Missouri Valley Conference report

SportsLine.com Report
April 4, 2000

Season Rundown

For the Bears, it was a season of near-misses, ending in the second round of the NIT.

Southwest Missouri was vying for the Missouri Valley Conference lead early before a January tailspin. The Bears recovered to finish second in the regular season, then made it to the MVC Tournament final before losing to Creighton.

Southwest Missouri sat 6-4 at Christmas, then responded with a five-game winning streak despite an injury to senior guard William Fontleroy. But over the next three weeks, the Bears lost five of six games.

First-year coach Barry Hinson had to get a little tough on some players at mid-season, but credits some disciplinary moves for making the Bears a better team down the stretch.

An eight-game winning streak to finish the regular season was the school's longest in more than three years, and it grew to 10 with SMS' first two wins at the MVC Tournament.

A Glance At 2001

Hinson will get a tougher test when he has to replace five departing seniors. Brakebill is the foundation and will be expected to make the jump to an All-MVC level. The 6-7 Gaines showed signs of being a talented inside player and rebounder. Rueter is a big body with decent junior numbers (6.8 points, 4.2 rebounders).

The backcourt will have to be totally rebuilt. Only returnee with experience will be junior Nic Wright, who played a total of 82 minutes. The best guess is that most will pick the Bears to drop back into the middle of the MVC pack.

The Coach

Barry Hinson has taken the MVC by storm in his first season in Springfield, Mo. His passion and energy catch your attention right away, but he's been pretty good with the X's and O's so far, too. Steve Alford left behind a pretty good senior class, so Hinson didn't have to start from scratch.

Hinson was the coach at Oral Roberts for two seasons before coming to SMS, and has a three-year record of 56-33. He beat around Oklahoma high schools and junior highs before getting his chance on Bill Self's staff at ORU in 1993.

Who's Back

The return of Brakebill, Gaines, Rueter and Walk should leave Hinson feeling OK with his front-court players. The Bears also return some height with 6-10 Brian George and 6-9 Matt Engstrom. The backcourt, however, will need a total overhaul, with Wright the only Bear guard returning.

Who's Gone

Ault and Fontleroy were among Alford's first recruits and meant a ton to the program over the last four years. Phillips, Bruton and Judd only played two years after transferring, but left their marks on two 20-win seasons and two postseason teams.

Key Newcomers

Forwards Josh Hume and Steve Ausler come off redshirt seasons, with Ausler seeking a medical hardship after playing in three games before calling it a year because of a stress fracture in his leg. During the early signing period, SMS picked up 6-7 Monwell Randle out of Country Club Hills, Ill., and 6-2 Donnie Williams out of Turrell, Ark.