Who's Bret Vandergard and what's he done for us lately? [DDSCB3]

[PointGuard 70]

Paris George, 3rd Assistant Coach

 

Game #12, Jan. 4, 2019: Missouri State Bears (7-4, 1-1) at Drake Bulldogs (10-3, 1-1)

 

Drake has 3 players averaging in double figures (PF Kevin Jackson-13.3 ppg, PG Mark Davey-10.7 ppg, and C Dupree Weathers-10.1 ppg). They have wins over Virginia Tech, Northwestern, and Rutgers, were champions of the Alaskan Classic, and an overtime loss to #7 Maryland. They have the 19th best RPI in the country. Taking them on in Des Moines, Iowa will be a big challenge. They’ve won all their games there thus far.

 

Kenneth Grandison continues to impress at PF and Coach V has him starting again. Hopefully he not only scores but is able to control Kevin Jackson. Quinton Asbury continues to start ahead of Aaron Wells at SF.

 

Our first 10 points are all scored by our big men. But the Bulldogs hit 5 of 7 from beyond the arc and take an 26-12 lead with 8 minutes to play in the first half. We chip away but Drake continues to drop shots in from far outside, hitting 8 of 12 of their 3’s to put us into a 43-33 halftime hole. PG Bart McCain spearheads our offense with 13 points. But Kevin Jackson scores 11 for the Bulldogs.

 

We come out strong in the 2nd half and 51-50 lead in the first 6-1/2 minutes of play in the half. But the Bulldogs pound the ball inside with Kevin Jackson tearing our defense apart to storm back to a 5 point lead. We chip away to close to within a single point with 4 minutes to play. Drake then turns it on to pull away to a 75-67 advantage with under a minute to play. There’s not enough time to come back and we drop a game we had a chance to win. Our defense was just too porous, allowing Drake to hit 60% of their FG attempts (and 52% of their 3’s). Our advantage in rebounds (30-23) and turnovers (16-13) as well as PG Bart McCain’s best game wasn’t enough to overcome that.

 

Final Score: Drake—75, Missouri State (7-5, 1-2, 6th place tie)—70.

 

Leading players for Missouri State: PG Bart McCain-27 pts, 6 assists, 6 reb, 2 steals; C Joey Jones-10 pts, 9 reb, 2 steals.

 

Player of the Game: Drake’s PF Kevin Jackson-26 pts, 1 assist, 6 reb, 1 block.

[PointGuard 70]

Bryson Chambers, state legislator representing Springfield

 

Game #13, Jan. 7, 2019: Loyola-Chicago Ramblers (8-4, 2-1) at Missouri State Bears (7-5, 1-2)

 

I’m making my annual foray to Missouri State to ingratiate myself with their fans. The game holds no interest for me, but you gotta do what you gotta do. And these folks represent votes and, more importantly, campaign funds. I’m hoping to move up the political ladder in the next couple years, so money is a necessary component of my strategy. So I’ll glad hand the folks here and present an award to the university at halftime. These folks eat up awards, so being the person to present one leaves a lasting impression in their minds. I’m hoping the Bears win because their fans in a good mood means they have a more favorable impression of me being here with them.

 

Don’t expect a full-blown recap of this game. I’ll watch as much as I have to so I can talk somewhat intelligently with the fans, but to me, basketball is just a frivolous display of a bunch of guys running up and down the court. I really don’t see what anyone sees in it.

 

I told you basketball was boring. The refs kept stopping the game with fouls and travelling calls. I thought the first half would never end. 20 minutes took what seemed like an hour. And the Bears stuck up the gym and trailed 45-37 at the break. Brent Gregory scored 10 points for Missouri State but only was on the floor for 4 minutes because the refs kept calling stupid fouls on him. The Bears other starting guard, Bart McCain went to the bench a minute later than Gregory with foul problems.

 

The Bears stunk in the first half and they stunk worse in the 2nd half. A total waste of time coming to this game if you were a fan of Missouri State basketball. They poor play put the crowd in a surly mood and made my electioneering difficult.

 

Final Score: Loyola-Chicago—85, Missouri State (7-6, 1-3, 7th place tie)—68.

 

Leading players for Missouri State: SG Brent Gregory-14 pts, 2 assists, 2 reb, 1 steal; PF Ricky Lee-11 pts, 5 reb, 1 steal; PG Bart McCain-8 pts, 2 assists, 2 reb, 1 steal; PF Aaron Wells-8 pts, 4 reb; PG Terrance Simmons-8 pts.

 

Player of the Game: Loyola-Chicago’s SG Bryant Crocker-24 pts, 1 assist, 7 reb, 2 steals, 1 block.

 

Others for Loyola-Chicago: SF Ricardo Canty-20 pts, 2 assists, 3 reb.

[PointGuard 70]

 

Cal Phillips, Missouri State athletic department janitor

 

This team's in a real slump and they go back on the road for their next game. I heard a lot of rumbling in the locker room after practices. Some of these guys listen to me since they know I played a lot of ball as a young man, so I tried to turn around their bad attitudes. I’m not sure if I had any success with that though. They’re a pretty sorry bunch of guys right now. Several of the guys are blaming Coach V for how things have been going. You know, guys thinking they should be on the court more time, guys feeling the Coach has let them down planning for and executing a solid game plan, things like that. Ultimately the only thing that’s going to turn around attitudes is for them to begin winning again. I’m just not sure how ready they are to pull together to do that.

