As basketballs thump on the Great Southern Bank Arena hardwood, it’s music to the ears. A new season is nearing and optimism reigns, with every team in America undefeated and counting down the days to the first game.
Perhaps no program in the land is more eager for a new start — and a new conference home at that — than the Missouri State Bears. Things have to get better because they can’t get much worse than last season’s 9-23 crumble and 2-18 debacle in a farewell Missouri Valley Conference campaign.
There couldn’t be a more perfect time to join Conference USA and a new set of opponents and venues awaiting. For a re-made roster, with only three returning players, there seems to be renewed optimism and energy with an acknowledgement of uncertainty.
During Missouri State’s media day last week, both holdovers and newcomers are excited about the season ahead. Being picked last in the C-USA preseason rankings didn’t rankle the players as much as give them an added jolt of determination.
“As we’re going to the new league, they’re gonna think we’re not as good and not as athletic, not as strong,” said senior center Michael Osei-Bonsu, who started all 32 games last season. “But we’re gonna come in and throw a punch and let’s see if they can take it.”
Looking forward to new league foes
For at least one of the newcomers expected to play a significant role, the move to C-USA was a positive factor in his decision to join coach Cuonzo Martin’s program. Guard Kobi Williams is a St. Louis native who transferred from D-II Truman State with a desire to help surprise observers.
“Oh, it’s very exciting,” Williams said of the move to C-USA. “Conference USA is a really good conference. We’re gonna be traveling a lot, seeing a lot of new cities and playing a lot of great teams. I feel like if you put anybody in this position, this is something they would really want to do. It’s going to be really exciting for a lot of us.”
Upon signing with Missouri State, Williams — who played at Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis for former Missouri State guard Dale Ribble — immediately did his homework on the new league opponents.
“Liberty, they’ve always been a great program. They’ve made the (NCAA) tournament a lot of years,” Williams said. “I’m excited to play them. FIU (Florida International), Sam Houston, New Mexico State, Jacksonville State, Western Kentucky. I mean, there’s just so many great schools that I just want to play, because I know that we can play on this level with any one of them.”
Liberty is a near-unanimous pick to win the league followed by Kennesaw State and New Mexico State.
Styles of play expected to vary
Cuonzo Martin in a Springfield Daily Citizen file photo. (Photo by Jym Wilson)
Martin is entering season two of his second stint at Missouri State. He said C-USA may present an across-the-board variety of styles of play after the Valley was considered more of a grind-it-out, physical league over the years.
But with roster upheaval the constant in modern college athletics, it’s a bit harder to get a read on what to expect. Martin pointed out that five teams have been added to C-USA over the last few years, making playing styles even more diverse from opponent to opponent.
“I think in years past, you would say Conference USA was the equivalent of the Big 12 and SEC,” Martin said of a faster, more athletic style of play. “I think now with the addition of teams, it’s kind of like the Big 12, SEC and Big 10. I think the key is who imposes their style on every situation? I think that is the most important thing.
“We want to be able to do both sides of the basketball. You have teams that defend well in this conference, teams that really get out and run and that press. Can we do both well? Then play with a level of intelligence and I think that part has been lost in terms of winning games. The margin for error is so slim, it’s who can execute down the stretch and get the ball where it needs to go and defend at a high level and get stops.
“We have the talent to play fast, or slow it down. We have all the parts.”
Help on hand for ‘Big Mike‘
Of course, everyone says in October that team chemistry is golden but the one area that stands out in assessing the eye test is the Bears’ size. No longer does Osei-Bonsu, at 6-4 and 280, present the team’s lone low-post threat. He has help with newcomers Darrion Sutton (6-9, 205), Keith Palek III (6-9, 220), Cameron Boone (6-10, 240) and Amar Kuljuhovic (6-8, 240).
Martin pointed out that Osei-Bonsu won’t have to play as many minutes as a year ago, when he often would have a drop in production late in games due to fatigue or foul trouble. “Big Mike” likes the idea of a deeper supporting cast.
“I love all the extra bigs,” Osei-Bonsu said. “We have new guards, we have people that can really shoot the ball, really dribble the ball, who really can do everything the game asks for. So I’m really excited.”
Lady Bears eager for C-USA as well
Missouri State guard and former Republic Star Kaemyn Bekemeier smiles during media day for the 2025 basketball season. (Photo by Ellie Frysztak)
The Missouri State women’s team also is excited about the new frontier of C-USA but is coming at it from a different perspective. The Lady Bears won a regular-season championship, going out the Valley door, and were picked a respectable fourth in the preseason C-USA poll.
Junior guard Kaemyn Bekemeier steps into the starting lineup this season and the Republic High School graduate said it’s a bit different after following the Lady Bears and the Valley growing up.
“Sometimes it can be challenging being a vet and not really knowing what your conference opponents look like and the most important games on your schedule,” Bekemeier said. “But just as half of our team is learning about the Lady Bears, I’m also learning about stepping into this new conference. I’m really excited.
“We’ll be able to catch some flights rather than sitting on a bus for very long trips. So I think that’ll be to our advantage, not being on a bus for seven hours and we’ll be able to catch up with just a couple hours’ flight.”
She has researched C-USA opponents a little. Louisiana Tech, Liberty and Middle Tennessee State are picked ahead of Missouri State.
“Nothing too deep like we would do in-season, which eventually we’ll get to that,” she said. “But yeah, we’ve seen some games and looked at the teams and looked at their style of play and whatnot. But not like we’ll get into later on.”
With a demanding non-league schedule — including consecutive home games with Kansas, Arkansas and Gonzaga in December — coach Beth Cunningham is content to wait until league play begins to assess C-USA playing styles.
“I think it’s hard to know really what we will see just because rosters are so different,” Cunningham said. “Rosters have changed in the off season, though we certainly have familiarity with some programs. But it doesn’t do me a whole lot of good to watch games from last year to an extent, just because the rosters are so different.”
“The good thing is by the time we hit conference play, we’ll have plenty of film on everybody and we’ll get our team as prepared as possible.”
Bears basketball key dates
Oct. 31 – Exhibition vs. Maryville University, 6 p.m.
Nov. 4 – Season opener vs. Missouri Southern, 7 p.m.
Nov. 11 – First game vs. DI opponent, vs. Arkansas State, 7 p.m.
Nov. 15 – First road game, at Texas-Arlington, 5 p.m.
Dec. 29 – First C-USA game, at Delaware, 1 p.m.
Jan. 2 – First C-USA home game, vs. UTEP, 7 p.m.
March 10-14 – C-USA Tournament, at Huntsville, Ala.
Lady Bears key dates
Oct. 28 – Exhibition vs. Northeastern State, 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 3 – Season opener vs. Saint Louis, 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 7 – First road game, at Texas-Arlington, 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 4 – First C-USA game, at Florida International, noon
Jan. 8 – First C-USA home game, vs. Kennesaw State, 6:30 p.m.
March 10-14 – C-USA Tournament, at Huntsville, Ala.
Lyndal Scranton is a Springfield native who has covered sports in the Ozarks for more than 35 years, witnessing nearly every big sports moment in the region during the last 50 years. The Missouri Sports Hall of Famer, Springfield Area Sports Hall of Famer and live-fire cooking enthusiast also serves as PR Director for Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri and is co-host of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast. Contact him at Lscranton755@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @LyndalScranton. More by Lyndal Scranton