Entertainment Springfield, MO (Sports, Live Music, Food, Arts, More) » Basketball

Bass Pro Tournament of Champions teams announced for 2013

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:08:21 +0000

The Springfield Public Schools athletics office announced the teams for the 2013 Bass Pro Tournament of Champions today. Here is the raw news for the tournament on January 17-19. Check back later this week for more insight and information.

Montverde Academy, Montverde, FL (22-5) National Rank # 14 (Maxpreps)

Kasey Hill – (2013) Guard – Ranked # 8 (Rivals) – Committed to: Florida
Chris Davenport – (2013) Forward – Recruited by: Clemson & Florida State
Dakari Johnson – (2014) Center – Ranked # 4 (Scout) – Recruited by: Georgetown, Kentucky, Ohio State, Syracuse, & Louisville
D’Angelo Russell – (2014) Guard – Ranked # 16 (Rivals) – Recruited by: Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State, & Tennessee

John Bosco High School –Bellflower, CA (25-8)

Isaac Hamilton – (2013) Guard – Ranked # 11 – Recruited by: Arizona, Baylor, & Kansas
Daniel Hamilton – (2014) Forward – Recruited by: Baylor, UConn, USC, & St. Johns
Devin Burleson – (2014) Center – Recruited by: New Mexico, Oregon, & Texas

Prestonwood Christian, Plano, TX (27-4) – National Ranked # 9 (MaxPreps)

Julius Randle – (2013) Forward – Ranked # 3 (Rivals) – Recruited by: Kansas, Missouri, Texas, North Carolina, Kentucky, & Ohio State
Marquan Botley – (2014) Guard – Recruited by: Memphis & TCU
Mickey Mitchell – (2015) Forward – Ranked Top Ten in Sophomore Class

Paul VI High School, Fairfax, VA (35-3) State Champions – National Ranked # 8 (Maxpreps)

Stanford Robinson – (2013) Guard – Ranked # 88 (Rivals) – Recruited by: Georgetown, North Carolina State, & Wake Forest
Tim Higgins – (2013) Center – Committed to: Cornell
Marcus Derrickson – (2015) Forward – Ranked Top Ten in Sophomore Class – Recruited by: Georgetown, North Carolina, Syracuse, & Maryland

Bullitt East High School, Mount Washington, KY (26-6)

Derek Willis – (2013) Forward – Ranked # 26 (Rivals) – Committed to: Kentucky

Hall High School, Little Rock, AR (27-3) – State Champions

Bobby Portis – (2013) Center – Ranked # 56 (Rivals) – Committed to : Arkansas

Nixa High School, Nixa, MO (30-2) – Class 5 State Runner-Up

Austin Ruder – (2013) – Committed to: Missouri State

Hillcrest High School, Springfield, MO (18-5) – Class 4 State Runner-Up

INTERVIEW: Tim Huskisson (Willard/N. Colo.) drops by TAG HQ

Allen Vaughan — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:12:25 +0000

[[Show as slideshow]]

The last time most of us saw Tim Huskisson play basketball, it was at Willard High School and he was 6-foot-4, 190 pounds. After one season at Division I Northern Colorado, where he started 17 of 28 games and averaged 6.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, he’s 6-5 “and some change,” hovering around 203 pounds.

Huskisson, a business and communication double major at UNC, stopped by TAG HQ (334 W. Walnut B) to hang out in the studio with TAG’s Allen Vaughan and Brett Johnston to catch up on his past season. The topics: Whether or not he’s transferring to Missouri State, getting so much playing time early, dunking on people (including UNC teammate and Branson native Tate Unruh) and much more.

You can stream the audio here or you can download it as an MP3. And, you can always find exclusive one-on-one interviews like this by subscribing to TAG Media’s podcast feed via ITunes.

Brian McTague hired as Branson HS boys’ basketball coach

Allen Vaughan — Fri, 11 May 2012 02:39:06 +0000

Branson has hired former Clever coach Brian McTague as its boys' baskeball coach.

Branson High School has hired former Clever coach Brian McTague to be its boys’ basketball coach, he confirmed to TAGsgf.com Thursday night.

McTague, was 125-67 at Clever over the past seven seasons — including final four appearances in 2008 and 2010. He said the Branson opening is one he’s always had his eye on.

“If you ask my friends, Branson is a job I’ve always been interested in,” he said via phone Thursday. “I feel like it’s one of the best openings in the area. It’s got great facilities and over the past 10 years, it’s really become a great basketball area. Coach (Randy) Bishop deserves a lot of credit for that.”

A Spokane native, McTague has been waiting in the wings to get a chance at one of the area’s larger schools. Branson is a Class 5 school and is just a season removed from a great run of state rankings and deep playoff runs. Before taking over at Clever, which was his first head coaching job, he was an assistant at Glendale for seven years.

Bishop left Branson for Lawrenceville, Ill. HS after 9 seasons. McTague was hired over Spokane coach Larry Brown, according to reports by the Tri-Lakes News.

MSU hoops adds freshman wing from Texas (w/ highlights)

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:30:09 +0000

Simpson

Missouri State’s men’s basketball team has signed Michael Simpson, a senior at Klein Collins High School from just outside of the Houston, Texas area. He averaged 15.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists and made 81 percent of his free throws as a senior.

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Simpson is described as long and athletic, but can shoot it.

“He is a long, athletic, and skilled wing player who has a great stroke from the perimeter,” MSU coach Paul Lusk said. “He adds another skilled player to our recruiting class and gives us a versatile scoring threat.”

According to MSU’s sports information department, Simpson was a two-time all-district selection and was ranked No. 37 on the Greater Houston Top 150 Senior Prospect List. TexasHoops.com lists him as the 48th best player in the state.

An honors student with a 3.6 grade-point average, he also played AAU ball for the elite Texas Pro team. He helped Klein Collins High, a Class 5A program, to a 19-14 record in 2011-12.

Simpson is MSU’s second commitment this spring, along with Tevin Bracey (G, 6-3, 180, Bronx, N.Y., Gompers High, Westchester [N.Y.] CC). The spring National Letter of Intent signing period runs through May 16 for basketball. Simpson and Bracey join a trio of fall signees — Bruce Marshall (C, 6-10, 205, Fr., Fayette, Mo., Fayette High), Marcus Marshall (SG, 6-2, 180, Fr., St. Paul, Minn., Johnson High) and Gavin Thurman (PF, 6-7, 210, Fr., Wichita, Kan., Heights High) — on the list of five Missouri State roster additions for the 2012-13 season.

Here are some Simpson highlights:

Overseas hoops diary: Shavies wraps up his best pro seaason

Allen Vaughan — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:45:49 +0000

Remember those braids? Shavies was the man, back in the day. Photo: Courtesy MSU Athletics

Anthony Shavies is a former Missouri State basketball player (2004-05) who is currently playing overseas for the Furstenfeld Panthers (Austria). Aside from being a fan favorite during his days at SMS (check the photo, he’s old school), he’s also a TAG Media favorite. As the regular season winds down, Shavies has agreed to take us behind the scenes in Austria and show us what it’s like for overseas ballers.

Hoops Diary #6

I know you guys have been anxious for another diary entry, so I apologize for the wait. Originally I didn’t have much to write about. Unfortunately we’ve been eliminated from the playoffs. We didn’t play well in the 5th and deciding game of the series. So, rather than waste your precious reading time with tales of our lack luster play. I decided to be patient, because sooner or later something will happen in Furstenfeld.

We had our final get-together/banquet on Saturday. At this time the team usually hands out everyone’s last check, and pays out any bonuses you may have earned. Also, the players turn in their cars that the team has provided, and keys to the apartment provided.

That’s not what our team did.

Anthony Shavies is balling overseas with a uniform that looks like a NASCAR vehicle...

Upon being asked about our last payment, the General Manager and Manager of the team pretended to have no clue what we were referring to. It was pretty funny, I admired the boldness on their part. After getting a few beers in his system, our GM pulled me to the side and asked me about returning next season. We agreed to discuss next season over coffee Monday morning, at which time I would receive my last payment. Of course the GM didn’t show up for the meeting/coffee. Of course no one from the team answered their phones during my last days in Furstenfeld.

So, here I am, sitting in the airport in Washington D.C. (the team booked me a flight home which includes a seven hour layover in D.C.) without my last check from my former team. I must admit though, it is common for teams to not pay players at the end of the season. It’s not fair, and it’s not ethical, but it is common. However, my former team has always been good about payments — not anymore though I guess. Just when I thought the team officials could not embarrass themselves or the team anymore, the GM shows up to the banquet 45 minutes late, gets drunk and schedules meetings that he’s not going to attend. Solid job, bro!

Quick note: I just got a call from my teammate JRob (Jeff Robinson), he’s still in Furstenfeld until tomorrow morning. JRob told me that the team has informed another one of our teammates, Gary Ware, that they are keeping his last check because he did not inform them that he did not have a driving license when they issued him a team vehicle in August. It’s really not funny, but I’m having a good chuckle at this. I’m sure Gary (who played under Cuonzo Martin at Purdue University) is steaming mad, I’ll list the reasons below:

The team booked his flight for May 7th, two weeks after our season ended. Typically, the flights home are booked for departure 3-4 days after the last game.
Gary paid out of his own pocket to have his flight moved up to May 1st.
Gary missed his May 1st flight because the team had not paid him yet and he decided he wasn’t going to leave until he was paid.
Team informs him on May 3rd (after he had already missed his flight) he wasn’t going to be paid.

OK, should Gary have been driving without a license? No. However, the team found out in February that Gary did not have a license. And they immediately confiscated the team issued car. So why is he being punished twice for the same mistake? And how does this give them the right to not pay him? I have about as much a clue as you do right now. Another one of my teammates was fined 300€ (about $400) for not sharing his team car with other players on the team. The thing about that is they never told him he was supposed to share his car. I hope you guys are having a good laugh about this, because I am. Seriously, I’m the weirdo sitting by himself in the airport laughing hysterically while everyone stares in confusion.

I’m not worried about my last check, one way or another my agent (Anthony Hilliard, Interperformances Sports Agency) will take care of it. Hilliard represented Coach Steve Woodberry when he played, and now list Deven Mitchell and Jermaine Mallett as clients, as well as myself.

I had a solid season individually, I posted career best numbers in scoring (18.1 points per game), field goal percentage (47.4) and 3-point field goal percentage (39.6). If you walked by the MSU practice facility on a weekday morning during the summer, then you know how I achieved those accomplishments. I’m looking forward to doing all over again this summer. I talked to Deven a couple days ago about us working out together this offseason and he sounded extremely motivated about summer workouts as well.

I can’t wait to sit down with my man Allen in the (TAG HQ) studio, I’ve come across some fantastic recruiting stories from JRob. These stories include a former University of Miami head coach, who was recently under some fire about possible recruiting violations. It’s good stuff, I promise. Okay people that’s all for now, see you guys around Springfield.

Shavies Out!

Former MSU player Dale Lamberth named Crane boys’ hoops coach

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:28:29 +0000

Here's Lamberth from his playing days at MSU. That autograph looks authentic to me.

Former Missouri State basketball player Dale Lamberth has been named the boys’ basketball coach at Crane, he confirmed today.

We will have more details, but it’s an interesting hire for many reasons. One, it’s a high-profile local guy getting his first crack at a high school job. Lamberth averaged 9.8 points during his three years at MSU (2005-08) and has been an assistant at Hillcrest.

But it’s not just interesting for that reason. It’s interesting because Lamberth is replacing Rob Guerin, who was let go just a season after winning a Class 2 title.

We’ll have more thoughts from Lamberth later today, but wanted to get the news out there.

Mark Bernsen, boys hoops coach at Mtn. Grove HS? Yes, it’s true

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:00:28 +0000

Mark Bernsen

Stranger things have happened in the Ozarks — especially recently — but I’m just not so sure this is the oddest.

Former Missouri State men’s basketball coach Mark Bernsen has agreed to be the next coach at Mountain Grove High School, according to local reports. The 62-year-old Bernsen replaces Wayne Jessen, who left to accept an administration job at MV-BT-Liberty.

Bernsen is best known as the guy who took over for Charlie Spoonhour at MSU, going 48-37 from 1992-95 with an NIT trip.

According to KSPR’s Mike Scott, Bernsen became aware of the opening by Mountain Grove assistant principal ~~Wayne~~ Duane Hiler, who Bernsen developed a friendship with during his time in Springfield. When asked why Mountain Grove? Bersen responded, “have you been to Mountain Grove? that’s why.”

So, let’s recap the recent HS coaching moves:

600-game winner and girls’ basketball coaching legend Gary Murphy gets canned at Marshfield.
Murphy is replaced by Shelly Jones, who goes from Drury assistant back to the HS ranks where she was a great coach at Parkview.
Crane doesn’t bring back coach Rob Guerin, just one season removed from a Class 2 state title.
Republic hires former MSU player/assistant coach Trevyor Fisher.
Willard hires former Mizzou player Lamont Frazier.
Crane then hires former MSU player Dale Lamberth, his first HS head coaching job.

What else could happen? Dare yourself to dream. Here are my top 3 coaching scenarios (that are completely fake and would never happen).

Jackie Stiles becomes the Skyline HS girls’ coach (my alma mater. No offense, Kevin Cheek…)
Melody Campbell and Tara Mitchem team up to coach (insert team).
Norm Stewart to Weaubleau HS.
Melvin Booker to Houston HS.
Danny Moore to Verona HS.

T of C’s Parker commits to UCLA, Bruins now top hoops class

Allen Vaughan — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:03:50 +0000

Tony Parker is a big dude, and now he'll try to be the next great UCLA center.

Miller Grove (Ga.) High School senior and recent Bass Pro Tournament of Champions alum Tony Parker surprised many on Monday by committing to UCLA. According to ESPN.com, it gave the Bruins the top recruiting class in the country.

Even when he was here in SGF in January, Parker kept his recruiting options open and his preferences secret. He mentioned schools all over the country, but never mentioned UCLA. But, according to ESPN, after the Bruins secured Shabazz Muhammad, the country’s No. 1 talent, to go with No. 3 Kyle Anderson and No. 62 Jordan Adams, Parker — who is No. 27 — wanted to make an impact quickly.

“Duke, Ohio State and UGA: Those three schools were right behind. I love (Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski), I love what he had going, but I just thought UCLA was a better fit for me and the people I was coming in with,” Parker said. “Ohio State, it doesn’t get no better for a big man there. But I just thought I would have to work harder at UCLA and would probably come in with more of a chip on my shoulder.”

Here is a list of other T of C alums and which Division I schools they will play for next season:

Archie Goodwin, Sylvan Hills (Ark.) — Kentucky
Grant Jerrett, La Verne (Cal.) — Arizona
Omar Calhoun, Christ the King (NY) — Connecticut
L.J. Rose, Westbury Christian (Texas) — Baylor
Brandon Morris, Miller Grove (Ga.) — Georgia
A.J. Avery, St. Rita (Ill.) — Western Michigan
Tony Hicks, St. Rita (Ill.) — Penn
Delvin Dickerson, Westbury Christian (Texas) — South Alabama
Jeremiah Turner, Lincoln (Cal.) — Cal-Irvine
Devon Turk, Westbury Christian (Texas) — Loyola (Ill.)

Willard hires former Mizzou player as boys’ hoops coach

Allen Vaughan — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:18:16 +0000

Here's a sweet black-and-white photo of Lamont Frazier from his playing days.

According to local reports, Willard High School has hired former Mizzou player Lamont Frazier as its boys’ basketball coach.

Frazier was most recently the coach at Poplar Bluff from 2005-2011 and ~~had a xxxxx record~~ no one has reported his coaching record, but it’s his Mizzou lineage that attracts the most attention. He captained the 1993-94 team to a 28-4 season and played four years under Norm Stewart, finishing 15th on the school’s all-time assist list and 20th in steals.

Frazier replaces Dusty Killingsworth, who stepped down after 3 seasons as the Willard coach. Killingsworth was 47-33 and won a district title in 2011.

The former Mizzou star is the second local head basketball coach with Division I playing experience. On Monday, Republic hired former Greenwood and Missouri State guard Trevyor Fisher.

Weems in Portsmouth’s Top 10 NBA prospects

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:09:39 +0000

How much did Kyle Weems improve his NBA Draft stock? A Huffington Post columnist said significantly.