 

[PointGuard 70]

 

Meaghan Kriley, KSMO TV News Anchor

 

My solo investigation of Alexei Karamatsov isn’t progressing as quickly as I had hoped, but since I’m doing it during my non-working hours, I’ve not had as much time as I would have liked to work on this. But, I’ve determined that his claim to be a big time entrepreneur is bogus. He has no record of owning and selling companies. He emigrated from the Ukraine at the age of 20 on his own. The rest of his family remains in the Ukraine. He spent his early years in New York City and didn’t move out to Missouri until 6 years ago. He owns his home in Springfield outright and has only a small mortgage on his condo in the Ozarks. His work record is spotty and doesn’t provide a means for his acquisition of wealth. But I have yet to be able to get a handle on how he made his money in the U.S.

 

[PointGuard 70]

Tyson Rodero, play-by-play announcer for KSMO radio

 

Game #14, Jan. 11, 2019: Missouri State Bears (7-6, 1-3) at Evansville Purple Aces (4-8, 1-3)

 

TR: I’m here tonight with Flash Borden who has been fielding your comments and questions about the Bears on his nightly sports show on KSMO radio. So Flash, what is up with this team? 

 

FB: I think that’s the question everyone is asking. The Bears played well in pre-conference play against some tough competition and were picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference this year. Thus far they have fizzled in conference play. They’re just not gelling as a team. Beyond Bart McCain and Brent Gregory, the other players are just not playing with any consistency. Seems like a guy will have a good game and then 2 or 3 bad ones. 

 

TR: Yes, the coaches seem confused too. They’ve been starting a different group most every game. 

 

FB: That’s right, Tyson. It’s like coaches are throwing darts to decide who will start at the 3, 4 and 5 positions. And whoever they choose may or may not show up to play well. But it’s a very young team. 9 of the 13 scholarship players are freshmen or sophomores and the entire front line is freshmen and sophomores. So I think there is a leadership vacuum.

 

TR: Turnovers have been a problem lately also.

 

FB: The team has definitely been turning the ball over more during this losing streak that they were earlier in the season. Again, though, that’s just a result of the team not playing all that well together lately.

 

TR: Well, we’re ready for the tip-off, Flash. Let’s see how the Bears do against a team they’re tied with at the bottom of the conference standings.

******

The Bears let Evansville get some easy baskets inside on those first two possessions. 

******

Wells hits a baseline jumper and is fouled. He drops in the free throw to make it 10-8 in favor of Missouri State.

******

Aaron Wells puts up a long 3 pointer and it drops! That puts the Bears ahead 15-6 with 13:52 remaining in the first half. Wells how has 8 points.

******

Wow! The fouls keep mounting up on both teams. Bart McCain will go to the line for the Bears. He makes the first and misses the second to give the Bears a 24-14 lead. This team of refs must have all got shiny new whistles for Christmas.

******

Another inside bucket for the Purple Aces. That’s 8 unanswered points cutting the lead to 24-22.

******

Kenneth Grandison takes a pass deep down along the right baseline. He fakes his man and then puts up a shot that falls through the silks to put the Bears ahead 32-27 with 90 seconds to go in the half.

******

Evansville’s Marty Rollerson puts up a 30 footer at the buzzer that goes in to knot the score at 34-34 as the teams head off the floor for the break.

******

Evansville hit 63% of their shots in the first half. The Bears need to not let them get so many easy shots. Aaron Wells 8 points led the Bear’s attack.

******

Following the 4th straight turnover by Evansville, the Bears finally convert as Gregory hits a 3 from the right corner to make it 41-36, Bears.

******

Simmons shot misses, but Hollins get the offensive rebound out in the key and puts it back up. He’s fouled on the shot and goes to the line for 2 shots. He sinks both shots to give him 10 points and put the Bears ahead 54-43 with 10:52 on the clock.

******

Bart McCain drives down the lane, puts up a contested shot that drops. There’s a time out on the floor with 3:48 to play and the Bears on top 60-54.

******

The ball goes over to Brent Gregory. He’s free for a 3 pointer and it drops to make the score 65-56 with 2:09 left. That’s 16 points for Gregory.

******

Grandison chips in a 3 with 25 seconds to go. 71-61 now.

******

The buzzer sounds. Missouri State has broken their 3 game loss streak with a 73-61 victory. While outshot 51% to 42%, the Bears held a 24-23 rebounding advantage and more importantly a 20-13 turnover advantage. 

******

Final Score: Missouri State (8-6, 2-3, 6th place tie)—73, Evansville—61.

 

Leading players for Missouri State: SG Brent Gregory-16 pts, 2 assists, 3 reb, 1 steal; PG Bart McCain-11 pts, 4 assists, 1 reb, 1 steal; C Marquis Hollins-10 pts, 1 assist, 7 reb; SF Aaron Wells-9 pts, 2 steals.

