OPINION |
Heading into the weekend, a new Missouri State basketball season is ready to take flight and it’s been announced that the career of one of the most iconic coaches in Ozarks sports history will conclude next spring.
Let’s begin with a look at the basketball Bears. The opponent will not strike fear into the eyes of opponents, probably even those on its Division III level. Nope, Westminster College is not exactly West Virginia, Drake or South Carolina State but …
There was plenty to like about Missouri State’s basketball team in its 100-51 exhibition basketball victory on Thursday night in Great Southern Bank Arena. The Bears were focused, they played hard and best of all they played fast.
Raising the speed limit for these Bears
Throughout the offseason, coach Dana Ford’s plan has been to raise the speed limit for his team with a notable disclaimer: Turnovers have to be kept to a minimum. The Bears had 13 on Thursday and that’s an acceptable number, especially considering 10 of them occurred in the second half as the starters cheered from the sideline.
Not only will the fans welcome a faster style, but so could the winning percentage. This Bears team appears to have the horses to run the race.
“It’s just better for us to play fast,” Ford said. “We have to take care of the ball. That’s why we slowed it down last year, because we turned it over. I just don’t like turnovers and I've had to mature and understand we're going to have some. But I really feel like this group will take care of the ball.
“It may not be in November, but by January-February, I think we'll be taking care of the ball.”
‘Get to the next play'
There may be times when the Bears encounter an opponent determined to slow the game down and turn it into a half-court slog. Ford wants to combat that by having his team advance the ball up the floor in a hurry, whether it’s off a make or miss.
Getting to the next play. That’s a motto he’s preaching. Make a good play? Get to the next play. Make a bad play? Get to the next play.
“It’s more so about a mentality, getting to the next play,” he said. “It’s gonna be a challenge for the staff to have an understanding we may turn it over 14, 15 times. You want to be around 12.
“Hopefully we make enough threes to offset that. But again, these guys are fast. There’s no sense in walking it up with them.”
This MO State team has a true point guard
The first key in the motor is Matthew Lee, the senior point guard who’s back from a knee injury suffered in last season’s second game. Lee needed 40 seconds to pick up his first assist on Thursday, grabbing a long rebound and leading a fast break with a perfect pass to Alston Mason that resulted in a three-point play.
Lee and Mason will be as quick as any guard combo in the Missouri Valley Conference. Chance Moore on the wing? Fast. N.J. Benson and Cesare Edwards at the power forward? Athletic and fast. Donovan Clay, who can play various positions? Fast, when he’s matched in the post.
There’s no more intriguing player on the roster than Lee, the true point guard the team desperately missed after he hurt his knee a year ago. Lee is on a minutes restriction for the time being, to around 18 per game. He’s practicing every other day, but the hope is for the restriction to be lifted when December arrives.
A ‘secret scrimmage' in Vegas
Playing a soft exhibition opponent like Westminster a few days before opening the season at West Virginia was by design, a chance to work out kinks coming off a challenging “secret scrimmage” on the road last weekend at UNLV. While extracting information on that scrimmage is a bit like stealing gold from Fort Knox, the Bears apparently played UNLV on even terms most of the way before losing by two possessions in the 40-minute simulated game portion.
Lee didn’t play down the stretch, having reached his minutes limit. No one is allowed to say it, but you get a pretty good idea that the coaching staff liked what they saw against the Runnin’ Rebels, who are similar in size, athletic ability and playing style to West Virginia.
There’s uncertainty on the availability of some of West Virginia’s top players due to some suspensions after a tumultuous offseason that was punctuated by the departure of veteran coach Bob Huggins after a DUI arrest. Ford knew when the game was scheduled that it was a difficult challenge and hasn’t changed his mind
“Any time you play a Power 5 (conference) team they’re gonna be bigger, faster, stronger,” Ford said. “They may not have all their players, but the thing about that level, most of the teams, if they have eight or nine guys playing, all eight or nine can play at our level. It’s going to be an uphill battle for us, but I like our guys. I like what they’re doing. We’ll see.”
