpg last season, 4.5/4.5 stars Reserves: PG—Jared Keady, 6-3 Jr from Orange, NJ...JC player last year, 2.5/4.0 stars PG—Abraham Althoff, 6-1 Jr from Nashvill, TN...2.6 ppg last season, 2.5/2.5 stars (walk-on) SG—Lamont Holiday, 6-1 Sr from Elmwood Park, NJ...11.7 ppg last season, 3.5/4.0 stars SG—Bryan Smith, 6-3, Fr from Bloomington, MN...high school last season, 0.5/1.0 stars SF—Adam Johnson, 6-8 Sr from Roan Mountain, TN...3.5 ppg last season, 2.0/3.5 stars SF—Bradley Ides, 6-6 Sr from Munford, TN...didn’t play last season, 2.0/2.5 stars (walk-on) PF—Adrian Bains, 6-8 from Atlanta, GA...0.4 ppg last season, 1.5/3.0 stars PF—Ufuk Oztorun, 6-6 Fr from Turkey...high school last season, 2.0/4.0 stars PF—Lionel Samnick, 6-6 So from New Tazewell, TN...1.0 ppg last season, 1.0/1.0 stars (walk-on) PF—Eugen Smodlaka, 6-8 Fr from Croatia...high school last season, 1.0/3.5 stars

Rob Porter, Sports Writer, Springfield News-Leader BEARS PREPARE FOR TOUGH SCHEDULE The next three weeks will be a big test for the Missouri State’s men’s basketball team. After starting the season by losing on the road and winning at home, their next two games are at home. But their opponents are from the Pac-12 (Arizona State) and SEC (Mississippi). Then the team goes on the road for four straight games including games against two Big-10 teams (Ohio State and Penn State) as well as perennially powerful Saint Louis which just a few years back made it to the Sweet 16. Their other road game will be against Drexel, which while not possessing the stature of the Bears’ other opponents, has strong together three straight winning seasons. Coach Bret Vandergard said he and the team looked at this as a challenge. “It’s a great way for us to test ourselves in preparation for conference play and create the foundation for winning consistently in the conference,” said Vandergard. He added, “We knew as soon as this season’s schedule was finalized that this would be a tough period for our team, but I think they will be ready to handle it. It's not only important for us to build strong teamwork, but to develop a killer attitude so our players become intent upon getting a lead and then putting our opponents away to prevent comebacks.” When asked about his unorthodox lineup for the last game in which Aaron Wells was moved from his usual small forward position to start at point guard, Vandergard replied, “We’re trying some things out. While that worked ok, I was pleased to see how Bart McCain came off the bench to take on the point guard duties and played so well with Brent Gregory.” The two guards combined to score 34 points in that game. Vandergard continued, “Overall team chemistry is very good this season even though we have several new players on our active roster. I think everyone realizes they will get their opportunities on the court. We’re going to play with a very deep bench this year. It’ll be my challenge to ride the hot hand on any given night.”

Alexei Koramatsov, “entrepreneur” Game #2, Nov. St. Bonaventure Bonnies (1-0) at Missouri State Bears (0-1) The Bears go up against their 2nd A-10 Conference foe tonight. St. Bonaventure has been to the NIT Tournament the last 4 years and was in the NCAA Tournament the year before that. In their first game this season, LeDarion Peterson scored 19 and Nick Dunn tossed in 16. After the Bears’ disastrous 2nd half in their season opener, the odds favor the Bonnies even though the Bears are playing at home. I put down a big bet on the Bears, so Vandergard better get them playing better tonight. He’s starting a rather strange lineup. Usual starting SF Aaron Wells is starting at PG. That’s probably because none of the PG’s were able to run the offense in the first game. Brent Gregory shifts back to SG. Quinton Asbury is starting at SF and Ricky Lee is the starting PF. The only starter at the same position as game #1 is C Donte Hartfield. Let’s hope this lineup clicks. Ricky Lee picks up 2 fouls in the first 90 seconds of the game. Vandergard shifts Hartfield to PF and brings in freshman C Marquis Hollins. Hollins picks up 2 fouls after being on the floor 3 minutes. After playing strong defensively in their first game, the Bears defense is porous and they drop behind 24-16 midway through the first half. But with 6:50, the Bears tie it up 24-24 and then go ahead 27-24 on Bart McCain’s 3 with 6 minutes to go in the half (his 9th point in 7 minutes of play off the bench). The Bears continue to play well and lead 38-34 at the half dominating the boards 17-12. PG Bart McCain scores 14 and SG Brent Gregory adds 10. Vandergard does a good job of keeping fresh legs on the court in the 2nd half and the Bears maintain a small lead throughout. With 2:35 left to go, Brent Gregory buries two free throws to put them up 62-52. It’s all over from there except for the shouting. And I get a nice payday. While generally satisfied with how the Bears played, I was not impressed. Gregory had a hot night and played very well back at SG. He seems much more comfortable at the 2 rather than the 1. McCain scored well but didn’t run the offense effectively. Grandison came off the bench and played well at PF. But overall this group of players still has not jelled well as a team. After a weak first 10 minutes defensively, the Bears’ defense picked up and was solid for the last 30 minutes of play, though. Final Score: Missouri State (1-1)—64, St. Bonaventure—54. Leading players for Missouri State: SG Brent Gregory-18 pts, 5 assists, 4 reb, 2 steals; PG Bart McCain-16 pts, 1 assist, 3 reb; PF Kenneth Grandison-11 pts, 2 reb, 1 block; Player of the Game: SG Brent Gregory-18 pts, 5 assists, 4 reb, 2 steals.