 

Player of the Game: SG Brent Gregory-16 pts, 2 assists, 3 reb, 1 steal.

[PointGuard 70]

Jarell Spencer, high school coach

 

Game #15, Jan. 14, 2019: Wichita State Shockers (8-6, 3-2) at Missouri State Bears (8-6, 2-3)

 

I grew up in Kirkwood, Missouri. I was a star on our high school team. The University of Missouri then gave me a scholarship or I wouldn’t have been able to go to college since my family barely scraped by financially. I’d like to say I starred with the Tigers, but it took me a couple years before I was starting and then I was at best simply a steady player. My expectation of getting into the NBA quickly was revealed to be a dream rather than reality. I had a difficult time for a few years after college since my time at Mizzou was more “basketball” than “education”. But I finally got an assistant coaching job at North Central Community College in Trenton, MO. Spent 3 years there, took a few classes the first year and then took some college classes so I could pick an education degree. That set me up to get a job at Mountain Grove HS teaching history and as the coach of the boys’ basketball team. Took a couple years, but we soon became one of the better teams in Class 3 (middle size high schools in Missouri), regularly getting into the class state tournament. A couple years we’ve won the state Class 3 championship. So I brought my team over to Springfield to watch a college game, since some of my boys have never seen college hoops in person. My boys are a little overwhelmed by the size of JQH Arena and the big crowd that is here tonight. Well OK…yeah, I have an ulterior motive for coming also. It’s a chance for me to make contact with Bret Vandergard so that maybe I’ll have a chance to get on his staff when a vacancy arises. I’ve been impressed by what he’s done so far at Missouri State and he could use a minority assistant.

 

Wichita State comes out of the blocks fast and takes a 9-4 lead, but Missouri State scores the next 6 points to take their first lead of the game. The Shockers outshoot the Bears (52% to 43%) plus hit 5 from outside the arc to take a 35-30 lead at the break. For the Bears, C Joey Jones leads their scoring with 8 points.

 

Coach Vandergard must have lit into his guys at the half, because they come out playing defense and kept the Shockers from scoring for over 4 minutes. Meanwhile the Bears scored 14 points to take a 44-35 lead. With 5-1/2 minutes remaining in the game, Wichita State cuts the lead to 2 points. The Bears fight back to pull ahead 64-57 with 57 seconds to go. That’s a big enough lead to hold off the Shockers. The Bears turned things around in the 2nd half to outshoot the Shockers 50% to 44% for the entire game, as well as finishing with +3 in rebounds and +5 in turnovers.

 

I think my team will benefit from attending tonight’s game and will be able to up the level of their game based on what they saw tonight. Of course, I have a couple guys who don’t pay attention and only learn by a 2X4 up beside the head. But I got to meet with Coach Vandergard. I was surprised how familiar he was with our program at Mountain Grove, and he was very complimentary about the job I have done there. I tried to get him excited about one of our players and also mentioned a couple others in our league that the Bears should scout. He said he’d pass that along to his first assistant coach.

 

Final Score: Missouri State (9-6, 3-3, 4th place tie)—66, Wichita State—61.

 

Leading players for Missouri State: C Joey Jones-14 pts, 5 assists, 3 reb, 2 steals; PF Ricky Lee-12 pts, 1 assist, 9 reb, 1 steal; SG Brent Gregory-11 pts, 6 assists, 3 reb, 1 steal; PG Bart McCain-9 pts, 1 assist, 1 reb.

 

Player of the Game: C Joey Jones-14 pts, 5 assists, 3 reb, 2 steals.

[PointGuard 70]

Erick McGadney, 1st Assistant Coach

 

Game #16, Jan. 18, 2019: Missouri State Bears (9-6, 3-3) vs Southern Illinois Salukis (8-7, 4-2)

 

We only had two scholarships to award this season and since we’ve already locked up our two recruits, I’m spending more time working with the team.

 

While the other 4 positions are set, the starter at the SF position for us continues to flip-flop between Quintin Asbury and Aaron Wells. Tonight Aaron is starting. After a slow start this season, he’s begun to pick up his game.

 

In less than 3 minutes of play PG Bart McCain is relegated to the bench with 2 fouls. Both teams are turnover-prone early in the game. At the first time out, Coach V tries to settle down our team. But our turnovers continue resulting in giving the Salukis as 12-8 lead with 13:17 to go and raising the intensity level of their fans. With the house rocking, we aren’t handling the pressure well. With 5 minutes left in the half, we already have 12 turnovers and Southern Illinois has used that to build a 30-20 lead. The half finally ends with us trailing 36-28. We had 16 turnovers in the half! That’s given the Salukis far too many breakaway lay-ins. The refs have made life difficult for us also, whistling us 13 times and sending Southern Illinois to the line 10 more times than we got there where they scored 8 more points. SG Brent Gregory tops our scoring with 10 points.

