WhoÂ’s Bret Vandergard and whatÂ’s he done for us lately?

[PointGuard]

Dec. 12, 2019:

Today I got a surprise call from Bret Vandergard. After discussing the horrible news about Buzz Moriarity, Bret said that the school had offered him the AD position, but that he just didn’t feel right taking it and walking away from the basketball team. He also said he’s trying to help his nephew out but so far hasn’t made much progress since the time he can spend with him is so limited.

I said, “Bret, let me ask you just one question. What’s more important to you? Basketball or family? He didn’t hesitate in responding, “Swede, that’s easy. Family is more important.” I told him, “Well there’s your answer. You need more time helping Tommy than what you can possibly expend as head basketball coach in the middle of a season. You’ve got a great bunch of assistant coaches who can direct the team the rest of this season. And the college needs you at the helm of the Athletic Department. What’s more, in a few years when Tommy is back on the right track, if you still have the fire to get back into coaching, there’s nothing to preclude you from making that move.”

Bret thanked me for my advice and said he’d give it a little more thought and let me know what he decides to do.

I added, “You know Bret, you have a pretty special person in Meaghan Kriley. I know you’ve not wanted to deepen the relationship since most of your time has been devoted to your coaching duties and the travel that entails. But Bret, if you decide to become AD, you really need to not drop the ball with this woman. And if Meaghan is foolhardy enough to accept a proposal from a yayhoo like you, she won’t need to worry about having to leave her good job there in Springfield soon to follow you around as you move from one head coaching job to another. In addition, you’ll be able to devote the time necessary to develop a solid marriage.”

Laughing, Bret said, “Swede, you’re wanting me to make too many big decisions at one time.”

[PointGuard]

Game #8, Dec. 12, 2019: Missouri State Bears (3-4) at Hartford Hawks (2-5)

Hello Bears’ fans. Tonight, we all are saying prayers for Buzz Moriarity who lies in a hospital in Rome, Italy battling injuriies sustained during the recent terrorist act there.

The Bears take on the Hartford Hawks and try to get back to .500 ball. The Bears have won all 3 games at home but lost all 4 games they’ve played on the road this season. They hope to turn that around and start putting some W’s on the board when they play away from the friendly confines of JQH Arena in Springfield.

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Masiello scores on a driving layup after the steal after the steal by Asbury making it 8-0 in favor of the Bears!

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With 12-1/2 minutes left in the first half, Kyle Knight knocks down a 3 for Hartford’s first basket of the game making it 12-3.

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Quinton Asbury’s 14 footer from the baseline swishes through the net for Asbury’s 7th point while giving Missouri State a 20-5 lead with 9:45 to go in the half.

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Marquis receives a pass down low and muscles his way to the basket for his 2nd straight lay up to give the Bears a 24-5 lead.

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McCain bounce passes it to Asbury. Asbury fakes a shot then puts it up and is fouled. His shot found the bottom of the net. Asbury’s free throw drops in to make it 35-17 with 2:17 left in the first half.

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Ricky Lee steps in front of his man to steal the ball and fires it down court to a streaking Kareem Masiello who scores on his second straight driving layup. That makes it 39-17 in favor of the Bears. Hartford calls a time out.

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Fans, the Bears put on a clinic in the first half. They hit 52% of their FG attempts and dropped in all 9 of their free throws. They only turned the ball over 4 times while forcing Hartford to make 12 turnovers. They scored 18 points in the paint and 14 points on fast breaks. They will take the court in the second half leading 44-22. SF Quinton Asbury was on fire, scoring 13 and pulling down 5 boards.

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Joey Jones cuts inside and goes to the basket slamming it home to put the Bears on top 38-30 with 10 minutes left in the game.

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Asbury hits a 3 from the right side to put the Bears up 69-38. Asbury now has 20 points.

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The buzzer sounds ending the game. Missouri State comes away with it’s most dominating victory of the season.

