BASKETBALL P R E V I E W 2023-2024
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Standard staff Advertising staff Paris Wilken advertising designer Makayla Malachowski advertising assistant Editorial staff Lillian Durr editor-in-chief Casey Loving editor Jenna Murray editor Kylie Colbert editor Makayla Malachowski editor Makayla Strickland editor William P. Bohlen editor Cassidy Hale copy editor Liliana Hayes copy editor Madalyn Tuning copy editor Isabel Gamble copy editor Mavis Parks social media coordinator Reporters and visual artists Allie Free reporter Alyssa Farrar reporter Arden Dickson photographer Ashley Purvis reporter Ava Gorton reporter Cecilia Thomas graphic designer Charles Sargent photographer Cooper Sago illustrator Cooper Sams reporter Howdy sports fans! Basketball season is finally back! Head Coach Dana Ford and the rest of the Basketball Bears are back to kick start their season on a high note (see pg. 5), and Head Coach Beth Cunningham (see pg. 13) returns for her second season with a fresh 14 player roster to help improve their game. Over the last few weeks, we have put our heart and soul into this year’s preview, and I am thrilled it is now in your hands! Inside you’ll find features on Cunningham, Jade Masogayo and Damien Mayo Jr.. You’ll also find stories on what to expect with the Men’s basketball and the Lady Bears. Keep reading to see our editorial board try to to perdict the final regular season records. We also include the up-andcoming schedule for both teams. There’s also a lot of other content for you to look at! The regular season started for both teams on Nov. 6th. Keep an eye out on all the home game coverage for the rest of the season! Make sure you take a look at the website at the-standard.org/sports, as well as on X —formally known as Twitter— @Standard_Sports. Happy Basketball season Bears! I look forward to seeing you all in the stands!
-Kylie Colbert, Sports Editor
THE STANDARD Dorottya Faa illustrator Em Blackstone reporter Emilia Belcolore reporter Emily Day photographer Gabby Marler reporter Garrett Sims reporter Hannah Weston photographer Jade Morrow reporter Jarrett Brattin reporter Jason Smith photographer Jayden Pettus reporter Joanna Petinaris reporter Khotso Moore photographer Liliana Hayes reporter Liz Garcia photographer Maddie Sherman photographer Madelyn Stamper reporter Madison Reece visual staff Mary Schwanke graphic designer Mason Ray reporter Matthew Huff photographer Mavis Parks reporter Morgan Shearhart photographer Robin Garner reporter Sam Barnette reporter Shane Samson reporter Spencer Justice photographer Zac Cox reporter Professional staff Jack Dimond faculty adviser
Cover design by Paris Wilken
On the cover: Graphic combining photos by Charles Sargent and Khotso Moore from Missouri State University exhibition games on Nov. 1 and 2.
BASKETBALL PREVIEW
is published by The Standard, Missouri State University’s student-produced newspaper. The university has not approved and is not responsible for its content, which is produced and edited by the students on The Standard staff.