Scholarship Offers Sequentially here is a recap of the players to whom we made scholarship offers this fall and the programs they ultimately chose [in brackets]: SF Dickey Jacobs [Oregon] SG Dan Epps [Texas] PG Troy Cox [Memphis] C Richard Thomas [stanford] SF John Jones [Memphis] PF Veini Kyllonen [Ohio State] C Dupree Miner [Wake Forest] C Darren Heide [Gonzaga] SG Devin Jennings [Kansas] PF Greg Webber [Kansas] SG Jesse Moore [North Carolina] SG John Tarver [Oregon] So during the fall recruiting season, we land just two players: PG Troy Cox, 6-0 HS Sr, Fairbanks, AK. 2.9 GPA. 18.7 ppg, 8.1 apg, 5.9 rpg, 5.3 spg, 0.6 bpg. Excellent outside shooter and scorer, Great passer and very good ball handler, Outstanding defender, Strong rebounder, Quick hands yielding lots of steals, Tremendous work ethic, Not a leader but doesn’t cause problems. Ranked #23 in the nation. Overall rating: A. (Note: We dutifully set aside $5,000 to fulfill our end of the bargain after he arrives on campus.) SF John Jones, 6-7 HS Sr, Oroville, CA. 2.4 GPA. 16.7 ppg, 2.7 apg, 5.2 rpg, 3.2 spg, 1.2 bpg. Sweet outside shot, Excellent scorer, adroit passer, Strong rebounder, Solid defender, Very good at stealing and blocking, tremendous work ethic, not a leader but doesn’t cause problems, few problems with injuries, In the top 25 at the Indy Elite Camp. Ranked #45. Overall rating: A. (Note: No money that we need to set aside since we never offered this kid a bribe. I’ve heard he’s a country music fan and is a pretty damned good singer, so maybe he hopes to break into the business by driving over to Nashville during school vacations. Maybe not such a bad idea since he’s obviously no stellar scholar.) Landing those two players means two of our more important positional needs will be beefed up. But still two scholarships remain to be filled and it’s likely we won’t get those filled until this coming spring. We lick our wounds, and makes plans to keep working on the remaining available recruits and see what we can do. Since most all our bribe offers didn’t come through, that money returns to our treasury and becomes available should we decide to make some further inducements. In November, we decide to offer a scholarship to James Childs, a talented high school senior from Virginia. His GPA is low though, so he may not qualify after taking his SAT. But if he accepts and doesn’t qualify, we will just get the scholarship back to offer in the spring, so we have nothing to lose by going after him now. We still have one remaining scholarship to offer, but will continue to build interest before extending an offer to anyone.