 

Early in the 2nd half we fell behind by 14 points, but then Brent Gregory took it upon himself to get us back into the game. He poured in 15 points to tie the game at 53-53 with 10:44 remaining. At that point we had to pull Gregory to give him a breather and the Salukis scored the next 8 points. We cut their lead to 4 and then Gregory came back in and he pulled us within a single point with 2:30 left to go. The refs then kept calling fouls on us and with 50 seconds to go, we trailed 68-61. PG Bart McCain was fouled and made both shots to trim the lead to 5. We then fouled and they made 1 of 2 shots. Down by 6 with 35 seconds to go, We called a time out to draw up a play to free Gregory for a 3…it worked to make it 69-66 with 26 seconds on the clock. We fouled again but this time they sunk both fouls shots. Another time out, another 3 by Gregory and we trailed 71-69. We fouled with 5 seconds remaining, but again they made both free throws. McCain got off a desperation last shot and tried to lean in to his defender, hoping to sink the shot and draw a foul to tie the game. No foul but his shot missed anyway, so it didn't matter.

 

Turnovers (23 by us) and fouls (30 by us sending the Salukis to the line 45 times) were our downfall.

 

Final Score: Southern Illinois—73, Missouri State (9-7, 3-4, 5th place tie)—69.

 

Leading players for Missouri State: SG Brent Gregory-35 pts, 1 assist, 2 reb; no one elsc scored more than 6 points.

 

Player of the Game: SF Bryan Briggs: 19 pts, 2 assists, 1 reb, 3 steals.

 

Injury: C Joey Jones suffers a serious bruise to his right arm that will keep him out of the next game.

[PointGuard 70]

Buddy and Brenda Portman, Branson entertainers

 

Game #17, Jan. 21, 2019: Bradley Braves (6-10, 3-4) at Missouri State Bears (9-7, 3-4)

 

Buddy: This time of year, things are quieter than usual in Branson. In the winter, many performers leave and some of the theaters are dark. And those, like ours, that continue to have performances, reduce the number of shows per week. So we have the time to get to some of Missouri State’s games. It’s fun, exciting, and we have a good time interacting with the other fans. We had a great dinner at a Springfield restaurant before the game. That along with the drinks that went along with it ensure we are in a good mood.

 

Brenda: Meaghan Kriley doesn’t get to attend many of the games due to her schedule, but she’s here tonight, so I bring her over to sit with us. She’s such a sweet girl. Buddy likes kidding her and so there are a lot of laughs before the game.

 

Buddy: The Bears haven’t done all that well so far in conference play. With Joey Jones not suiting up, 7-1 freshman Marquis Hollins is starting at center for the Bears. The Bears scored the first 7 points and then forged that into as much as a 14 point lead, but let the Braves back into the game in the latter portion of the first half and came away with just a 33-29 halftime advantage. C Marquis Hollins had scoring honors for Missouri State with 12 points.

 

Brenda: During halftime, Alexei Koramatsov, came over to say hello. Meaghan gave him a cold look and ignored him completely. After he left, I asked Meaghan what was wrong. Instead of telling me, she asked me a bunch of questions about Alexei. I told her he was a friend and that Buddy liked to gamble. Alexei had given him tips and clued him into some bets that had panned out for some big winnings.

 

Buddy: The second half was ugly as both tams shot poorly. Bradley got within a single point midway through the half, but the Bears came back to go ahead 57-45 with 4 minutes left to play. They then expanded the lead to win easily.

 

Final Score: Missouri State (10-7, 4-4, 5th place tie)—69, Bradley—48.

 

Leading Players for Missouri State: C Marquis Hollins-15 pts, 2 assists, 6 reb, 2 steals; PG Bart McCain-12 pts, 2 assists, 2 reb, 2 steals; PF Ricky Lee-10 pts, 5 reb.

 

Player of the Game: C Marquis Hollins-15 pts, 2 assists, 6 reb, 2 steals.

[PointGuard 70]

 

Meaghan Kriley, KSMO TV News Anchor

 

Gambling! So Alexei Koramatsov is a gambler. Very interesting. That’s not a path I had thought to check. I need to look into this more.

 

[PointGuard 70]

Annika Vandergard, Bret’s sister

 

A couple weeks ago, I called Bret and asked him if Tommy and I could come live with him for a while. I divorced Jimmy Rothman, my husband and Tommy’s father, not long after our Tommy got returned to me after being kidnapped in Cheney, Washington. Jimmy just wasn’t adding anything to the marriage or as a father. No job, and his attitude was a bad influence on Tommy and making me depressed. 

 

But Tommy’s nearly 8 years old now and needs a man in his life. I’m hoping that Bret can provide that. Tommy’s acting out. Far too much for such a young child. But he grew up pretty fast while being held by the kidnappers and what he saw and learned there was not what anybody wants him to emulate. He needs somebody other than me setting high expectations and providing some discipline.

 

I was reluctant to ask Bret, knowing he’s consumed by his coaching duties, but there was no one else I felt could help. Bret was great. He didn’t even hesitate. He just said, “Sure Sis, it would be great to have you and Tommy here with me.”