We chronicled Kyle Weems’ trip to the Portsmouth Invitational last week, but a columnist/NBA draft analyst writing for the Huffington Post said the former Missouri State great was among the 10 best NBA prospects at this year’s event.

Carl Berman, who is listed as Managing Partner, NetScouts Basketball “The International Basketball Connection” wrote the following about Weems:

Has very good size. He is 6’6 ½” with sneakers and is a solid 225 lbs. He has three point range (40.4). He has a quick, high release with good rotation. He can mix it up inside and is a solid rebounder (7.2 rpg). He is a physical defender and moves very well for a big, physical player. He has a 6’10″wingspan (+4 ½”).

The NBA Draft is June 28.

Overseas hoops diary: Shavies and a 10-game winning streak

Allen Vaughan — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:39:34 +0000

Remember those braids? Shavies was the man, back in the day. Photo: Courtesy MSU Athletics

Hoops Diary #5

Guess what? We’ve won 10 games in a row, so I guess we’ve earned the right take a bus on road trips again! Hooray for us. Guess what else? We took a bus to our road game (Game two) last Thursday against the Klosterneuburg Dukes, the result…we lost by 30.

I was actually in favor of driving to the game since it’s been working for us. I’m not superstitious, but I do like routine. If you’re on a hot streak, you shouldn’t change anything. Here’s a quick story. Former MSU guard Blake Ahearn is the most superstitious guy I’ve ever been around. In between free throw attempts he has to “slap five” to teammates on both his left and right side or it throws him off.

We came out flat at the beginning of game two, the Dukes came out hot, and the referees may as well have been wearing uniforms for the other team. We knew going in that we would have to beat the Dukes and the officials; that’s just the way it is here in Austria. Like I’ve said before, the “higher-ups” and the officials in this league are not big fans of the Furstenfeld Panthers (my team), for reasons that have nothing to do with us players. That makes winning so much more difficult, but it is what it is.

OK, what I’m about to lay out might be one of my best overseas stories. I hope it translates well in this blog. Most American players that play in Europe are signed with an agent based in America (let’s call him Agent A). Quite often “Agent A” works with an agent here in Europe (let’s call him Agent E). ”Agent E” works as a middle man between the teams in Europe and “Agent A”.

Shavies' teammate, Jeff Robinson, got screwed out of a playoff bonus. Not cool.

My teammate Jeff “JRob” Robinson is kinda big time. JRob played in the 2008 Final Four with the Memphis Tigers, he transferred the next year to Seton Hall where he finished his collegiate career. When the Panthers were negotiating JRob’s contract, they knew they would have to add some incentives to augment his contract because they couldn’t offer him much money. One of incentives that would earn JRob extra money was if we made the playoffs – which we did. According to JRob’s contract, making the playoffs would earn him a bonus of $1,000.

Obviously we’re in the playoffs, and last week when payday came around, JRob asked where his extra $,1000 was. The team accountant looked puzzled and informed JRob he has no such bonus in his contract. JRob immediately pulled out a signed copy of his contract, showing the accountant that indeed he did have a playoff bonus in his contract.

In August, the Panthers sent a contract to “Agent E” that works with “Agent A” representing JRob. JRob agreed to the contract, signed it, faxed it and he was on a flight to Austria a couple days later. While JRob was on the flight to Austria, the Panthers sent a “revised” contract to “Agent E”. ”Agent E”, without consulting JRob or “Agent A” agreed to the contract which removed all the bonuses from the contract. It should be noted that “Agent E” in this story works with the Panthers frequently and isn’t exactly what I would call a honest individual. That story is life overseas; it is a very sweet and sour situation and you never really know which side you’re going to get.

Currently, we’re down 2-1 in our playoff series, we play again on Thursday at home. Hopefully we can force a game five and win the series on the road. It’s been a long season, the aches and pains are starting to pile up like dishes in a frat house. But we’ve got to dig deep and play through it all.

Blake Ahearn played in his second game with the Utah Jazz Monday. He's averaging 4.5 minutes per game.

Here are some rapid-fire thoughts from the sports world:

Congratulations to my teammate and brother Trevyor Fisher, who has accepted the position of boys’ basketball coach at Republic High School. Fish is going to be a great coach, and I’m really happy for him.
Congratulations to another teammate and brother Blake Ahearn for earning a call up to the Utah Jazz. If Blake gets some minutes he will play well, I guarantee that. He’s been preparing for this moment forever.
Congratulations to another Bear, who’s not technically my teammate but definitely still my little brother, Kyle Weems. As I’m sure everyone knows, he just completed a solid three days at the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. Kyle is extremely talented and I honestly believe he’s going to have a solid NBA career.
You guys out there looking for basketball fix can follow a couple of us overseas Bears on www.eurobasket.com.
Jermaine Mallett’s team (Treflo Sopot, Poland) begins its quarterfinal series April 23rd. His team have a strong chance to win it all.
Deven Mitchell’s team (Gaz Metan, Romania) is up 2-0, their next game is April 18th. Deven’s team is the favorite to win the Romanian title, and he’ll most likely be voted regular season MVP.
Wish all of us Bears luck. Thanks for taking the time to read this amazingly interesting blog.

Shavies Out!

Kyle Weems Watch: Ends Portsmouth with a bang

Allen Vaughan — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:55:05 +0000

Not sure how many chin-ups Weems did Thursday, but he scored 8 points in a loss.

Former Missouri State great Kyle Weems saved his best for last at the the Portsmouth Invitational, a showcase for the country’s top senior college basketball players.

Weems lead Team Mike Duman to an 88-78 victory in the seventh-place game over K&D Rounds Landscaping, featuring West Virginia’s Truck Bryant and Old Dominion’s Kent Bazemore Saturday.

After scoring 12 on Friday, Weems exploded for 20 points on 16 shots in 33 minutes. He played more minutes than anyone else on the team, and took more shots. His rebounds were down, but he continued to get in the passing lanes and steal passes. Here’s his stat line:

33 minutes, 20 points (9-16 FG, 2-5 3P, 0-0 FT), 3 rebounds, 0 assists, 3 steals, 1 block

As we try to make sense of Weems’ showing, here are his three performances listed next to each other:

Saturday: 33 minutes, 20 points (9-16 FG, 2-5 3P, 0-0 FT), 3 rebounds, 0 assists, 3 steals, 1 block
Friday: 29 minutes, 12 points (6-12 FG, 0-3 3P, 0-0 FT), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals, 1 block
Thursday: 29 minutes, 8 points (4-11 FG, 0-2, 3P, 0-0 FT), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

Weems proved that he could score, averaging 13.3 points per game against the best senior college basketball players in the country. He also averaged 3.3 steals per game and blocked a shot, and it shows that he’s willing to play defense against other small forwards at the next level.

Something that stands out is how Weems played 91 minutes in three games, but didn’t shoot a single free throw. Without seeing the games, it’s likely it means Weems hung around the perimeter during the tournament, trying to show he can play on the perimeter. He shot 2-for-10 from 3-point range in 3 games.

He didn’t make the All-Tournament Team, but here’s the list that did:

MVP — Kyle O’Quinn ( Norfolk State / Portsmouth Sports Club )
Garrett Stutz ( Wichita State / Roger Brown’s )
Ricardo Ratliffe ( Missouri / Roger Brown’s )
Henry Sims ( Georgetown / Portsmouth Sports Club )
Kevin Murphy ( Tennessee Tech / Portsmouth Sports Club )
JaMychal Green ( Alabama / Portsmouth Partnership )
Jordan Theodore ( Seton Hall / Portsmouth Partnership )
Augustus Gilchrist ( USF / Norfolk Sports Club )
Wendell McKines ( New Mexico State / Norfolk Sports Club )
Kim English ( Missouri / Mike Duman Auto )
Ashton Gibbs ( Pittsburgh / Mike Duman Auto )
Rakim Sanders ( Fairfield / K&D Round )

Also, the event treats the players like a mini-combine and officially measures them. Weems is officially 6-foot-5 1/2, 223.4 pounds and an 82-inch wingspan (6-foot-10).

The NBA Draft is June 28.

Kyle Weems Watch: Portsmouth, Game 2

Allen Vaughan — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 15:44:24 +0000

Not sure how many chin-ups Weems did Thursday, but he scored 8 points in a loss.

Game 2 for Team Mike Duman and former Missouri State great Kyle Weems didn’t turn out exactly like they’d hoped, either.

As we reported earlier this week, Weems is in Portsmouth, Virginia for the Portsmouth Invitational, a showcase for the country’s top senior college basketball players.

Weems showed well again, scoring 12 points, grabbing 5 rebound and 5 steals. His team, however, lost 89-87 to Sales System LTD, which features Arizona’s Kyle Fogg and Florida State’s Xavier Gibson. Here is what his line looked like:

29 minutes, 12 points (6-12 FG, 0-3 3P, 0-0 FT), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals, 1 block

Team Duman will K&D Rounds Landscaping at noon today. Featured on that team are West Virginia’s Truck Bryant and Old Dominion’s Kent Bazemore.

Here’s a link to Game’s 1′s stats.

Brad Beal, Florida freshman and Former T of C star, goes pro

Allen Vaughan — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:42:38 +0000

Brad Beal, as a player at Chaminde High School.

Florida Gators freshman Brad Beal and Bass Pro Tournament of Champions alumn will declare for the NBA draft, the school announced Friday morning.

The 6-foot-3, 207-pound guard widely regarded as a top-five pick in this year’s draft. Beal will be the Gators’ first one-and-done player since Donnell Harvey in 2000

He averaged 14.8 points and led UF with 6.7 rebounds a game. He was named to the All-SEC first team and All-Freshman team.

As a junior at the 2010 T of C, Beal made the all-tournament team despite an 8th-place finish.

Beal, a shooting guard who often played forward because of injuries, helped lead the Gators to a 26-11 record and a second consecutive Elite Eight appearance.

Here are highlights from Beal back in 2010:

Kyle Weems Watch: Portsmouth, Game 1

Allen Vaughan — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:19:51 +0000

Not sure how many chin-ups Weems did Thursday, but he scored 8 points in a loss.

As we reported earlier this week, former Missouri State great Kyle Weems is in Portsmouth, Virginia for the Portsmouth Invitational, a showcase for the country’s top senior college basketball players.

His first game for Team Mike Duman was last night, featuring teammates Kim English (Mizzou), Ashton Gibbs (Pitt) and Juan Fernandez (Temple). Team Duman lost 85-79, but Weems got plenty of time and seemed to play well. Here is his line, and we will update this for each game:

29 minutes, 8 points (4-11 FG, 0-2, 3P, 0-0 FT), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

Team Duman moves to the consolation bracket to face Sales Systems Ltd., which features Arizona’s Kyle Fogg and Seton Hall’s Herb Pope at 2:15 Central Time.

Ryan Rippee: Baseball is the future

Allen Vaughan — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:52:37 +0000

Ryan Rippee warms up outside Drury's practice facility during Spring Break. Photo by Alex Stocksdale/For TAGsgf.com

Sitting at the Springfield Tip Off Club awards luncheon in early March, a fidgety Ryan Rippee is surrounded by his teammates and a reporter. He’s busy on his cell phone and joking with teammates, but the nerve-calming has nothing to do with knowing his Kickapoo High School Chiefs aren’t going to win any awards. For that alone, he should be commended.

See, this year, Rippee had one of the best seasons in Kickapoo basketball history. He averaged more than 25 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game, and became the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,485 points, outdoing household names like Deven Mitchell, Spencer Laurie, Shane Laurie, NBA-bound Anthony Tolliver and Kyle Kirk (1,431), the guy he passed on the list.

But still, the 6-foot-5 senior just sat there. And he joked some more. He knew national sports phenomenon Dorial Green-Beckham was winning the individual MVP award, because while 1,485 is impressive, DGB scored more than 2,000 points in his career.

And then, with one sentence, it all made sense. He turned to his friend and teammate, Robert Schroff, and said: “Today’s the first day of baseball practice. I haven’t been this excited in a long time.” The look on his face was of pure joy.

It says a lot about Ryan Rippee, the son of Dick Rippee, his coach at Kickapoo and a former assistant at Evangel University. Because while Ryan Rippee has spent his life around basketball — and becoming a star at it — it’s baseball that he loves the most. It just might turn out that’s where he can shine the most.

Ryan Rippee is Kickapoo basketball's all-time leader in points scored, but college baseball is likely his future.

As a basketball player, Rippee is a 6-5, 200-pound monster who can score from the perimeter as easy as he can attack the basket. But as a baseball player, he’s a power-hitting right fielder with a cannon for an arm — one that just might produce 90 mph fastballs off the mound one day.

Guys as tall as and as athletic as Rippee are crawling all over Division I basketball. But in D-I baseball? He’s the prototype.

“He’s got the raw ability to play at the next level, there’s no doubt,” Kickapoo coach Jason Howser said.

His potential for the game is a blend of skill, aptitude and passion.. Most people would assume he would play basketball for as long as he could, because it’s in his blood. His father’s a coach and he’s been around it all his life, so why not?

“There’s just something about baseball,” Ryan Rippee said. “I learn something new every day and it fascinates me. It’s my passion. I love basketball, too, but I enjoy baseball more.”

Rippee has immense potential as a pitcher. Photo by Alex Stocksdale/For TAGsgf.com

Rippee comes from an athletic family. Not only did Dick Rippee play college baseball at Central Missouri State, Ryan’s mother, Shelly, is the second-leading scorer in Kickapoo history and played basketball at then-CMSU. Dick Rippee said when they transferred to Missouri State, she tried out and made the volleyball team, but CMSU wouldn’t release her from her scholarship.

While Dick Rippee was a basketball coach to Ryan, he’s also a father. He has fond father-son memories of the two playing catch, sometimes in the back yard, other times outside at Miller Park in Milwaukee, waiting for the gates to open to watch their favorite team, the Brewers. Just like any father, Dick Rippee wants what’s best for his son.

“I want my kids to do the things they love doing,” Dick Rippee said. “There probably is a message in there. Basketball is such a huge part of our lives. Maybe it’s too much. Maybe it was too much for them. … You try to coach them up and think they’re really be thankful for those things. And they’re not. They despise it. It took me a while to figure that out, but when I did, it has helped.”

While Ryan Rippee said he’s not sick of basketball, in the least, getting basketball out of his system might be the best thing for his baseball game. Like most multi-sport athletes who split the calendar year’s seasons and off-season workouts in half, Rippee has never solely focused on one sport.

“I think I’ll be able to really improve on my swing and my pitching,” Ryan Rippee said. “Really, I’ll be able to improve that much more and maybe be able to play at the highest level.”

Currently, Rippee doesn’t have any scholarship offers for baseball, but many schools are “looking at him,” according to his father. Division I schools are watching, but see potential, not results. Smaller colleges have probably tried, but he knows he can do better. And then, there are the junior colleges — a likely landing spot.

D-I stars and future pros come through junior colleges all the time. Just recently, the Kickham twins, Mike and Dan, went from Glendale HS to Crowder College in Neosho to Missouri State to professional contracts (San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers, respectively). Also, Howser, Rippee’s coach, was one of the best players in Crowder history.

But, if it’s basketball, he has a full ride waiting at Evangel University, his father said. The family is taking the spring and seeing how everything progresses, but hope to have a decision sooner than later.

As for that baseball potential, whether as a power-hitting outfielder or as a flame-throwing pitcher, the most growth might come from the pitcher’s mound. Former MSU and Kickapoo pitcher J.C. Casey, who is currently in the Chicago White Sox minor league system, has been helping out at a few practices. He liked what he saw from Rippee.

“He’s got a lot of potential,” Casey said. “I know he’s raw, but he’s big and he has good mechanics. He could turn out to be a very good one.”

But in the end, it’s all about potential with Ryan Rippee. He might not have a great season and decide to play basketball, because he has options and a full scholarship to a good school. Or, he might dominate and end up a Division I scholarship in baseball. Either way, while basketball has given him a ton, his passion for baseball might lead him to where he wants to be.

Web-only interview: Former Bear Will Creekmore

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:57:28 +0000

[[Show as slideshow]]

Former Missouri State center — and Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year — Will Creekmore has finished his NBA Developmental League season with the Tulsa 66ers and swung through SGF to celebrate his 23rd birthday.