Preview: “Money makes the world go around...the world go around...the world go around" Well, f - - k, so much for our generosity “factoring into their decision”. Since all of these recruits opt for “greener” (heh, heh) pastures, over the next weeks we pick up where we left off and toss out the following lures: (f) #11 ranked C Richard Thomas...he comes from a family that has few finances. He’s from Tennessee but has only shown limited interest in us (+). We offer $5000 aimed at setting up opportunities to hang out with a local personality. He finds that tempting and says it will factor into his decision regarding our program, but his interest level doesn’t budge. [stanford] (g) #14 ranked recruit PG Tezale Morrison. He comes from a lower middle class family. He’s showing some interest in us (++) but we aren’t on his Top 10 list. We offer the opportunity to hang out with a local celebrity ($5000) but he’s not interested. His feelings toward us seem to remain the same, though. [Wake Forest] (h) #32 ranked recruit SG LaRon Bailey. His family has financial problems. He’s very interested in our program (+++) and we’re 8th on his Top 10 list. We offer a $2000 entertainment system. He’s not impressed but there’s no immediate change in his thoughts toward us. [Kentucky] (i) #17 ranked recruit PG Troy Cox. He’s part of a middle class family. He’s very interested in our program (+++), but we aren’t on his Top 10 list. We offer the opportunity to hang out with a local celebrity ($5000) and he’s tempted and says it will factor into his decision. [Memphis] (j) #6 ranked recruit SG Dan Epps. He’s from a lower-middle class family. He’s very interested in our program (+++) but we aren’t on his Top 10 list. We offer $10000 in cash and he’s finds it tempting and says it will factor into his decision. [Texas] (k) #18 ranked recruit C Jermaine Perry. His family is very well off and our offer to hang out with a local celebrity sinks like a rock. His +++ interest in our program immediately drops to ++. [Kentucky] (l) #12 ranked recruit PF Veini Kyllonen. He’s from Finland and his family has very little money. He shown modest interest in our program (+). We offer $10000 in cash and he’s very tempted and says it will play a role in his decision, but his interest level remains unchanged. The next week, following a visit to our campus, his interest level shot up to +++. [Ohio State] (m) #22 ranked recruit SG Devin Jennings. His family is lower-middle class. He was very interested in our program {+++), but we were not in his Top 10. We offered $10000 in cash and he was tempted and felt it would play into his decision. [Kansas] (n) #47 ranked recruit PF Greg Webber. His family has little money. He is very interested in our program and we’re #8 in his Top 10 list. We offer $10000 cash. He’s tempted and says it will factor into his decision. There is not change in his interest or our ranking. [Kansas] (o) #35 ranked recruit SG Jesse Moore. His family is extremely poor. We first offer $5000 and he feigns disinterest, but when we increase our offer to $10000, he is tempted and says it will factor into his decision. [North Carolina] [Note: Schools in brackets indicate where the recruit eventually made a commitment]

Buzz Moriarity, Missouri State Athletic Director Game #1, Nov. 16, 2018: Missouri Valley Bears (0-0) at Richmond Spiders (0-0) My wife has been wanting to get our kids to Washington DC, so we brought the entire family this week to the nation’s capital. While there, I drove down to Richmond to root on the Bears in their season opener. Richmond has had good teams in recent years but had a down year last season, finishing with a 12-16 record. Their top player looks to be incoming freshman SF Lamont Jessie. Word on the street is that he is better than scouting reports indicated last year and is a strong candidate for freshman player of the year in the A-10. Those suffering from arachnophobia should not come to Richmond’s home games. The big red spider in the middle of the court could definitely give them nightmares. The game starts slowly as both teams fight to control nervousness. We finally score first when Brent Gregory hits a 3 with 17 minutes to play in the first half. Strong defense allows us to open a small lead midway through the first half. Quinton Asbury comes off the bench and then ignites a rather moribund offense and we open a 20-11 lead with 4 minutes left in the half. We continue to apply a stingy defense and finish the half on top 27-14. We hold the Spiders’ shooting to an anemic 20%. PG Brent Gregory is our leading scorer with 8 points and Quinton Asbury adds 6. We gradually open a 20-point lead In the 2nd half, but our play then becomes very sloppy and with 5 minutes to play, our lead has shrunk to 48-38. With 3 minutes to go we lead by just 5 points. At the 1:36 mark, the Spiders can two free throws to make it 50-48. Another foul at the 1 minute mark cuts out lead to 50-49. Then with 43 seconds remaining, Richmond hits an inside shot to put them on top for the first time other than their 6-5 lead early in the game. The Bears work the ball around deliberately trying to get a good shot, but turn it over and that’s the game. A disappointing loss as we throw away a 20 point lead in the final 10 minutes of the game. We outshot the Spiders 49% to 36% and out-rebounded them 29-28, but were -5 in turnovers (we turned the ball over 24 times) and scored 5 less points at the charity line. It will be a long flight home for the team. Final Score: Richmond-51, Missouri State (0-1)-50. Leading players for Missouri State: PG Brent Gregory-11 pts, 1 assist, 3 reb, 2 steals (but 6 TO’s). No one else on the team scored more than 6 points. Player of the Game: Richmond’s SG Dennis Whitworth-11 pts, 6 reb, 4 steals.

