2023 Winter Sports Luncheon Program

D E C E M B E R 1 3 , 2 D0e 2c e3m b•e r 1 1 13 ,: 20002 3 A M T O 1 : 0 0 P M

Presented By:

F e at u r i n g t h e I N D U C T I O N o f :

Barry Hinson

yancey little

Brian Maloney

lyndal scranton

Basketball Coach

coach & Athletic director

PGA Club Professional

sportswriter

Natasha Neal Moore basketball

1964 & 1965 Buffalo HS Boys Basketball State Championship Teams 1986-1996 Pleasant Hill HS Wrestling Era 2005 & 2006 OZARK HS GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS 2009 Sparta HS Girls Basketball State Champs 2 0 23 WOM E N’S FILBE RT FIV E Lauren Aldridge Britton – Marshfield HS/Kansas/ mizzou Kristina Mingos Cunningham – Pembroke Hill HS/FGCU/Rollins College Alice Heinzler Harmon – Republic HS/College of the Ozarks/Drury CASSIDY JOHNSON DENTON – West Plains HS/College of the Ozarks Nicole Lehman Osborne – Lamar HS/Missouri State

2023 MEN ’S F ILB ERT FIV E Todd Crighton – College of the Ozarks

Spud Harbour – Glendale HS/Evangel

Chris Kendrix – Willard HS/Missouri State/Minnesota-Mankato Byron Looney – Central HS/Evangel Matthew Rogers – Doniphan HS/Southwest Baptist

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2023 WINTER HALL OF FAME LUNCHEON PROGRAM Opening ............................................................................................. Taylor Frederich | Director of Operations Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Invocation...........................................................................................................................NaTasha Neal Moore 2023 MSHOF Inductee Pledge of Allegiance ...................................................................................................................... Gary Hopkins MSHOF Volunteer National Anthem...............................................................................................................................Gary Turner Board Chairman Remarks .........................................................................Dan Nelson | Chairman of the Board Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Comments & Introductions ................................................................. Byron Shive | CEO & Executive Director Missouri Sports Hall of Fame 2023 WOMEN’S FILBERT FIVE

2023 MEN’S FILBERT FIVE

Todd Crighton – College of the Ozarks

Lauren Aldridge Britton – Marshfield HS/Kansas/Missouri

Spud Harbour – Glendale HS/Evangel

Kristina Mingos Cunningham – Pembroke Hill HS/FGCU/Rollins College Alice Heinzler Harmon – Republic HS/College of the Ozarks/Drury

Chris Kendrix – Willard HS/Missouri State/Minnesota-Mankato

Cassidy Johnson Denton – West Plains HS/College of the Ozarks

Byron Looney – Central HS/Evangel

Nicole Lehman Osborne – Lamar HS/Missouri State

Matthew Rogers – Doniphan HS/Southwest Baptist

INDUCTION CEREMONY Brian Maloney ................................................................................................................. PGA Club Professional 1986-96 Plesant Hill HS Boys Wrestling Era NaTasha Neal Moore ..........................................................................................................................Basketball 2009 Sparta HS Girls Basketball State Championship Team Lyndal Scranton ...............................................................................................................................Sportswriter 1964 & 1965 Buffalo HS Boys Basketball State Championship Teams Yancey Little .............................................................................................. High School Coach & Administrator 2005 & 2006 Ozark HS Girls Basketball State Championship Teams Barry Hinson ............................................................................................................................Basketball Coach Closing Remarks ...............................................................................................................................Byron Shive “WHERE THE GAME LIVES ON” Winter Sports Program.indd 1

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MISSOURI SPORTS HALL OF FAME 12/8/2023 4:02:39 PM

CONGRATULATIONS YANCEY LITTLE 1964 & 1965 BUFFALO HS BOYS STATE CHAMPIONS 2005 & 2006 OZARK HS GIRLS STATE CHAMPIONS 2009 SPARTA HS GIRLS STATE CHAMPIONS & THE ENTIRE MISSOURI SPORTS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2023

MOBCA.COM

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3 12/8/2023 4:02:41 PM

BEAR BASKETBALL NETWORK Congratulates Buffalo High School and the 1964 & 1965 State Basketball Champions

Congratulations also to former Buffalo & MSU Bear Basketball Greats

MERT BANCROFT & CHUCK WILLIAMS and former MSU head coach BARRY HINSON

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MISSOURI SPORTS HALL OF FAME 12/8/2023 4:02:42 PM

“WHERE THE GAME LIVES ON” Winter Sports Program.indd 5

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WHAT DOES A GREAT JOURNALIST AND A GREAT COACH HAVE IN COMMON?

They are both HOF Barbecuers

Congratulations! from Marty, Karin, Rachel & Domino’s

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MISSOURI SPORTS HALL OF FAME 12/8/2023 4:02:46 PM

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7 12/8/2023 4:02:49 PM

2023 FILBERT FIVE AWARDS The Filbert Five Award is given annually to 10 individuals who made significant contributions in the sport of basketball at the high school, collegiate and/or professional level. The award is named for the late Gary Filbert, a longtime basketball coach who at one time was an assistant to University of Missouri coach Norm Stewart (MSHOF Legend 2000), and was in instrumental in the start of the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association.

Lauren Aldridge Britton

Kristina Mingos Cunnigham

Britton helped Marshfield to a Class 4 thirdplace state finish her senior year in 2014, when she was a finalist for Miss ShowMe Basketball and earned her fourth AllState selection. She also was a three-time All-Central Ozark Conference Player of the Year, with the Lady Jays winning the conference all four of her seasons. She set school records for single-game assists and career and single-game 3-pointers. In two seasons at KU, she was on the All-Big 12 Conference Freshman Team after starting all 32 games in 2015, averaging 5.0 assists and 35 minutes. She had a team-best 11.1 scoring average the next season. At Mizzou, Aldridge started all 67 games and scored 441 points in two seasons (6.5 ppg) with 202 assists and 35 steals.

She also set the school record for assist-to-turnover ratio and, overall, was a 1,000-point scorer in college.

Cunningham was a four-year letterwinner at Pembroke Hill, leading three teams to the Final Four. She paced the Raiders to two state championships as a freshman and sophomore and a third-place finish as a junior. Overall, she scored 1,337 points, averaging 16.8 points per game, 4.25 steals, 3.9 assists and eight rebounds. In all four seasons, she earned All-State and All-Metro. In AAU competition, her teams finished in the top five at nationals on three occasions.