Part of his grand return to the town where he played his college basketball included a trip to the new TAG HQ in downtown SGF and a no-holds-barred conversation with TAG’s Allen Vaughan and Brett Johnston. Former MSU wide receiver and TAG/Creekmore friend Dan Reichert joined the fray, too. Lucky for you, we taped it and have it available for download or streaming below.

The highlights? Aside from all of it, Creekmore discussed banging on the block with former Celtics great Antoine Walker, his penchant for freestyle art and how the NBA D-League travel shenanigans.

Kyle Weems hopes Portsmouth Invitational readies him for NBA

Allen Vaughan — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:41:17 +0000

Will Weems unleash the face at Portsmouth?

Kyle Weems thought maybe he’d spend one week — maybe 10 days tops — in California’s Bay Area, working on his basketball game. It turned into nearly a month of grueling workouts, individual battles with a potential McDonald’s All American and eventually, the training of a lifetime.

“I just wanted to make sure I was in the best shape possible, so I stayed,” said Weems, the former Missouri State forward and Missouri Valley Conference MVP. “You can always get better, so that’s what I did, get better.”

For the past three weeks, the former Missouri State basketball great has been living in Oakland, Cal. with his uncle Kris Weems, the former Stanford player and current front office staffer for the Golden State Warriors, working on his game. It was all a part of his plan to improve before this week’s Portsmouth Invitational in Virginia, an NBA showcase for the country’s top senior basketball players.

Every year since 1953, the PIT has invited 64 of the best college seniors from around the nation to participate in a four-day, 12-game tournament in front of every NBA team. The players are divided into eight teams, each including eight players. Every team plays three games.

Weems worked out against Stephen Domingo, the 31st rated junior in the country, in the Bay Area.

While it has become less important for NBA Draft status in recent years — because of the immense number of underclassmen available — it still turns out a few NBA players each year.

That’s what Weems is banking on. The Topeka, Kan. native said he’s down to 220 pounds, the lightest he’s been in years, in an attempt to get quicker and more explosive. To get there, he’s been mixing in shooting and dribbling drills, with an emphasis on reading offensive and defensive footwork. Part of his workout included one-on-one matchups with 6-foot-6 Stephen Domingo, a San Francisco high school junior rated No. 31 in the country by Rivals.com.

“For me to be able to showcase my talent on that type of level is an extreme honor,” Weems said. “I am just looking forward to getting after it and hopefully impressing some people along the way.”

Last year, Marquette’s Jimmy Butler used Portsmouth to become a first-round pick (Chicago Bulls), and College of Charleston’s Andrew Goudelock (LA Lakers), Florida’s Vernon Macklin (Detroit Pistons) and UTEP’s Julyan Stone (Denver Nuggets) are on NBA rosters.

Notable college seniors Weems will be playing with/against include:

Kim English, Missouri
Ricardo Ratliffe, Missouri
Scoop Jardine, West Virginia
Erving Walker, Florida (Christ the King in Bass Pro Tournament of Champions)
Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin
Garrett Stutz, Wichita State
Truck Bryant, West Virginia (St. Raymond in T of C)
Ashton Gibbs, Pitt
Bradford Burgess, VCU
Kyle O’Quinn, Norfolk State
Juan Fernandez, Temple
Yancy Gates, Cincinnati
JaMychal Green, Alabama
Henry Sims, Georgetown
Jorge Gutierrez, Cal
Casper Ware, Long Beach State
Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion
Click here for a full list

Once upon a time, Jeremy Lin played in the Portsmouth Invitational.

Actually, Weems is on a team including Mizzou’s Kim English, Temple’s Juan Fernandez, Pitt’s Ashton Gibbs, Minnesota’s Ralph Sampson III, Louisville’s Kyle Kuric, Long Beach State’s Long Beach State and Miami (Ohio) Julian Mavunga. Weems said he hasn’t spoken or met any of his teammates.

Other recent Portsmouth NBA alumni include (Name, NBA team, college team, year):

Anthony Tolliver, Minnesota Timberwolves, Creighton, 2007
Jeremy Lin, New York Knicks, Harvard, 2010
Landry Fields, New York Knicks, Stanford, 2010
JJ Barea, Minnesota Timberwolves, Northeastern, 2006
Wes Matthews, Portland Trail Blazers, Marquette, 2009
Steve Novak, New York Knicks, Marquette, 2006
Ishmael Smith, Orlando Magic, Wake Forest, 2010
Ben Uzoh, Toronto Raptors, Tulsa, 2010
Jon Brockman, Milwaukee Bucks, Washington, 2009
Click here for a full list

Former MSU Bears guard Blake Ahearn and Branson native and Arkansas Razorback Steven Hill also played at Portsmouth.

Blake Ahearn returning to NBA, signs 10-day deal with Utah

Allen Vaughan — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:18:46 +0000

Ahearn is back in the NBA, at least for 10 days.

Former Missouri State guard Blake Ahearn will be in uniform tonight for the Utah Jazz after signing a 10-day contract, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

The 27-year-old Ahearn averaged 23.9 points and 5.1 assists in 37 games this season with the NBA Developmental League’s Reno Bighorns. He shot 40.9 percent from the 3-point line and 96 percent from the free throw line. Those numbers look familiar to what Ahearn did when he played with MSU from 2003-07.

Ahearn was signed for depth after the Jazz lost both Earl Watson and C.J. Miles to injuries this weekend. The 6-2 Ahearn has 15 games of prior NBA experience with Miami (2007-08) and San Antonio (08-09), averaging 13.0 minutes per game and 5.2 points.

The St. Louis native is eighth on the MSU career scoring list with 1,677 points and holds the NCAA record for career free-throw percentage at 94.6 percent.

Jazz GM Kevin O’Connor said he liked Ahearn’s perimeter versatility.

“… We saw him in the D-League Showcase [in January] and he showed improvement in all aspects of his game,” O’Connor said.

Overseas hoops diary: Anthony Shavies, All Star Edition

Allen Vaughan — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:12:21 +0000

Remember those braids? Shavies was the man, back in the day. Photo: Courtesy MSU Athletics

Hoops Diary #4

I was unsure if I would play in our recent All-Star game, because I have a couple of small nagging injuries (sore wrist, swelling in my knee, etc). But I decided I would participate anyway. I had an absolute amazing time.

It’s always fun to hang out with all the other American players in the league, especially when we’re not playing against each other.

It’s not surprising that the guys I “clicked” with the most were Jeremy Fears (Bradley University) and Ali Farokhmanesh (University of Northern Iowa). Both of which were starters in the All-Star game, and playing very well for their respective teams. Jeremy and I even had a conversation about how he was close to committing to Missouri State back in the day.

Former MSU guard Anthony Shavies balling out in an all-star game for his league in Austria.

Here’s how the All-Star game works in the Austrian Basketball League. The Austrian All-Stars (basically the Austrian national team) play against the International All-Stars (players not from Austria). The best thing that can happen during an All-Star game is the score stays close throughout the game, keeping teams competitive. So with the game tied at the end of regulation the Austrians had the ball. Taking the last shot for team Austria was Stejpan Stazic (averages 28 points per game), one of the most offensively talented players I’ve ever seen (I’ve seen him score 50 in a game, twice!). Guarding him was one of the most defensively talented players he’s ever seen, Anthony Isaac Shavies (I recently held Stazic to just seven points, in our last match up). I forced Stazic into a really tough 3-point attempt which hit nothing, and we went to overtime.

We were able to hold off the Austrians for a 105-103 overtime win. Scoring 19 points and stopping the Austrians best offensive weapon was all I had to do earn MVP. It’s my first All-Star MVP award so I felt extremely honored. It also entitled me to a picture with the “Dragon Ladies” a very popular cheer leading squad in Europe!

There are pictures on my Facebook fan page, and here is a link to the highlights of the game.

Shavies won the MVP of his Austrian League's All Star game, and as a reward, he gets a picture with the Dragon Ladies.

As far as the Furstenfeld Panthers, it’s money time now as we started the quarterfinals this past Sunday. Despite an embarrassingly off shooting (3-for-14) night by me, we stole the first game of the series on the road. I was able to contribute in ways besides scoring. I played great defense and led our team with 13 rebounds and 11 assists. We’re now up 1-0 in the five game series against the Klosterneuburg Dukes. And although they are second seeded team and we are the seventh, we really like our chances in this series. Game two is Thursday, and it should be really interesting. Sunday night’s game was not a friendly one, tempers flared up numerous times. I’m sure they’ll be eager to even up the series, but I’m confident we will be ready to take full control of the series.

Here are some other sports takes on my mind:

The Bears suffered a HUGE loss when Coach Steve Woodberry accepted an assistant coaching position with Tulsa University. Most Bears fans are unaware of how important Coach Woodberry is to Bears basketball. I know he’s going to do a great job for the Golden Hurricanes, and wish him the best of luck.
Congratulations to Barry Hinson and Southern Illinois University! Coach Hinson is a great person and I’m sure he’ll do well for the Salukis. It’s a good hire for SIU, and great opportunity for Coach Hinson to prove he can take a program to the tournament.
Bobby Petrino should not be fired by Arkansas. He shouldn’t even be in trouble with the school. Mrs. Petrino should be ticked off, and he deserves some punishment there. But I don’t believe personal matters such as infidelity should cost you your job. If he was a janitor I highly doubt it would matter. The fact that Petrino just hired Jessica Dorrell to work within in his football program is a little sketchy. But I still do not think this incident should cost him position as head football coach at the University of Arkansas.

There’s probably like five people that read this blog, but I really appreciate the opportunity to write this. For me it’s amazing to think that people actually read the stuff I write. So I just want to say thank you to all the readers, I appreciate it.

Shavies Out!

High school all state basketball teams released

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:23:37 +0000

DGB made the all-state basketball team, too.

The Missouri high school all-state basketball teams and final polls as selected by the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. Local players/teams are in bold.

BOYS

Class 5
First Team
Nolan Berry, 6-8, jr., DeSmet
Jordon Granger, 6-8, sr., McCluer North
Ryan Rosburg, 6-10, sr., Marquette
Jalen Norman, 6-5, jr., Nixa
Shaquille Harrison, 6-3, sr., Lee’s Summit West
Ryan Rippee, 6-6, sr., Kickapoo
Tony Cochran, 5-10, sr., Vianney
T.J. Tisdell, 6-6, sr., Cape Girardeau Central
Will Harrington, 6-3, Sr., Lee’s Summit North
Deron Hill, 6-4, sr., Ruskin

Second Team
Austin Ruder, 6-2, jr., Nixa
Travis Jorgenson, 6-0, jr., Rock Bridge
Rayshawn Simmons, 6-3, sr., Webster Groves
Cameron Johnson, 6-3, sr., Glendale
Derek Deters, 6-3, sr., Troy Buchanan
Shun Williams, 6-5, jr., St. Joseph Central
Desmond Buerge, 6-5, sr., Carthage
Darrell Johnson, 6-8, sr., Parkway North
Marvin Clark, 6-6, jr., Blue Springs
DJ Booker, 6-2, sr., Blue Springs South

Coach of the Year
Randy Reed, McCluer North

Final Rankings
1. McCluer North 28-1
2. Nixa 30-2
3. Vianney 27-2
4. McCluer 25-4
5. Lee’s Summit West 27-4
6. Rock Bridge 24-5
7. Rockhurst
8. Marquette 20-12
9. Hazelwood Central 19-7
10. St. Joseph Central 21-6

CLASS 4
First Team
Dorial Green-Beckham, 6-6, sr., Hillcrest
Joe Young, 6-4, sr., Logan-Rogersville
Paul McRoberts, 6-3, sr., Soldan
Jared White, 6-2, sr., De Soto
Nick Yocum, 5-10, sr., Republic
Deion Hughes, 6-3, sr., Helias
Tyler Peterson, 6-3, sr., Savannah
Kevin Baker, 6-1, jr., Imagine Prep
Travon Williams, 6-3, sr., University City
Terry Jamison, 5-9, sr., Sikeston

Second Team
Loomis Gerring, 6-5, sr., Grandview
Austin Reed, 6-2, sr., Mexico
Bryce Dolan, 6-0, sr., Borgia
Randy Holmes, 6-4, sr., Soldan
Cory Briggs, 6-3, sr., Moberly
Connor Fleming, 6-7, sr., Westminster Christian
Nathan Meystedt, 5-10, sr., Notre Dame (Cape Girardeau)
Garret Loew, 6-6, sr., Liberty North
Jared Greenlee, 6-4, sr., Marshfield
John Hall, 6-1, sr., Eldon

Coach of the Year
Justin Tatum, Soldan

Final Rankings
1. Soldan 25-5
2. Hillcrest 26-6
3. Liberty North 24-7
4. Imagine 23-9
5. Sikeston 23-5
6. Logan-Rogersville 21-8
7. Republic 21-6
8. Helias 20-9
9. Borgia 22-6
10. Marshfield 21-7

CLASS 3
First Team
Cameron Biedscheid, 6-8, sr., Cardinal Ritter
Greg Tucker, 6-2, sr., Charleston
Ben Denbow, 6-5, sr., Licking
Martez Harrison, 5-11, sr., University Academy
Cory Bower, 6-2, sr., East Buchanan
Broderick Newbill, 6-6, sr., Hogan Prep
Anthony Virdure, 5-11, jr., Lutheran North
Eli Sample, 6-3, sr., Crystal City
Eric Moles, 6-3, sr., Adrian
Shane Williams, 6-0, jr., Mount Vernon

Second Team
Maurice Mason, 6-2, sr., Hogan Prep
Tyrell Thirkield, 6-1, jr., Lafayette County
Darrell Monroe, 6-2, so., Caruthersville
Edin Mehmedovic, 6-4, so., Bayless
Scott Kroeger, 5-10, sr., Elsberry
Garrett McDowell, 6-2, jr., St. Pius X-Festus
Ryan Parham, 5-11, jr., Charleston
Nick Carlos, 6-7, jr., Southern Boone County
Jake Schannuth, 6-5, sr., Hermann
Zach Cotner, 6-0, sr., Scott City
Kody Ettinger, 5-8, jr., Cuba
Michael Fleshman, 6-0, sr., Cameron
Jerrod Harmon, 6-5, sr., Fair Grove
Skylar Knoll, 6-4, sr., Southwest (Washburn)
Derek Hutchins, 6-4, sr., Doniphan

Coach of the Year
Danny Farmer, Charleston

Final Rankings
1. Charleston 31-2
2. Hogan Prep 20-11
3. Lutheran North 25-8
4. Mount Vernon 25-6
5. Cardinal Ritter 21-6
6. Crystal City 25-6
7. California 20-10
8. Lafayette County 27-3
9. Elsberry 28-3
10. Cameron 22-7

CLASS 2
First Team
Jackson Conaway, 6-1, sr., Viburnum
Riley Jenkins, 6-1, sr., Norwood
Brent Bush, 6-1, sr., DeKalb
Austin Essick, 6-0, jr., Billings
Tim Looney, 6-0, sr., Greenwood
Brad Roberts, 6-3, so., Cairo
Jamie Massey, 6-7, jr., Holcomb
Bruce Marshall, 6-10, sr., Fayette
Zach Wyatt, 6-0, jr., Salisbury
Skylar Overlander, 6-0, sr., Lone Jack

Second Team
Milton Spaulding, 5-10, jr., Crossroads
Brady Chastain, 6-1, jr., Billings
Kaleb Harter, 6-0, sr., Billings
Austin Wyatt, 6-0, jr., Salisbury
Austin Francis, 6-6, jr., Salisbury
Dalton Mills, 6-1, jr., Polo
Jordan Pearson, 6-6, sr., Osceola
Jerome Thomas, 6-2, sr., Hayti
Adam Roe, 6-5, so., West Platte
Cody Rector, 6-4, sr., Van Buren

Coach of the Year
Kendall Tilley, Billings

Final Rankings
1. Billings 29-3
2. Salisbury 30-2
3. Norwood 27-3
4. Hayti 22-10
5. Sturgeon 25-3
6. Osceola 21-11
7. DeKalb 26-3
8. Holcomb 23-6
9. Cairo 20-10
10. Richland 21-8

CLASS 1
First Team
Dominique Porter, 5-11, sr., Scott County Central
CJ Bolton, 6-4, jr., Drexel
Forrest Hicks, 6-7, sr., St. Joseph Christian
Colton Hartley, 6-1, jr., Mercer
Jesse Utt, 6-4, jr., Braymer
LaMarcus Steward, 5-9, sr., Scott County Central
Alex Oserowsky, 6-3, sr., Thomas Jefferson Independent
Chris Pavy, 5-10, sr., Risco
Mike Buerge, 6-3, sr., Climax Springs
Dillon Yung, 6-3, sr., Glasgow