Recruiting Skullduggery In mid-August we decide to try to improve and solidify our position on some of the top recruits’ list of favorite schools. We attempt to influence the following players: (a) #1 ranked recruit PG Chris Kern...his parents are well-off. He’s very interested in us (+++) but we’re not on his Top 10 list. We offer $10000 cash but he’s insulted by it. His interest in us immediately drops to ++. [Michigan St] ( #2 ranked recruit SF Dickey Jacobs...family has monetary issues. He’s showing some interest (++) but we’re not on his Top 10 list. We offer a $10000 cash inducement. He’s interested and says it will factor into his decision. His interest level in us immediately improves to high (+++). [Oregon] © #3 ranked recruit PF Kenneth Miller...family is poor financially. He’s very interested in us (+++) but we aren’t in his Top 10. We offer $10000 cash but he’s not interested. His interest in us drops to ++. A couple weeks later his interest rose back to +++. [Florida] (d) #4 ranked recruit PF Anthony Anderer...his parents don’t feel we’re the right school for their son but they are financially poor. He’s showing some interest (++) in us but we’re not in his Top 10. We offer a $10000 bribe. We offer his $10000 to come to our school. He’s interested and says it will factor into his decision, but his interest level remains the same. Two weeks later his interest moved up to +++. [Notre Dame] (e) #7 ranked recruit SF Wesley Jones...he comes from a middle class family. He’s shown some interest (++) in us but we’re not on his Top 10 list. We offer to set up for him to hang out with a local personality ($5000 cost). He says it’s a tempting offer which will factor into his decision. His interest level in our program immediately rises to +++. [Oregon] [Note: School names in brackets indicate where the recruit eventually made a commitment]

Janice Conlan, sports anchor for KSPR TV in Springfield, MO College basketball tips off this week and there is hope that the Missouri Valley Conference is more successful this year than last. Our local Missouri State Bears are the media pick to win the Missouri Valley Conference this season. The Bears bring back nearly the entire team from last year plus have 4 transfer players who will be eligible to begin their Bears careers this season and a big 7-1 freshman center. Coach Bret Vandergard has downplayed the media’s touting of the Bears as expected champs. Vandergard says that while he likes his team, there are too many new and unknown parts to be sure out the team will do. The media feel that last year’s top dog, Southern Illinois will be the main challenge to the Bears taking top honors. The Salukis are strong up front, but will have inexperience at both guard positions. Picked to finish 3rd are the Northern Iowa Panthers with their potent SG Edwin Walton. Evansville has experience at all 5 positions and is picked to finish 4th. Rounding out the top 5 in the MVC, is Bradley who will again be led by SG Adam Ross. Drake had a strong season last year and has 3 good scorers returning, but lacks experience at two positions, so the media picks the Bulldogs to finish 6th. Loyola-Chicago is expected to finish 7th and has a strong interior. Indiana State will be led by center Jared Cox but their lack of experience at PG means they aren’t expected to do better than 8th in the MVC. Wichita State is expected to finish next to the bottom due to their lack of experience at the two guard positions. Even though Illinois State has the solid point guard John Gresham, the rest of their lineup is weak and then are picked to finish in the basement. I’m one of the media who placed the Bears atop the Missouri Valley Conference. So...GO BEARS!

Flash Borden, sports reporter for KSMO radio in Springfield Hey sports fans. The new basketball season is set to begin. I spoke with Missouri State Coach Bret Vandergard and his assistant coaches. They’re excited by the depth of their team this year. Here’s how the lineup looks to be taking shape for the Missouri State Bears as the 2018-2019 season kicks off. But Coach Vandergard said the starting lineup is likely to remain a fluid situation during pre-conference play with those who produce and work best as a cohesive unit ending up as the regular starters. At Point Guard: It looks like Brent Gregory, who was last year’s starting shooting guard, will move over to start at point guard this season. His 6-5 height will be an advantage. Based on last season, he has a lot of fire power, but the test will be how well he is able to run the offense and dish out assists without turning the ball over too much. Gregory is a junior and last season averaged 14.6 ppg. Backing up Gregory, and possibly challenging for a starting role, will be 6-3 sophomore Bart McCain. He had to sit out last season after transferring from Wyoming where he had averaged 8.9 ppg as a freshman. In addition, 6-2 senior Terrance Simmons returns after starting 17 of the Bears 29 games last season and averaging 6.4 ppg and is likely to get some good minutes coming off the bench. At shooting guard: 6-4 sophomore Cleveland Brown will start after sitting out last season due to his transfer from Montana where he had averaged 5.0 ppg as a freshman. Brown’s hold on a starter is tenuous. Should he falter, it’s likely Brent Gregory will return to start at the 2. Backing up Brown will be two walk-ons who both ran hot and cold last season. 6-1 senior Rudy Cage probably has a slight edge over 6-3 junior Rashad Thompson. Cage averaged 2.5 ppg while hitting 48% of his shots last year. Thompson also averaged 2.5 ppg last season. At small forward: 6-7 senior Aaron Wells picks up where he left off last year. He started all of the Bears games and averaged 6.3 ppg and pulled down 4.1 rpg. Another transfer player, 6-5 junior Quinton Asbury may challenge Wells for the starting position before the year is out. Asbury has good quickness and leaping ability and averaged 14.7 ppg for Oregon State as a sophomore. There are also a number of guards and power forwards who are likely to get some minutes at the 3 position as well. At power forward: The power forward position is stacked with talent. It looks like 6-8 sophomore transfer Kenneth Grandison will move into the starting lineup. Grandison averaged 10.0 ppg as a freshman for Mount St. Mary. That means last year’s starting power forward, 6-6 sophomore Ricky Lee will come off the bench this season. Last year Lee averaged 8.7 ppg while hitting 55% of his shots. 6-6 sophomore Jimmy Woni will continue to get substantial minutes as he did last season when he averaged 4.8 ppg. 6-6 sophomore David Earl could move up the charts, although it's doubtful he will become a starter this season. Last year he scored 2.3 ppg in limited action. It’s very possible that all the power forwards, with the exception of Woni, could get some minutes at small forward also. Woni may fill in at center from time-to-time. At center: Last year Joey Jones and Donte Hartfield split time as starters and played about the same amount of time. 6-9 sophomore Hartfield apparently has garnered the edge at the beginning of this season. Hartfield averaged 6.2 ppg last year. That means 6-9 sophomore Joey Jones will begin the year by coming off the bench. Jones scored 8.2 ppg and out-rebounded Hartfield also, so things could change as the season progresses. To make things more interesting, the Bears have added 7-1 freshman Marquis Hollins and he seems ready to play and get some minutes even though he will need some seasoning.

