Front row from left, Nathan Kinsella, Gaige Pitts, Kyle Germany, Detroit, Javian Downey, Lucas Prolla and Darion Combs. Second row: Gavin Boddie, team manager Blake Harris, graduate assistant coach Joe Greenwood, head coach Jared Phay, assistant coach Michael Poindexter and Riley Whiteaker. Back row: Kendon Peebles, Carlos Paul III, Trayon Grant, Lionel Kumwimba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tom Emerick, Ergie Kougnami and Kamari Vinson.

Posted: Oct 26, 2023

Grizzly Basketball tips off new season Nov. 2

A new season of Grizzly Basketball at Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) will tip off Thursday, Nov. 2, at the West Plains Civic Center.

The Grizzlies, under the tutelage of fourth year head coach Jared Phay, will face Link Year Prep at 7 p.m. in Joe Paul Evans Arena.

In a recent interview, Phay said he hopes the addition of size, depth and athleticism will be a winning combination for the Grizzly Basketball team during the 2023-2024 season. During the off season, he added 11 freshmen to go with his four returning sophomores, all of whom saw starting duties at some point last season.

"I think we have a lot more size and athleticism. We also have more depth than we've had in the past, and we have a nice mixture of returning players who know what we're up against. I really like how hard this team competes," Phay said.

Players to watch

Returners include forward Carlos Paul III, who started every game last season and averaged 9.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, as well as Thayer product Gaige Pitts, Michigan native Kyle Germany and Kendon Peebles from Virginia. "All four of these guys have been great leaders," Phay said.

The newcomers are led by Brazilian Lucas Prolla, a prolific shooter who hit 89% of his shots from the free throw line and 42% of his attempts behind the arc at Compass Prep School in Chandler, Arizona, last season. Canadian Javian Downey is another freshman to watch. Downey averaged 15 points, seven assists and 4.5 rebounds per game while starring at J Addison Prep.

And 6-foot, 8-inch Lionel Kumwimba, a native of the Republic of the Congo, played a significant role in the inaugural season of Athletes In Action (AIA) Prep in Xenia, Ohio, which went 24-9 last against some of the nation's best prep schools. "All three will start for us at some point this season," Phay said.

Phay also brought in four area freshman standouts to play for the Grizzlies this season – Tom Emerick from Mansfield, Darion Combs from Poplar Bluff, Riley Whiteaker of Calico Rock, Arkansas, and Gavin Boddie from Mammoth Spring, Arkansas. He expects all four to contribute to the team.

Two of the team's strengths this year are the players' unselfishness and coachability, Phay said. "This group genuinely wants to see each other do well," he explained. "They're a very good group of guys, in general, which leads to being great teammates. I think this team has gelled well and will continue to as the season progresses."

Tough teams on the schedule

That will be key as the Grizzlies face some of the toughest two-year college teams in the nation. "We start off playing Indian Hills, Midland and Triton, and all will be ranked in the top 15 nationally," Phay said. "We are going to play several teams that have been consistently going to the national tournament. We also will play National Park and some other teams that will be at the top of the country in NJCAA Division II. In the early games, win or lose, we just want to learn and get better and control what we can control."

Phay hopes playing high-level competition early in the season will help the Grizzlies navigate their own Region 16 schedule. MSU-WP is coming off a disappointing 2022-2023 campaign that saw the Grizzlies go 11-19 and make an early exit from the NJCAA Region 16 Championship Tournament last March.

"Moberly won Region 16 last year, so I think it's safe to say they are the team to beat in the region now, but Three Rivers, Mineral Area and State Fair are all going to be good this year," the coach said.

"Our goal is to be competitive all season," Phay added. "Of course, we want to win the region and eventually go to the NJCAA Division I Men's National Championship Tournament, but there are so many factors that go into that, so at this point we just want to compete. We have a very tough early non-conference schedule that hopefully prepares us for how tough our region will be."

New assistant coach

Helping Phay – who is just nine wins away from his 400th career win as an NJCAA head coach – this season will be his new assistant coach, Michael Poindexter Jr. The Memphis, Tennessee, native joined the team in August and brings with him 19 years of coaching experience at several levels.

It will be vital for the Grizzlies stay healthy and continue to improve throughout the season if they want to be successful, Phay said. "There are a lot of talented teams in October, but the good teams in March got better throughout the season, came together as a group and persevered through adversity," he explained.

"Fortunately, we have a great group of guys who all really enjoy being here. They are good at life, not just basketball. They work hard every day and will be fun to watch. They are looking forward to the challenges we have in the competition we play, the road trips and just spending time together," Phay said.

For more information about the Grizzly Basketball team, visit MSUWPGrizzlies.com.