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Lady Bears welcome new faces from transfer portal
first team, the AllMIAA all-defensive team and the MIAA all-tournament team en route to helping the MSSU Lions win their second conference championship in as many years. With two years of eligibility remaining, the seven-time MIAA Player of the Week looks to continue her success on the court with MSU. After leading Missouri Southern to two conference championships, Stokes has big goals for the Lady Bears. “I want a conference championship. I won two at (Missouri) Southern. I want another one here,” Stokes said. “I think we have the team to do it, and I just want us to be the best in all statistics in the conference.” Lady Bears Head Coach Beth CunningPhoto by Khotso Moore Q@khotsomoore ham was delighted to add the talented point Lady Bears senior transfer Katrine Jessen plays in the Nov. 1 exhibition game against the Missouri guard to the team’s Western State University Griffons. Jessen is a forward for the Lady Bears and transferred from the lineup. “As a two-time University of Kansas women’s basketball team, where she played for three seasons. All-American at Mison the basketball court. souri Southern, (Stokes) is a proven winner JAYDEN PETTUS As a four-year starter for the Mount Ver- with experience to help us right away,” CunReporter non Mountaineers, Stokes scored 2,132 ningham said. “Lacy’s energy, competitiveThe Missouri State Lady Bears basketball points while averaging 17.5 points per game. ness and character are all valuable qualities team welcomed three transfer portal addi- During her senior season as a Mountaineer, that will benefit our program. I’m thrilled tions for the 2023-24 season. Junior guards she helped lead her team to a second-place to coach her.” Lacy Stokes and Angel Scott, and senior finish in the 2021 state championship. forward Katrine Jessen signed with the Lady Stokes continued her success on the court Katrine Jessen Bears in April following the end of the 2022- in her freshman year at MSSU, a Mid AmerThe second of three additions via trans2023 season. ican Intercollegiate Athletics Association fer portal is senior power forward Katrine conference school. In 31 games for the Jessen. The 6-foot-4-inch forward transLacy Stokes MSSU Lions, she averaged 19.7 points, 5.7 ferred to MSU after three seasons with the Lacy Stokes transferred to MSU over the rebounds, 5.6 assists and 3.3 steals per game University of Kansas Jayhawks women’s summer after spending two years at Mis- while setting 18 freshman program records. basketball team. souri Southern State University. Stokes became the first freshman in Although Jessen is a senior, she still has A graduate from Mount Vernon High school history to receive first-team All- two years of eligibility remaining due to School, Stokes adds a bit of locality to the MIAA, All-Region and All-American hon- COVID-19 guidelines from the Missouri Lady Bears lineup. ors. She was also named MIAA Freshman Valley Conference and the National Colle“Being from around here, Missouri State and Player of the Year for the 2021-22 sea- giate Athletic Association. The guidelines is the place you want to go as a young ath- son while leading MSSU to a conference allow student-athletes who were active during the 2020-21 season to have an extra lete,” Stokes said. “Whenever I left (Mis- championship. Stokes’ sophomore season saw an equal eligible season. souri) Southern and got the chance to come number of achievements; she was in the A native of Skovlunde, Denmark, Jessen here, it was an easy choice.” While attending Mount Vernon, Stokes lineup for all 36 games and averaged 17.3 became a 2019 International Basketball Fedwas a dual-sport standout, excelling in bas- points, 5.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 eration champion as a member of the Danketball and volleyball. While earning all- steals per game. In addition to once again ish National Team. She led the team with state honors during her four-year volleyball earning All-Region and All-American hon- 214 minutes played and 72 rebounds en route career, Stokes was also racking up accolades ors, Stokes was also named to the All-MIAA to the championship. Jessen was also a mem-
Qthestandard_msu | THE-STANDARD.ORG ber of BMS Herlev, a professional team based in Copenhagen, Denmark, prior to making the move to the United States. In her freshman campaign at KU, Jessen appeared in 19 games and started seven times. She finished the season with a total of 20 points scored, 45 rebounds and 16 blocks while receiving 2020-21 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team honors. Jessen appeared in all 31 games while making four starts during her 2021-22 sophomore season. She shot 55.6 percent, averaged 2.5 points and 1.8 rebounds per game, blocked 15 shots and was named to the 202122 Academic All-Big 12 First Team. In her last season, the forward played in 20 games and gathered 25 rebounds for KU. As a member of the first Jayhawks squad to win the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, Jessen was named to both the 202223 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team and the 2022-23 Academic All-Big 12 First Team. “Kat is exactly what we needed to add in our front court: a proven Division I post player with excellent size, mobility and an all-around game that fits perfectly with our style of play,” Cunningham said. “She is a tremendous addition to our Lady Bear program.”
