| |
LOCATION: Springfield, MO
CONFERENCE: Missouri Valley
LAST SEASON: 22-11 (.666)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 11-7 (t-2nd)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Bears
COLORS: Maroon & White
HOMECOURT: Hammons Student Center (8,846)
COACH: Barry Hinson (Oklahoma State '83)
record at school First year
career record 36-23
|
ASSISTANTS: Tommy Deffebaugh (Drury '85)
Ric Wesley (Central Michigan '80)
Steve Lynch (Manchester '93)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 16-16-24-16-22
RPI (last 5 years) 120-91-51-118-27
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in NCAA Sweet 16.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
|
Barry Hinson believes he has found heaven on earth in Springfield, Mo. Better yet, he thinks he's found heaven's door. Why? Because he's oblivious to what awaits him as only the 15th head coach of Southwest Missouri State's 87-year history. "I wake up every day and it's utopia; it's nirvana here," Hinson said. "My wife (Angie) and I have bought our first home. And how many guys from the Mid-Continent Conference (Hinson coached previously at Oral Roberts) get to take a job like this where they're coming off being in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen? I haven't watched a lot of film, so I could develop my own opinions on the players. "When I think about our team or the Missouri Valley, I feel like I'm in a snowstorm and my windshield wipers aren't working." The 38-year-old coach has a pretty high-powered car in the SMS program, and that should be enough to plow through at least some of the snowdrifts until he can figure out where he is going. Three starters, and five of the Bears' top seven return from their Cinderella romp at the NCAA Tournament that claimed Wisconsin, 43-32, and Tennessee, 81-51, before a 78-61 loss to eventual NCAA runner-up Duke ended the season at 22-11. The two starters not coming back are leading scorer and rebounder Danny Moore in the middle and stalwart forward Ken Stringer. Moore averaged 16.5 points and 6.1 rebounds. Stringer's numbers were 5.7 and 3.4.
|
Blue Ribbon Analysis |
|
BACKCOURT B+ BENCH/DEPTH C+
FRONTCOURT C+ INTANGIBLES B
Replacing center Danny Moore and quality guard backups are among new coach Barry Hinson's first priorities. Those tasks will take time as new players are being phased in. Although Hinson probably won't make major changes in style of play, a new coaching staff always brings a different perspective that doesn't always meet with the approval of veteran players who have experienced success. That adjustment is made all the more difficult by the demanding early-season schedule. There is enough talent on hand for this program, beginning with Kevin Ault and William Fontleroy, to contend for its first MVC title. But the absence of Moore and the defensive double teams he drew will be strongly felt by other players who will be played more straight up. There is also the issue of very experienced players trying to mix with a six freshmen. How it all meshes will depend largely on the guiding hand of a new coach. |
Guard Ryan Bettenhausen (2.9 ppg), a valuable reserve, is also a departed senior, as are little-used forwards Butch Tshomba and Paul Murans. Backup point guard Brandon Miller (3.1 ppg) also will not return, having transferred to Butler. "We've got an unbelievable void to fill at center," Hinson said. "People don't understand how good Danny Moore was. The other thing is our biggest opponent (complacency) isn't even on the schedule. There are great expectations in this community. The thinking is, 'We've eaten and gotten our bellies full, now let's go sit down and relax.' "I've told the kids, 'That's a credit to you. But remember, never has there been a Southwest Missouri team that won the Missouri Valley Conference (since joining the league in 1990). Never has there been a home crowd bigger than 9,229 or season-ticket sales of 6,000. Let's be the first Southwest team to do all those things." Seniors Kevin Ault and William Fontleroy, both 6-3, have been the Bears' starting guards for the last three years. Ault (11.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 88 assists) is closing in on the school record for career three-pointers and owns the record for career steals. Fontleroy (10.