Cunningham also earned three All-State honors in golf, helping the team win four state titles and earned the KC Star’s 2000 Top Scholar Athlete Award. She also played for the Missouri Junior Olympic basketball team, which placed fourth in 2006. She spent one season at Florida Gulf Coast University and then played for Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., for three seasons. Cunningham scored 710 points, made 139 assists and had 126 steals in three seasons (2010-2012). During her junior season, she led Rollins in scoring (11.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 rpg). During her senior year, Rollins won the Sunshine State Conference and reached the NCAA Division II Final Four, all before graduating Maga Cum Laude in Biology. She now resides in Elk City, Okla., with her husband and two children.

Marshfield HS • Kansas / Missouri

Pembroke Hill HS • FGCU / Rollins

CONGRATULATIONS Lauren Aldridge Britton on your Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

Filbert Five Award

From everyone at MarshŚeld High School

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MISSOURI SPORTS HALL OF FAME 12/8/2023 4:02:56 PM

Cassidy Johnson Denton

Alice Heinzler Harmon

West Plains HS • College of the Ozarks

Republic HS • College of the Ozarks/Drury

A 2015 graduate of West Plains, Denton scored 1,646 career points, earned four varsity letters and twice was All-State in Class 4. She set the school record for most 3-pointers in a career (218) and in a game (11). The Lady Zizzers were 94-17 in her time. As a senior, she averaged 17 points, 2.7 assists and 2.3 steals a game. Overall, she was All-State as a junior and senior, and earned First Team All-District and All-Ozark Conference in her final three seasons, with the league naming her its MVP in 2015. Her teams won the conference in her final three seasons. At College of the Ozarks, Denton was a three-year starter, three-time NAIA All-American and scored 2,005 points, which ranks No. 4 all-time. She also set 3-point records for career (414) and single season (136), with C of O earning 121 wins and making four NAIA Division II Tournament appearances. As a senior, she scored 666 points and led the NAIA in 3-point field goals made (136), 3-pointers per game (3.886) and was No. 2 in 3-point field goal percentage (46.3).

Harmon helped Republic win a state title in 2012 and finish 25-2. That season, she earned First Team All-State, All-District, All-Central Ozark Conference and AllOzarks. That was after she averaged 20.1 points, 2.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 steals a game. She tied the program’s single-game scoring record (36 vs. Dexter), and had a record seven 3-pointers. Harmon also was co-MVP of the Central Ozark Conference. At College of the Ozarks, she helped the Lady Bobcats to an NAIA Tournament runner-up finish, setting a freshman record with 572 points (team-best 15.5 ppg). At NCAA Division II Drury University, she scored 1,078 points, with 142 assists and 195 steals in three seasons, helping lead the Lady Panthers to a 11316 record with three Sweet 16 appearances and three Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships. In her senior season, Harmon set the single game 3-point record (9) on her way to a record-breaking 41 points (vs. William Jewell).

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Nicole Lehman Osborne

Todd Crighton

Lamar HS • Missouri State

Rochester (Mich.) Adams HS • College of the Ozarks

Osborne graduated from Lamar High School in 2001 and finished as the program’s all-time leading scorer, with 2,450 points. She also was a two-time Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year and three-time All-State selection. She averaged 31 points and 12 rebounds as a senior just one year after averaging 27 points a game. Osborne helped Lamar win the Big 8 Conference and district in 1999. Along the way in her career, she was a four-time selection to All-Big 8 Conference, All-District and Joplin Globe All-Area teams. She also was a three-time All-Ozarks selection. Osborne, who was All-State in volleyball, played basketball at Missouri State from 2001 to 2005. She was a team captain in 2003 and 2005 and averaged 10.3 points and 5.6 rebounds a game as a senior, when she also shot 53 percent from 3-point range. She was a Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection as well and helped the 2005 team win the WNIT. Osborne was named a CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2004-2005, and earned the Missouri Valley Conference Post-Graduate Scholarship in 2005. She is now a physician assistant in internal medicine at Ferrell Duncan Clinic in Springfield and owns Ella Belle Designs.

Crighton played basketball for College of the Ozarks from 1994 to 1997 after transferring to the Point Lookout campus, and finished as an NAIA All-American. He ended his career with the Bobcats as the all-time leader in steals (246), No. 4 in points scored (1,362), No. 6 all-time in assists (327) and No. 15 all-time in rebounds (422). He helped lead the Bobcats to three conference championships and three NAIA Tournament appearances, including twice to the Elite Eight. He was named to the second team on the all-conference list his sophomore and junior years. After his senior year, Crighton was the MVP of the C of O McDonalds’ Cam Jam, in addition to First Team All-Conference.

He also landed on the NAIA All-Tournament Team and was a Third Team All-American. He was inducted into the C of O Hall of Fame in 2004. Crighton, who attended Rochester Adams High School in Rochester Hills, Mich., has been a longtime youth basketball coach and works for Prime, Inc.

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MISSOURI SPORTS HALL OF FAME 12/8/2023 4:03:04 PM

Spud Harbour

Chris Kendrix

Glendale HS • Evangel

Willard HS • Missouri State / Minnesota State-Mankato

Harbour was one of the best guards in the

A 6-foot-5 forward, Kendrix was a standout

state in the mid-2000s. At Glendale High

for Willard’s Tigers before graduating in

School from 2004 to 2007, he scored 1,585

2014. He averaged 23.7 points, 7.7 rebounds

points, which set a record for a Springfield

and 3.6 steals, and also made 79 percent

Public Schools player. That record stood un-

of his free throws during his senior season.

That year, he earned All-State honors in

til Glendale’s Monty Johal broke it in 2017.

leading Willard to a Central Ozark Confer-

Harbour played in 103 games, and set the record in the 99th game of his career on a 3-pointer in the first quarter against Camdenton in February of 2007. After playing at Evangel from 2008 to 2011, Harbour ranks 10th all-time in both scoring, with 1,618 points, and in assists, with 333. He also made 190 3-pointers,

ence championship. He then played three seasons at Missouri State, playing in 90 games and making 41 starts. He was fifth on the team in scoring (189 points) and fourth in rebounds as a freshman. A year later, he was named the Missouri Valley Conference’s Most Improved Player, averaging 12.1 points,

the seventh-most in program history. His 155 steals rank seventh

the third-most among underclassmen and 14th most in the Valley.

all-time. In 2010, Harbour earned NAIA All-American honors, twice

As a junior, he scored at least 10 points in seven games, including

was All-Heart of America Athletic Conference and has since gone

15 and nine rebounds against DePaul. He then started 34 games at

into coaching, with his current role as a basketball assistant at Lo-

NCAA Division II Minnesota State-Mankato, averaging 12.2 points

gan-Rogersville High School.

and a team-best seven rebounds in helping the team to the NCAA D-II Tournament.