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TR: I have Bears Small Forward Quinton Brown with me. Quinton, congratulations on a big win and your exceptionally strong performance tonight. A 20 point, 10 rebound double-double!
QB: Thanks. We came out here with a purpose tonight. We wanted to win this game for Buzz Moriarity.
TR: Do you think this marks a turnaround for your team this year? The team seemed to play with newly found confidence.
QB: I think we’ve been confident all season, but we’ve played a lot of games on the road. We decided we were tired of getting our butts kicked while playing away from Springfield.
TR: How’d you come up so big tonight?
QB: The guys were getting the ball to me for some clear shots so gotta them props. And sometimes the basket just looks bigger and that was happening for me tonight. I’m always happy to mix it up inside and come up with some boards, though...so the 10 boards were bigger for me than the 20 points.
TF: Again, great game, Quinton. Thanks for talking with me.

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Final Score: Missouri State Bears (4-4)—77, Hartford—46.

Leading players for Missouri State: SF Quinton Brown-20 pts, 2 assists, 10 reb, 1 steal, 1 block; C Marquis Hollins-10 pts, 3 assists, 6 reb, 1 steal; PF Ricky Lee-10 pts, 2 assists, 6 reb, 1 steal; PG Brent Gregory-10 pts, 2 assists, 4 reb; SG Kareem Masiello-8 pts, 2 assists, 2 reb, 2 steals; C Joey Brown-8 pts, 1 reb, 2 steals.

Player of the Game: SF Quinton Brown-20 pts, 2 assists, 10 reb, 1 steal, 1 block.

[PointGuard]

Bret called me into his office this afternoon. I thought he was going to talk about our upcoming game. But when I began raising an issue about our defense, he stopped me.

He said, “Erick, I wanted you to be the first to know that I’ve accepted the AD position vacated by Buzz effective immediately. And my first decision as AD is to offer you the now vacant head coaching job for the Bears. I’ve valued your expertise and knowledge and know you will do a great job. Besides, there is no one who knows the team better than you and no one who can make the transition for the players easier.”

I nearly fell out of my chair. After taking several very deep breaths, I expressed my congratulations on his becoming AD. I told him, “I know I should give this some thought. But I really am pleased you are offering me the head coaching job. And there is no way I would say “no” to that. I just hope I can justify your faith in me.”

He said he’d call a team meeting and make the announcement to the players and rest of the staff before making things public.

[PointGuard]

Game #9, Dec. 19, 2019: Missouri State Bears (4-4) at Niagara Purple Eagles (3-5)

Erick McGadney took the reigns as head coach for the first time tonight. This game was tight the entire way. There were 8 lead changes and 5 ties. Our biggest lead was 7 points and Niagara’s biggest lead was 5 points. We held a 24-21 halftime lead. SG Kareem Masiello played a great game and was the catalyst for our win.

Final Score: Missouri State (5-4)—57, Niagara—53.

Leading players for Missouri State: SG Kareem Masiello-18 pts, 2 assists, 2 reb; SG Cleveland Brown-8 pts, 7 reb, 1 block.

Player of the Game: SG Kareem Masiello-18 pts, 2 assists, 2 reb.

Injury Report: Quinton Asbury sprained his ankle and will likely be out of action for 1 or 2 games.

[PointGuard]

Missouri State's Record: 5-4; RPI: 119

There were only 3 teams in the MVC with records better than .500: Evansville was 7-2, and Missouri State and Loyola-Chicago were both 5-4.

Missouri State Player Stats:

PPG: SG Kareem Masiello-12.6 ppg, SF Quinton Asbury-10.9 ppg, PG Brent Gregory-9.1 ppg, C Marquis Hollins-7.3 ppg, PF Kenneth Grandison-7.2 ppg.

Reb: SF Quinton Asbury-4.3 rpg, C Marquis Hollins-3.7 rpg, SG Kareem Masiello-3.4 rpg, C Joey Jones-3.0 rpg.

[PointGuard]

Game #10, Dec. 26, 2019: Northern Iowa Panthers (3-6, 0-0) at Missouri State Bears (5-4, 0-0)

As expected, SF Quinton Asbury will sit out this game to give his ankle time to heal.

We grabbed a small lead early in the game but midway through the half had increased our lead to 28-17 by controlling the boards and taking some high percentage shots. By the end of the half we led 46-28. SG Kareem Masiello led our scoring with 12 points.

We continued to add to our lead throughout the 2nd half and won easily by outshooting the Panthers 69% to 39%. We dominated the boards 35-15.

Final Score: Missouri State (6-4, 1-0, 1st place tie)—92, Northern Iowa—57.

