Kyle Weems: No Other Way

Fans know Kyle Weems for different reactions to the same faces. Those game-winning shots he hits? The home fans see the primal scream and try to re-enact them. Mimic them. The opposing fans see them as arrogance. Mock them. But no matter how you digest them, everyone knows Weems because of his charisma and knack for always saying the right thing when the microphones are on.

But when Weems was a freshman — barely 18 years old — he cried. You probably would have cried, too.

While we know Weems as the confident, iconic face of the Missouri State men’s basketball program, one who might  become only the 5th NBA player in MSU history, there was a time he could have put SGF in his rearview mirror. Actually, no one could have blamed him if none of his remarkable career would have happened. If it wasn’t for an overabundance of loyalty and pride, which guide his personal and basketball lives, he would have bounced.

“He could have left, but that’s just not Kyle,” said Jacque Griggs, Weems’ long-time girlfriend and former Lady Bear forward. “He cares too much about Springfield to do that. It sounds crazy, but he loves Springfield. It’s given him everything and he wants to make sure to always pay that back.”

To be honest, Weems wasn’t even the highest-rated recruit from his own high school half a decade ago. When Topeka Highland Park went 25-0 and won a state title, it was Lamont Austin that former Bears coachBarry Hinson really wanted. Austin and Weems were a package deal, and while a talented scorer, Weems was a worthwhile risk to take to get a dynamic guard like Austin.

But don’t tell that to Weems. He was a versatile senior who averaged 15.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals in HS with a ton of pride. But when it came time for his freshman season at MSU, Hinson pulled Weems aside and told him he thought it was in everyone’s best interest to redshirt. In the MVC, players rarely do that. Instead, they transfer. They leave school. Sometimes, they leave basketball.

Weems wept.

“I cried,” Weems said. “It was a huge hit to my ego. I thought I was good enough to play, and instead I had to watch my best friend and my girlfriend play. I wanted to be a big part of it, and I wasn’t. It was hard to watch.”

See, Austin played as a freshman. His new girlfriend, Griggs, was playing as a freshman. Instead of helping a senior-laden team out, and playing aside then-mentor Dale Lamberth, Weems was told he wasn’t good enough to significantly crack the rotation. He could have played, but there might have been games where he kept his warmup on the entire time. No one wants to be told they’re not good enough, let alone a kid who showed up that summer as a 17-year-old with an August birthday who had a 2-star rating by Rivals.com and a 25-0 state title season fresh on his resume.

He had a choice. He chose hard work and SGF over running away. Four years later, he’s the face of a solid Division I program, was recognized as the Player of the Year in his conference as a junior by helping lead MSU to its first MVC regular season title and has been the sole focus of scouting reports this entire season. He’s responded by improving his overall numbers from 16.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game to 15.9 points and 7.5 rebounds, all with a higher degree of difficulty.

Actually, Weems has had two other chances to flee SGF. He could have said goodbye when Hinson resigned and Cuonzo Martin took over. He stayed. “I had to see it through. Nothing was guaranteed here, but nothing was guaranteed anywhere else.” Then, after earning MVC POY and seeing Martin bolt for Tennessee, Weems could have wriggled through an NCAA loophole that allows graduates to transfer to a school with a graduate program the undergraduate school doesn’t provide. That player doesn’t have to sit out a year (MSU’s Michael Bizoukas is doing that right now.). That could have included a move to Kansas, Kansas State and Oregon, among others.

Again, Weems chose what he knew, rather than what he didn’t. “There wasn’t a guarantee there. Sure, I’d think I can play at that level, and those coaches did, too, but it also might not have worked out. I’ve got it great here and I love it here. I have no regrets, at all.”

5 years. 3 coaches. 3 chances to leave. Instead, he chose MSU. He chose SGF. Now, those choices might get him to the NBA.

Now, it’s not easy to make it to the big leagues. Most of the mid-major elite are still consider inferior athletes. MSU coach Paul Lusk sums it up succinctly. “At the NBA, it’s a seldom a question of offense, but rather who are you going to guard?”

And while Weems isn’t listed amongst ESPN’s top 100, it doesn’t mean NBA scouts aren’t coming out to see him. MSU Sports Information Director Rick Kindhart said scouts aren’t making Bears games regular occurences, but they’ve been around for the team’s trip to Las Vegas to play West Virginia and St. Mary’s, as well as the Bears’ win at Creighton in late December. Only once has a scout come to JQH, and he represented the Golden State Warriors. Why the Warriors? It’s not for certain, but Weems’ uncle, Kris, who played at Stanford, is an Assistant Coach for Player Development. Kris Weems could not be reached for comment.

After stating how valuable Weems has been to MSU this season, calling him “A good player, and we’re lucky to have him,” Lusk was asked if Weems can find a way into the NBA.

“I can’t say that. He’ll find a way to have a future in basketball and that’s all you can ask for is a paycheck to play basketball,” Lusk said. After all, Lusk helped recruit two guys who are in the NBA right now, JuJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore, both with the Celtics.

Maybe Weems can’t guard small forwards or shooting guards at the NBA level. Maybe he can. But if it wasn’t for his commitment to Missouri State, he’d never flourished. He’d never have been in a position to appoint himself as the lead recruiter of the most recent freshman class. He’d never been in position to date the same girl for five years, rather than be the stereotypical promiscuous superstar. He’d never have helped MSU win that MVC title. He’d be a vagabond, not a pillar of stability.

He would have never made those faces.

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Missouri State’s NBA alumni

Don Anielak, 1955; New York Knicks (1 game)
Curtis Perry, 1971-78; San Diego, Houston, Milwaukee, Phoenix
Winston Garland, 1988-95; Golden State, LA Clippers, Denver, Houston, Minnesota
Blake Ahearn, 2008-09; Miami and San Antonio