Missouri State opens their exhibition schedule tonight against Truman State, after having been granted a waiver by the NCAA to play a third exhibition game this season — a fundraiser to help Joplin, MO recover from this summer’s tornado, which will happen on November 5. They’ll then play William Jewel this Saturday, rescheduled from next Saturday to allow the game in Joplin.
And so the Paul Lusk Era begins in earnest down in Springfield. Another coach from the Gene Keady/Matt Painter coaching tree, just as his predecessor Cuonzo Martin was, Lusk will run a similar style both on offense and defense. In that sense, it’s a canny hire. Additionally, he played at Southern Illinois in the early-and-mid 90s, then spent a season on the bench in Carbondale with Matt Painter before moving to Purdue, so he obviously knows the Valley territory. “I’m very excited to be at Missouri State,” Lusk said at his media day press conference Tuesday in St. Louis, “and very excited to be back in the Missouri Valley.”
Missouri State may not have great NCAA Tournament tradition — just seven all-time appearances and none since 1999 — but they do have a winning tradition. Having played against Charlie Spoonhour’s great Bears teams in the 90s, I asked Lusk about that tradition earlier this week at MVC media day.
“When you have some job possibilities, you want to go to a place that has had success over the long haul. Over the long haul, if you look at the Missouri State situation, it’s been successful over the long haul and basketball is important here. They have a passionate fan base. That’s what excites me about this spot. It was a great program when I played against Coach Spoonhour’s teams when I was at Southern Illinois, and it continued to be a great program when Steve Alford, Barry Hinson and obviously Cuonzo (Martin) were here.”
Four starters are gone from their MVC regular-season championship team of a year ago. Will Creekmore, Jermaine Mallett, Adam Leonard and Nafis Ricks started all 35 games, and all have used up their eligibility, taking with them almost 43 points and 19 rebounds a game. Only three players who averaged double-digit minutes return, and there are seven newcomers.
Sounds like a classic case of a rebuilding year, right? Maybe not. The only returning starter just so happens to be the reigning MVC Player of the Year in Kyle Weems. A fantastic player who does everything, Weems played 32 minutes a game last year, averaging 16 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting 47% from the floor and 39% from behind the arc.
“I feel for Kyle Weems. I’m his third coach. He’s committed to this institution and he’s committed to this program. He’s a self-made player. Now he’s got an opportunity to come back and hopefully repeat as the best player in the league. He’s a terrific player and an even better person.”
Weems graduated in the spring and had the opportunity to spend his senior season on any campus in America without sitting out a year. He chose to stay in Springfield, however. I asked Lusk if he had to do much recruiting to convince his star to stick around.
“I felt confident that Springfield is where he belongs. The thing I sold him on was, ‘We’ve got unfinished business here. It’s been 13 years since we’ve been to the NCAA Tournament. You’ve had a very good career. Let’s make it a great career and bust through to the NCAA Tournament.'”
Weems not only chose to stick it out in Springfield, he became Lusk’s eyes and ears during the summer months when the new coach couldn’t work with his players. According to Lusk, Weems gave him constant updates on his teammates’ progress, and “debriefed” him on the personalities and inner workings of the locker room — invaluable information for a new coach.
“What I’ve told our team, however, is that Kyle is going to do what he’s going to do every single night. He’s going to be a very good basketball player. But Kyle Weems cannot win the Valley championship for us. It’s going to be all of the other players around him that step up that determine our fate.”
So what about those other players? At the moment, the Bears are beset by the injury bug, which is making it tough to get a read on their progress. Dorian Williams, a 6’1″ guard who led his Oklahoma City Douglass team to consecutive state titles, is already done for the season and will redshirt following a shoulder injury. Fellow freshman Andrew Wilson is out for at least two more weeks, and potentially longer, with what Lusk called a “severe groin pull.” Sophomore Corey Copeland is suffering from severe back spasms, and just got back on the floor Monday.
Keith Pickins, who started 17 games two years ago as a true freshman, then ruptured his left patellar tendon last offseason and missed the entire season, is doing well according to Lusk:
“He’s doing great with his rehab of his knee, but he’s still not ready for the day-to-day pounding so we’re holding him out. We’re hoping to get him on the floor by next week. He’s a very important piece of the puzzle for us this season.”
Minus those four, the Bears have charged ahead. Nathan Scheer, a 6’4″ sophomore, will be asked to shoulder a much larger role this year after averaging 4.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in 20 minutes a game last year.
“He had a good season as a freshman. Last year, he was a secondary guy. Now, he’s got to take that next step and become a primary guy. He’s a good catch and shoot guy. He’s a kid who is just a winner.”
Caleb Patterson is the only other returning player with considerable experience. A 6’11” senior, Patterson averaged 5.5 points and 2.2 rebounds while backing up Will Creekmore last year. A capable scorer both around the basket and behind the arc, he had five games a year ago where he scored in double figures.
“He’s got a lot of offensive tools. We need him to be a consistent player. He is a big kid who has kind of Euro game. He can really shoot the basketball and he can stretch the defense. He’s a face-up guy. I welcome that. If he’s going to play as much as we all want him to, he’s got to defend and rebound like a five, though.”
Given their lack of experience, the Bears count their lucky stars that Michael Bizoukas opted to do what Kyle Weems did not — leave his former school after graduating early. Bizoukas graduated in three years from DePaul and comes to Springfield as an experienced point guard who’s been battle-tested in the Big East.
“He is a great addition to our program, and is a very coachable player. He is a true floor general and facilitator who can score, and his college basketball experience at DePaul should help us. He understands what it’s about. We lost our starting point guard. We need someone who can come in and be a stabilizing force.”
All of that inexperience on the roster means plenty of opportunity for everyone, and that’s something Lusk has been preaching.
“Kyle Weems is the lone returning starter, so there are four spots available and I think that makes for competitive practices. If you’re a newcomer, you should come into this situation thinking, ‘I’ve got a chance to be a starter.’ If you’re a returner, you should look at the roster and say, ‘There’s no way I’m letting one of these newcomers come in and beat me out.'”
The Bears will challenge themselves with a grueling non-conference schedule. They go on the road to Nevada, Oral Roberts, New Mexico and both Arkansas State and Arkansas Little Rock. They play Oklahoma State and Tulsa at home. And they play in the Las Vegas Classic, which includes a first round game against West Virginia. Baylor and Saint Mary’s are also in the tournament field.
“We have a challenging schedule, one of the most challenging they’ve ever had here. That’s what you want, though — you want the chance to play quality people so that at the end of the season when the NCAA Selection Committee looks at your resume, you’ve done your part.”
Most prognosticators do not believe Missouri State will be in position to have their resume make a difference in March; they’re picked sixth in the league. But with Kyle Weems, who was voted the preseason MVC Player of the Year after winning the award last year, it would be unwise to completely count them out. At the very least, they’ll be a very dangerous team in St. Louis with the potential to spoil someone’s season.