 

When we arrived several days ago, Bret took Tommy right into what is to be Tommy’s bedroom. It was bare. He said, “OK, Tommy, let’s you and me decide what you want in YOUR bedroom.” They spent a good part of the day deciding what color to paint the walls, what furnishings there should be, and what decorations Tommy wanted on the wall. Tommy was ecstatic! 

 

We got him into school here and Bret has been taking him to school nearly every morning. Tommy likes that. Tommy has given his teachers a tough time and not done well in school thus far, but Bret is working with him and making sure he does his homework...often not an easy thing to get Tommy to do.

 

Tommy still has had some bad behavior episodes, but now it’s a shared effort between Bret and me to handle those. Tommy knows what buttons to push to set me off, but he hasn’t figured that out with Bret, so Bret is much better to get control when it’s needed.

 

Bret doesn’t talk about his personal life, so I was surprised to see Meaghan Kriley spending as much time as she has been at the house. With her anchor role with the TV station, she’s a busy woman though, so her time here comes in spurts. Fortunately, she and I get along great. And Tommy likes her also, so that’s a bonus.

 

As for me, I’ve taken a part time job at a boutique in Springfield just to have something to do and have some spending money. The owner has been great at giving me hours that allow me to get off in time to pick up Tommy at school and be home with him in the afternoons. It’s not a job I’d want to do forever, but fills the bill for now.

 

The only down side is that Tommy’s grandparents still live in Washington state so they can’t see Tommy and me regularly like they used to do. But I’m working on them to get back for a visit soon.

[PointGuard 70]

Rob Porter, Sports Writer, Springfield News-Leader

 

 

Game #18, Jan. 25, 2019: Missouri State Bears (10-7, 4-4) at Indiana State Sycamores (8-9, 3-5)

 

The struggling Missouri State Bears traveled to Terre Haute, Indiana to take on the Indiana State Sycamores, a team that had a 4 game losing streak.

 

The Bears were unable to get untracked in the first half and steadily fell off the pace. They turned over the ball 9 times in the half leading to 14 fast break points for the Sycamores. The half ended with Missouri State trailing 35-26. SF Aaron Wells was the top scorer for the Bears with 5 points. For Indiana State, PF Rowland Williams contributed 11 points, many of those on put-backs.

 

The Bears then completely disappeared in the second half. They allowed Indiana State to control the boards (35-26), turned the ball over too much (17 times), hit just 33% of their FT attempts and a miserable 19% of their 3’s (4 of 21). The Sycamores dismantled Missouri State’s offense and riddled their defense.

 

Final Score: Indiana State—76, Missouri State (10-8, 4-5, 6th place tie)—47.

 

Leading players for Missouri State: PG Bart McCain-8 pts, 3 assists, 1 steal.

 

Player of the Game: Indiana State’s PF Rowland Williams-16 pts, 2 assists, 7 reb, 1 steal.

 

Injury: PG Bart McCain strained a muscle and is likely to miss the next game.

[PointGuard 70]

 

•  
•  
•  

Steve Piersall, KSMO TV sports anchor

 

Comments on the late night sports news:

The Missouri State Bears basketball team was favored to be at the top of the Missouri Valley Conference this season. But the Bears have disappointed their fans with lackluster play which has them firmly entrenched in the lower half of the conference standings. Bret Vandergard was brought in to make Missouri State a force in the MVC, but he has failed thus far. The team is no better than before he arrived and is mired in the lower half of the conference standings. Vandergard brought in some reportedly good transfer players and recruits, but the team hasn’t coalesced. Vandergard doesn’t seem to have the answers on how to make the Bears highly competitive. What’s this guy done for us, anyway? He might have done well at Eastern Washington, but this is a bigger program in a tougher conference. It’s time to turn things around or hit the road, coach!

[PointGuard 70]

Meaghan Kriley, KSMO TV News Anchor

 

I was seething while listening to Steve Piersall’s diatribe during the sports segment on tonight’s news. Before the camera came back to me, I had to make a conscious effort to reign in my anger so it wouldn’t show to our audience. My co-anchor kidded Steve on the air about never having opinions. I think I was expected to join in, but remained quiet since I knew any of my comments would be either icy or critical. The station expects our team to be “fun” and kid and joke around as we go from one segment to another. While sometimes it’s natural, I think it often is forced and fakey. I guess our audience likes it though, since we remain the #1 nightly local news program in our market.

 

I'd like to take back the Christmas present I gave to Steve last month.

[PointGuard 70]

Cyndi Rayburn, Missouri St. athletic dept. public relations

 

Game #19, Jan. 28, 2019: Missouri State Bears (10-8, 4-5) at Northern Iowa Panthers (12-7, 5-4)

 

Darn, another road game! And against a tougher team that the team we lost to early this week by nearly 30 points! I’m having a tough time coming up with positive things to put out about our team. I have relatives near Cedar Falls, Iowa so got to accompany the team for this game. I’m hoping I can find some good public interest slant during this trip so even if the Bears lose, I will have something good to put into a press release and onto our website and blog.

 

The Bears stomped the Panthers by 32 points at the beginning of conference play, but while losing their first game of the season at home, Northern Iowa then has reeled off 7 straight home victories. Their SG Edwin Walton is averaging 15.9 ppg and hitting a high percentage of his shots. 