CONGRATULATIONS TO YANCEY LITTLE ON HIS INDUCTION INTO THE MISSOURI SPORTS HALL OF FAME & SPUD HARBOUR AND ALICE HEINZLER HARMON ON RECEIVING FILBERT FIVE AWARDS!

Dylan Fletcher - State Farm Insurance Agent 3132 E Sunshine St, Springfield, MO 65804 (417) 520 -2221

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Byron Looney

Matthew Rogers

Central HS • Evangel

Doniphan HS • Southwest Baptist

Talk about giving back to the game. Looney was an assistant basketball coach at Central High School for 30 years before retiring in 2016. It was quite a way to help shepherd so many young players. He covered a ton of aspects, from training athletes and to guiding them toward excellent leadership and communication skills. He also organized drills and demonstrated proper techniques, as well as motivated athletes to enhance their performance on the court and in the classroom. Along the way, 10 players signed college scholarships. Looney was once a Bulldog himself at Jim Ball Gymnasium on the Central campus. He played for Ball’s Bulldogs in the 1970s, playing in 67 career games and averaging 12.5 points a game. His senior year, he helped the team to 20 wins and earned a spot on the All-City All-Star Team in 1979. At Evangel University, he was a solid ball distributor, tallying 205 assists. But he also could shoot it. In fact, he hit the game-winner to beat crosstown rival Drury. There, he played for Aundrea Curtis and Steve Jenkins (MSHOF 2016). Looking back on his journey of success, many played a part, including family and friends and especially his brother, Bruce, as well as Drury professor William Curt Strube. He and his wife, Sheryl, are parents to Bryon Jr., and Bryce.

Rogers was a standout at Doniphan in the early 2000s, twice earning All-State honors, and was a McDonald’s All-America nominee. He then became one of the most dominate athletes in Southwest Baptist basketball history. He helped the Bearcats to two regular-season MIAA championships and was named to five different NCAA Division II All-American teams during his junior and senior seasons, including three first team selections. He also earned status on seven All-Region teams, including six first team selections.

He was the 2009 Daktronics Central Region Player of the Year, the 2009 MIAA MVP and a two-time MIAA Defensive Player of the Year.

He also was a First Team All-MIAA pick three times. Statistically, he ranks in the top 10 of 11 career categories at SBU. That includes ranking fourth in points scored (1,638), and first in blocked shots (411) and free throws made (382). Rogers later played professionally in Lebanon, Spain, the Philippines, Qatar and New Zealand after stints with the NBA D-League’s Texas Legends. He also was in NBA training camps with the Charlotte Bobcats and Indiana Pacers.

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MISSOURI SPORTS HALL OF FAME 12/8/2023 4:03:18 PM

Congratulations BRIAN MALONEY, ’81 for being inducted into the

MISSOURI SPORTS HALL OF FAME from your friends at

MISSOURI SPORTS HALL OF FAME

Congratulations!

WINTER SPORTS LUNCHEON CLASS OF 2023 NATASHA NEAL MOORE KICKAPOO HIGH SCHOOL

LYNDAL SCRANTON CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

FILBERT FIVE AWARDS SPUD HARBOUR GLENDALE HIGH SCHOOL

BYRON LOONEY CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

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13 12/8/2023 4:03:22 PM

Brian Maloney PGA Club Professional In the early 1990s, newly built Highland Springs Country Club played host to the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper. One of the golfers chasing PGA TOUR dreams would years later become a fixture at the course.

Brian Maloney was working as a Club Professional, one of three national Titleist-PGA Club fitting instructors, and had qualified for three Ben Hogan Tour events. It’s now the Korn Ferry Tour.

“While playing there, I fell in love with Highland Springs and dreamed about someday being the Director of Golf at such a wonderful club,” Maloney said.

That dream soon became a reality. Maloney served as Highland Springs’ Director of Golf from 1994 to 2023, which is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct him with the Class of 2023.

It was a role that fit him like a glove, and furthered the love of the game, both for him and many others.

“My goal as a golf professional was to provide golfers with the finest in all phases of the golf business,” Maloney said. “To achieve this, I was dedicated to continuing education and personal development so that I might help golfers of all ages enjoy this great game that I have chosen as my profession.”

That meant attending education programs geared toward excellent customer service, club fitting, computers in the golf shop, stress management, CPR, junior programs, golf car fleet management, teaching, the short game, teaching aids, professional scoreboards, improving performance under pressure, club repair, job search and resume development, merchandising, problem solving, golf operations, professional golf management, professional golf marketing and professional leadership.

Maloney took up golf in his home state of New York.

“When I was 17 years old, I began working at a busy golf driving range and miniature golf course,” said Maloney, who was hired to 14 Winter Sports Program.indd 14

pick up golf balls but soon moved into the pro shop. “It was there that I realized that I loved the golf business. If I couldn’t play professionally, I was going to pursue a career as a PGA Club Professional.

This included all aspects of professional golf operations, including but not limited to running a pro shop merchandise business, tournament operations, teaching, club fitting and more.”

He made his way to Park University in Kansas City, becoming the school’s first All-American in any sport. In 2018, he was enshrined on the Park University Wall of Honor.

After graduating, he worked at Timber Trails Golf Club near Chicago, Pertle Springs Keth Memorial Golf Course in Warrensburg, Mo., and eventually for The Country Club of Blue Springs before heading to Highland Springs.

Along the way, he rose to become president of the Midwest Section PGA and became a certified custom club fitter with Titleist, Callaway, Cobra and Ping.

He was elected to the Midwest Section PGA Hall of Fame in 2014. He won numerous awards, including Midwest Section PGA Club Fitter of The Year four times (1997, 2000, 2006, 2016), the Merchandiser of the Year twice (2001, 2012) and the Player of the Year in

MISSOURI SPORTS HALL OF FAME 12/8/2023 4:03:25 PM

1994. He was named Golf Digest’s Best Teachers in the state in 2000 and 2001.

He also was a club fitting instructor for Titleist, traveling the country teaching PGA professionals and assistant professionals about fitting clubs with the Titleist system.