NCAA Fortunately the NCAA is asleep at the switch. No teams are on probation this year. Good thing! That means we can go all out on the bribe front. Bribes R Us! While we’ll keep it on the down low, I see no need to hold back on offers. The NCAA has not as much as sniffed at our program. That's not admitting it smells, of course!

Buzz Moriarity, Missouri State Athletic Director--Scheduling Coach V wanted to beef up the pre-conference schedule this season. Based on Jerome Nevin’s visit and concerns (which, of course, I’ve not mentioned to Bret), I tried to talk him into a softer schedule to fatten the team’s record. But he was adamant. I had to work hard to do it, but when done, Coach V was pleased with the results: @ Richmond ST. BONAVENTURE ARIZONA STATE MISSISSIPPI @ #21 Ohio State @ Saint Louis @ Drexel @ Penn State OREGON STATE The schedule I arranged presents a challenge without being overly taxing.

Norton Award Nominations Junior center Joey Brown was nominated for the Norton Award again this year. In addition, incoming JC shooting guard Austin Hunter was also nominated.

Transfer Sessions We do a preliminary review of the transfer players but can find no single player that stands out enough for us to spend money. There isn’t a player on whom we want to use one our valuable scholarships. Therefore we opt out and do nothing during the transfer sessions.

Erick McGadney, 1st Assistant Coach—Fall recruiting We focused almost all of our recruiting attention within our region and on recruits in the 1, 2, and 3 positions. We developed interest in a number of players. Coach V’s home visits went well and we made scholarship offers initially to two very highly rated SG’s. On September 18 we netted a big fish: SG Ken Masiello, 6-2 HS Sr, Marysville, KS, 3.9 GPA. 20.9 ppg, 3.1 apg, 6.1 rpg, 2.3 spg, 1.8 bpg. Outstanding scorer with an excellent shot from outside, Great passer, Very strong rebounder and shot blocker. Hard working kid who’s not a leader but doesn’t cause problems either. Ranked #22 in the nation. Overall rating: A. We got to #2 on the other SG’s list of Top 10 schools, but he chose Georgetown. We immediately offered a scholarship to a PG who we felt had some great skills. On on September 25 we got a verbal acceptance of our scholarship offer for: PG Matt Lewis, 6-1 HS Sr, Peoria, IL, 2.9 GPA. 14.1 ppg, 5.3 apg, 4.6 rpg, 2.3 spg, 0.0 bpg. Great outside shot and very good scorer, Excellent passer and very good ball handler, strong defender, adroit at making steals, very good athleticism. Tremendous work ethic. Not a leader but doesn’t cause problems. Has had some recurring injuries. Ranked #133 in the nation. Overall rating: C.