Free throw shooting looked good and so did Alston Mason
Some thoughts from the Bears’ exhibition on Thursday:
- It took Missouri State all of four seconds to get on the scoreboard. Chance Moore grabbed the tip, drove, was fouled and made both free throws. Did we mention playing at a fast pace?
- Oh, and free throws. The Bears made 23 of 26 and, coming off a season in which they were ranked No. 346 nationally in free-throw accuracy, that’s a good sign whether it’s against the Westminster Blue Jays or the Boston Celtics.
- Alston Mason shot the ball with confidence, making both his 3-point attempts. After having to play point guard last season, Mason could be primed for a big season at his natural guard spot.
- Damien Mayo plays with the tenacity of a junk-yard dog. Even with a 30-point first-half lead, the sophomore was diving on the floor like it was a one-point game in the final minute.
- Xavier transfer Cesare Edwards, as billed, has terrific offensive skills and appears to be a good teammate. He has good body language on the court and off, often clapping and encouraging his teammates.
- Freshman Tyler Bey also has lots of offensive upside. Benefitting from playing all 20 second-half minutes, Bey got some valuable game experience and wound up with a team-leading 19 points.
- Ford has a core nine he will start the season with. The starting five consists of Clay, Benson, Moore, Lee and Mason; Edwards, Mayo, Bay and Raphe Ayres are the top four subs.
Buckle in for a long campaign
Ford was pleased with the final tuneup.
“We did a pretty good job of trying to do some things we practice,” Ford said. “We had some guys trying to get some game-wind, like Tyler and Cesare, and particularly Tyler since he’s so young.
“Now, it’s on to the real games.”
And on to the marathon. Whatever happens at West Virginia, keep in mind it’s a long season that will have ups and downs. Between now and March we have to navigate Thanksgiving, Christmas, meaningful college football bowl games, New Year’s, the NFL playoffs, the NBA’s weird inaugural in-season tournament, the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day and the Daytona 500.
Go ahead and punch March into your GPS, buckle up and enjoy the ride. And, by all means, keep an eye on that raised speed limit.
One more season for Keith Guttin
Missouri State and its longtime baseball coach Keith Guttin made it official on Friday with the announcement that the 2024 season will be his last one. Guttin will retire after 42 seasons as the Bears’ baseball coach.
There are few coaches anywhere in the nation as loyal to a school as Guttin, whose success gave him plenty of opportunities over the years to move on to bigger programs and make more money. But he was a firm believer in the “grass isn’t always greener” theory and stayed where he felt he best belonged — and what a difference-maker he’s been.
Guttin took over the baseball Bears for the 1983 season and has accumulated 1,373 career victories, the most for any head coach in the history of Missouri State athletics. He is 12th all-time in Division I baseball and second among active coaches.
During Guttin's tenure, 137 Bears have signed professional contracts, including six first-round draft picks and 21 players who have advanced to the Major Leagues. Missouri State has won 20 regular-season or conference tournament championships, made 12 NCAA Division I Tournament appearances and finished in the top half of the conference race in all but seven of his 41 seasons.
This last season could be a special one
Kendall Rogers of DIbaseball.com reported a week ago Guttin’s plans to retire after one more season. With the returning talent and a good group of newcomers, it should be one more championship-contending season for the 68-year-old Guttin.
In typical Guttin fashion, he’s been reluctant to make any announcement about his retirement, wanting the focus to remain on the 2024 Bears. He’s always been a players-first coach. The talent is on hand to make it a potentially special going-away party.
“The biggest thank you of all goes to the players who have put on the uniform with pride and given their all for MSU,” Guttin said in a statement. “They have created the memories that we all cherish and the meaningful relationships that go way beyond their careers here.
“The program is in a good position going forward with the talented people in place here. Our focus now is preparing our team for the 2024 season and competing for championships.”