Leading players for Missouri State: SG Kareem Masiello-22 pts, 2 assists, 5 reb, 1 block; PF Kenneth Grandison-17 pts, 1 assist, 7 reb; PG Brent Gregory-12 pts, 4 assists, 4 reb; PG Bart McCain-8 pts, 5 assists, 1 steal; SG Cleveland Brown-8 pts, 3 assists, 3 reb.

Player of the Game: SG Kareem Masiello-22 pts, 2 assists, 5 reb, 1 block.

Injury Report: Bart McCain took a hard fall and has a sore wrist, but is likely to be ready to play in our next game.

[PointGuard]

Game #11, Dec. 29, 2019: Missouri State Bears (6-4, 1-0) at Evansville Purple Aces (7-3, 0-1)

We broke out on top and never looked back. By the half we were ahead 39-23.

We expanded our lead to 24 points early in the 2nd half and then cruised to the win. We outshot Evansville 56% to 33% and held a 31-20 rebounding advantage.

Final Score: Missouri State (7-4, 2-0, 1st place tie)—73, Evansville—59.

Leading players for Missouri State: SG Kareem Masiello-23 pts, 2 assists, 4 reb, 1 steal; PG Brent Gregory-15 pts, 5 assists, 3 reb, 1 steal; C Marquis Hollins-14 pts, 2 assists, 2 reb, 2 steals.

Player of the Game: SG Kareem Masiello-23 pts, 2 assists, 4 reb, 1 steal.

[PointGuard]

MVC Player of the Week:

Quinton Asbury (week ending 12/17/19)
Kareem Masiello (week ending 12/31/19)

MVC Freshman Player of the Week:

Kareem Masiello (week ending 11/19/19)
Kareem Masiello (week ending 12/31/19)

[PointGuard]

Game #12, Jan. 2, 2020: Southern Illinois Salukis (7-6, 2-0) at Missouri State Bears (7-4, 2-0)

Southern Illinois came out playing a withering defense and took a 12 point lead in the early portions of the first half. As the half continued we began to figure it out but still trailed 33-27 at the end of the first half. But in the second half we totally dominated the boards (a 34-17 advantage for the entire game) and improved our shooting. Midway through the half, we passed the Salukis and while never getting much of a lead (due to a total of 24 turnovers!), we stayed in control. The Salukis never quit though and the game was in doubt all the way to the buzzer.

Final Score: Missouri State (8-4, 3-0, 1st place tie)—67, Southern Illinois—64.

Leading players for Missouri State: SG Kareem Masiello-20 pts, 1 assist, 6 reb, 1 steal; PG Bart McCain-10 pts, 8 assists, 1 reb, 1 steal; C Joey Jones-10 pts, 1 reb, 4 steals; C Marquis Hollins-8 pts, 1 assist, 6 reb, 3 steals; PF Ricky Lee-8 pts, 5 reb.

Player of the Game: SG Kareem Masiello-20 pts, 1 assist, 6 reb, 1 steal.

Injury Report: PG Brent Gregory twisted his ankle and missed the entire 2nd half, but should be ready for our next game.

Game #13, Jan. 5, 2020: Missouri State Bears (8-4,3-0) at Drake Bulldogs (4-8, 1-2)

We took control early and at the end of the first half we led 37-28. We built a 21 point lead in the 2nd half before coasting to the end. Both teams hit over 50% of their shots.

Final Score: Missouri State (9-4, 4-0, 1st Place)—79, Drake—67.

Leading players for Missouri State: SG Kareem Masiello-22 pts, 2 assists, 5 reb, 2 steals; C Joey Jones-16 pts, 2 assists, 5 reb, 2 steals; C Marquis Hollins-10 pts, 2 assists, 1 reb, 3 steals; PF Kenneth Grandison-10 pts, 1 reb.

Player of the Game: SG Kareem Masiello-20 pts, 1 assist, 6 reb, 1 steal.

Awards: SG Kareem Masiello was named MVC Player of the Week and MVC Freshman Player of the Week.

Game #14, Jan. 9, 2020: Bradley Braves (1-12, 0-4) at Missouri state Bears (9-4, 4-0)

On paper this should have been a walk-over, and in reality it was! We stomped the Braves. At the end of one half of play, we were held a commanding 45-21 lead. Even though we played our bench extensively, we continued to pad our lead right up to the end of the game. We hit 56% of our shots, controlled the boards 27-18, and held a 23-7 turnover advantage.

