2019–20 Missouri State Women’s Basketball Preview
On September 21, at halftime of a home football game, all 13 Missouri State women’s basketball players from the 2018–19 team received rings commemorating their run to the Sweet Sixteen last season.
Four days later, 12 of those players participated in their first official practice of the 2019–20 season. Eight are upperclassmen and there is only one freshman, which gives the Lady Bears remarkable continuity. However, the losses are big: First-Team All-MVC point guard Danielle Gitzen graduated and head coach Kellie Harper was hired by Tennessee.
Enter new head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, or Coach Mox. As the associate head coach at Michigan State, Agugua-Hamilton wasn’t necessarily looking to leave, but she felt ready to be a head coach and had five different opportunities come her way in the offseason. Missouri State, the last to materialize, “just felt right,” she said. “It lines up with everything I want and need to be successful.” Agugua-Hamilton described herself as “very high, high, high energy” and her coaching style as “loud, for lack of a better word.” She added, “I’m super disciplined, I want accountability, and I want energy and effort. Those are the things that … I never wavered from, in every practice, every workout, every day.”
The Missouri State players have completely bought in, according to senior guard Alexa Willard. “We’re trusting her, really leaning into everything she’s taught us,” Willard said in early October. Like last season, “we’re still going to bring a lot of grit, but Coach Mox is just trying to take us to another level. And I think we’re all really excited about that.”
Missouri State’s run to the Sweet Sixteen last season, which included wins over DePaul and Iowa State, was no fluke. The Lady Bears had a rough non-conference schedule, starting the season 1–7 with losses to Missouri, South Dakota, Gonzaga, and Indiana. But they rebounded — literally — to go 16–2 in the Missouri Valley Conference regular season, win the conference tournament, and secure a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They finished 16th in the country and first in the MVC in total rebounding rate. They also shot the ball well (65th nationally in field goal percentage) and committed relatively few turnovers (47th nationally in turnover rate). After a season-ending loss to Stanford in the Sweet Sixteen, the Lady Bears were ranked 24th in the USA Today Coaches Poll and 45th in the Simple RPI.
This year, the Lady Bears have set the bar even higher. Agugua-Hamilton and Willard both pointed to the non-conference record as something the team wants to improve, and Agugua-Hamilton mentioned regular-season and conference tournament championships and a repeat NCAA Tournament bid among her team’s goals. Agugua-Hamilton explained, “We don’t take time and dwell on last year and live in the past, but we definitely recognize … where our talent can take us and we set new goals for ourselves.”
Missouri State’s top returners include Willard (12.3 points per game in 2018–19, 34% 3-point shooting), junior guard Brice Calip (10.1 points, 2.2 assists per game), and sophomore forward Jasmine Franklin (9.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game). Willard currently ranks 26th in school history with 1,034 points, while Calip’s career 1.37 assist-to-turnover history ranks fifth. Not to be outdone, Franklin became the first player in school history to have at least 40 blocks and 40 steals in a season and set school freshman records for blocks and rebounds.
Willard highlighted rising junior Emily Gartner as a player who particularly improved during the offseason. “It’s really cool just to see her gain her confidence,” Willard said. The 6-foot-4 Gartner averaged 4.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in just under 15 minutes per game last season and has grabbed 12.3 rebounds per 40 minutes in her first two seasons. Junior Elle Ruffridge and sophomore Mya Bhinhar, both guards, have also taken big strides. “Some of the people who were … underclassmen last year [are] just really stepping up,” Willard noted. “You can see them really stepping into their role and it’s really cool to watch.”
One of the attributes that Agugua-Hamilton appreciates most about her roster is its versatility. She explained, “We can score inside and we can score outside, which makes us a problem to guard whether it’s man or zone. … We have guards that are tall and can post up, [so] I’ll post them up. We got some bigs that can shoot; I’ll run them off screens and shoot.” She wants her team to play up-tempo — “Make or miss, we’re going to push it,” Agugua-Hamilton said — and take advantage of its athleticism, length, and size. Seven of the 13 players stand between 6–1 and 6–4, which should be an asset on both ends of the floor. However, Agugua-Hamilton identified team defense as an area in which the Lady Bears can improve, specifically by communicating better.
A year after unseating two-time defending tournament champion Drake, Willard said the Lady Bears are aware of the “target on our back” within the MVC. But they won’t take anything for granted, according to Willard: “We’re not going to be cocky, that’s for sure. Because the Valley’s tough.” One way Agugua-Hamilton keeps her team focused is by reminding them, “Grind now, shine later.” That’s one of many motivational sayings and quotes Agugua-Hamilton has brought to the team, some of which she adapted from other people and some she came up with herself. Even her coaching philosophy can be summed up in an acronym: Family, Academics, Basketball (F.A.B.). “I want … words to mean something,” Agugua-Hamilton explained. “Even if we’re the only group of people … that know[s] what that means, it means something to us. … It’s important to have something that everybody in your program can identify with and work towards every day.”
With 12 returning players, a “high-energy” coach, on-court versatility, and ample motivation, Missouri State seems to have all the ingredients for another NCAA Tournament bid. The non-conference schedule includes many of the same teams as a year ago, plus a season-opener at Minnesota, so a strong start to the season could even position the Lady Bears for an at-large bid in March. That would likely qualify as a F.A.B.-ulous start to the Agugua-Hamilton era at Missouri State.
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