OPINION |
Scoring was a big part of Kari Koch-Dowell’s game during her playing days at Missouri State, but just one of the many ways Koch impacted a game and became a program legend.
Passing? Koch remains second in program history in assists with 529. Steals? She’s second with 340. Defense? Three times she was named to the Missouri Valley Conference all-defensive team.
Yeah, she could score, too. Eighteen years after her final game, Koch remains third on the Missouri State career scoring list (2,073), third in scoring average (17 per game) and first in three-point field goals (271).
Moreover, Koch led the Lady Bears to three NCAA Tournament appearances, a WNIT championship and 88 victories from 2002-03 through 2006. Add it all up, and it’s easy to see why Koch will receive recognition that’s probably long overdue on Sunday.
‘It's an honor that is hard to put into words'
A native of Elsberry in eastern Missouri, where she’s now the high school’s athletic director and head girls’ basketball coach, Koch’s jersey No. 22 will be retired on Sunday, Jan. 21, at halftime of the Lady Bears’ 2 p.m. game against Indiana State.
“It’s an honor that is hard to put into words,” Koch said earlier this week. “When I was playing there, Jackie Stiles was just finished playing and her jersey got retired right away. I thought, ‘Man, that’s something special, something you don’t see right away.’ That was usually something reserved for guys who go to the NBA or girls who go into the WNBA.
“For me to get this honor, it’s hard to put into words. It’s crazy.”
Koch said she still follows the program and watches Missouri State games on streaming when she can, around her busy work schedule. She said it’s obvious that coach Beth Cunningham has the program headed in the right direction.
Team-oriented Koch a model for current players to study
If there’s a model player for current players to study, Koch might be the one. The 5-foot-8 guard, much like the incomparable Stiles, put up big numbers and did so in a team-oriented fashion. In fact, Koch said she enjoyed defense more than scoring.
“I really enjoyed defense,” she said. “It started in high school with the coach I had my first two years, who was a defensive guru. From that point on, I figured defense helps you get to your offense and is something you always can control. Sometimes the ball doesn’t always go in the hoop for you, but you can always play defense.”
It didn’t take long for Koch to make an immediate impact, winning Valley Freshman of the Year honors in 2003 as she became the first freshman in league history to be selected as the MVP of the conference tournament. She averaged 14.7 points that season and still holds the program’s freshman record for free throw percentage at .821.
Koch then earned Valley Player of the Year as a sophomore, averaging 17.8 points. Before she was done in 2006, Koch was a WBCA Kodak Honorable Mention All-American and was named to the Valley All-Centennial Team in 2007 and the Valley 25-Year team in 2018.
She led the Lady Bears in scoring in all three NCAA Tournament games she appeared in, scoring 19 points against No. 7 Texas Tech in 2003, 15 against Notre Dame in 2004 and 11 against No. 11 Purdue in 2006. Koch also helped lead the Lady Bears to two MVC regular-season titles and three conference tournament championships.
Sticking with Missouri State through a coaching change
This was all accomplished playing for a different coach than she signed up for. The legendary Cheryl Burnett signed Koch as a recruiting gem, but left after the 2001-02 season and Katie Abrahamson-Henderson was hired.
Koch not only honored her commitment and came to Missouri State, but said it never really crossed her mind not to.
“One, I loved the area. I enjoyed being in Springfield,” she said. “Two, the fan base. You can be playing in front of all those fans every game and they all traveled. That was one of my biggest things, I didn’t want to go somewhere there was nobody in the stands. And I knew some of the girls who were going to be my teammates and I wanted to give it a shot before anything.
“It made it a little different, too, that Coach Burnett didn’t go anywhere right away,” Koch said of Burnett not taking the Michigan job until a year later.
Playing for “Coach Abe” was an adjustment at first.
“I don’t think any of us had ever played zone and that’s what she wanted to play, coming from Iowa State,” Koch said. “It took time to adjust, but once we figured it out it was a good time. She was a good coach and we had a lot of great things we did as a team.
“I was glad I stayed and gave her an opportunity.”
Joining an exclusive club in the rafters
And now, her jersey will become just the fifth Lady Bear to hang in the rafters of Great Southern Bank Arena. The others are Stiles, Melody Howard, Jeanette Tendai and Coach Burnett. Talk about an exclusive club to be a part of.
Koch said that the only thing that could make the occasion even “a tiny bit better” would be if it had been held a day later. Koch’s uniform number of 22 has significance because her birthday is on the 22nd of July and that a lot of neat things have happened to her on that day of the month.
She first got the number in high school and it’s been dear to her ever since. No matter the date, Koch said it’s going to be a special day and she hopes to be able to share it with many of those who helped her achieve back in the days when Hammons Student Center rocked.
“I’m excited. It’s gonna be great to get back down there and see people I haven’t seen in a while,” Koch said. “I have a tremendous amount of people to thank for where I got to during my career. It took a lot of hands to get me there. I can’t even put this into words yet. It doesn’t even seem real.”
It’s a busy weekend in Great Southern Bank Arena with both the Missouri State Lady Bears and Bears playing home games against Missouri Valley Conference opponents.
Lady Bears doubleheader
The Missouri State women (10-4 overall, 4-1 Valley) play Evansville (2-14, 0-5) at 6:30 p.m. Friday and Indiana State (5-10, 1-4) at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Bears start two-game homestand
The Missouri State men (10-8 overall, 2-5 Valley) face Illinois State (8-10, 2-5) at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Bears continue the homestand at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24, against league co-leader Drake (15-3, 6-1).
Ticket info
Call (417) 836-7678 or visit the Great Southern Bank Arena Box Office, inside the main entrance.