Second Team
Derek Smith, 6-0, jr., Meadville
James Macklin, 6-3, sr., North Pemiscot
Lucas Schawang, 6-1, jr., Mound City
Clayton Schieber, 5-11, sr., Jefferson
Blake Seba, 6-2, sr., Drexel
Adam Teague, 5-6, sr., Fair Play
Klayton Kuschel, 6-7, sr., Chamois
Ryan Loethen, 6-1, sr., St. Elizabeth
JJ Chatfield, 6-4, sr., Marion County
Peyton Swift, 6-0, sr., La Plata
Coach of the Year
Kenyon Wright, Scott County Central

Final Rankings
1. Scott County Central 22-10
2. Drexel 26-5
3. Glasgow 26-6
4. Eminence 23-7
5. Marion County 27-2
6. St. Joseph Christian 24-8
7. Meadville 29-1
8. Climax Springs 24-6
9. Jefferson 22-8
10. Fair Play 25-3

GIRLS

CLASS 5
First Team
Megan Deines, 6-0, sr., Glendale
Maddie Stock, 6-1, jr., St. Joseph’s Academy
Sophie Cunningham, 6-0, fr., Rock Bridge
Mikala McGhee, 5-11, sr., Pattonville
Taylor Manuel, 6-3, sr., Incarnate Word
Annie Armstrong, 5-8, sr., Kickapoo
Marina Laramie, 6-1, sr., Fort Zumwalt West
Lindsey Cunningham, 6-0, sr., Rock Bridge
Tyonna Snow, 5-9, sr., Blue Springs
Emiah Bingley, 5-7, sr., Lee’s Summit West

Second Team
Imani Johnson, 6-0, so., Lee’s Summit North
Napheesa Collier, 6-0, fr., Jefferson City
Andi Haney, 5-7, jr., West Plains
Hannah Cook, 5-11, so., Ozark
Aubrey Buckley, 6-1, so., Parkview
Dru Haertling, 5-8, sr., Jackson
Sydney Stipanovich, 6-3., jr, St. Joseph’s Academy
Jordynn Martin, 5-9, sr., Lafayette (Wildwood)
Karyla Middlebrook, 5-8, jr., Blue Springs
Sharese Jones, 5-8, sr., Francis Howell Central

Coach of the Year
Jill Nagel, Rock Bridge

Final Rankings
1. Rock Bridge 26-3
2. Blue Springs 26-5
3. Incarnate Word 26-7
4. St. Joseph’s Academy 25-5
5. Fort Zumwalt West 26-7
6. Ozark 25-5
7. Kirkwood 24-4
8. Glendale 22-4
9. Nixa 21-6
10. Carthage 21-8

CLASS 4
First Team
Shanity James, 6-0, sr., Miller Career
Kindred Wesemann, 5-7, jr., Pleasant Hill
Alice Heinzler, 5-6, jr., Republic
Sadie Stipanovich, 6-3, jr., Westminster Christian
Brittany Harris, 6-0, jr., Dexter
Olivia Hackmann, 5-9, sr., Helias
Maddie Nelson, 5-7, jr., Smithville
Lauren Aldridge, 5-7, so., Marshfield
Brittany Atkins, 5-10, sr., Lincoln Prep
Sarah Magana, 5-6, sr., Bolivar

Second Team
Sarah Kreul, 5-6, jr., Republic
McKenzie Russell, 5-7, jr., Kirksville
Courtney Powell, 5-8, sr., Westminster Christian
McKenzie Haddox, 5-7, sr., Borgia
Liticia Allen, 5-5, sr., Moberly
Alex Rohlfing, 5-8, sr., Duchesne
Corri Hamilton, 5-10, sr., Fulton
Grace Keane, 5-9, jr., Notre Dame de Sion
Kati Davis, 5-11, sr., Owensville
Camilla Neumann, 5-11, sr., Van Horn

Coach of the Year
Kris Flood, Republic

Final Rankings
1. Republic 23-8
2. Smithville 26-6
3. Miller Career 23-6
4. Westminster Christian 26-5
5. Pleasant Hill 25-3
6. Dexter 24-5
7. Helias 21-8
8. Bolivar 20-7
9. Borgia 24-4
10. Kirksville 23-4

CLASS 3
First Team
Kara Johnson, 5-10, sr., Principia
Danielle Goodman, 5-10, sr., Mount Vernon
Lexie Oak, 5-11, sr., KC-St. Pius X
Rachel Gall, 6-4, sr., Hallsville
Elsie Greenwood, 5-9, jr., Hamilton
Garrett Burton, 5-6, sr., Stockton
Katie Gettinger, 5-7, sr., West County
Katie Hogan, 6-2, sr., Scott City
Ashli Burton, 5-6, sr., Stockton
Benesha Childress, 5-9, jr., New Madrid County Central

Second Team
Hunter Yoakum, 5-7, jr., Dixon
Bekah Bade, 5-7, sr., Springfield Catholic
Liz Gilman, 5-9, jr., Principia
Brittany Harris-Conway, 5-9, sr., St. James
LeeAnn Polowy, 5-7, so., Blair Oaks
Anna Curtis, 5-7, sr., Cameron
Kayla Glenn, 5-6, sr., Lawson
Tori Cole, 6-1, jr., Twin Rivers
Tamiaya Henderson, 5-11, jr., Mount Vernon
Leann Lansdown, 5-6, sr., Seymour
Amelia Bramer, 5-10, sr., Mount Vernon
Sydney Deeken, 6-0, so., California
Lexi Morris, 5-8, fr., Clearwater
Ashton Luttrull, 5-8, jr., Highland
Morgan Kensinger, 6-2, jr., Fair Grove

Coach of the Year
Doug Hepler, Mount Vernon

Final Rankings
1. Mount Vernon 26-7
2. Stockton 24-8
3. Hallsville 26-6
4. Seymour 30-2
5. Principia 26-4
6. California 21-8
7. Lawson 25-5
8. Hermann 26-2
9. Cameron 24-5
10. Crystal City 24-6

CLASS 2
First Team
Lauren Jaeger, 6-0, sr., Clopton
Chelsey Kroese, 5-11, sr., Harrisburg
Addy Roller, 5-7, sr., Purdy
Emilee Buckler, 5-9, sr., North Platte
Rachel Steinhoff, 5-6, so., New Haven
Erin Bollmann, 5-9, sr., Meadow Heights
Carrie Shephard, 5-8, so., South Pemiscot
Natalie Fleming, 5-9, jr., Silex
Josie Young, 5-8, fr., Marionville
Larra Kubinski, 6-2, sr., Crocker

Second Team
Meagan Claxton, 5-5, sr., Fordland
Taylor Cook, 5-10, sr., Lesterville
Hannah Yelton, 5-5, sr., Newburg
Cailyn Long, 5-11, fr., Sparta
Emily Case, 5-8, sr., Richland
Sammie Jo Copeland, 6-0, jr., Polo
Torri Blythe, 5-8, jr., Maysville
Kori Dodson, 5-7, sr., Liberal
Brittany Higgins, 5-9, sr., Sweet Springs
Whitney Welker, 5-9, sr., Meadow Heights

Coach of the Year
Dan Bachmeier, Harrisburg

Final Rankings
1. Harrisburg 29-2
2. New Haven 18-13
3. Marionville 22-11
4. North Platte 26-5
5. Meadow Heights 22-5
6. Clopton 24-5
7. Purdy 24-6
8. Crocker 24-6
9. Maysville 23-5
10. Fordland 24-6

CLASS 1
First Team
Tristan Carrasquillo, 5-9, sr., Verona
Kendall Hart, 5-10, sr., Montrose
Sierra Michaelis, 5-10, jr., Mercer
Jessica Redd, 6-1, sr., Marion County
Heather Harman, 5-9, so., Walnut Grove
Megan Rosenbohm, 5-8, so., Nodaway-Holt
Miranda Brandt, 5-10, jr., Chamois
Kelsey Williams, 5-6, sr., Eminence
Jamie Hale, 5-10, sr., Chadwick
Kendle Schieber, 5-7, sr., Jefferson

Second Team
Randi Lee Plunkett, 5-10, sr., Marion County
Michaela Daniels, 5-6, sr., Hale
Courtney Owens, 5-11, jr., Mercer
Alexa Taff, 5-4, sr., St. Joseph Christian
Cheyenne Baxter, 6-1, jr., Norborne
Courtney Coulter, 5-6, sr., Eminence
Amy Oleynik, 6-0, sr., Otterville
Machela VanGennip, 5-8, jr., Delta
Cortney Roberts, 5-7, sr., Southwest Livingston
Nikki Fuemmeler, 6-0, so., Glasgow

Coach of the Year
Jeff Williams, Eminence

Final Rankings
1. Eminence 29-1
2. Walnut Grove 26-6
3. Marion County 30-1
4. Montrose 27-1
5. Jefferson 28-4
6. Mercer 28-1
7. Chamois 23-5
8. Chadwick 23-6
9. St. Joseph Christian 22-7
10. Glasgow 23-5

Details of Barry Hinson contract (He’s making less than Lusk, FYI)

Allen Vaughan — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:59:04 +0000

Barry Hinson introduced as the SIU coach.

Barry Hinson was officially hired and introduced as the Southern Illinois men’s basketball coach Wednesday.

And as much as that’s a story in the Ozarks, seeing as how he was one of the most polarizing figures in Missouri State hoops history after his 9-year tenure from 1999-2008, the details of his contract are making headlines.

Here is what we know so far:

5 year contract
$250,000 (2012-14)
$300,000 (2014-15)
$325,000 (2015-16)
$350,000 (20-16-17)
As director of operations, he hasn’t actively coached while at Kansas, but he was around Self and his staff on a daily basis.
Southern Illinois had to pay former coach Chris Lowery $1.5 while buying out his concert. That means, if you spread that over the 5 years of Hinson’s deal, SIU is spending and average of $595,000 per season. Ouch.
In comparison, current MSU coach Paul Lusk is clearing $400,000 per year of his 5-year deal, with endorsements, etc.

Sources say Barry Hinson will be next coach at Southern Illinois

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:44:41 +0000

Hinson is back in the MVC.

Former Missouri State men’s basketball coach Barry Hinson has agreed to take the same job at Southern Illinois, according to multiple reports.

Hinson, the MSU coach from 1999-2008 has spent the last four years at Kansas, the last two as Jayhawks director of basketball operations and the first two as the director for external relations.

The 50-year-old Hinson replaces Chris Lowery, ~~who ran Southern Illinois into the ground~~, who was fired after eight seasons. The Salukis reached the NCAA Tournament six consecutive times from 2002-07, but haven’t been back since then, including this season’s 8-23 record, the school’s third-consecutive 20-loss season.

The move brings one of the more polarizing figures in MSU history back to the Missouri Valley Conference. Hinson, who blended regional and local recruiting, was 169-117 at MSU and fired on March 8, 2008. He finished second in the MVC twice and went to three NITs, but will be remembered for his inability to make the NCAA Tournament.

2006 is the most defining moment of the Hinson era. That year, MSU fans learned all about the RPI and watched the Bears get stoned by the selection committee despite a 20-8 record and a 21 RPI. The next season, MSU finished 22-11 with an RPI of 38 and did not receive a bid, either.

But, SIU saw value in his MSU tenure. One report said Hinson’s solid record against SIU was a big reason for the hire. In his nine years, Hinson handed SIU 10 of its 40 valley losses.

Financial terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed and there is no press conference date set, but many have speculated that Hinson was hired because his salary terms might be lower than other candidates, especially considering SIU owes Lowery 1.5 million after terminating his contract two years early.

Overseas hoops diary: Anthony Shavies, Vol. II

Allen Vaughan — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:27:03 +0000

Remember those braids? Shavies was the man, back in the day. Photo: Courtesy MSU Athletics

Diary No. 2

March Madness! I was pretty disappointed in the early games of the Big Dance last Thursday. They were good games but there was no madness, which is why we all watch.

Then Norfolk St made my weekend!

I really thought about sending Kyle O’Quinn (#10 for Norfolk St) a post card. He dominated Fizzou’s bigs, it was awesome. Then Lehigh beat Duke, and at last, March Madness had arrived! For the record I picked Baylor, Michigan State, Florida State and UNC in the final four. FSU unfortunately has let me down, but my other three final four picks are still alive. I have Carolina beating Michigan State in the championship game.

The emotion involved with these tournament games is amazing. After every game there is a 90 percent chance you will see some tears on the bench. I know that feeling, and some of the hardcore Bear fans might remember the shot of me in the News-Leader crying my heart out after losing to Northern Iowa in double overtime. It’s cool, don’t feel sorry for me. The women of MSU were impressed with my sensitive side, long story short it worked in my favor…

Yes, this is Norfolk State's Kyle O'Qunn, who Shavies is a huge fan of. But we're only using this photo because we have no footage of Shavies crying, or being comforted by mid-2000s MSU co-eds.

Here’s the lowdown on the Furstenfeld Panthers of the Austrian Basketball League: We’ve won seven games in a row and we’re playing extremely well as a team right now. Basketball is fun when you figure out how to mesh with your teammates.

Earlier this season we had a streak in which we lost six games in a row. At that point management had pretty much given up on us and the season. So, our general manager decided they would no longer pay for a charter bus to and from games, which cost about $1,400 every trip. Instead of taking a bus like most professional teams. We now get money for gas mileage and we drive the cars that the club has provided for us.

The bad part about our new travel arrangement is I don’t get to take my usual road trip nap on the bus. But the good part is after the game, I don’t have to get back on the bus and ride all the way back to our town to pick up my car before we hit the town. So now we shower get dressed and head right for the club. Jokes on you management! The reason that’s funny is because our general manager and coach have both tried really hard to limit our participation in the social scene. They’ve been very unsuccessful.

I saw the Southern Illinois men’s basketball job is open, awesome. Obviously, hiring Bruce Weber would be perfect for them. However, I do not see that happening. Option number two for the Salukis should be Kent Williams. First, let me say that there are few universities I enjoy less than SIU. But Kent is so obviously perfect for this job that I’m amazed they are even talking to other candidates. I’ve read who the other names in the hat are, and none of them are a better fit than Kent.

That’s all for now. Email me (the_ashavies@yahoo.com), for questions or comments good or bad. Or catch me on twitter (@AiShavies). Thanks for taking the time.

Shavies Out!

MSU offering fans alternative to attend WNIT game Thursday

Allen Vaughan — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:23:04 +0000

MSU's Casey Garrison dominated at the Courts

Missouri State has announced it is offering a spectator bus for fans interested in attending Thursday’s Women’s National Invitation Tournament game between the Lady Bears and Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. in Stillwater, Okla.

The cost of the trip is $50 and includes bus fare and one ticket to the game. Meals are not included in the $50 price. The bus departs Hammons Student Center at 11 a.m. Thursday and will return immediately after the game.

Please RSVP to Terrie Coulter in the MSU women’s basketball office (417-836-4136 — tcoulter@missouristate.edu) by 5 p.m. today (Tuesday).

Class 1-3 HS basketball final four scores

Allen Vaughan — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:22:01 +0000

The small schools started the final four of the high school basketball playoffs. Here are the scores — and game story links — from Day 1 in Columbia

Class 3

Boys

Thursday
At Hearnes Center
Semifinals
Charleston 58, Mt. Vernon 56
Hogan Prep 68, Lutheran North 64

Today
At Mizzou Arena
Third-place game
Mount Vernon (24-6) vs. Lutheran North (24-8), 8:20 p.m.

Saturday
At Mizzou Arena
Championship game
Hogan Prep (20-10) vs. Charleston (30-2), 8:40 p.m.

Girls

Thursday
At Hearnes Center
Semifinals
Mt. Vernon 43, Seymour 36
Stockton 51, Hallsville 43

Today
At Mizzou Arena
Third-place game
Seymour (30-1) vs. Hallsville (25-6), 6:40 p.m.

Saturday
At Mizzou Arena
Championship game
Mount Vernon (25-7) vs. Stockton (24-7), 6:50 p.m.

Class 2

Boys

Thursday
At Mizzou Arena
Semifinals
Billings 79, Hayti 60
Salisbury 77, Osceola 43

Today
At Mizzou Arena
Third-place game
Hayti (21-10) vs. Osceola (21-10), 1:40 p.m.