Angel Scott
The last transfer to sign with the Lady Bears in April was junior point guard Angel Scott. Before transferring to MSU, Scott played two seasons at Stephen F. Austin State University in Edmond, Oklahoma, and became a Western Athletic Conference Tournament champion. Scott attended Deer Creek High School where she was named to the All-Tournament Teams for the Canyon, Jefferson City and Bruce Gray Tournaments. In her freshman season at SFA, the 5-foot-10-inch guard played in all 33 games while receiving two starts. She averaged 4.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per game while tallying 32 assists, 39 steals and eight blocks. The SFA Ladyjacks went on to be regular season WAC champions and win the WAC Tournament Championship. Last year, Scott was a starter in all 34 games for SFA. She averaged 6.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while collecting 44 steals and 57 assists. Scott finished second on the team with 49 3-pointers scored. “(She has fit in) quickly… Angel’s going to need to play a lot of point for us, but at the same time, I’d like for her to be playing alongside our other guards, so I look for her to be more of a combo,” Cunningham said. “She’s smart, she understands our offense, she’s been coachable and I certainly think she can bring a lot of value to both positions for us.” The Lady Bears look forward to these new additions bolstering the team on both sides of the court this season.
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BASKETBALL PREVIEW | NOVEMBER 8, 2023 | 5
Basketball Bears welcome back core players alongside new faces CHARLES SARGENT Photographer Q@sargent_photag Missouri State Basketball is back! Coming off a back-and-forth season last year the Bears are looking to improve record-wise and make a deeper Missouri Valley Conference Tournament run. Last season, Missouri State finished 17-15 (12-8), earning the team sixth place in the MVC. The team averaged 62 points per game with 43 percent shooting from the field and 33 percent from the 3-point line. Head Coach Dana Ford said he is “excited about the core we have coming back, as well as some of the new pieces we are adding.” The “new pieces” include first-year guards from Pennsylvania and New Jersey Davion Hill and Tyler Bey and junior forward Cesare Edwards, who transferred from South Carolina’s Xavier University during the off-season. This year, the Bears have an experienced team, returning a majority of the players from
last season. The Bears are looking to rely on senior forward Donovan Clay, who averaged 11.9 points per game last season. Bear Basketball opened with a 100-51 exhibition match win over the Division III Westminster Blue Jays. Leading scorers for the game were Tyler Bey with 19 points and Cesare Edwards with 17 points. This win was a sign of the great things the Basketball Bears have to look forward to, notably the improved shooting with 60 percent from the field and 36 percent from the 3-point line, and with more efficient passing, finishing with 21 assists. The Bears opened their season against Power 5 school West Virginia on Monday, Nov. 6 with hopes of an upset victory. The biggest question before this game was who would start. “We know who we’d start today,” Ford said during Basketball Media Day. Last seaPhoto by Charles Sargent Q@sargent_photag son, the starting lineup changed over 13 The Missouri State Bears played an exhibition game on Nov. 2, securing a win times, suggesting this year’s lineup will against Westminster College, 100-51. Tyler Bey — pictured above — and Cesare change as well.
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The Missouri State Basketball season is now here, and Head Coach Dana Ford is looking to his young core for team leadership this season. Sophomore guard Damien Mayo Jr. is up for the challenge. Just a second-year player, Mayo Jr. knows he can improve on his leadership. He wants to lead by just being himself and helping out his teammates. “For me, it’s being myself, being outgoing and just bringing the energy to the team. Talk to them, be the coach on the court instead of the coach off the court,” Mayo Jr. said. Ford is excited about the shooting guard’s game and what he can do for the Bears this season. “He has a great intensity in practice, especially on the defensive end,” Ford said. “We definitely needed that.” The relationship Mayo Jr. shares with Ford is one of mutual understanding. They both get, through and through, what they need to accomplish and what the team is aiming for. “I love Coach Ford. He’s a great coach,” Mayo Jr. said. “It’s a blessing to play for a coach that wants you to play for him. He’ll always fight for me, hand and foot.” Mayo Jr. wants his and his teammates’ actions to help continue to build the program’s culture by focusing on the basics and playing the gritty, hard style of basketball that the Missouri Valley Conference plays. In his freshman season, Mayo Jr. averaged 20 minutes per game and set a career-high 13 points scored in one game, last March against the University of Illinois Chicago Flames. He would then go on to score in double figures two more times. Hailing from St. Louis, Missouri, Mayo Jr. plans to stay in the Show-Me-State until his playing career is over. “I want to retire a Bear,” Mayo Jr. said. “I feel like we are building a great culture, great coaching staff and great teammates. It’s been
Photo from MSU Creative Services Sophomore guard Damien Mayo Jr. joined the team as a college freshman after graduating from Link Year Prep in Branson, Missouri. a blessing for me to be here and be a part of Missouri State.” College sports rosters are constantly changing season-to-season, and Mayo Jr. is looking forward to bonding and playing with all of his teammates, new and returning. “Every season, you get a different roster of guys, and you bond with different groups of guys,” Mayo Jr. said. “This team is great. I’m looking forward to playing with everybody on the team. We all get along together.”