In the Midwest Section and the PGA of America, his service included time as chairman of the Tom Watson’s Clubs for Kids, as well as serving on committees for national education, tournaments, planning & long-range business, seniors, national PGA employment and club relations. He also was a non-playing rules official and AJGA volunteer rules official and event volunteer.

Maloney annually organized the MSHOF’s High School Golf Clinic presented by Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper, and coordinated the Price Cutter’s annual Michele Kiser Women’s Golf Clinic presented

by Advertising Plus.

Over the years he was a six-time qualifier for the PGA National Club Professional Championship, two-time qualifier for the PGA National Senior Professional Championship, and won numerous professional tournaments – including in 2023.

Fortunately, his wife of 41 years, Chris, and their daughter Krysten and son Dillon were supportive of his unique work schedule.

“My accomplishments in the world of golf in Missouri came from my dedication to grow the game of golf, my personal work ethic, and my desire to deliver exceptional service to those who would trust me in positions of leadership,” Maloney said. “I am greatly humbled, and honored, that somebody, actually anybody, feels that I belong in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.”

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15 12/8/2023 4:03:34 PM

1986-96 Pleasant Hill HS Wrestling Era You want blue-collar? A rags to riches story?

In the town of Pleasant Hill, just southeast of Kansas City, high school wrestlers practiced in the basement of an elementary school after several years of calling the stage of a gymnasium home. And in the late 1970s, an assistant coach who had no wrestling background would be promoted to head coach, and then took it upon himself to learn every facet of the sport.

“One strategy was to be in better shape than your opponent and out-work everyone else,” coach Steve Leslie said. “Our motto would be, ‘Believe in Yourself When Others Don’t.”

Turns out, the Roosters eventually made believers of many during a string of seasons that still inspire. That’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct the 1986-1996 Era of Pleasant Hill High School Wrestling with the Class of 2023.

Overall, the Roosters earned nine top-four finishes in that span in Class 1-2, winning state championships in 1989 and 1996. They were the runner-up in 1986, 1988 and 1995, and placed third in 1987 and 1994. Pleasant Hill also placed fourth in 1992 and 1993.

Along the way, the program produced 11 state champions: Pete Gilbreth (132 pounds in 1986), Clint Dinges (185 in 1987), Scott Ponder (heavyweight in 1987), Mark Palmer (112 in 1988), Travis Gustin (152 in 1988, 160 in 1989), Clint Redwine (130 in 1991), Shez Tucker (130 in 1992), Jay McClintock (112 in 1993), Drew Kirchner (135 in 1994), Blaine Bunch (140 in 1994) and Travis Callahan (145 in 1995).

In the era, the Roosters had 104 state qualifiers and earned 65 state medals. They also won six district championships.

Leslie, who coached from 1977 to 1998, still beams about it all. The program began in 1968 and, in its first seven years, had a total of seven state qualifiers and two state medalists in a sport treated as a second priority.

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However, Leslie made it a priority. Practices lasted roughly two hours a day, and the early 1980s eventually set up success for the era. In 1980, Pleasant Hill had multiple state medalists, including its first state champion. Eight qualified for state the next year, with two winning state.

“We were strong on our feet, better conditioned than most of our opponents and mentally tough,” Leslie said. “Technique-wise, we tried to concentrate on what was best for each individual. Some were good with the cradle, some were good with arm bars, and some wrestled on their feet almost exclusively.”

The community rallied behind the program, too. In the mid-1980s, a group of parents successfully led an effort to build a dedicated wrestling room that held two full mats. The program caught fire from there.

“The 1986, 1987 and 1988 teams definitely fueled the fire to try to win the whole thing (in 1989),” Leslie said. “The 1986 team came of out nowhere and was 30 points out of first place going into the last day.

The kids (in the consolation rounds) had wrestled hard and, after Pete won the championship at 132, we were in first place.”

The 1986 team finished three points behind state

MISSOURI SPORTS HALL OF FAME 12/8/2023 4:03:40 PM

champion Richmond, and inspired many.

“Watching my oldest brother, Troy, and that group of guys inspired me,” said Trent Gustin, a 1990s wrestler. “I remember seeing those men down on that mat at the state tournament and thinking they were the baddest gladiators I had ever seen.”

In 1989, the Roosters finished the job, besting Oak Grove by 13 points thanks to four finalists and seven total medalists: Travis Gustin won his second state title, Tucker, Redwine and Matt Gustin placed second, while Mark Palmer and Brian Flint placed third, and Mark Wayman was fifth.

The 1996 team also beat Oak Grove by 13 points, winning state thanks to Justin Gower, Matt Rosanbalm and Rick Hoover placing second, Phil Kassel third, Justin Bass fourth, Jeremy LaFountain fifth, and Ben Tucker and Jake Callahan sixth.

So many played a role in the era’s success: coaches, administrators, student-athletes, parents, and the community as a whole. Assistants were Gary Hancock, Ron Franklin, Bob Flint, Jeff Savage, Phil Dorman and John Dollins.

“As a coach, I am extremely proud of our accomplishments,” Leslie said. “Once you have established a culture of winning, others want to continue or to do better. But more importantly, I have maintained a friendship with many of my wrestlers and have seen them grow into fine men. Several have helped their sons carry on the tradition.”

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NaTasha Neal Moore Basketball NaTasha Neal Moore grew up in Springfield playing a variety of sports. Softball. Track. Volleyball. She tried them all. But her path to basketball stardom was written in the stars long before she ever graced the earth.

Born in Portugal while her parents were playing professional basketball, Neal Moore had basketball in her heart from the start.

“I guess you could say from the beginning it was in my blood,” she said.

Neal Moore eventually developed into one of the top prep players in Missouri, leading Kickapoo High School to a 28-4 record in her senior year, and the 2001 state championship. She went on to play for her father at Evangel and won 118 games, while scoring more than 2,600 points and earning NAIA All-America honors in each of her four seasons with the Valor. For her excellence on the court, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to include Neal Moore as a member of the Class of 2023.

At the age of four, Neal Moore and her family moved to Springfield after her father, legendary Evangel player and coach Leon Neal (MSHOF 2017), accepted a coaching position at his alma mater. Her path towards basketball was nearly complete.

“Evangel was like my second home and the people that worked there were like family,” Neal Moore said. “I remember running around the gym and through the halls as a kid. I’d always get scared of the Crusader in the glass case and run a little faster when I’d see it.”