 

We held Northern Iowa scoreless for the first 3-1/2 minutes of the game, but the Bears could only score 4 points during the same period of time. Bart McCain twisted his knee a minute later and left the game. The Bears held onto a small lead but in the late going in the half, the lead switched back-and-forth. The half ended with the Bears on top 41-39. SG Cleveland Brown had a surprisingly good half, coming off the bench to score 10 points. But reserve guard Ronnie Towns torched the nets with 16 points for the Panthers.

 

The Bears came out with renewed energy in the 2nd half and opened a bigger lead that they expanded to double digits with 7 minutes to play. Then in the last 5 minutes, the Bears quickly pulled further away with their bench (which scored 55 points) leading the way. The way the Bears shot at the free throw line (49%), it’s surprising they won.

 

Yahoo! I’m going to have some good news to spread.

 

Final Score: Missouri State (11-8, 5-5, 3rd place tie)—86, Northern Iowa—67.

 

Leading players for Missouri State: SG Cleveland Brown-19 pts, 3 assists, 7 reb, 1 block; PG Terrance Simmons-15 pts, 2 assists, 2 reb, 2 steals; PF Ricky Lee-11 pts, 3 assists, 2 reb; C Marquis Hollins-8 pts, 2 assists, 5 reb.

 

Player of the Game: SG Cleveland Brown-19 pts, 3 assists, 7 reb, 1 block.

 

Injury report: The team doctor has advised the Bart McCain should not practice the next two days. The doctor will re-evaluate him at that point so his status for our next game is uncertain.

[PointGuard 70]

 

Paris George, 3rd Assistant Coach

 

Coach V and I are hopeful that last night was a break out game for Cleveland Brown. He hadn’t produced as we had hoped in earlier games, but his shooting and overall play were top-flight against Northern Iowa. We need him coming off the bench to give us a lift and his play last night should have boosted his confidence.

 

[PointGuard 70]

Wayne23 wrote:Ya can't miss with a name like Cleveland Brown! Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

 

This hasn't been officially confirmed but sources say that Cleveland Brown has had a bit of a falling out with his family and is considering legally changing his name to Baltimore Raven. 

[PointGuard 70]

Alexei Koramatsov, “entrepreneur”

 

Game #20, Feb. 1, 2019: Illinois State Redbirds (8-11, 5-5) at Missouri State Bears (11-8, 5-5)

 

After taking a bath on that Missouri State loss a couple weeks ago, I laid off betting on their games. But their inconsistent play has created a golden opportunity. Also Illinois State has won 4 of their last 5 games. Although the Bears are favorites to beat a team they lost to by 4 points earlier this year, that was an away game for the Bears and the book for this game has a very low spread, so low that I think a bet on the Bears is my chance to make up what I lost earlier. Also, when I took him out to lunch yesterday, I picked up from Bret Vandergard that Bart McCain has recuperated and will start at PG again tonight. That’s not news that others know yet. So I’m plunging in again and the Bears better deliver this time.

 

Both teams come out slow, but the Bears put on a big run to pull out to a 15-4 lead with 12:25 on the clock in the half. Missouri State dominated all aspects of the game in the first half and stormed off to a 37-19 halftime advantage. SG Brent Gregory topped their scoring with 11 points. 

 

In the 2nd half, Missouri State quickly opened a 20 point lead then the lead oscillated between 15 and 20 points throughout most of the rest of the game. The Bears won with ease and I pocketed a wad of money.

 

Final Score: Missouri State (12-8, 6-5, 2nd place tie)—74, Illinois State—61.

 

Leading players for Missouri State: SG Brent Gregory-16 pts, 2 assists, 6 reb, 2 steals; SF Quinton Asbury-11 pts, 4 reb; PG Bart McCain-10 pts, 6 assists, 1 reb, 2 steals; PF Ricky Lee-10 pts, 1 assist, 1 reb, 1 steal.

 

Player of the Game: SG Brent Gregory-16 pts, 2 assists, 6 reb, 2 steals.

 

For Illinois State: PG John Gresham-26 pts.

[PointGuard 70]

 

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Brad Thompson, sports reporter for The Standard, Missouri St

 

Game #21, Feb. 4, 2019: Drake Bulldogs (15-7, 6-5) at Missouri State Bears (12-8, 6-5)

The Missouri State Bears came into last night’s game wanting some revenge. Their opponents, the Drake Bulldogs had beaten the Bears earlier in the season by 5 points and now were tied with the Bears for 2nd place in the conference standings.

Led by Brent Gregory’s 12 points, the Bears gradually pulled away to a 39-25 halftime lead. 

The Bears expanded their lead to 23 points after just 4 minutes of play in the 2nd half. They then held the Bulldogs off to score a big win at home. The Bears outshot Drake 52% to 33%, controlled the boards to the tune of 34-25, and held a 16-13 turnover advantage.

Final Score: Missouri State (13-8, 7-5, 2nd place tie)—71, Drake—51.