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 134 assists) is a high-energy, high-flying point guard who has led the team in assists the last two seasons. "In Ault and Fontleroy, I think we've got the best returning guard combination in the Valley," Hinson said. "Those two have been through the wars and they know what it's all about. We want to find some depth at those two spots, but I think some of our younger kids are going to be able to step up and provide that." Senior Eric Judd (1.8 ppg, 0.6 rpg), 6-1, will get the first crack. Travis Walk (Wichita Heights/Wichita, Kan.) is a 6-5 freshman who averaged 12.3 points and 4.3 rebounds last season and could see time at big guard or small forward. Junior college transfer Nic Wright (McLennan, Texas, CC), a 6-4 guard who averaged 6.3 points and 3.3 assists last year, is one of two recruits brought in by Hinson. "Without question, Nic will be one of the better athletes on our team," Hinson said. "He'll be kind of a utility player for us." Seniors Allen Phillips (10.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg) and Ron Bruton (5.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg) were big factors in last year's turnaround from a disappointing 16-16 season in 1997-98. The 6-5 Phillips, a swingman, and the 6-6 Bruton, both junior college transfers, added a missing dimension (athletic forwards) to those lumbering Bears. That recruiting strategy took place again this year with the addition of three freshmen forwards 6-7 Steve Ausler (Morrilton HS/ Morrilton, Ark.), 6-5 Kurt Spurgeon (Central HS/ DeWitt, Iowa) and 6-7 Charles Gaines (Klein Forest HS/ Houston). Ausler's high school numbers were 12.1 points and 12.1 rebounds; Spurgeon's were 15 points and eight rebounds. Gaines averaged 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks his senior season. Walk-on Josh Hume a 6-4 junior who averaged eight points for SMS-West Plains JC, was added to the team in late summer. "Ausler, along with Travis Walk, were priority recruits for us at Oral Roberts so I was very familiar with them," Hinson said of the two SMS '99 fall signees. "When I got this job, I said to them, 'I told you I was going to coach you.' Spurgeon has a chance to be a special player. "Gaines was one our staff brought in. He's got a seven-foot wingspan and didn't turn 18 until October. He's like a Marmaduke, a puppy dog growing fast and was an absolute steal for us." Scott Brakebill (4.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg), a 6-8 sophomore, played quite a bit of low post last year, but he has the ability to face the basket as well. Junior Matt Reuter (2.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg), a 6-8 junior, was Moore's backup last season, and 6-10 redshirt freshman Brian George often guarded Moore in practice. "We're going to bank on all of them, plus (6-9 freshman) Matt Engstrom (Mahomet-Seymour HS/Mahomet, Ill.) to help fill that void at center," Hinson said. "I think Brian will be in the mix somewhat, but he needs to add some weight. With the overall size in the freshman group, we ought to be able to find some different combinations and sizes of lineups depending on how we need to play in a particular ballgame." Engstrom is a 253-pounder who averaged 17 points and 9.7 rebounds as a prep senior. The Bears certainly have a challenging schedule for a team that will have to rely on at least some freshmen. "At Oral Roberts, we never shied away from competition to prepare us for conference play," Hinson said. "On paper, we appear to have an extremely tough schedule to prepare us to meet the Valley teams." An even bigger personal challenge for Hinson will be replacing the popular Steve Alford, who took the head-coaching job at Iowa after last season. "It's a very challenging situation for me," he said. "I'm following an icon who was Mr. Basketball in Indiana, won a national championship, won an Olympic gold medal and played in the NBA. But I look at all those things as great things. I am so fortunate to be at a school with the kind of tradition this one has. "It looks like there's a great deal of ability among the new guys. And the returning guys have the fire in their bellies, just from the experience of the season they had last year. It's given those kids a swagger I hope none of them lose. The other side of it is that nothing they accomplished last year will count for a single point for us this year. That's where I come in. I'm thinking that, about five minutes into our first practice, we'll all be looking ahead and not back."
 | The 19th edition of Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook is on sale now. To order, call 800-828-HOOP (4667), or visit their web site at
http://www.collegebaskets.com
|
| |
Conferences
America East
ACC
Atlantic 10
Big East
Big Sky
Big South
Big Ten
Big 12
Big West
Colonial
Conference USA
Independents
Ivy League
MAAC
Mid-American
Mid-Continent
Mid-Eastern Athletic
MCC
Missouri Valley
Mountain West
Northeast
Ohio Valley
Pac-10
Patriot
SEC
Southern
Southland
Sun Belt
SWAC
TAAC
WAC
West Coast
|