Saturday
At Mizzou Arena
Championship game
Billings (28-3) vs. Salisbury (30-1), 1:20 p.m.

Girls

Thursday
At Mizzou Arena
Semifinals
New Haven 53, Marionville 52
Harrisburg 62, North Platte 47

Today
At Mizzou Arena
Third-place game
Marionville (21-11) vs. North Platte (26-4), noon

Saturday
Championship game
New Haven (18-12) vs. Harrisburg (28-2), 11:30 a.m.

Class 1

Boys

Thursday
At Hearnes Center
Semifinals
Scott County Central 78, Glasgow 48
Drexel 61, St. Joseph Christian 36

Today
At Mizzou Arena
Third-place game
Glasgow (25-6) vs. St. Joseph Central (24-7), 5 p.m.

Saturday
At Mizzou Arena
Championship game
Scott County Central (22-10) vs. Drexel (26-4), 5 p.m.

Girls

Thursday
At Mizzou Arena
Semifinals
Eminence 59, Marion County 46
Walnut Grove 41, Jefferson 33

Today
At Mizzou Arena
Third-place game
Marion County (29-1) vs. Jefferson (28-3), 3:20 p.m.

Saturday
Championship game
Eminence (28-1) vs. Walnut Grove (26-5), 3:10 p.m.

Spring Vegas: First round NCAA Tourney picks vs. the spread

Allen Vaughan — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 13:56:34 +0000

The NCAA Tournament kicks off today and there will be some of you not satisfied with only bracket challenges. No, you’ll want to pick games against the spread. Dude, Murray State is waaaaaay better than a 4-point favorite vs. Colorado State. No, you’re wrong. We all know the scenario.

That’s why TAGsgf.com sports editor Allen Vaughan has consulted with Uncle Rob, the shrewdest Vegas man he knows, and they both unveil picks against the spread.

Remember, you can still sign up for TAG’s Tourney Throwdown Bracket Challenge with great prizes to Harbell’s Grill and Sports Bar, The Outland Rock and Whiskey Bar and Millwood Golf and Racquet Club. Plus, you can match your wits against other local media members (KOLR/KOZL’s Nick Carboni, much of the News-Leader staff, former MSU player and overseas pro Anthony Shavies) and much more.

Of course, these picks are for entertainment purposes only. If you missed our March Madness podcast, you can download or stream it here.

Thursday

Uncle Rob

West region
11. Colorado State (+4) vs. 6. Murray State

East region
13. Montana (+9) vs. 4. Wisconsin

South region
12. VCU (+6.5) vs. 5. Wichita State
8. UConn (-2) vs. 9. Iowa State

Allen

West region
11. Colorado State (+4) vs. 6. Murray State

East region
1. Syracuse (-15) vs. UNC-Asheville
5. Vanderbilt (-5.5) vs. 12. Harvard

South region
5. Wichita State (-6.5) vs. 12. VCU
8. UConn (-2) vs. 9. Iowa State
3. Baylor (-7.5) vs. South Dakota State
13. NM State (+6.5) vs. Indiana

Sign up for the TAG Tourney Throwdown bracket challenge!

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:13:16 +0000

Back by popular demand, TAGsgf.com’s Tourney Throwdown Bracket Challenge is back. You’ve got a chance to win prizes, with the grand prize being a $100 gift certificate to Harbell’s Grill and Sports Bar, as well as free golf to Millwood Golf and Racquet Club, a year of cover charges to TAG Thursdays at the Outland, and more.

Sure, you’ve got your bracket entered in five other places? Great, throw yours in here. Why? The bracket challenge is universal. It’s common ground. It gives the shrewd know-it-all basketball fan a chance to really show their knowledge. It also gives wives and girlfriends who roll their eyes at your season-long basketball fetish, an opportunity to crush you. Plus, are there anything sweeter than Bracket bragging rights?

Group ID: 73025
PW: bracket

Click here to listen to The High Road’s March Madness podcast.

Overseas hoops diary: Anthony Shavies

Allen Vaughan — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:58:29 +0000

Remember those braids? Shavies was the man, back in the day. Photo: Courtesy MSU Athletics

Hoops Diary #1

Welcome, ladies and gentleman (mostly you ladies…alllllright!) to my very first Hoops Diary. First I want to say thanks to my man Allen Vaughan, I really appreciate the opportunity to get the word out.

Now to the three or four of you that are asking “don’t you already have a blog?” I say this, yes, I do write a blog for eurobasket. However this will be very different, it’s a more in depth look at basketball here in Austria.

So here’s the situation for my team (Furstenfeld Panthers, www.panthers.at). We’re in 7th place with five games to go in the regular season. We’ve had a very up and down season. Talentwise, we’re one of the four best teams in the league. But for some reason or another, we just have not meshed well with each other, with our coach, with management, with our cars (lol).

We get along great and we really do enjoy being around one another. However, that has not translated into victories.

Anthony Shavies is balling overseas with a uniform that looks like a NASCAR vehicle...

So what do as a general manager when players aren’t performing to your liking? Well in the NBA, you would trade guys and make some roster changes, I guess. But in Austria, on my team, you get fined for losing. Technically a team cannot fine you for losing, but the Panthers front office got very creative!

First they implemented a set of rules, things like “consumption of alcohol is only permitted with written permission from the coach or general manager” or “players must be inside their apartment by midnight on days in which there is a practice the next day”. The first infraction would cost you €200 (about $265), second infraction €500 (about $660), and on your third strike they can cut you without paying you. After the “Rules of Ridiculousness” were handed out, the madness began.

Some guys (myself included) were fined up to €700. Everyone on the team got fined! It was one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen in seven years of playing overseas. Also it was highly unsuccessful as far as motivation for the team. We were all pretty upset about the whole thing, with good reason.

Thankfully that whole saga is over. Management has ceased behaving like a military academy and we’re on a four-game winning streak. Which will give us a little momentum heading into the playoffs hopefully.

Next game is Friday against Graz, a team that has beat us three times already this year. We’ll be fired up for the game, looking for sweet revenge. You can follow all of our games live at www.oebl.at. Also, follow my Eurobasket blog by clicking here.

Follow me on twitter for some of the most random tweets ever (@AiShavies)

Shavies Out!

MSU Bears eye future — Time of death: Monday, March 5

Allen Vaughan — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 15:48:24 +0000

This seems like a long time ago, all of a sudden.

The day after Selection Sunday is normally one of the greatest days of the year. That is, except for Missouri State men’s basketball fans, who haven’t sniffed the NCAA Tournament since 1999, and have had their hearts ripped out multiple times by not receiving at-large bids.

Now, we’re a week removed from MSU’s head-tilting announcement to withdraw from any postseason consideration. The whole situation doesn’t feel more odd.

See, one of the most curious announcements a college basketball program could make is to say it won’t accept a postseason bid. When Missouri State announced last Monday its men’s basketball program was abstaining from postseason play, it screamed something loud and clear:

This year’s Bears team doesn’t need to play together any more because it could do more damage than good.

This was the scene as Missouri State left St. Louis after losing in the MVC Tournament. Photo: Brett Johnston/TAGsgf.com

That’s a loaded and dangerous message — that came from the coach — but it’s true. Let’s be honest, if a program is turning down opportunities to improve in game situations, experience a postseason setting and further the career of one of the program’s most celebrated players, something is/was wrong. The Bears decision makers decided to end it which speaks volumes to the situation.

We could all see the evidence: Poor body language, awkward press conferences, that thud which came with five straight losses to close the season, etc. It became glaringly obvious they weren’t playing together, yet nobody would publicly acknowledge what happened to the team’s chemistry. Why? Because it’s rude. It’s harsh. It doesn’t really help. And, because you didn’t have to say it out loud. Everything that happened told the story.

All I know is what I can see with my eyes. And when the program made the no-postseason announcement Monday, the decision threw a coat of paint on the elephant in the room. Consider the following sequence of events:

A horrible senior night where the Bears shot 31-percent from the floor and lost to a beatable Indiana State team. MSU coach Paul Lusk says it’s one of the most disappointing efforts he’s seen.
A second gut-wrenching loss to Evansville (one of three) where even though the team was instructed to foul with time running out and a 3-point lead, the players didn’t follow through. It led to an overtime-forcing 3, which eventually became the Bears’ standings bungee jump to No. 6.
An utterly uninspired performance against Evansville in the MVC Tournament, ending the Bears season. Lusk pulled the plug and instructed the team to not foul with 32 seconds to play, down by 8
Bears withdraw from postseason consideration.

New MSU coach Paul Lusk knew his team was done, and the best thing to do was to call it off.

The team wasn’t even a lock to make a tournament, but why quit? Because playing would do more damage than good. Think about that statement. How toxic must things have been to just call it quits? Think I’m cramming hyperbole down your throat? Consider what Lusk said during our interview Wednesday.

“As a coach you know what your team is about. (With) our guys, it could have been more detrimental than helpful,” Lusk said.

But, it’s true, and it’s scary. I think part of the jarring reality is linked to how spoiled Bears fans have been. When reflecting back, there haven’t seemed to have been chemistry issues with many Bears clubs. Barry Hinson’s teams were solid. Cuonzo Martin’s group was a complete team with willing role players.

And don’t try to tell me that winning would have cured everything … because they were winning. At 16-11, one more conference victory would have vaulted the Bears to third place in the Valley, firmly behind two nationally-ranked teams in Wichita State and Creighton. Instead, something happened or continued to happen, and it couldn’t be repaired.

Kyle Weems has seen his career come to an end. Now, it's time to get ready for NBA workouts.

Seem dramatic? How could this happen? Think about your life. You’re in team settings all the time, no matter how large or small. When things go wrong, sometimes relationships can’t be repaired. Being questioned about your passion or your professionalism? That’s a hard thing to recover from. We’ll never know what really happened with this season’s Bears, because it’s probably a series of simple, silly events, or something so awful no one will repeat. And we’ll never know where it came from, because it could have come from any combination of things: The new guys. The holdovers. The coaching staff. No one is specifically to blame, and is more likely the crossroads of so many changes in the program.

But something happened; something that made the administration want to hit the restart button and be rid of this current group.

Here’s the weirder part — I understand the decision. Lusk said there wasn’t much upside to what could happen with a postseason berth. He said junior Keith Pickens was physically spent and needed to rest. Freshman Christian Kirk needs to get in the gym and work on his offensive game. Because they were late junior college additions, returners Anthony Downing and Jarmar Gulley missed out of the team’s spring skill work. Add those together, plus the ability for Kyle Weems to position himself to be seen by professional scouts and NBA Draft events in the near future, that was more important to the program than potentially waiting out the opportunity to reach the postseason.

Instead, Lusk went to Columbia this weekend to watch the Class 4-5 final four with his eyes on certain players, and there is value in that — the future. That future includes a strong recruiting class in place for next year, and part of me understands wanting to be done and being able to turn the page.

When I spoke to Weems, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I know Weems has a knack for always saying the right thing, but that’s not what I wanted. I wanted him to intimate there were bigger problems, but quickly cover it up, because it’s the right thing to do. He was adamant about the team’s performance, relationships and loyalty. Sure, he was disappointed in the way things ended, but he defended his teammates until the end.

MSU AD Kyle Moats

“Man, everyone got along fine. There were no problems or anything like that. Sure, we weren’t best friends, but with so many new faces, that’s hard to do,” Weems said. “We trusted each other and played for each other. I’ve got no regrets.”

I actually respect Lusk, or athletic director Kyle Moats for calling it how they saw it and they probably made the right choice. It’s likely Lusk was the surgeon who called time of death on his team after everything had been done. But when you think about what the decision took away from the fans, it couldn’t have been easy.

No more Kyle Weems. No more Michael Bizoukas and Caleb Patterson. No more playing time for anyone else. No potential home game. No chance to win another trophy. No chance to say you’d been to the postseason.

Ultimately, the Bears chose the future over the present. There are no consequences from telling the CBI or CIT no, because MSU has a quality program with a quality fan base. They’ll always be in play, should the criteria. Still, they prematurely ended a season that wasn’t over yet, because it was already dead on arrival. It’s sad the situation couldn’t have been better. Postseason appearances have value, no matter how inconsequential.

Class 1-3 HS basketball final four schedules

Allen Vaughan — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:51:20 +0000

The small high schools are one step from state, now that sectionals are over. Here is the quarterfinal schedule for Classes 2 and 3, which includes many local schools, including Mount Vernon, Seymour, Billings, Marionville and Walnut Grove.

Class 3

Boys

Thursday
At Hearnes Center
Semifinals
Charleston (29-2) vs. Mt. Vernon (24-5), 6:40 p.m.
Lutheran North (25-7) vs. Hogan Prep (19-10), 8:20 p.m.

Friday
At Mizzou Arena
Third-place game, 8:20 p.m.

Saturday
At Mizzou Arena
Championship game, 8:40 p.m.

Girls

Thursday
At Hearnes Center
Semifinals
Seymour (30-0) vs. Mt. Vernon (24-7), 3:20 p.m.
Hallsville (25-5) vs. Stockton (23-7), 5 p.m.

Friday
At Mizzou Arena
Third-place game, 6:40 p.m.

Saturday
At Mizzou Arena
Championship game, 6:50 p.m.

Class 2

Boys

Thursday
At Mizzou Arena
Semifinals
Hayti (21-9) vs. Billings (27-3), 3:20 p.m.
Salisbury (29-1) vs. Osceola (21-9), 5 p.m.

Friday
At Mizzou Arena
Third-place game, 1:40 p.m.

Saturday
At Mizzou Arena
Championship game, 1:20 p.m.

Girls

Thursday
At Mizzou Arena
Semifinals
New Haven (17-12) vs. Marionville (21-10), noon
Harrisburg (27-2) vs. North Platte (26-3), 1:40 p.m.

Friday
At Mizzou Arena
Third-place game, noon

Saturday
Championship game, 11:30 a.m.

Class 1

Boys

Thursday
At Hearnes Center
Semifinals
Scott County Central (20-10) vs. Glasgow (25-5), noon
Drexel (25-4) vs. St. Joseph Christian (24-6), 1:40 p.m.

Friday
At Mizzou Arena
Third-place game, 5 p.m.

Saturday
At Mizzou Arena
Championship game, 5 p.m.

Girls

Thursday
At Mizzou Arena
Semifinals
Eminence (27-1) vs. Marion County (29-0), 6:40 p.m.
Walnut Grove (25-5) vs. Jefferson (28-2), 8:20 p.m.

Friday
At Mizzou Arena
Third-place game, 3:20 p.m.

Saturday
Championship game, 3:10 p.m.

Class 1-3 high school playoff scores (quarterfinals)

Allen Vaughan — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:27:52 +0000

The small school high school basketball playoffs are down to the final four. Here are the weekend’s Class 1-3 quarterfinal scores. Be on the lookout for the semifinal schedules, too.

Class 3

Saturday

At Poplar Bluff HS
(G) Seymour 70, Crystal City 56.
(B) Charleston 71, Crystal City 63

At Hammons Student Center
(G) Mt. Vernon 46, California 41
(B) Mt. Vernon 55, California 45

At Hannibal HS
(G) Hallsville 65, Principia 54
(B) Lutheran North 61, Elsberry 51

At Independence Events Center
(G) Stockton 57, Lawson 47
(B) Hogan Prep 66, Lafayette County 32

Class 2

Saturday

At Dexter HS
(G) New Haven 48, South Pemiscot 42
(B) Hayti 74, Oran 48

At Rogersville HS
(G) Marionville 57, Crocker 52, OT
(B) Billings 61, Norwood 58

At Moberly Area C.C.
(G) Harrisburg 55, Clopton 40
(B) Salisbury 68, Northeast (Cairo) 63

At Independence Events Center
(G) North Platte 46, Wellington-Napoleon 31
(B) Osceola 63, DeKalb 53

Class 1

Saturday

At Three Rivers C.C.
(G) Eminence 58, Naylor 32
(B) Scott County Central 65, Eminence 51

At Moberly Area C.C.
(G) Marion County 58, Chamois 52, OT
(B) Glasgow 31, Marion County 30

At Clinton HS
(G) Walnut Grove 49, Montrose 43
(B) Drexel 56, Climax Springs 48

At Bishop LeBlond HS
(G) St. Joseph Christian 61, Jefferson 58, 3 OT
(B) St. Joseph Christian 64, Jefferson 61, OT

Class 4-5 HS hoops update: Republic girls win state, Nixa and Hillcrest fall short

Allen Vaughan — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:05:11 +0000

It wasn’t the greatest end to one of the best local high school basketball seasons in recent memory, at least for the big schools.