Season 4 Kicks Off Top Recruiting Classes With last year’s bumper recruiting crop, do you think we had one of the Top 25 Recruiting Classes? Hell yeah, we did! Where do you think we ranked? 21st? 13th? 8th? Guess again! Our recruit class was ranked as the 5th best in the nation! We were topped only by Michigan State, Stanford, Arkansas, and Kentucky. Our signing of high school stand-outs Brooks, Craft, Smith, and Smodlaka impressed the raters. Our signing of two JC standouts (Hunter and Keady) didn’t count, but even made our recruiting class that much stronger. Following us in the rankings were: UCLA, Florida, Maryland, Duke, Louisville, Syracuse, Illinois, Arizona, Wake Forest, Gonzaga, Oregon, Kansas, Georgia, North Carolina, LSU, Notre Dame, Auburn, Utah, New Mexico State, and Alabama. Yeah, it cost us an extra $19K, but a program grows where money flows. Initial Outlook We’re strong at 4 of the 5 positions. Our weakest position this year with be at PF. If Ruben Rohwer wouldn’t have left early for the pros, we’d be rock solid at every position. We have 3 walk-ons still on the team. We have 3 seniors on scholarship. Fortunately none of our players decide to transfer. We are considering cutting one of the walk-ons to give us a vacant roster spot if there is a great transfer player and then go all out to land him. One pre-season poll ranks us 6th and the other ranks us 7th. Pro Draft PF Ruben Rohwer, who declared for the draft after playing one season for us, was the 1st player drafted in the Pro Draft! Recruiting We buy the basic editions of the National Report and the Southeast Report. We decide to attend the the Indy Elite Camp and the Memphis Hoop Summit. We have 4 scholarships that we will be able to offer this season. Ideally I’d like to land a guard, small forward, and big man plus the best available additional player at any position.

2018-2019 Season Buzz Moriarity, Missouri State Athletic Director—An unexpected visit Jerome Nevins, a frequent and generous contributor to Missouri State athletics, came by for a visit today. He prefers to remain in the shadows, making “anonymous” contributions and is not part of the fan club or alumni group. So when he parked himself in my office, I was surprised. JN: Buzz, you know I don’t like to throw my weight around, but when you hired this young coach last year, you told me he’d quickly improve the basketball program. Well, the team didn’t get close to playing .500 ball and didn’t even get through the playoffs for a spot in the conference tournament. In fact their record wasn’t even as good as the previous year under that incompetent idiot Coach Lewis. BM: You’re right about last season, Jerome. It was a disappointment. But he inherited most all the players he was able to put on the floor. JN: Possibly so, but you made him out to be the coming of the next messiah. That was the basis for the donation I made last year. BM: We’re very appreciate of all of your donations and last year’s in particular, but you need to give Vandergard time. He did pick up some transfer players last year who are likely to boost the level of play now that they will be eligible this coming season. And he recruited a big guy last season. JN: With respect to the transfers, maybe they will improve things, maybe they won’t. And that 7-1 guy he recruited looked pretty good last fall, but as the season went along his fortunes and his rep sunk like the Titanic. So, all I can say is, what’s Bret Vandergard done for Missouri State lately? BM: Look, Jerome. I’m happy you expressed your concerns and I take them seriously. You can bet that Vandergard will be under my magnifying glass this season. If he doesn’t produce, I’ll have to admit I made a mistake and begin looking for someone who can turn things around. But like I said, let’s see how thing pan out this season before we rush to conclusions. JN: I hear you, Buzz. I’ll crawl back into my hole. But I’m going to be watching this closely also. And I think I’ll just keep this year’s donation in my bank account. If he gets the team to kick butt this season, you’ll get it after the season is over. If they suck again, then you need to take the actions that will right this floundering ship. Erick McGadney, 1st Assistant Coach--Recruiting Plans We have just 2 scholarships to fill this year. Last year we overindulged in the transfer pool, so we’re going to focus on recruiting high school seniors with as much promise as possible and stay clear of any transfer activity. The focus will be on perimeter players since we are well- inside and are losing none of them to graduation this coming year. We buy the Great Plains Report stocked and decide to attend the Houston Classic camp. Mike Martin, 2nd Assistant Coach--Scholastics Since 4 of our players have unimpressive GPA’s, we got tutors for them throughout the summer. 3 of the 4 improved their grades dramatically, but SF Quintin Asbury’s GPA remained firmly rooted at 2.2. We’ll keep him anchored to the study desk this fall. Ansel Adamson, Missouri State Assistant Athletic Director—Pro Draft Coach V came into the AD offices today ecstatic. SF Tim Whitaker, who was on Coach Vandergard’s old team, Eastern Washington, was the 51st player selected in the Pro Draft.

Season 3 Draws to a Close Jobs: Nearly 20 colleges showed interest in hiring Tom Bradley as head coach including several that were from the Pac-12, Big 10, AAC, and Southeastern Conferences. But he opted to remain at Memphis. Season Review: There were mixed results this season since Tom Bradley succeeded in 3 goals (winning the conference tournament, winning 20+ games, and signing a 4-star player) but failed on 2 goals (reaching the NCAA Final Four and maintaining school prestige). His job security at Memphis remains rock solid though. A request was made to improve facilities and it was approved. When completed our facilities will be rated as A-. Team prestige is 78 and Conference prestige is 69.