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JADE MASOGAYO Sophomore forward enters season confident after being named MVC Freshman of the Year KYLIE COLBERT Sports Editor D@kyliecol8
“I’m just working every day trying to get better,” said Jade Masogayo. “At the end of the day, all I’m doing is playing basketball.” Masogayo is a sophomore forward from Fort Worth, Texas, who excelled her freshman year at Missouri State University. She won Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and was a part of the MVC All-Freshman Team in 2023, making Masogayo the first Lady Bear to win MVC Freshman of the Year since 2010 and only the 7th in Lady Bears history to hold the title. “It was very surprising; I did not expect to be anywhere near where you would earn this award,” said Masogayo. “It was really cool hearing my name being called. I feel like coach really pushed me my freshman year, as well as my teammates. It was real-
BASKETBALL PREVIEW | NOVEMBER 8, 2023 | 7
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ly cool to see all that hard work end up that way.” According to Masogayo, she struggled during the beginning of the 2022-2023 season with confidence and knowing her worth on the team. “Coach was always on me about keeping my head up,” Masogayo said. “I always had my head down. I just didn’t feel like I was there where the rest of my teammates were when it came to confidence.” However, Masogayo averaged 8.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and totaled 257 points for the 2022-2023 season. “The award really helped me to see that I am capable of doing what I need to do here and that I have a role,” she said. “This year is a completely different game for me. Confidence definitely has gone up.” “She finished last year on a really high note, obviously recognized as Freshman of the Year in the conference, which was well deserved,” said Head Coach Beth Cunning-
ham. “I feel like she is somebody who has a lot of potential, and her best day is ahead of her.” According to Cunningham, Masogayo is a hard worker and always willing to improve. “I think she comes in and works hard every day,” Cunningham said. “She is very coachable, a kid you love to have in your program. I think she has an unlimited amount of potential. I think the sky’s the limit for her.” Masogayo makes a huge impact all over the court, but Cunningham wants her to make a bigger offensive impact by shooting the ball more. “She understands that her job is to score, always has defended and rebounded for us, but she is so unselfish and has a high IQ,” she said. “She’s such a good passer, sometimes she’s unselfish to a fault.” Masogayo knows what her role is for the up and coming season and how she wants to achieve it. “Just try and score more. I’m pretty passive with the ball. I usually tend to pass the ball up instead of looking to score,” said Masogayo. I’m just trying to get better at that. Just look at the basket and try to help Photo by Khotso Moore Q@khotsomoore my teammates in that way. Coach is always telling me, ‘your job is to score, rebound, Sophomore Jade Masogayo plays during the Nov. and defend.’ That’s my role here, I’d say.”
1 Lady Bears exhibition game. The 2023-24 season marks Masogayo’s second season at MSU.
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Redshirt freshman Tommy Pinegar receives scholarship at MSU Basketball Media Day KYLIE COLBERT Sports Editor D@kyliecol8
Hometown walk-on guard Tommy Pinegar was awarded a scholarship to play on the Missouri State men’s basketball team for the 20232024 season on Basketball Media Day. Pinegar grew up in Springfield and attended Greenwood Laboratory School on the MSU campus. He was ranked no. 7 in state history for 3-pointers through his high school career. On Oct. 19, Basketball Media Day was held with the head coaches of the Bears and Lady Bears, alongside some of the players. After Head Coach Dana Ford finished answering questions at the event, he brought in the Bears to go through media training. Ford pulled Pinegar from the line-up and sat him down at the interview table.