Final Score: Missouri State (10-4, 5-0, 1st place)—82, Bradley—42.

Leading players for Missouri State: PG Brent Gregory-11 pts, 5 assists, 1 reb; C Marquis Hollins-11 pts, 2 assists, 1 reb, 2 steals, 1 block; SG Kareem Masiello-9 pts, 3 assists, 3 reb, 2 steals; PG Matt Lewis-9 pts, 1 assist; PF Kenneth Grandison-9 pts, 5 reb.

Player of the Game: C Marquis Hollins-11 pts, 2 assists, 1 reb, 2 steals, 1 block.

Game #15, Jan. 12, 2020: Missouri State Bears (10-4, 5-0) at Wichita State Shockers (8-8, 3-2)

Wichita State hasn’t lost at home this season. They’re led by PF Phil Chatman (12.3 ppg). Our defense was porous in the first half and the Shockers took advantage to take a 45-34 lead at the break. We came back in the 2nd half but came up short as turnovers continued to haunt us.

Final Score: Wichita State—75, Missouri State (10-5, 5-1, 1st place tie)—69.

Leading players for Missouri State: SG Kareem Masiello-19 pts, 2 assists, 5 reb; PG Brent Gregory-11 pts, 3 assists, 5 reb; PF Ricky Lee-8 pts, 1 assist, 4 reb, 1 steal, 1 block; C Marquis Hollins-8 pts, 2 assists, 2 steals.

Player of the Game: Wichita State’s C Maurice Miller-14 pts, 2 assists, 10 reb, 2 steals.

Injury Report: PG Brent Gregory sprained his finger and will miss at least 2 games.

Game #16, Jan. 16, 2020: Loyola-Chicago Ramblers (10-5, 5-1) at Missouri State Bears (10-5, 5-1)

One of these teams will drop out the first place tie in the MVC. The Ramblers out-played us in the first half. At one point we were behind by 14 points but we trailed 39-35 at the break. We clamped down defensively in the 2nd half and gradually pulled away.

Final Score; Missouri State (11-5, 6-1, 1st place tie)—77, Loyola-Chicago—63.

Leading players for Missouri State: SG Kareem Masiello-15 pts, 1 assist, 4 reb, 3 steals; SF Quinton Asbury-12 pts, 4 assists, 6 reb, 1 steal, 4 blocks; C Marquis Hollins-12 pts, 2 assists, 7 reb, 2 steals; PF Ricky Lee-8 pts, 1 assist, 2 reb, 1 steal; SF Marcus Jones-8 pts, 5 reb.

Player of the Game: SF Quinton Asbury-12 pts, 4 assists, 6 reb, 1 steal, 4 blocks.

For Loyola-Chicago: PF Davis Harris scored 24 pts.

Notable Game: Drake edged Northern Iowa 101-97 in triple overtime.

Game #17, Jan. 19, 2020: Missouri State Bears (11-5, 6-1) at Illinois State Redbirds (5-11, 2-5)

We controlled the boards (37-25) allowing us to gradually pull away. At the half we led 38-31. The 2nd half was nearly a carbon copy of the first half.

Final Score: Missouri State (12-5, 7-1, 1st place tie)—76, Illinois State—63.

Leading players for Missouri State: PF Kenneth Grandison-15 pts, 1 assist, 6 reb; SF Quinton Asbury-15 pts, 1 assist, 3 reb, 1 block; C Marquis Hollins-11 pts, 3 assists, 4 reb, 1 steal; PF Ricky Lee-8 pts, 6 reb.

Player of the Game: PF Kenneth Grandison-15 pts, 1 assist, 6 reb.

For Illinois State: SG Antoine Hill scored 23 pts.

[PointGuard]

Bret’s been different since he took over as the AD. At first I figured it was just the result of him trying to get used to his new job and also missing his head coaching duties. But it’s been too long now. So tonight, I brought it up to him. Instead of talking about it with me, he disagreed and strongly contended that he was the same as always. When I provided some specific examples, he became angry and we had a big argument. I left wondering why I’ve been wasting my time with him.