End of the 2017-2018 Season Awards: SG Brent Gregory: 1st Team All-Conference in the Missouri Valley Conference Head Coaching Jobs: 10 teams showed interest in Bret Vandergard, but he had no interest in leaving Missouri State. Erick McGadney, 1st Assistant Coach: Since we had only one scholarship to offer and it was filled last autumn, we had no recruiting activity in the spring. Our lone scholarship was awarded to: C Marquis Hollins, 7-1 HS Sr, Lexington, MO. 2.4 GPA (920 SAT). 12.3 ppg, 4.2 apg, 8.4 rpg, 1.8 spg, 2.6 bpg. Marquis has great inside shooting and is a strong rebounder, passer and shot blocker. He has a tremendous work ethic, doesn’t have many problems with injuries, and while he’s not a leader, he doesn’t cause problems either. Ranked #1388 in the nation with an Overall Rating of C. He was ranked higher early in the season, so hopefully he comes in stronger than he appears on paper and his work ethic results in rapid development. But it's likely he will take a year or two before he becomes a force inside for us. Buzz Moriarity, Missouri State Athletic Director: Coach Vandergard made a pitch for improvements to facilities. But he failed 2 of his 3 goals (his team didn’t above .500 and our prestige slipped from 31 to 29 although MVC prestige increased from 38 to 39). Therefore there was no way that his request for a facilities upgrade could be approved.

Awards C Joey Brown was named as a 2nd Team All-American C Joey Brown was selected as the AAC’s Player of the Year PF Ruben Rohwer was selected as the AAC’s Freshman Player of the Year C Joey Brown was named the AAC’s Defensive Player of the Year C Joey Brown was a 1st Team All-Conference player for the AAC PF Ruben Rohwer was a 1st Team All-Conference player for the AAC SG Lamont Holiday was a 2nd Team All-Conference player for the AAC Tom Bradley was the AAC’s Coach of the Year

NCAA Tournament Round 1: Marquette vs Southern Illinois: The teams traded the lead back and forth in the first half, but Southern Illinois carved out a 37-31 halftime advantage and then managed to hold off Marquette for a 67-56 win. SG Brandon Penders scored 16 points for the Salukis. Round 2: Southern Illinois vs Syracuse: Southern Illinois had an early lead but faded badly late in the 2nd half. Syracuse overwhelmed the Salukis 67-48. PG Shannon Preston was the top scorer for Southern Illinois with 14 points. Championship: #10 seed Iowa ran off 6 upset victories and finished by beating Wisconsin 68-52 to be crowned champions.

Spring Recruiting We made home visits to 4 recruits, but only 2 seemed impressed. We offered a $5000 bribe to SG Bryan Smith (and he was tempted and said it will factor into his decision; already was +++ and we were 4th on his top 10 and that didn’t change). We also offered a $5000 bribe to PF Julius Monfre but he didn’t want it (we were already ++ and 9th on his top 10 and he later decided he didn’t want to play for Memphis--sometimes you win, sometimes you lose!). Later we made a $2000 bribe offer to C Cary Jones (he was tempted and said it would factor into his decision)—we were already +++ and 8th on his Top 10 list. We also made a $5000 bribe offer to C Jason Keating (he was tempted and said it would factor into his decision)—we were already +++ and 10th on his Top 10 list. And we made a $2000 bribe offer to PF Eugen Smodlaka (he was tempted and said it would factor into his decision)—he was already +++ and we were 4th on his Top 10 list. We made scholarship offers to SG Bryan Smith and PF Eugen Smodlaka and both accepted. Recruits who accepted Scholarships to Memphis: PG Jared Keady, 6-3 JC So, Orange, VA, 2.5 GPA. 17.3 ppg, 6.5 apg, 7.1 rpg, 3.7 spg, 2.8 bpg. A very good scorer with a very nice outside shot; great passer and ball handler; outstanding defender; good at stealing the ball. Ranked #47, Overall Rating: A. We will be buying him a $2,000 entertainment center after he arrives. PF Angelo Craft, 6-8 HS Sr, Lebanon, TN, 2.9 GPA (1070 SAT). 19.5 ppg, 3.9 apg, 7.6 rpg, 2.1 spg, 2.7 bpg. Great scorer resulting from outstanding inside shooting; strong rebounder and passer; very athletic; could work harder; has had some attitude and discipline problems. Had a decent showing at the Indy Elite Camp and in the Top 5 at the Memphis Hoop Summit. Ranked #38, Overall Rating: A. SF Greg Brooks, 6-7 HS Sr, Tenafly, NJ, 3.1 GPA (1040 SAT). 29.0 ppg, 5.2 apg, 13.0 rpg, 2.6 spg, 4.1 bpg. The top SF in the recruit pool. An outstanding scorer with a sweet outside shot and he shoots well inside as well; Excellent defender and rebounder; great at stealing the ball and a very strong shot blocker also; excellent passer; a hard worker. Was in the top 25 at the Indy Elite Camp. Ranked #8, Overall Rating: A. We need to funnel $10,000 his way when he gets here...$10K well spent! SG Austin Hunter, 6-1 JC So, Harvey, ND, 2.5 GPA. 18.9 ppg, 6.5 apg, 7.2 rpg, 2.5 spg, 1.9 bpg. A big scorer who is a very good outside shooter; excellent passer and very good ball handling skills; excellent rebounder; strong defender; a hard worker who doesn’t have many problems with injuries. Ranked #32, Overall Rating: A. SG Bryan Smith, 6-3 HS Sr, Bloomington, MN, 2.5 GPA (990 SAT). 16.6 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.8 rpg, 1.9 spg, 1.6 bpg. Excellent outside shot and also a good inside shooter and very good scorer. Great ball handler. Strong athletically. A hard working kid who has has some attitude and discipline problems. Ranked #146, Overall Rating: B. We will spend $5,000 on getting him together with a school celebrity. PF Eugen Smodlaka, Int’l, Croatia, 2.7 GPA (1180 SAT). 16.1 ppg, 1.7 apg, 12.4 rpg, 2.3 spg, 3.4 bpg. Excellent outside shooter with a good inside game as well. Very good scorer. Outstanding rebounder. Very good shot blocker. A hard worker. Ranked #133, Overall Rating: B. We will buy him a $2,000 entertainment system when he arrives at school.