Neal Moore began to focus on basketball in eighth grade. A knee injury nearly knocked her out of the sport. But it also strengthened her resolve and her faith.

“I tore my meniscus and that was a really difficult season for me,” 18 Winter Sports Program.indd 18

she said. “I struggled with my faith and wondered why the Lord would allow suffering in this way. I was very upset and angry, but my parents loved on me, prayed with me, and encouraged me daily.”

Neal Moore was able to overcome her injury and her basketball career took off once she entered high school at Kickapoo.

“I remember my freshman year we went undefeated on the JV squad, and it was just a fun group of girls,” Neal Moore said. “We had a great group of older girls that really took us under their wings and showed us the ropes. They expected us to work hard and that set a good foundation for the success of our teams.”

At Kickapoo, Neal Moore was coached by Sue Schuble (MSHOF 1998). Not surprisingly, her favorite memory of her time with the Lady Chiefs was winning the state title.

“It was a very special experience playing in a large arena,” Neal Moore said. “The intensity of the game was thrilling, and I remember being overcome with joy and excitement at what we had accomplished.”

Neal Moore credits her parents with having a tremendous impact on her basketball career and that impact continued when she joined her fa-

MISSOURI SPORTS HALL OF FAME 12/8/2023 4:03:50 PM

ther at Evangel and helped propel the Valor into one of the NAIA’s top women’s basketball programs.

“My dad expected a lot from me because he knew I was capable of it, and the confidence he had in me drove me to work harder, persevere, and strive for excellence,” she said. “My mom was the great encourager that I needed. She was always there to pick me up when I would get discouraged and speak truth to me. They were also great Godly examples for me as I was growing in my faith.”

Neal’s truth at Evangel was clear from the start. She earned Heart of America Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year honors in 2002 and was named HAAC Player of the Year each of the next three seasons. Overall, Evangel was 118-30 in her four seasons, including an astounding 74-6 in conference player.

Evangel made the NAIA Tournament all four years, and the 2005 team reached the Final Four.

“I never imagined my time at Evangel would have brought the accolades and accomplishments that it did,” she said.

Evangel meant more than basketball for Neal Moore. It’s where she met her future husband, Anthony, a member of the men’s basketball team. The couple now have three young boys.

Neal Moore was “surprised and honored” when she received the call about induction into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

“Having attended my dad’s induction years earlier made the news that much sweeter,” she said. “I feel very blessed to have been given the ability to play this amazing game, and I thank the Lord for the opportunities I had to fail and succeed.”

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2009 Sparta HS Basketball State Champions In the expansive trophy case of the new high school in Sparta, you’ll see homages to the past. Notice the worn letter jackets of the mid1950s celebrating basketball teams that won state titles? And you cannot miss all of the district plaques from various sports teams.

But look further to the right and you’ll see the picture of the girls basketball team of 2009, flanked by a basketball signed by team members and a district plaque – with a state championship trophy, too.

That team … simply amazing. The Lady Trojans finished 31-0 and won Class 2. Which is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct the 2009 Sparta High School Girls State Championship Basketball Team with the Class of 2023.

“We shared a lot of laughs together especially in practice,” Brooke Stevens said. “Coach always gave us all a hard time, but we usually dished it right back. Everyone had a good sense of humor and got along. We also were good at picking each other up when someone was down. Every single one of us was a leader at some point throughout that season. There was no selfishness.”

Coached by Jerry Songer, the 2009 team is the only girls state championship in Sparta history. The Lady Trojans beat Canton 56-49 in the finals, after Brooke Stevens scored 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 on free throws. Kayla Coffer added 16 points.

Other starters were Tashina Tennis, Kayla Case and Alison Stevens. The roster also featured Paige Watkins, April Crosswhite, Courtney Baughman, Mikalah Hardcastle, Torrie Coffer and Dalis Coffer. Brooke Stevens, Tennis and Kayla Coffer earned All-State honors.

The team’s key wins that season included an overtime win against Blue Eye, Strafford and Crane. The Lady Trojans beat Miller in the sectionals before beating Osceola and Couch to advance to the 20 Winter Sports Program.indd 20

championship game.

“We were competitive in the years before the state championship season,” Songer said. “My first year at Sparta (2006), I started three freshmen, one sophomore and one senior on the high school varsity team. When those freshmen were juniors, we won state.”

Sparta could play a half-court man defense but also pressed full court, with either a 1-2-1-1 press zone or man run and jump. Most players could shoot 3-pointers and had the ability to score 20 points a game.

Said Tennis, “It still means so much! I still talk to my work team about it. And it makes me so happy to tell my kids about it and show them game tapes.”

Talk about a dedicated team. While they didn’t have mandatory summer practices, most players either found their way to the gym, or played summer basketball and attended camps.

Practices in the season? Brutal was the way Hardcastle described them.

“We lost in the semifinals of the district tournament the year before we won state,” Songer said. “I told them to remember that feeling and to not forget it. Because you will be in this situation again next year,

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and you will have the experience to overcome it. The girls worked so hard that summer and that season to accomplish their goal the next year.”

It wasn’t until midseason, when the Lady Trojans were 14-0, that winning state came into focus. That included a win against Strafford.

Canton – Sparta’s championship game opponent – out-sized the Lady Trojans across the board. However, Songer’s homework paid off.

“We outworked them, we out-hustled them and outplayed them and that showed on the scoreboard at the end of the game,” Stevens said. “I give Coach Songer a lot of props on that, as he knew exactly how to beat teams. He knew their weaknesses better than they did.”

Community support was huge. Plus, Sparta had numerous connections to past teams. The 1988 team was the last to win a district title, and it included Willis’ wife, Laura, as well as Alyson Stevens’ mom, Angela. Willis’ uncle, Landon Bilyeu, was on the 1954 boys state championship team. Case’s uncle was on the 1979 state runner-up team.

“Anywhere you were in town everybody was cheering us on and to keep up the good work,” Case said. “They kept telling us how they hoped we could go undefeated and how amazing that would be, and I felt like their support truly kept us going that year.”

What a season it was.

Said Tennis, “It literally meant so much. Most people never get to experience something like that in their entire life, let alone being 31-0!”

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Lyndal Scranton Sportswriter He grew up in Springfield following the local high school or local college basketball teams, eventually kept stats of the Central High School boys and did the same for American Legion baseball teams.

Usually for Lyndal Scranton, his summer nights ended in either calling in scores or running them by the Leader & Press.