Ford asked Pinegar questions regarding his history with Missouri State University, asking specifically who his favorite MSU Basketball Bear of all time is. Pinegar answered 2008 graduate Deven Mitchell. “How would (Mitchell) feel if I gave you a scholarship?” Ford asked Pinegar before tossing the folder with the scholarship offer onto the table in front of Pinegar. With a wide smile, Pinegar quickly picked up a pen and signed the scholarship as his teammates cheered loudly. “It was a surprise for all of us,” sophomore guard Damien Mayo Jr. said. “It was awesome, really happy for Tommy. I love that guy. He’s Photo by Charles Sargent Q@sargent_photag a great person, teammate, works hard, so it was well deserved.” Freshman Tommy Pinegar plays in the Nov. 2 men’s exhibition against West“Tommy is a really good kid,” said junior minster. Pinegar is a guard for the Bears this year, in his first season at MSU guard Raphe Ayres. “It really warms your heart.”
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Freshman forward Kyrah Daniels dribbles the ball down the court. The Lady Bears played against the Missouri Western Griffons on Nov. 1 and lost 65-57.
MAKAYLA STRICKLAND Editor D@mstrickland28 The Missouri State University Lady Bears had a different look and feel last season while under Head Coach Beth Cunningham. Despite her coaching experience, the Lady Bears finished the 2022-2023 season with 20 wins and 12 losses, compared to their 25-8 finish the in the 2022-2023 season. Last season, the Lady Bears maintained a 12-person roster, with fifth-year senior guard Sydney Wilson leading the charge. Now that Wilson has graduated, the Lady Bears are left with the familiar senior guard Paige Rocca who sees the number of girls this year as a positive. “In practice, we get to play three teams of five and go against each other a lot,” Rocca said. “We have a lot of depth, and that’s something we struggled with last year.” While the team may have a few extra players on this season’s roster, the Lady Bears are still a predominantly young team. With five freshmen and three sophomores, the underclassmen make up over half of the team. Sophomore forward Jade Masogayo will be another familiar face Lady Bear fans can expect to see. The 6-foot-3-inch forward 8.0 points
per game, with 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 blocks per game last season. She also earned Preseason All MVC before the beginning of the 2023-2024 season alongside junior Kennedy Taylor. Long-awaited freshman guard Kaemyn Bekemeier will also be another young addition to the team. Bekemeier, a southwest Missouri native and four-year starter at Republic High School, led her team to a 26-4 record her senior year. The guard averaged 23 points and 10 rebounds per game. During the same season, Bekemeier was nominated as a McDonald’s All-American and won District Player of the Year. Junior forward Indya Green says that even with all of the new and young players, everyone is adapting well. “We all fit into our roles very well and we know what is expected of us,” Green said. “Now we understand each other and we know how each other plays.” The Lady Bears fell in their first exhibition match against the Missouri Western Griffons on Nov. 1, 65-57. Their home opener comes on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m. against the Southeast Missouri State University Redhawks.