NIT Tournament Drake is the #7 seed in the East Regional and will play #2 seed Arizona StateWichita State is the #7 seed in the South Regional and will play #2 seed Wyoming Round 1: Drake vs Arizona State: Drake pulled out an upset victory in the 2nd half, winning 71-68 behind C Karel Porter’s 19 points. Wichita State vs Wyoming: While the game was close throughout, Wyoming maintained control and won 77-67. Scott Tucker scored 26 points for Wichita State. Round 2: VCU vs Drake: VCU took a small edge late in the 1st half and held onto it until Drake made a rousing comeback in the latter part of the 2nd half. But Drake’s effort left them just a little short as they lost 73-71. PF Kevin Jackson dropped in 15 points for Drake. Championship: Temple beat BYU 69-62.

CBI Tournament: Illinois State is the #4 seed in the West Regional and will play #5 seed Idaho State Round 1: Idaho State vs Illinois State: Illinois State jumped out to a lead and never looked in the rear view mirror as they led by as much as 22 points before settling for a 67-53 victory. 4 Redbirds players scored in double figures with SF Morris Cummings leading the way with 13 points. Round 2: Illinois State vs Oakland: This was a fiercely fought battle and the two teams ended regulation tied 73-73. But in the OT, Southern Illinois pulled away to win 85-77. SF Morris Cummings again had high point honors with 23 points. Semi-final: Seattle vs Illinois State: Illinois State took control from the outset of this game and pulled away in the 2nd half to win easily 72-54. PG John Gresham ripped the nets for 21 points for the Redbirds. Championship: Illinois State vs Gonzaga: The game was close throughout the first half, but Gonzaga came out in the 2nd half to leave Illinois State far behind. The Zags won impressively 63-41. PF Johnny Lindsey scored 17 for Illinois State.

NCAA Tourney: Cincinnati upset #15 Gonzaga 83-75 in round 1 Game #31, Montana State: In round 1 we moved out to a 44-31 lead at the end of the first half. We continued to extend our lead in the 2nd half and won 85-63. We got balanced scoring throughout our lineup with PF Ruben Rohwer scoring 15, PG Howie Tyler adding 14, reserve Adam Johnson scoring 12, SG Lamont Holiday scoring 11, and 3 other players nearly getting into double figures. C Joey Brown came off the bench for 14 minutes but was clearly off his game. (28-3) Cincinnati was topped 86-83 in the final moments of their game against Illinois in round 2 Game #32, Syracuse: In round 2 neither team could take control in the first half. We came away with a 39-37 halftime advantage. Syracuse came out in the 2nd half playing great defense and opened a 12 point lead. We finally began producing offensively and fought back but were unable to pull out the game, losing 65-62. PG Howie Tyler topped our scoring with 12 points, SG Lamont Holiday added 11, and C Karim Towns scored 10. For Syracuse, PG Jacob Robin scored 19 and C Marcus Brown had a double-double (10 points and 11 rebounds). The loss of Joey Brown obviously sabotaged our NCAA Tourney dreams. (28-4) NCAA Championship: Indiana-65, Oregon-61