Congratulations to the Republic girls for capturing the Class 4 title, and we also congratulate Nixa and Hillcrest for their second-place finishes.

Below, we have listed the Class 4-5 scores from the weekend, as well as game-story links, too.

Class 5 boys

Semifinals
Thursday
Nixa 59, Marquette 42
McCluer North 70, Lee’s Summit West 57

Third-place game
Friday
Lee’s Summit West 53, Marquette 41

Saturday
Championship
McCluer North 69, Nixa 60

Class 5 girls

Semifinals
Thursday
Columbia Rock Bridge 56, Incarnate Word 53
Blue Springs 43, Fort Zumwalt West 27

Third-place game
Friday
Incarnate Word 49, Fort Zumwalt West 45

Saturday
Championship
Columbia Rock Bridge 52, Blue Springs 41

Class 4 boys

Semifinals
Friday
Hillcrest 63, Imagine College Prep 60
Soldan 50, Liberty North 25

Saturday
Championship
Soldan 55, Hillcrest 42
Third-place game|
Liberty North 54, Imagine College Prep 51, OT

Class 4 girls

Semifinals
Today
Republic 56, Miller Career Academy 49
Smithville 47, Westminster Christian Academy 37

Saturday
Championship
Republic 53, Smithville 51
Third-place game
Westminster Christian Academy 59, Miller Career Academy 50

Class 4-5 HS state basketball scores (Hillcrest boys, Republic to title game)

Allen Vaughan — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 16:16:29 +0000

State basketball is under way at Mizzou Arena in Columbia for the big schools (Class 4-5), and the Ozarks is having success. On Thursday, Nixa moved to Saturday’s championship game vs. McCluer North, the defending Class 5 champion. On Friday, the Hillcrest boys and the Republic girls advanced to state title games today.

You’re in the right place to find all the scores, as well as game-story links, too.

Class 5 boys

Semifinals
Thursday
Nixa 59, Marquette 42
McCluer North 70, Lee’s Summit West 57

Third-place game
Friday
Lee’s Summit West 53, Marquette 41

Today
Championship
Nixa (30-1) vs. McCluer North (27-1), 4:50 p.m.

Class 5 girls

Semifinals
Thursday
Columbia Rock Bridge 56, Incarnate Word 53
Blue Springs 43, Fort Zumwalt West 27

Third-place game
Friday
Incarnate Word 49, Fort Zumwalt West 45

Today
Championship
Columbia Rock Bridge (25-3) vs. Blue Springs (27-4), 3 p.m.

Class 4 boys

Semifinals
Friday
Hillcrest 63, Imagine College Prep 60
Soldan 50, Liberty North 25

Today
Championship
Hillcrest (26-5) vs. Soldan (24-5), 8:30 p.m.
Third-place game|
Imagine College Prep (23-8) vs. Liberty North (23-7), 1:15 p.m.

Class 4 girls

Semifinals
Today
Republic 56, Miller Career Academy 49
Smithville 47, Westminster Christian Academy 37

Saturday
Championship
Republic (22-8) vs. Smithville (26-5), 6:40 p.m.
Third-place game
Westminster Christian Academy (26-4) vs. Miller Career Academy (22-6), 11:30 a.m.

Class 1-3 HS basketball quarterfinals schedules

Allen Vaughan — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 12:15:05 +0000

The small high schools are one step from state, now that sectionals are over. Here is the quarterfinal schedule for Classes 2 and 3.

Click here and here for Class 4-5 playoff scores and schedules, too.

Class 3

Saturday

At Poplar Bluff HS
(G) Seymour (29-0) vs. Crystal City (24-5), 1 p.m.
(B) Charleston (28-2) vs. Crystal City (26-5), 2:45 p.m.

At Hammons Student Center
(G) California (21-7) vs. Mt. Vernon (23-7), noon
(B) California (20-9) vs. Mt. Vernon (23-5), 1:45

At Hannibal HS
(G) Principia (26-3) vs. Hallsville (24-5), 1 p.m.
(B) Lutheran North (24-7) vs. Elsberry (27-2), 2:45 p.m.

At Independence Events Center
(G) Stockton (22-7) vs. Lawson (25-4), 1 p.m.
(B) Hogan Prep (18-10) vs. Lafayette County (27-2)

Class 2

Saturday

At Dexter HS
(G) South Pemiscot (16-10) vs. New Haven (16-12), 1 p.m.
(B) Hayti 20-9) vs. Oran (19-10), 2:45 p.m.

At Rogersville HS
(G) Crocker (24-5) vs. Marionville (20-10), 1 p.m.
(B) Norwood (27-2) vs. Billings (26-3), 2:45 p.m.

At Moberly Area C.C.
(G) Clopton (24-4) vs. Harrisburg (26-2), 1 p.m.
(B) Northeast (Cairo) (20-9) vs. Salisbury (28-1), 2:45 p.m.

At Independence Events Center
(G) Wellington-Napoleon vs. North Platte (25-3), 6 p.m.
(B) Osceola (20-9) vs. DeKalb (26-2), 7:45 p.m.

Class 1

Saturday

At Three Rivers C.C.
(G) Naylor (13-10) vs. Eminence (26-1), 12:30 p.m
(B) Scott County Central (19-10) vs. Eminence (23-6), 2:15 p.m.

At Moberly Area C.C.
(G) Chamois (23-4) vs. Marion County (28-0), 6 p.m.
(B) Glasgow (24-5) vs. Marion County (27-1), 7:45 p.m.

At Clinton HS
(G) Walnut Grove (24-5) vs. Montrose (28-0), 1 p.m.
(B) Climax Springs (24-5) vs. Drexel (24-4), 3:30 p.m.

At Bishop LeBlond HS
(G) Jefferson (27-2) vs. St. Joseph Christian (22-6), 2:45 p.m.
(B) Jefferson (22-7) vs. St. Joseph Christian (23-6), 2:45 p.m.

Class 4-5 HS state basketball scores (Nixa to title game)

Allen Vaughan — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 13:23:28 +0000

State basketball is under way at Mizzou Arena in Columbia for the big schools (Class 4-5), and the Ozarks is having success. Nixa has moved to Saturday’s championship game vs. McCluer North, the defending Class 5 champion.

We’ve got all of the Class 5 scores from today and Class 4 schedules from Friday, as well as the weekend’s championship slate.

And yes, we have game-story links, too.

Class 5 boys

Semifinals
Thursday
Nixa 59, Marquette 42
McCluer North 70, Lee’s Summit West 57

Third-place game
Today
Marquette vs. Lee’s Summit West, 1:40 p.m.

Saturday
Championship, 4:50 p.m.

Class 5 girls

Semifinals
Thursday
Columbia Rock Bridge 56, Incarnate Word 53
Blue Springs 43, Fort Zumwalt West

Third-place game
Today
Incarnate Word vs. Fort Zumwalt West, noon

Saturday
Championship, 3 p.m.

Class 4 boys

Semifinals
Today
Imagine College Prep (20-7) vs. Hillcrest (25-5), 6:40 p.m.
Soldan (23-5) vs. Liberty North (23-6), 8:20 p.m.

Saturday
Championship, 8:30 p.m.
Third-place game, 1:15 p.m.

Class 4 girls

Semifinals
Today
Miller Career Academy (22-5) vs. Republic (21-8), 3:20 p.m.
Westminster Christian Academy (26-3) vs. Smithville (25-5), 5 p.m.

Saturday
Championship, 6:40 p.m.
Third-place game, 11:30 a.m.

Class 2-3 basketball playoff scores (sectionals)

Allen Vaughan — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 12:00:31 +0000

The small high schools are ready for the basketball playoffs, now that district are over. Here is the sectional schedule for Classes 2 and 3. For Class 1 sectional scores from Tuesday, click here.

Class 3

Wednesday

At West Plains Civic Center
(G) Seymour 73, New Madrid County Central 39
(B) Charleston 74, MV-BT Liberty 64

At Jefferson College
(G) Crystal City 46, West County 40
(B) Crystal City 71, Scott City 52

At Missouri S&T
(G) California 41, Hermann 36
(B) California 50, Blair Oaks 47

At Willard HS
(G) Mount Vernon 57, Springfield Catholic 40
(B) Mount Vernon 56, Strafford 22

At St. Louis CC-Meramec
(G) Principia 52, Cardinal Ritter 28
(B) Lutheran North 70, Cardinal Ritter 67

At Moberly Area C.C.
(G) Hallsville 47, Bowling Green 35
(B) Elsberry 64, Christian 47

At Harrisonville HS
(G) Stockton 44, St. Pius X 41
(B) Hogan Prep 77, Lamar 47

At Excelsior Springs HS
(G) Lawson 45, Cameron 40
(B) Lafayette County 59, Cameron 45

Class 2

Wednesday

At Poplar Bluff HS
(G) South Pemiscot 59, Neelyville 58
(B) Hayti 67, Thayer 55

At Park Hills Central HS
(G) New Haven 59, Meadow Heights 58
(B) Oran 59, Crossroads College Prep 54

At Lebanon HS
(G) Crocker 63, Fordland 46
(B) Norwood 68, Richland 50

At Republic HS
(G) Marionville 53, Purdy 47
(B) Billings 89, Wheaton 78

At Hannibal HS
(G) Clopton 58, Milan 43
(B) Northeast (Cairo) 45, Louisiana 39

At Sedalia Smith-Cotton HS
(G) Harrisburg 55, Windsor 14
(B) Salisbury 64, Tipton 34

At Clinton HS
(G) Wellington-Napoleon 53, Archie 44
(B) Osceola 66, Santa Fe 59

At Staley HS
(G) North Platte 47, Maysville 37
(B) DeKalb 57, West Platte 45

Class 1 playoff results — Boys and girls sectionals

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:02:52 +0000

Check out the statewide scores from Tuesday’s Class 1 boys and girls sectionals.

Class 1

Tuesday

At Dexter HS
(G) Naylor 48, Delta 23
(B) Scott County Central 100, Risco 76

At West Plains Civic Center
(G) Eminence 66, Chadwick 56
(B) Emincence 61, Hurley 58

At Sedalia Smith-Cotton HS
(G) Chamois 59, Glasgow 49
(B) Glasgow 51, St. Elizabeth 42

At Truman State University
(G) Marion County 61, Meadville 34
(B) Marion County 54, Meadville, 47

At Southwest Baptist University
(G) Walnut Grove 68, Weaubleau 46
(B) Climax Springs 55, Thomas Jefferson 47

At Harrisonville HS
(G) Montrose 49, Otterville 32.
(B) Drexel 55, Otterville 36

At Missouri Western State University
(G) St. Joseph Christian 44, Livingston County Southwest 38
(B) St. Joseph Christian 53, Braymer 46

At Northwest Missouri State University
(G) Jefferson 63, Mercer 52
(B) Jefferson 69, Mercer 57

The Jalen Norman Watch: Headed to state with a career game

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 15:25:50 +0000

Jalen Norman is the hottest Division I basketball recruit in recent Ozarks history.

Jalen Norman has made his mark on the Ozarks this season.

All season, we’ve chronicled the Nixa High School junior’s season, seeing as how he is the area’s best Division I basketball prospect and possibly the best in a long time — maybe ever.

The 6-foot-5 Nixa junior has the right blend of skill, athleticism and potential that has Division I schools fighting over him. It was no secret that former Missouri State coach Cuonzo Martin recognized Norman’s aptitude early on and has been recruiting him since he was a freshman. And now that Martin has moved on to Tennessee, he’s still on him — as is much of the country.

See, if you check with Rivals.com, he’s currently being courted by the following schools: Arizona, Arkansas, Boston College, Butler, Colorado, Georgetown, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, MSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon State, St. John’s and Tennessee. That’s right, every major conference is implicated.

That’s why we here at TAGsgf.com feel it’s important to keep a closer eye on Norman and see exactly what he’s up to on a game-by-game basis. Oh yeah, Norman’s Nixa Eagles are the area’s best team and look ready to make a deep run in the Class 5 playoffs next month. Thanks to Nixa coach Jay Osborne for keeping us in touch with Norman’s stats.

UPDATE: Norman went bezerk in an overtime quarterfinal victory over Columbia Rock Bridge — the only team that beat the Eagles during the season. Nixa erased an 11-point deficit with more than 5 minutes left in regulation, and Norman had a lot to do with it. He had 31 points and 15 rebounds, going 9-for-10 in the second half and overtime, hitting a mix of post moves and pull-up mid-range jumpers.

He absolutely had his career best game at the perfect time. The reward? Nixa is in the Class 5 final four and plays Marquette Thursday night.

Also, we did a profile piece on Norman earlier this week, and for the March edition of TAG Magazine.

Nixa (29-1)

Dec. 3: 77-69 loss to Columbia Rock Bridge — 14 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks
Dec. 6: 100-34 win at Central — 12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block
Dec. 8: 75-50 win vs. Topeka (Kan.) Highland Park — 18 points, 19 rebounds, 3 blocks
Dec. 9: 77-71 win vs. Hogan Prep — 18 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block
Dec. 10: 75-70 win vs. Leavenworth (Kan.) — 13 points, 5 rebounds, 0 blocks
Dec. 13: 92-86 (OT) win vs. Glendale — 13 points, 14 rebounds, 1 block
Dec. 16: 73-32 win at Waynesville — 15 points, 12 rebounds, 5 blocks
Dec. 17: 76-45 win vs. Pacific — 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks
Dec. 26: 100-45 win vs. Lebanon — 20 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block
Dec. 27: 107-42 win vs. Buffalo — 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks
Dec. 28: 54-43 win vs. Rogersville – 11 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block
Dec. 29: 75-65 win vs. Kickapoo — 22 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks
Jan. 6: 88-66 win vs. Hogan Prep — 18 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists
Jan. 10: 76-41 win vs. Branson — 14 points, 11 rebounds, 1 block
Jan. 17: 74-72 win at Kickapoo — 12 points, 10 rebounds, 6 blocks
Jan. 19: 84-53 win vs. Willard — 19 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks
Jan. 21: 68-46 win vs. Marquette — 11 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block
Jan. 26: 78-61 win vs. Columbia Hickman — 20 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks
Jan. 27: 87-57 win vs. Billings — 13 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 4 assists, 3 steals
Jan. 28: 78-58 win vs. Willard — 18 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks (passed the 1,000 career-point mark
Feb. 3: 70-30 win at Neosho — 12 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, 6 blocks, 5 steals and 4 dunks.
Feb. 7: 83-49 win vs. Carthage — 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks
Feb. 9: 66-57 win vs. Rogersville – 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks
Feb. 10: 74-40 win vs. Republic — 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 steals
Feb. 14: 79-67 win at Ozark — 21 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks
Feb. 17: 75-52 victory vs. Webb City – 24 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, 6 steals.
Feb. 22: 53-43 victory vs. Kickapoo — 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks
Feb. 24: 89-47 victory vs. Glendale – 16 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks (Set the Nixa single-season rebounding record at 286. Tyler Brown had 281 in 1999-2000)
Feb. 29: 74-49 victory vs. Webb City — 17 points, 10 rebounds, 6 blocks, 3 assists
March 3: 61-57 overtime victory vs. Columbia Rock Bridge — 31 points, 16 rebounds, 4 blocks, 1 assist, 11-15 FG, 9-11 FT

Season: 15.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.3 blocks per game

Here’s one of our favorite Jalen Norman highlights:

Class 2-3 basketball playoff schedule (sectionals)

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:26:08 +0000

The small high schools are ready for the basketball playoffs, now that district are over. Here is the sectional schedule for Classes 2 and 3. For Class 1 sectional scores from Tuesday, click here.

Click here and here for Class 4-5 playoff scores and schedules, too.

Class 3

Today

At West Plains Civic Center
(G) New Madrid County Central vs. Seymour, 6 p.m.
(B) Charleston vs. MV-BT Liberty, 7:45 p.m.

At Jefferson College
(G) West County vs. Crystal City, 6 p.m.
(B) Scott City vs. Crystal City, 7:45 p.m.