Leading players for Missouri State: SG Brent Gregory-22 pts, 3 assists, 4 reb, 2 steals; PG Bart McCain-11 pts, 6 reb, 1 steal; PF Ricky Lee-8 pts, 2 assists, 2 reb, 1 steal.

Player of the Game: SG Brent Gregory-22 pts, 3 assists, 4 reb, 2 steals.

Award: SG Brent Gregory was announced as the MVC Player of the Week.

[PointGuard 70]

 

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Annika Vandergard, Bret’s sister

 

Things are going well with us here in Springfield. Bret has been great with Tommy. He’s spent far more time with Tommy than I expected. Tommy revels in the attention, and I think Bret really enjoys doing things with Tommy. They often just play, but have also gone bowling, to miniature golf, and laser tag as well as practicing basketball. Tommy still doesn’t like school but Bret has also been helping Tommy with his homework so maybe that will change. What Tommy really loves is when Bret takes him to practice sessions with the Bears. The players treat Tommy like a little king so what child wouldn’t love that. And Tommy is getting pretty good handling and shooting the basketball. Bret wants Tommy to participate in a youth league next year.

Meaghan Kriley has also spent time with Tommy, although she’s not over here as much as I’d expected. Last week she took Tommy to the TV station where he got a great tour and even got to aim the cameras and push some buttons in the control room before one of the programs. But the job Tommy said he really wants is the guy who goes out to get food and drinks for the TV personalities. Meaghan says that guy is part of Craft Services and is a “Runner” for the station and is the lowest paid person on the staff. My son has really high goals, huh!

[PointGuard 70]

 

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Steve Praholm, KMSU, campus radio sports reporter

 

Hey Bears fans! This is Steve Praholm. After practice this afternoon, I caught up with Brent Gregory, who leads the Bears in scoring this season. Here’s a replay of my interview:

SP: Hey Brent, congratulations on your selected as the conference player of the week! Your play led the Bears to a couple crucial wins.

BG: Thanks. But the entire team picked up their level of play. We weren’t happy at all with how we had been playing.

SP: Well, you’ve climbed up the conference standings. Are you going to be able to catch up with Southern Illinois? 

BG: The Salukis have been playing solid ball and don’t seem about to let up. So all we can do is give it our best each and every game and let the chips fall where they may. The main thing is to continue to improve our record and then win the conference tournament to ensure we make it to the Big Dance. The main thing is for us to play with more intensity in our road games. We’re 2-and-4 thus far on the road in conference play and that sucks!

SP: You also were recently selected as a quarterfinalist for the Norton Award. That puts you in some pretty impressive company and is a big honor for Missouri State also since we’ve never had anyone in the running before.

BG: Yes, I’m truly honored to be considered for that award. There are some big name players who are the favorites to win it though, but I’m happy to have gotten this far.

[PointGuard 70]

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Kent Benedictus, Missouri State alumnus

 

Game #22, Feb. 8, 2019: Missouri State Bears (13-8, 7-5) at Loyola-Chicago Ramblers (11-10, 5-7)

I graduated from Missouri State 10 years ago and moved to Chicago where I’m now a Buyer at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. I’ve been following the Bears since graduating, but even more so since Coach Vandergard took over the reins and brought hope for some success that has long eluded Missouri State in basketball. I’ve always liked basketball, even though I could never play it well. I’m particularly interested to see how Marquis Hollins, the big 7-1 freshman that Vandergard recruited, plays and ultimately develops for the Bears. My job doesn’t allow me much free time so I can only see the Bears play when they come to Chicago each year. 

Watching the pregame warmup, Hollins looks even bigger than his 7-1, 275 pounds. Loyola-Chicago has a 6-11 center, Brian Burroughs, so I can’t wait to see how Hollins matches up against him.

Hollins comes off the bench after the first 5 minutes with the score tied at 10-10. While he doesn’t do anything offensively, defensively he’s intimidating inside. The Bears take an 18-15 lead in the 5 minutes he’s on the court. Hollins comes back into the game with about 4 minutes to play in the half and scores 5 points to help the Bears rally from a 5 points deficit to take a 42-39 halftime advantage. SF Quintin Asbury leads the Bears offensively with 11 points.

The refs begin to work over the Bears in the 2nd half. But the Bears are able to maintain a very small lead until late in the game when the Ramblers and their 6th men (the refs) break through to take a small lead. Missouri State battle back though and retakes a 70-69 lead with 3:35 remaining. With 40 seconds left, Aaron Wells is fouled and knocks down both shots to put the Bears on top 78-76. The Bears apply great defense, preventing the Ramblers from shooting until 17 seconds remain and then forcing a miss. After the Bears rebound, the Ramblers are forced to foul Joey Jones with 14 seconds on the clock. Jones makes the first but misses the 2nd shot and then Loyola-Chicago hits a 3 to tie the game. Vandergard calls a time out to set a play. Even though he gets a good screen, Bart McCain 12 footer rattles out at the buzzer.

In overtime, a combination of stone-cold shooting and repeated turnovers by the Bears together with frequently whistled fouls by the refs to put the Ramblers on the line spells disaster. Coach Vandergard is increasingly apoplectic on the sidelines during the OT. As a fan, I'm depressed by the loss.