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EDITORIAL BOARD PREDICTS REGULAR SEASON RECORD LILLIAN DURR Editor-in-Chief Q@lillian_durr_art
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KYLIE COLBERT Sports Editor D@kyliecol8
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The Lady Bears’
WE PROUDLY BETH CUNNINGHAM begins second season SUPPORT as team’s head coach OUR BEARS & LADY BEARS KYLIE COLBERT Sports Editor D@kyliecol8
LEAVE IT ALL ON THE COURT Shop the Bookstore, Team Store, or Online: Shop.MissouriStateBookstore.com
Beth Cunningham is starting her second season as head coach of the Lady Bears. In her first year running the program, the team had an overall record of 20-12, ranking the Lady Bears fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference. During her first year at MSU, she brought the Lady Bears to their eighth consecutive postseason appearance. Last season, the team ranked nationally in the top ten of two categories — eighth in offensive rebounds and 10th in rebound margin. Going into Cunningham’s second season, there is a good dynamic between the coaching staff, since they already have a year together under their belt. “Having the continuity of a staff that’s been together and players that have played through our program and understand how we do things and how we go about things on a daily basis — there’s no substitute for experience, from that standpoint,” Cunningham said. There are five freshmen on the team, but Cunningham said she is not worried about the lack of collegiate experience. “We were really young last year, to be honest. We are more experienced this year than we were last year,” Cunningham said. “We’re still young, but a lot of our young kids last year have tremendous experience, and we’re just looking to build on that. I think the extra experience under your belt certainly helps even though we are still young in some spots.” There are six returners on the 14-player roster, including sophomore forward Jade Masogayo and junior forward Kennedy Taylor. Last season, Masogayo earned MVC Freshman of the Year, showing that a team could be young and still thrive in their
“I just put my heart and soul into it and work as hard as you possibly can and try to find the best position for our kids to be successful. More than anything, just always approach things by working really hard, doing things the right way, while surrounding yourself with good people.” -Beth Cunningham
roles. There are eight new players on the roster, and creating chemistry on the court is essential. Cunningham and the players worked hard to create a strong bond between each other. “We got together this summer for the first time, you look at eight of those kids
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Photo by MSU Creative Services Before coming to Missouri State University, Lady Bears Head Coach Beth Cunningham coached at the Division I level at Duke and the University of Notre Dame, as assistant coach and associate head coach respectively. Before coaching, Cunningham also played for Notre Dame, as well as playing in the American Basketball League and the WNBA. who were brand new kids, but we are fortunate to have the opportunity to bring our kids to summer school, so we spent 7-8 weeks in summer school together,” Cunningham said. “They were taking classes, and we could do workouts, but I think more than anything, it was about getting the group together and starting to build relationships and trust on and off the court. Certainly, that’s the foundation.” According to Cunningham, the Lady Bears want to get points on the board, and that begins with defense. “Our bread and butter is our man-to-man defense,” Cunningham said. “We are a very good rebounding team; a lot of those kids
are coming back that really impacted us on the boards. I expect to impact us again this year. I think as much of anything, be a team that can really defend and be disrupted and then finish it with rebounding.” Cunningham has a lot of goals and drive to succeed this season. “I just put my heart and soul into it and work as hard as you possibly can and try to find the best position for our kids to be successful,” said Cunningham. “More than anything, just always approach things by working really hard, doing things the right way, while surrounding yourself with good people.”
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Men’s 2023 Fall Women’s 2023 Fall Basketball Schedule Basketball Schedule To see the full season schedule, visit the-standard.org/basketball_preview
To see the full season schedule, visit the-standard.org/basketball_preview
Nov. 6 @West Virginia 6 p.m. Nov. 6 Nov. 13 vs. Oral Roberts 7 p.m. Nov. 15 Nov. 17-20 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam TBD Nov. 22 Nov. 25 vs. South Carolina State 1 p.m. Nov. 26 Nov. 29 vs Evansville (MVC) 7 p.m. Dec. 1 Dec. 2 @Drake (MVC) TBD Dec. 6 Dec. 5 @Middle Tennessee 6:30 p.m. Dec. 9 vs. Sam Houston 6 p.m. Dec. 16 Dec. 16 @Tulsa 2 p.m. Dec. 20 Dec. 19 vs. Lindenwood 7 p.m. Dec. 21 Dec. 23 @Saint Mary’s 7 p.m. Dec. 30
@Little Rock
5 p.m.
@Saint Louis
7 p.m.
vs. Southeast Missouri
6:30 p.m.
@Oklahoma State vs. Tulane
2 p.m. 6:30 p.m.
@University of Missouri
6 p.m.
vs. Wichita State
1 p.m.
vs. BYU
2:30 p.m.
vs. Western Kentucky
2:30 p.m.
vs. University of Northern Iowa (MVC)
1 p.m.
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