At Missouri S&T
(G) Hermann vs. California, 6 p.m.
(B) Blair Oaks vs. California, 7:45 p.m.

At Willard HS
(G) Springfield Catholic vs. Mount Vernon, 6 p.m.
(B) Mount Vernon vs. Strafford, 7:45 p.m.

At St. Louis CC-Meramec
(G) Cardinal Ritter vs. Principia, 6 p.m.
(B) Cardinal Ritter vs. Lutheran North, 7:45 p.m.

At Moberly Area C.C.
(G) Bowling Green vs. Hallsville, 6 p.m.
(B) Elsberry vs. Christian, 7:45 p.m.

At Harrisonville HS
(G) Stockton vs. St. Pius X, 5:30 p.m.
(B) Lamar vs. Hogan Prep, 7:15 p.m.

At Excelsior Springs HS
(G) Lawson vs. Cameron, 5 p.m.
(B) Lafayette County vs. Cameron, 7 p.m.

Class 2

Today

At Poplar Bluff HS
(G) South Pemiscot vs. Neelyville, 6 p.m.
(B) Hayti vs. Thayer, 7:45 p.m.

At Park Hills Central HS
(G) Meadow Heights vs. New Haven, 6 p.m.
(B) Oran vs. Crossroads College Prep, 7:45 p.m.

At Lebanon HS
(G) Crocker vs. Fordland, 6 p.m.
(B) Richland vs. Norwood, 7:45 p.m.

At Republic HS
(G) Marionville vs. Purdy, 6 p.m.
(B) Billings vs. Wheaton, 7:45 p.m.

At Hannibal HS
(G) Clopton vs. Milan, 6 p.m.
(B) Louisiana vs. Northeast (Cairo), 7:45 p.m.

At Sedalia Smith-Cotton HS
(G) Harrisburg vs. Windsor, 6 p.m.
(B) Salisbury vs. Tipton, 7:45 p.m.

At Clinton HS
(G) Archie vs. Wellington-Napoleon, 6 p.m.
(B) Osceola vs. Santa Fe , 7:45 p.m.

At Staley HS
(G) North Platte vs. Maysville 6 p.m.
(B) West Platte vs. DeKalb, 7:45 p.m.

Jalen Norman: Game speaks volumes

Allen Vaughan — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:05:45 +0000

This story appears in the March edition of TAG Magazine. Find it at over 500 locations around SGF.

NIXA — Before Jalen Norman could be interviewed, he had to run an errand with three girls from his Phys. Ed. class for Nixa High School coach Jay Osborne. He had to fetch keys, then give them to the trio. As he disappeared into Osborne’s office, the three classmates dished on Norman’s demeanor.

“He’s super quiet. He doesn’t talk to anyone,” one of them said, declining to give a name. “Everyone knows who he is, but most don’t know what he sounds like.”

That may not be true, but it seems to be the perception. For those who know Jalen Norman, the 6-foot-5, 195-pounder is the tallest kid in sight with a penchant for joking around. But those that don’t, see his quiet side. They zoom on it. Detractors say he’s not focused. Friends say he’s analytical.

No matter, his game speaks for itself. Norman’s contributions have helped Nixa, win 29 games in a row, stay ranked No. 1 in the state’s largest classification and reach the state semifinals. Not normally one to put the team on his back — mostly because he doesn’t have to — Norman had his indelible Nixa moment on Saturday. He scored 31 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and missed only one shot in the second half and overtime combined (9 for 10 shooting, 22 points) to beat Columbia Rock Bridge, the only team to beat the Eagles this season.

However you perceive Norman’s communication skills, his basketball skills make him the hottest local basketball recruit since, well, nobody, really. Norman’s Rivals.com national recruiting profile says he is being pursued by Arizona, Arkansas, Boston College, Butler, Colorado, Georgetown, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, MSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon State, St. John’s and Tennessee. That’s right, every major conference is implicated, unlike the other recent greats — Anthony Tolliver (Creighton), Deven Mitchell (Missouri State) and Spencer Laurie (MSU via Mizzou). Branson 7-footer Steven Hill (Arkansas) is the only exception, but he didn’t generate the type of attention Norman has.

Norman is getting attention from major Division I schools and conferences.

Not much of Norman’s buzz has to do with the way we get to seem him play as a junior at Nixa. His numbers are solid: 15.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks per game and it’s more of a function of fitting into the Eagles’ team concept, which makes Saturday’s outburst so impressive. When he runs with his AAU team, Mo-Kan Elite, he doesn’t bang in the post. He’s not lounging in the paint, looking to block shots. Nope, he plays on the perimeter. And shoots 3-pointers. And guards guys like Sylvan Hills’ Archie Goodwin, who many of you will remember from the Tournament of Champions. He comes off the bench, getting a few spot starts, against big-time talent.

To us, he plays the part of a Missouri Valley Conference ‘tweener who can go 20 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks on every night. To the AAU guys, he looks like a very athletic, long major Division I wing. Like his perception in the high school halls, his on-court persona is slightly misunderstood.

“He can be as good as he wants to be,” Osborne said, having coached — and started — Norman since he was a freshman. “Sure, does he play hard all the time? No, but he’s that much better than most players. But when he gets up against the best competition, he turns it on.”

Norman and teammate Austin Ruder, a future D-I guard in his own right, have known each other for a long time. They’ve been playing basketball together, no matter where they lived. Fast friends through AAU, both moved to out of Kickapoo’s district and land in Nixa. No one knows each other’s game better.

Jalen Norman knows how to do this.

“He’s really talented,” Ruder said. “He’s really quiet, but he cares about his game and getting better all the time.”

When he gets the recruiting question, it’s a tough one to answer. He doesn’t have any offers, yet, because the most crucial recruiting time is coming up — the AAU season between his junior and senior years in high school. That couples with the fact he’s not overly interested in one particular school either. He does mention Mizzou and Tennessee when he speaks. MSU fans know former coach Cuonzo Martin was a big Norman fan, and reportedly hasn’t stopped recruiting him since moving to coach the Vols.

As for that friend that called Norman “analytical,” it falls in line with how Norman perceives himself, or would like to be perceived. He says he’d like to be a writer, or at least interview other athletes and write about their experiences. He likes poetry, as well. It all makes sense, since neither are outwardly vocal.

Don’t mistake his quietness for weakness, either. What’s the major complaint with major D-I talents, usually? Selfishness. Norman could demand the ball every time down the court and no one would blink if he shot 20-plus times. But, on a team with 3 other double-figure scorers and a deep rotation, it would be a disservice.

“We’ve had talent all year. These kids have sacrificed their stats for the good of the team. This is a special group. Teams like this don’t come around very often. ,” Osborne said at a recent practice.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions about Norman’s future. Ironically, sometimes he purposely doesn’t answer questions.

“Every so often, you’ll ask (Norman) a question and he doesn’t answer. He answers on his own timetable because that’s just how he is,” said Nixa senior teammate Kam Bundy. “Just because he doesn’t talk to everyone doesn’t mean he’s not smart.”

Nixa plays Marquette in a Class 5 semifinal at 6:50 p.m. Thursday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.

———

For a game-by-game breakdown of Jalen Norman, click here for our Jalen Norman Watch.

Class 4-5 basketball final four schedules

Allen Vaughan — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 14:39:43 +0000

State basketball is here, and three Ozarks teams have made it in Classes 4 and 5. Check out the statewide schedule, and check back for game-story links after the weekend games.

Click here for quarterfinals scores.

All games are at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.

Class 5 boys

Semifinals
Thursday
Nixa (29-1) vs. Marquette (20-10), 6:50 p.m.
McCluer North (26-1) Lee’s Summit West (26-3), 8:30 p.m.

Saturday
Championship, 4:50 p.m.

Friday
Third-place game, 1:40 p.m.

Class 5 girls

Semifinals
Thursday
Incarnate Word (25-6) vs. Columbia Rock Bridge, 3:30 p.m.
Fort Zumwalt West (26-5) vs. Blue Springs (26-4), 5:10 p.m.

Saturday
Championship, 3 p.m.

Friday
Third-place game, noon

Class 4 boys

Semifinals
Friday
Imagine College Prep (20-7) vs. Hillcrest (25-5), 6:40 p.m.
Soldan (23-5) vs. Liberty North (23-6), 8:20 p.m.

Saturday
Championship, 8:30 p.m.
Third-place game, 1:15 p.m.

Class 4 girls

Semifinals
Friday
Miller Career Academy (22-5) vs. Republic (21-8), 3:20 p.m.
Westminster Christian Academy (26-3) vs. Smithville (25-5), 5 p.m.

Saturday
Championship, 6:40 p.m.
Third-place game, 11:30 a.m.

Class 4-5 HS playoff basketball scores (quarterfinals)

Allen Vaughan — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 14:26:04 +0000

Here are scores for the Class 4-5 high school basketball quarterfinals schedule, as well as game-story links from across the state.

For the Class 4-5 final four schedules, click here.

Class 5

At UM-St. Louis
(G) Incarnate Word 49, St. Joseph Academy 52
(B) Marquette 66, CBC 53

At Hammons Student Center
(G) Columbia Rock Bridge 57, Ozark 31
(B) Nixa 61, Columbia Rock Bridge 57, OT

At UM-St. Louis
(G) Ft. Zumwalt West 51, Francis Howell Central 45, OT
(B) McCluer North 63, Vianney 54

At Independence Events Center
(G) Blue Springs 53, Lee’s Summit 36
(B) Lee’s Summit West 64, Blue Springs South 53

Class 4

At Farmington Civic Center
(G) Miller Career Academy 51, Dexter 34
(B) Imagine College Prep 65, Sikeston 64

At Missouri S&T
(G) Republic 46, Jefferson City Helias 37
(B) Hillcrest 46, Jefferson City Helias 34

At Frances Howell Central HS
(G) Westminster Christian Academy 60, Kirksville 35
(B) Soldan 61, Duchesne 43

At Independence Events Center
(G) Smithville 45, Pleasant Hill 36
(B) Liberty North 56, Grandview 50

High school boys’ district basketball update, Class 1-3 — March 2-3

Allen Vaughan — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 13:56:26 +0000

The high school basketball season is winding down and that means district time. Here is a comprehensive spot for all the Class 1 through 3 girls’ basketball tournaments of local interest, via MSHSAA.org. You can find the girls’ brackets by clicking here.

Class 3

District 2 at Cabool

Saturday
First round
(9) Willow Springs 52, (8) Houston 48

Monday
Quarterfinals
(9) Willow Springs 40, (1) Seymour 36
(4) MV-BT Liberty 76, Alton (16-8 72

Tuesday
Quarterfinals
(2) Licking 57, (7) Mountain Grove 41
(3) Ava 53, (6) Cabool 40

Thursday
Semifinals
(4) MV-BT Liberty 62, (9) Willow Springs 31
(3) Ava 57, (2) Licking 45

Saturday
Championship
(1) MV-BT Liberty 63, (3) Ava 54

District 11 at Strafford

Saturday
First round
(8) Blue Eye 72, (9) Pleasant Hope 66

Tuesday
Quarterfinals
(1) Strafford 82, (8) Blue Eye 43
(4) Conway 53, SGF Catholic 50
(2) Morrisville 63, (7) Forsyth 42
(3) Fair Grove 80, (6) Hollister 50

Today
Semifinals
(1) Strafford 65, (4) Conway 55
(2) Morrisville 52, (3) Fair Grove 50

Saturday
Championship
(1) Strafford 54, (2) Morrisville 46

District 12 at Mount Vernon

Saturday
First round
(9) Pierce City 76, (8) Sarcoxie 56

Tuesday
Quarterfinals
(1) Mt. Vernon 70, (9) Pierce City 54
(4) Seneca 54, (5) Clever 42
(3) Southwest (Washburn) 65, (6) Ash Grove 52
(2) Diamond 57, (7) East Newton 53

Today
Semifinals
(1) Mrt. Vernon 44, (4) Seneca 29
(3) Southwest 56, (2) Diamond 52

Saturday
Championship
(1) Mt. Vernon 60, (3) Southwest 49

Class 2

District 10 at Norwood

Tuesday
Quarterfinals
(1) Norwood 81, (8) Bradleyville 38
(4) Gainesville 48, (5) Mansfield 47
(2) Dora 52, (7) Plato 45
(3) Hartville 69, (6) Fordland 49

Thursday
Semifinals
(1) Norwood 56, (4) Gainesville 37
(3) Hartville 42, (2) Dora 40

Saturday
Championship
(1) Norwood 60, (3) Hartville 23

District 11 at Sparta

Tuesday
Quarterfinals
(1) Billings 69, (8) Marionville 41
(4) Spokane 63, (5) Crane 53
(2) Greenwood 63, (7) New Covenant 37
(6) Sparta 67, (3) Galena 56

Thursday
Semifinals
(1) Billings 81, (4) Spokane 77
(3) Greenwood 53, (6) Sparta 52

Saturday
Championship
(1) Billings 78, Greenwood 53

District 12 at Carthage HS

Monday
Quarterfinals
(1) Wheaton 77, (8) McAuley 51
(4) Greenfield 56, (5) Jasper 45.
(3) Purdy 52, (6) College Heights 26
(2) Liberal 55, (7) Miller 54

Wednesday
Semifinals
(1) Wheaton 82, (4) Greenfield 51
(2) Purdy 50, (3) Liberal 43

Today
Championship
(1) Wheaton 43, (2) Purdy 37

Class 1

District 4 at Norwood

Saturday
Quarterfinals
(4) Lutie 81, (5) Koshkonong 71
(2) Chadwick 63, (7) Exeter 49
(3) Hurley 89, (6) Bakersfield 69

Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Verona 67, (4) Lutie 35
(3) Hurley 74, (2) Chadwick 54

Thursday
Championship
(3) Hurley 82, (1) Verona 74

District 6 at Bolivar

Tuesday
Quarterfinals
(1) Fair Play 77, (8) Halfway 50
(4) Wheatland 70, (5) Weaubleau 58
(2) Climax Springs 57, (7) Niangua 47
(6) Macks Creek 48, (3) Hermitage 42

Thursday
Semifinals
(1) Fair Play 61, (4) Wheatland 55, OT
(2) Climax Springs 58, (3) Macks Creek 24

Today
Championship
(2) Climax Springs 51, (1) Fair Play (25-2) 48

High school girls’ district basketball update, Class 1-3 – March 2-3

Allen Vaughan — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 13:45:02 +0000

Class 3

District 2 at Cabool

Saturday
First round
(8) Alton 64, (9) Cabool 36

Saturday
Quarterfinals
(4) Licking 66, (5) MV-BT Liberty 45
(2) Willow Springs 35, (7) Houston 24
(3) Ava 65, (6) Mountain Grove 56

Monday
Quarterfinals
(1) Seymour 71, (8) Alton 40

Wednesday
Semifinals
(1) Seymour 64, (4) Licking 53
(2) Willow Springs 50, (3) Ava 41

Friday
Championship
(1) Seymour 54, (2) Willow Springs 42

District 11 at Strafford

Saturday
First round
(8) Hollister 46, (9) Conway 44, 6 p.m.