“That was my first peek into a newsroom. It was a fascinating place and, when I got an opportunity to become a sports clerk in the fall of 1979, I didn’t think twice,” Scranton said. “But it was far from glamorous.”

No, but ultimately readers came to recognize his byline, and Scranton was one of the best in the business. That’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct Scranton as a sportswriter with the Class of 2023.

Overall, he worked for the News-Leader from 1979 until 2015, enjoying a 36-year run in which his wide-ranging interests and abilities included staffing events from the Major League Baseball World Series to Missouri State University sports to bowling, horse racing and auto racing.

Specifically, he was the primary beat writer of MSU men’s sports from 1989 until his retirement and added women’s sports when called upon. That’s notable because he covered every NCAA Tournament game the basketball Bears played in the Division I era.

In essence, Scranton’s tenacity working the Bears beat and his passion for covering stock car racing not only made the News-Leader sports section a must-read but gave readers a level of reporting on par with that of any major American newspaper, and usually far better.

Of his major breaking stories, two involved Bears basketball coaches – Charlie Spoonhour (MSHOF Legend 2019) taking the Saint Louis University job in 1992, and Steve Alford’s hiring in 1995.

“Someone from Missouri State called me the next day to ask how I 22 Winter Sports Program.indd 22

knew they were interested,” Scranton said of the Alford news. “I still chose not to divulge the source, but it was accurate.”

That came years after he covered the 1982 World Series while a 30-hour part-time employee. He soon joined the staff full-time.

Scranton also covered the 1999 Sweet Sixteen run of the basketball Bears, the 2003 College World Series and the 2006 Kentucky Derby.

At the Sweet Sixteen, former Marquette coach-turned-TV analyst Al McGuire walked over to him a day before the Bears played Duke.

“I always like to talk to beat writers about teams because they won’t feed you with b.s. like sports information people will,” McGuire told him.

Additionally, Scranton wasn’t afraid to let Bears teams have it in print. He was honest with readers.

“Because you can’t fool readers,” Scranton said.

“They know the teams with a passion and, if you try to portray them in anything but a straightforward, truthful manner they, will see right through it.”

Best of all, Scranton wasn’t afraid to work in the so-called trenches, covering anything.

“One thing that always stood out from what sports editor Marty Ed-

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dlemon (MSHOF 1989), Larry Hazelrigg and Anvil Welch always said was that, no matter how small a story might seem, it means everything to someone buying the paper specifically to see it and maybe put in a scrapbook,” Scranton said. “That’s why you treat every story with equal respect.”

Before graduating from Central High School in 1978, his stat-keeping for basketball games and summer Legion games put him in contact with Welch and Hazelrigg.

Welch was among the country’s best high school beat writers, and Hazelrigg enjoyed a long tenure at the paper, eventually covering women’s Final Fours of the Lady Bears. Other colleagues included Kirby Arnold, Warren Mayes and Steve Wieberg.

Arnold’s departure led to Scranton taking over car racing coverage, and he also became assistant sports editor from 1985 to 1992.

He has since become the public relations director for Lucas Oil Speedway and a contributing sports reporter for the Springfield Daily Citizen.

An avid bowler, he also hosts Tailgate Guys Podcast with former sports editor Steve Koehler, which features the country’s top barbecue competitors, and also competes in professional barbecue events with two top-15 finishes at the American Royal World Series of BBQ. Best of all, the support of his wife, Karen, and their family has meant everything.

“It’s been tremendously rewarding,” Scranton said of his career.

“You don’t do this for your bosses or even yourself, you do it for the readers. I am humbled by this honor as I see myself as no one special.

I just showed up on time every day and tried to do my best.”

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1964 & 1965 Buffalo HS State Championship Teams Dallas County’s Buffalo High School has a strong tradition of success in boys basketball.

That tradition goes all the way back to 1949, when the Bison won the final “all class” state championship in Missouri history.

The tradition also includes back-to-back Class M state championships in 1964 and 1965. Those teams accomplished something no Buffalo teams have since. And their success still resonates today.

“We want to get to where they’ve been,” said current Buffalo coach Kyle Gawlowski. “It’s continually in our thoughts. It’s something we’re always pushing for.”

Those ’64 & ’65 teams combined to go 66-4, with the 1964 squad suffering just one loss. And they did it against all comers. That’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to include Buffalo High School Boys Basketball 1964 and 1965 State Championship Teams as members of the Class of 2023.

Merton Bancroft (MSHOF Filbert Five 2018) was there for all of it. A hulking 6-foot-7 back-to-the-basket center in the days when centers rarely left the paint, Bancroft remembers almost every detail from those two championship seasons.

“The ’64 team was the same team I played with as a sophomore,” Bancroft said. “We only lost one game that year, early in the season to Joplin.

We had a lot of fun.”

With Mike Kirksey as head coach, the Bison rolled through the state tournament. State tournament play opened with a 75-46 win against East Carter, setting up a quarterfinal matchup against Buffalo’s top rival of the day Republic, the defending Class M state champions.

“We were down by 11 to Republic in the quarterfinals but came back to win that one,” Bancroft said.

An 83-74 victory over Tipton in the semifinal set up a showdown with Richland in the finals, and the Bison rolled to a 79-63 victory, giving Buffalo its first state title in 15 years.

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“It was an exciting time,” Bancroft said. “We had a lot of fun.”

Doug Cassity was the top player on that ’64 team, earning first-team All-State honors. Both Bancroft and Chuck Johnson earned honorable mention All-State as the team finished with a 34-1 record.

Other members of the 1964 team included Rex Lindsey, Roy Lindsey, Jerry Johnson, Richard Sharp, Dick Holland, Oscar Claspill, Dennis Palmer and Lendol Vest.

The 1965 season not only brought a new coach, but also saw the addition of many new faces. Six members of the ’64 squad graduated and Larry Atwood replaced Mike Kirksey as head coach.

The Bison faced several challenges in 1965 aside from a new coach and new teammates. One of the biggest came in the finals of the Blue and Gold Tournament against one of Missouri’s most legendary teams, the Jolly Green Giants (MSHOF 2015).

“We led Springfield Parkview in the finals of the Blue & Gold and were ahead by two with a few seconds to play,” Bancroft said. “They hit a halfcourt shot to tie the game, and we lost in the second overtime by six points after I fouled out.”

It took some time, but eventually the Bison jelled.