Final Score: Loyola-Chicago-89, Missouri State (13-9, 7-6, 2nd place tie)—81 (OT).

Leading players for Missouri State: C Joey Jones-12 pts, 1 assist, 7 reb, 1 steal; SF Quintin Asbury-13 pts, 1 steal; SG Brent Gregory-11 pts, 3 assists, 5 reb, 2 steals; SF Aaron Wells-10 pts, 1 assist, 4 reb, 1 steal; C Marquis Hollins-9 pts, 2 assists, 2 reb, 3 steals; PF Ricky Lee-9 pts, 2 assists, 4 reb, 1 steal.

Player of the Game: Loyola-Chicago’s SF Ricardo Canty-22 pts, 2 assists, 3 reb, 1 steal.

[PointGuard 70]

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Paris George, 3rd Assistant Coach

 

After last night’s loss, Coach V was upset not only how the team folded in overtime, but how they took the loss so lightly. Today he reviewed film of the game with the team pointing out weaknesses, mistakes, and lack of effort of individual players. Soon some of the players began rationalizing or providing excuses and then players began to cut down the lack of effort of their teammates and got on other players cases about their play. By the end of the review, all the players were upset and arguing. To say there was a lot of tension in the room is a gross understatement.

After the players left, I asked Coach V what that was all about. He said, the team was flat and lacking a killer instinct and they needed a spark to awake them.

[PointGuard 70]

p

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Paris George, 3rd Assistant Coach

 

During the subsequent day’s practice, the players initially displayed antagonistic attitudes toward one another as a residue of the previous day’s encounter. Then Coach V and I began riding the players hard, really hard. Soon the players banded together as a means of countering what Coach V and I were doing to them. Bret and I turned aside and smiled at each other. 

We’ll see if the renewed chemistry and effort results in better play in our upcoming game

[PointGuard 70]

Cedric Hastings, owner of the Missourian Diner

 

Game #23, Feb. 11, 2019: Evansville Purple Aces (9-13, 5-8) at Missouri State Bears (13-9, 7-6)

 

 

The Bears have been playing inconsistently during conference play. Tonight they take on a team that has had alternating wins and losses in their last 8 games. So, I guess the question for both teams is which team will show up tonight? 

 

The Bears came out of the blocks on fire and quickly built a 29-14 lead. By the end of the half, Missouri State was on top by an astounding 60-39 score. The Bears had hit 60% of their shots, owned a 15-10 rebounding advantage, had turned the ball over just 1 time (while forcing the Purple Aces to make 7 turnovers). And the lead would have been even larger had the refs not called 17 fouls against the Bears, putting Evansville on the line 27 times where they scored 23 of their 39 points. PG Bart McCain tossed in 15 points. 

 

The Bears held Evansville at arms distance throughout the 2nd half and cruised to an easy victory. The Bears looked like a different team than the one that has shown up for their recent games.

 

Final Score: Missouri State (14-9, 8-6, 2nd place tie)—92, Evansville—76.

 

Leading players for Missouri State: PG Bart McCain-17 pts, 5 assists, 1 reb, 1 steal; C Marquis Hollins-14 pts, 3 assists, 3 reb, 2 steals; SF Aaron Wells-14 pts, 2 assists, 5 reb; SG Brent Gregory-11 pts, 3 assists, 1 reb, 2 steals; PF Kenneth Grandison-10 pts, 1 assist, 1 reb.

 

Player of the Game: PG Bart McCain-17 pts, 5 assists, 1 reb, 1 steal.

 

For Evansville: PF Jonathan Robinson-20 pts, 9 reb.

 

Award: C Marquis Hollins was named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman Player of the Week.

 

Injury: PG Bart McCain strained his calf in practice and may miss the next 3 or 4 games.

[PointGuard 70]

Rob Porter, Sports Writer, Springfield News-Leader

 

Game #24, Feb. 15, 2019: Missouri State Bears (14-9, 8-6) at Wichita State Shockers (10-13, 5-9)

 

Missouri State’s men’s basketball team journeyed to Wichita last night to take on the Shockers. The Bears employed a withering defense in the first half, allowing the Shockers to his just 21% of their shots and forcing Wichita State to turn the ball over 9 times. Meanwhile the Bears hit 57% of their shots and dominated the boards 18-9. The result was a 39-13 lead for the Bears at the end of the first half. SG Brent Gregory and PF Kenneth Grandison paced the Bears with 9 points apiece in the first half.

 

The Bears maintained their distance through most of the 2nd half although the Shockers cut into their lead a little in the final minutes of the game. Missouri State soundly defeated Wichita State by outshooting and outrebounding the Shockers.

 

Final Score: Missouri State (15-9, 9-6, 2nd place tie)—67, Wichita State—51.

 

Leading players for Missouri State: SG Brent Gregory-20 pts, 1 assist, 4 reb; PG Terrence Simmons-11 pts, 4 assists, 1 reb; SF Aaron Wells-8 pts, 2 assists, 3 reb, 1 steal.

 

Player of the Game: SG Brent Gregory-20 pts, 1 assist, 4 reb.