Monday
Quarterfinals
(1) Fair Grove 53, (8) Hollister 40
(4) Pleasant Hope 44, (5) Morrisville 30
(2) SGF Catholic 71, (7) Forsyth 49
(6) Strafford 43, (3) Blue Eye 39

Wednesday
Semifinals
(1) Fair Grove 56, (4) Pleasant Hope 47
(2) Catholic 46, (6) Strafford 41

Saturday
Championship
(2) Catholic 44, (1) Fair Grove 43

District 12 at Mount Vernon

Saturday
First round
(8) Seneca 57, (9) Sarcoxie 34

Monday
Quarterfinals
(1) Mt. Vernon 66, (8) Seneca 19
(4) Pierce City 52, (5) East Newton 40
(2) Ash Grove 58, (7) Diamond 26
(3) Clever 68, (6) Southwest (Washburn) 58

Today
Semifinals
(1) Mount Vernon 46, (4) Pierce City 45
(2) Ash Grove 61, (3) Clever 34

Saturday
Championship
(1) Mount Vernon 63, (2) Ash Grove 50

Class 2

District 10 at Norwood

Monday
Quarterfinals
(1) Fordland 76, (8) Bradleyville 28
(4) Gainesville 41, (5) Dora 33
(2) Hartville 48, (7) Mansfield 34
(3) Norwood 52, (6) Plato 50, OT

Wednesday
Semifinals
(1) Fordland 49, (4) Gainesville 33
(2) Hartville 45, (3) Norwood 40

Saturday
Championship
(1) Fordland 51, (2) Hartville 34

District 11 at Sparta

Saturday
Quarterfinals
(1) Sparta 75, (8) New Covenant 39
(4) Crane 54, (5) Greenwood 38
(2) Marionville 53, (7) Spokane 44
(3) Galena 59, (6) Billings 34

Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Sparta 47, (4) Crane 45
(2) Marionville 58, (3) Galena 40

Friday
Championship
(2) Marionville 63, (1) Sparta 49

District 12 at Carthage HS

Tuesday
Quarterfinals
(1) Purdy 84, (8) McAuley 27
(4) Jasper 37, (5) Miller 35
(2) Liberal43, (7) Wheaton 22
(3) Greenfield 54, (6) College Heights 31

Wednesday
Semifinals
(1) Purdy 67, (4) Jasper 40
(2) Liberal 45, (3) Greenfield 37

Friday
Championship
(1) Purdy 47, (2) Liberal 43, 2 OT

Class 1

District 4 at Norwood

Saturday
Quarterfinals
(4) Exeter 54 (5) Koshkonong 46
(2) Verona 83, (7) Lutie 27
(3) Bakersfield 66, (6) Hurley 50

Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Chadwick 74, (4) Exeter 31
(2) Verona 52, (3) Bakersfield 43

Today
Championship
(1) Chadwick 59, (2) Verona 46

District 6 at Bolivar

Monday
Quarterfinals
(1) Weaubleau 68, (8) Niangua 14
(4) Halfway 42, (5) Climax Springs 35
(2) Macks Creek 52, (7) Wheatland 38
(3) Fair Play 49, (6) Hermitage 41

Wednesday
Semifinals
(1) Weaubleau 49, (4) Halfway 31
(3) Fair Play 39, (2) Macks Creek 35

Friday
Championship
(1) Weaubleau 56, (3) Fair Play 31

Photos: Aces drop Bears in Arch Madness

Brett Johnston — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 23:30:06 +0000

Coach Paul Lusk called off the dogs with 32 seconds to play and the Missouri State basketball Bears fell once again to the Evansville Aces, 72-64, Friday night in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. So much for that whole “tough to lose to the same team three times” school of thought. Missouri State ended its season with a five game skid — the Bears’ third loss to the Purple Aces. While an invite to a lower postseason tourney is possible, even a CIT or CBI berth seems like a pretty big stretch for the sixth-best team in the Valley. TAG was at Scottrade Center in St. Louis for the Bears one-and-done appearance at Arch Madness.

This photo gallery is massive and unlabeled, but in order so you can watch Friday’s story from anticipation to disappointment.

[[Show as slideshow]]
photos by Brett Johnston

LIVE BLOG: Arch Madness — MSU vs. Evansville

Allen Vaughan — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 01:45:56 +0000

Here we are, the moment Missouri State Bears fans have been waiting for — Arch Madness.

Sure, the Bears (16-15, 9-9 MVC) have lost 4 in a row, including another gutwrenching overtime loss to Evansville (tonight’s opponent). But, hope is alive as the Bears look to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999.

Of course, there’s a ton of work to do and we are covering the first step here tonight as the No. 3 seed Evansville will face No. 6 MSU in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Tip is at 8:30 and we are Live Blogging the entire thing.

Cast

Words: Allen Vaughan
Photo/video: Brett Johnston

MSU vs. Evansville — MVC Tourney

High school boys’ district basketball update, Class 1-3 — March 1

Allen Vaughan — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:28:52 +0000

Class 3

District 2 at Cabool

Saturday
First round
(9) Willow Springs 52, (8) Houston 48

Monday
Quarterfinals
(9) Willow Springs 40, (1) Seymour 36
(4) MV-BT Liberty 76, Alton (16-8 72

Tuesday
Quarterfinals
(2) Licking 57, (7) Mountain Grove 41
(3) Ava 53, (6) Cabool 40

Thursday
Semifinals
(4) MV-BT Liberty 62, (9) Willow Springs 31
(3) Ava 57, (2) Licking 45

Saturday
Championship, 7 p.m.

District 11 at Strafford

Saturday
First round
(8) Blue Eye 72, (9) Pleasant Hope 66

Tuesday
Quarterfinals
(1) Strafford 82, (8) Blue Eye 43
(4) Conway 53, SGF Catholic 50
(2) Morrisville 63, (7) Forsyth 42
(3) Fair Grove 80, (6) Hollister 50

Today
Semifinals
(1) Strafford 65, (4) Conway 55
(2) Morrisville 52, (3) Fair Grove 50

Saturday
Championship
(1) Strafford (21-6) vs. (2) Morrisville (25-3), 7 p.m.

District 12 at Mount Vernon

Saturday
First round
(9) Pierce City 76, (8) Sarcoxie 56

Tuesday
Quarterfinals
(1) Mt. Vernon 70, (9) Pierce City 54
(4) Seneca 54, (5) Clever 42
(3) Southwest (Washburn) 65, (6) Ash Grove 52
(2) Diamond 57, (7) East Newton 53

Today
Semifinals
(1) Mrt. Vernon (20-5) vs. (4) Seneca (17-9), 6 p.m.
(2) Diamond (24-2) vs. (3) Southwest (Washburn) (21-4)

Saturday
Championship, 7:30 p.m.

Class 2

District 10 at Norwood

Tuesday
Quarterfinals
(1) Norwood 81, (8) Bradleyville 38
(4) Gainesville 48, (5) Mansfield 47
(2) Dora 52, (7) Plato 45
(3) Hartville 69, (6) Fordland 49

Thursday
Semifinals
(1) Norwood 56, (4) Gainesville 37
(3) Hartville 42, (2) Dora 40

Saturday
Championship
(1) Norwood (25-2) vs. (3) Hartville (18-10), 7:30 p.m.

District 11 at Sparta

Tuesday
Quarterfinals
(1) Billings 69, (8) Marionville 41
(4) Spokane 63, (5) Crane 53
(2) Greenwood 63, (7) New Covenant 37
(6) Sparta 67, (3) Galena 56

Thursday
Semifinals
(1) Billings 81, (4) Spokane 77
(3) Greenwood 53, (6) Sparta 52

Saturday
Championship
(1) Billings (25-3) vs. Greenwood (21-7), 6 p.m.

District 12 at Carthage HS

Monday
Quarterfinals
(1) Wheaton 77, (8) McAuley 51
(4) Greenfield 56, (5) Jasper 45.
(3) Purdy 52, (6) College Heights 26
(2) Liberal 55, (7) Miller 54

Wednesday
Semifinals
(1) Wheaton 82, (4) Greenfield 51
(2) Purdy 50, (3) Liberal 43

Today
Championship
(1) Wheaton (22-5) vs. (2) Purdy (16-9), 7:30 p.m.

Class 1

District 4 at Norwood

Saturday
Quarterfinals
(4) Lutie 81, (5) Koshkonong 71
(2) Chadwick 63, (7) Exeter 49
(3) Hurley 89, (6) Bakersfield 69

Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Verona 67, (4) Lutie 35
(3) Hurley 74, (2) Chadwick 54

Thursday
Championship
(3) Hurley 82, (1) Verona 74

District 6 at Bolivar

Tuesday
Quarterfinals
(1) Fair Play 77, (8) Halfway 50
(4) Wheatland 70, (5) Weaubleau 58
(2) Climax Springs 57, (7) Niangua 47
(6) Macks Creek 48, (3) Hermitage 42

Thursday
Semifinals
(1) Fair Play 61, (4) Wheatland 55, OT
(2) Climax Springs 58, (3) Macks Creek 24

Today
Championship
(1) Fair Play (25-2) vs. (2) Climax Springs (22-5), 7:30 p.m.

High school girls’ district basketball update, Class 1-3 – March 1

Allen Vaughan — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:11:53 +0000

Class 3

District 2 at Cabool

Saturday
First round
(8) Alton 64, (9) Cabool 36

Saturday
Quarterfinals
(4) Licking 66, (5) MV-BT Liberty 45
(2) Willow Springs 35, (7) Houston 24
(3) Ava 65, (6) Mountain Grove 56

Monday
Quarterfinals
(1) Seymour 71, (8) Alton 40

Wednesday
Semifinals
(1) Seymour 64, (4) Licking 53
(2) Willow Springs 50, (3) Ava 41

Today
Championship
(1) Seymour (26-0) vs. (2) Willow Springs (22-5), 7 p.m.

District 11 at Strafford

Saturday
First round
(8) Hollister 46, (9) Conway 44, 6 p.m.

Monday
Quarterfinals
(1) Fair Grove 53, (8) Hollister 40
(4) Pleasant Hope 44, (5) Morrisville 30
(2) SGF Catholic 71, (7) Forsyth 49
(6) Strafford 43, (3) Blue Eye 39

Wednesday
Semifinals
(1) Fair Grove 56, (4) Pleasant Hope 47
(2) Catholic 46, (6) Strafford 41

Saturday
Championship
(1) Fair Grove (16-11) vs. (2) Catholic (15-11), 5 p.m.

District 12 at Mount Vernon

Saturday
First round
(8) Seneca 57, (9) Sarcoxie 34

Monday
Quarterfinals
(1) Mt. Vernon 66, (8) Seneca 19
(4) Pierce City 52, (5) East Newton 40
(2) Ash Grove 58, (7) Diamond 26
(3) Clever 68, (6) Southwest (Washburn) 58

Today
Semifinals
(1) Mount Vernon 46, (4) Pierce City 45
(2) Ash Grove 61, (3) Clever 34

Saturday
Championship
(1) Mount Vernon (21-7) vs. (2) Ash Grove (20-7), 6 p.m.

Class 2

District 10 at Norwood

Monday
Quarterfinals
(1) Fordland 76, (8) Bradleyville 28
(4) Gainesville 41, (5) Dora 33
(2) Hartville 48, (7) Mansfield 34
(3) Norwood 52, (6) Plato 50, OT

Wednesday
Semifinals
(1) Fordland 49, (4) Gainesville 33
(2) Hartville 45, (3) Norwood 40

Saturday
Championship
(1) Fordland (23-5) vs. (2) Hartville (14-12), 6 p.m.

District 11 at Sparta

Saturday
Quarterfinals
(1) Sparta 75, (8) New Covenant 39
(4) Crane 54, (5) Greenwood 38
(2) Marionville 53, (7) Spokane 44
(3) Galena 59, (6) Billings 34

Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Sparta 47, (4) Crane 45
(2) Marionville 58, (3) Galena 40

Today
Championship
(1) Sparta (25-2) vs. (2) Marionville (18-10), 6 p.m.

District 12 at Carthage HS

Tuesday
Quarterfinals
(1) Purdy 84, (8) McAuley 27
(4) Jasper 37, (5) Miller 35
(2) Liberal43, (7) Wheaton 22
(3) Greenfield 54, (6) College Heights 31

Wednesday
Semifinals
(1) Purdy 67, (4) Jasper 40
(2) Liberal 45, (3) Greenfield 37

Today
Championship
(1) Purdy (24-5) vs. (2) Liberal (23-4), 6 p.m.

Class 1

District 4 at Norwood

Saturday
Quarterfinals
(4) Exeter 54 (5) Koshkonong 46
(2) Verona 83, (7) Lutie 27
(3) Bakersfield 66, (6) Hurley 50

Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Chadwick 74, (4) Exeter 31
(2) Verona 52, (3) Bakersfield 43

Today
Championship
(1) Chadwick 59, (2) Verona 46

District 6 at Bolivar

Monday
Quarterfinals
(1) Weaubleau 68, (8) Niangua 14
(4) Halfway 42, (5) Climax Springs 35
(2) Macks Creek 52, (7) Wheatland 38
(3) Fair Play 49, (6) Hermitage 41

Wednesday
Semifinals
(1) Weaubleau 49, (4) Halfway 31
(3) Fair Play 39, (2) Macks Creek 35

Today
Championship
(1) Weaubleau (20-6) vs. (3) Fair Play (19-7), 6 p.m.

Class 4-5 HS playoff basketball schedule (quarterfinals)

Allen Vaughan — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:53:20 +0000

Here is the Class 4-5 high school basketball quarterfinals schedule for Saturday. Check back over the weekend for scores and game-story links.

Class 5

At UM-St. Louis
(G) St. Joseph Academy (25-5) vs. Incarnate Word (24-6), 6 p.m.
(B) CBC (19-10) vs. Marquette (19-10), 7:45 p.m.

At Hammons Student Center
(G) Columbia Rock Bridge (23-3) vs. Ozark (25-4), noon
(B) Columbia Rock Bridge (24-4) vs. Nixa (28-1), 1:45 p.m.

At UM-St. Louis
(G) Ft. Zumwalt West (25-5) vs. Francis Howell Central, 1 p.m.
(B) Vianney (27-1) vs. McCluer North (25-1), 2:45 p.m.

At Independence Events Center
(G) Blue Springs (25-4) vs. Lee’s Summit (17-13), 1 p.m.
(B) Blue Springs (23-5) vs. Lee’s Summit West (25-3), 2:45 p.m.

Class 4

At Farmington Civic Center
(G) Dexter (23-6) vs. Miller Career Academy (21-5), 6 p.m.
(B) Sikeston (23-4) vs. Imagine College Prep (22-7), 7:45 p.m.

At Missouri S&T
(G) Jefferson City Helias (21-7) vs. Republic (20-8), 1 p.m.
(B) Jefferson City Helias (20-8) vs. Hillcrest (24-5), 2:45 p.m.

At Frances Howell Central HS
(G) Westminster Christian Academy (25-3) vs. Kirksville (23-3), 1 p.m.
(B) Soldan (22-5) vs. Duchesne (20-8), 2:45 p.m.

At Independence Events Center
(G) Pleasant Hill (25-3) vs. Smithville (24-5), 6 p.m.
(B) Grandview (22-6) vs. Liberty North (22-6), 7:45 p.m.

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Hoops Diary #6

Former MSU player Dale Lamberth named Crane boys’ hoops coach

Mark Bernsen, boys hoops coach at Mtn. Grove HS? Yes, it’s true

T of C’s Parker commits to UCLA, Bruins now top hoops class

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Weems in Portsmouth’s Top 10 NBA prospects

Overseas hoops diary: Shavies and a 10-game winning streak

Hoops Diary #5

Kyle Weems Watch: Ends Portsmouth with a bang

Kyle Weems Watch: Portsmouth, Game 2

Brad Beal, Florida freshman and Former T of C star, goes pro

Kyle Weems Watch: Portsmouth, Game 1

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Web-only interview: Former Bear Will Creekmore

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Hoops Diary #4

High school all state basketball teams released

Details of Barry Hinson contract (He’s making less than Lusk, FYI)

Sources say Barry Hinson will be next coach at Southern Illinois

Overseas hoops diary: Anthony Shavies, Vol. II

Diary No. 2

MSU offering fans alternative to attend WNIT game Thursday

Class 1-3 HS basketball final four scores

Class 3

Class 2

Class 1

Spring Vegas: First round NCAA Tourney picks vs. the spread

Thursday

Uncle Rob

Allen

Sign up for the TAG Tourney Throwdown bracket challenge!

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MSU Bears eye future — Time of death: Monday, March 5

Class 1-3 HS basketball final four schedules

Class 3

Class 2

Class 1

Class 1-3 high school playoff scores (quarterfinals)

Class 3

Class 2

Class 1

Class 4-5 HS hoops update: Republic girls win state, Nixa and Hillcrest fall short

Class 5 boys

Class 5 girls

Class 4 boys

Class 4 girls

Class 4-5 HS state basketball scores (Hillcrest boys, Republic to title game)

Class 5 boys

Class 5 girls

Class 4 boys

Class 4 girls

Class 1-3 HS basketball quarterfinals schedules

Class 3

Class 2

Class 1

Class 4-5 HS state basketball scores (Nixa to title game)

Class 5 boys

Class 5 girls

Class 4 boys

Class 4 girls

Class 2-3 basketball playoff scores (sectionals)

Class 3

Class 2

Class 1 playoff results — Boys and girls sectionals

Class 1

The Jalen Norman Watch: Headed to state with a career game

Nixa (29-1)

Class 2-3 basketball playoff schedule (sectionals)

Class 3

Class 2