With Bancroft earning first-team All-State honors, and a class of sophomores which included fu-

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ture star Chuck Williams, the Bison once again rolled through the state tournament, winning three of their four games by nine or more points. The only close contest was a 55-52 win against a Charlie Spoonhour-coached Bloomfield team in the semifinals.

“In the finals we played California, and they were undefeated at the time, and we blew them out of the gym,” Bancroft said of the Bison’s eventual 65-49 championship victory.

Other members of the 1965 state title team were Claspill, Roy Lindsey, Dennis Palmer, Vest, Doug Nixon, Mak Palmer, Larry King, Mike Lemons, Lendal McDaniel, and Merv Bancroft.

One constant for Buffalo throughout its two state championship runs were its fans.

“Our games were an event,” Bancroft said. “It was common on road games for us to have a very noisy supporting crowd to cheer us on.”

The fan support was so strong for the Bison that they helped set a Brewer Fieldhouse attendance record during the 1965 state title game in Columbia.

Gawlowski, who graduated from Buffalo in 2009, grew up hearing stories about fan support.

“What people remember most was the atmosphere at games,” he said.

“Community support is what I remember people talking about. It was all about the community being with the team. That makes you proud to be from Buffalo.”

Bancroft knows the legacy of those teams is secure.

“It’s always been a source of pride for me that we accomplished what we did,” he said. “Not many people get to experience that level of success.”

Buffalo High School congratulates the 1964 & 1965 Basketball State Championship Teams on their induction into the MISSOURI SPORTS HALL OF FAME!

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Yancey Little High School Coach & Administrator For Yancey Little, being a coach was the plan from the start.

“I always wanted to be a coach,” Little said. “I watched my dad coach men’s fastpitch softball through the years, learned a lot and it intrigued me. Then, when my oldest brother Marty began coaching high school, my desire to coach grew.”

And as that growth continued, Little became successful in multiple sports. He coached basketball, softball and baseball at Blue Eye and Ozark, generating a career coaching record of 681-289 (.702) in four sports.

He did his best work on the hardwood, winning 197 games in nine seasons as the girls head coach at Ozark. And in 2005 and 2006, he coached the Tigers to consecutive Class 4 state championships. For all of those reasons, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to include Yancey Little as a member of its Class of 2023.

Little wasted no time in positioning himself to be a successful coach. He had a plan.

“Once I figured out that I was going to coach, the only question left was what was I going to teach?”, he said. “I knew I would need to be marketable. So, I earned my teaching degree which included Physical Education and Science. Good thing, I utilized them both.”

Settling on being a science teacher first ended up being, in many ways, the secret to his success.

“I spent 20 years in the science classroom,” Little said. “Teaching science was key. I was able to move to Ozark in 2001-02, accept a position as a science teacher, then volunteer on the Ozark softball staff for three years and baseball for one.”

His stint as a volunteer coach with the softball team eventually led to 13 seasons as head coach. He led Ozark to 290 victories, winning 20 or more games 12 times. His teams twice reached the Final Four, and though he never won a state title in softball, his teams came 26 Winter Sports Program.indd 26

about as close as possible.

“I know we didn’t ever win a state championship in softball,” Little said, “but with a few breaks, we might have won a couple. The 2006 team lost 1-0 in the state semifinals. The 2012 team was exceptional. Our path to a title ran us right into four-time college All-American pitcher Paige Parker (at Oklahoma) during the championship game.”

In basketball, Little finally got his hands on a state championship.

He guided the 2005 Ozark girls to a 24-8 record, downing Lincoln Prep, 34-31, in the finals. The Tigers were picked to finish ninth in the conference at the start of the year.

In 2006, Ozark repeated as the Tigers posted a 25-6 record, defeating Lee’s Summit in the finals.

“The grit and toughness displayed by various players over those years was pretty memorable,” Little said. “It didn’t matter if they were starting the game or seldom played, it was a tough dedicated group. I could truly say something positive about every one of our players. They did what they had to do to make the team successful. That is pretty exceptional.”

After spending four

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seasons as an assistant baseball coach, Little moved into administration, becoming Ozark’s athletic director in 2017.

Giving up coaching wasn’t easy.

“I knew I was going to miss that relationship piece of coaching kids,” Little said. “That’s why I got into the profession to start with.”

His diverse background in coaching made the transition to administration an easy one.

“I feel that my experiences have helped me relate to all of our programs here at Ozark,” Little said. “I believe that I have a great relationship with our coaches. I hope they trust my judgment and advice. I have been through the challenges of coaching. I work to allow that to guide me in assisting them.”

Like any successful individual, Little didn’t reach these lofty heights on his own.

“I have been blessed with the ability to be around great coaching in my life,” he said. “My family’s support and understanding were essential to sustaining the profession I loved.”

In his more than 20 years at Ozark, Little has had numerous opportunities to sit in the audience and watch other inductees give speeches at Missouri Sports Hall of Fame events. Now, it’s finally his turn.

“I feel honored, blessed and thankful to the committee who felt like I was deserving of such an honor,” he said. “I feel this recognition is not only for myself but for all my fellow coaches, former players, and family who sacrificed and worked tirelessly to make this happen TOGETHER!”

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2005 & 2006 Ozark HS State Championship Teams Sports history is littered with stories of teams who surpass their preseason rankings. Teams not expected to do much, who end up becoming champions.

That’s where the 2005 Ozark High School girls basketball team comes in. Picked to finish ninth in their conference, the Tigers used a stingy defense to finish 24-8 and capture the Class 4 state championship, Ozark’s first in girls basketball.

But head coach Yancey Little and the Tigers weren’t satisfied with just one championship. The 2006 squad made it two straight by finishing 25-6 behind yet another staunch defensive unit.

That’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to include the 2005 & 2006 Ozark High Scholl Girls Basketball State Championship Teams as members of the Class of 2023.

The 2005 state championship came as a surprise, even to Ozark players.

“If you told me a year ago that this would have happened, I wouldn’t believe you,” then-senior Shannon Borgard said following the Tigers 34-31 victory against Lincoln Prep in the title game. “But I knew there was something different about our team from the first day of practice. Our coaches kept working on us to be mentally and physically tough in practice, and we didn’t respond to it at first. But we worked on it every game and every practice, and it’s what pulled this off for us.”

Defense was the hallmark for the ’05 team.

“Defense carried us all year long and defense carried us (in the title game),” Little told the Christian County headliner after the game.

“The plan for us as a coaching staff; we knew if the game was close with four to five minutes left, that we’ll win it. I felt like we had some close game experience and that helped us.”

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During their state title run, the Tigers allowed just 27.5 points per game, a significant improvement on their impressive regular-season average of 36.6 points per game.

“I think if you were to talk to anyone that watched us play, what stood out most was our defense,” then-junior Callie Widel said. “We had four or five all-state track athletes on that team and were just hard-nosed and fundamentally sound. We always were going over game-time scenarios and how we would handle them.”

But the Tigers weren’t all defense. In a semifinal win against Jennings, Widel made seven 3-pointers – one shy of the state tournament record – as the Tigers rolled to a 56-24 win.

The season started with low expectations.

“The very first tournament we played in, we were the eighth-seeded team, and we ended up winning it,” Widel said. “I don’t know if there was a time when I thought, ‘yeah we can do this.’

That wasn’t even on our radar until districts.”

The 2005 roster featured seniors Stacy Borgard and Shannan Borgard, juniors Cali Widel, Arianna Russell, Brie Blose, Tiffany Jones and Cassi Meadows, sophomores Kalyn Stalzer, Melissa Hogan, Cassie

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Prewitt, Katie Bond, and Liz Fugate, and freshman Courtney Gimlin.

Managers were Katie Frizzell and Patricia Ramage, assistant coaches Shawn Widel and Scott McGee, and athletic trainer Dave Gordon.

In 2006, it was more of the same for Ozark, as another suffocating defense led the way. The Tigers limited state tournament opponents to 35.0 points per game and won each game by double figures.

Despite being defending champions, the Tigers never let the pressure get to them.

“We felt a sense of knowing what it takes, and we knew what to do,” Widel said. “Our confidence was the biggest difference. Our coaches prepared us so well for all of those games.”

Ozarks’ toughness was always on display during those years.

“One of our players got her front teeth knocked out during the first half of an early season game,” Little said. “That didn’t stop her. She returned in the second half ready to play after going to the doctor/ dentist. In fact, the grit and toughness displayed by various players over those years was pretty memorable. It didn’t matter if they were starting the game or seldom played, it was a tough dedicated group.”

The 2006 team included Meadows, Widel and Simone Young as seniors, as well as juniors in Alyssa Paulsell, Bond, Fugate, Hogan, Prewitt, sophomores Gimlin, Casey Hokkanen, Kayla Carson, Megan Walker, Holly Reynolds and freshman Khyrstyn Brumley. Manager was Patricia Ramage, and assistant coaches were Widel, McGee and Sid Jordan, with Kelli Howard as athletic trainer.

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Barry Hinson Basketball Coach He remembers it as if it was yesterday. The note handed to him by a campus security guard, with instructions to call the athletic director at Missouri State University just up I-44 in Springfield.

This was way before the general public carried cell phones, and Barry Hinson wondered what it could be. At the time, Missouri State was seeking a coach in the spring of 1999 after its men’s basketball team reached the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. Little did Hinson, then coaching at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, know that a coach had turned down the Bears.

“It kind of shocked me,” Hinson said. “Back then, you didn’t know (the news) until you read it in the paper or saw it on TV.” In a matter of days, Hinson became Missouri State’s coach, beginning a nearly decade-long run of success under his watch. And that’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct Hinson with the Class of 2023.

After being hired by athletic director Bill Rowe (MSHOF 2016), Hinson coached the Bears from November 1999 to March 2008, and his teams were 169-117.

Four of his teams played in the postseason National Invitation Tournament (2000, 2005, 2006, 2007), with the 2005 and 2006 teams building top 25 RPIs, or Rating Percentage Index, that had them on the brink of at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament.

Four of his teams finished among the top four in the Missouri Valley Conference, which at the time was the premier mid-major conference in the country as it often sent four teams to the NCAA Tournament.

Combined with his later tenure at Southern Illinois (2012-2019), his 155 victories in the Valley made Hinson a dean of the conference, with only Henry Iba (21 years, 190 wins), Eddie Hickey (20, 164) and Dana Altman (16, 178) coaching more seasons and winning more games a head coach in the history of the Valley.

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Hinson certainly fit like a glove in the Ozarks, as his downhome folksy humor harkened back to the days of former Bears coach Charlie Spoonhour (MSHOF Legend 2009).

Whenever his teams played Power 5 schools, Hinson would often say, “They have several McDonald’s All-Americans, and we have guys who have eaten at McDonald’s.”

But that was the thing about Hinson. He wasn’t afraid to take on the challenge in the shadows of the Sweet Sixteen team, in part because he sensed the Ozarks had the Bears’ collective back.

You see, in the mid-1990s while at ORU, Hinson had scouted a Bears opponent at Hammons Student Center.

“I sat there in amazement at the support they had from the Springfield community,” Hinson said. “When I left there, my first impression was, ‘This is a good place.’”

Hinson graduated in 1983 from Oklahoma State University, having attended on a work-study program. There, he shadowed former basketball coach Hank Iba (MSHOF 1961) and then set out on a coaching career himself. His road to Springfield featured stops at Stillwater, Edmond and Bishop Kelley high schools, and then ORU. In Springfield, Hinson infused his Missouri

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State rosters with local and regional talent, helping to further the community support of Bears basketball.

His teams scored notable regular-season wins against TCU, Wisconsin and Texas A&M, and, in the 2006 NIT, victories against Stanford and Houston.

Before the Stanford game, Hinson took to the dry-erase board and, mindful of an NCAA Tournament snub, wrote, “The NCAA. Are they wrong?’”

That game, along with being around Lady Bears coach Cheryl Burnett (MSHOF Legend 2015) and star guard Jackie Stiles (MSHOF 2002) remain among his favorite Springfield memories. As does his final game as Bears coach.

“The security guard came into the locker room and said, ‘They won’t leave. They’re asking for you,” Hinson said, referring to the crowd.

Overall, Hinson ended his career with a 321-246 collegiate coaching record, and he later spent four seasons (2008-2012) on Bill Self’s staff at Kansas. He returned to OSU’s staff and is now Associate Athletic Director/NIL Director there.

Looking back, he credits so many mentors: Iba, Eddie Sutton, his two high school coaches, Self, Mike Boynton and so many in the Ozarks who welcomed his family.

Best of all, he always had the support of his wife, Angie, and their daughters Tiffany and Ashley.

“I never really gauged success by wins and losses but by relationships,” Hinson said. “The friends we made in Springfield will last until the day I die.”

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