Is This Dana Ford’s Best Team Ever?

Missouri State Can Make a Run

(St. Louis, MO) – This is Dana Ford’s eighth year as a head coach and fourth at Missouri State and this looks to be his best team ever. The 2021-22 edition of Bears basketball seems to have everything a Missouri Valley team could want to make a run at the title.

While Ford’s record (49-40 and 106-105 overall) is right at .500, buried in that record is his first season 5-26 record at Tennessee State. Since then his teams have never won less than 15 games and his second season at TSU was his only 20-win campaign.

Practically every year we brag on the talent that he has recruited to Springfield, and that may be unfair. Preseason prognosticators (like yours truly) have a tendency to expect too much or too little from players and we prejudge a team’s performance based on our conclusions.

When Isiaih Mosley and Ja’Monta Black came to Missouri State from Columbia Rock Bridge, we expected great things and frankly we expected Black to be a star. Mosley is a star and Black has been solid, but we may have expected too much too soon. Who knows how last season would have gone with a full complement of games. At 17-7 the Bears were very good.

MSU’s 0-5 record against Drake and Loyola indicates they weren’t ready for that top spot, but Ford has filled some gaps on his team’s roster. He lamented the lack of depth on last year’s team and has turned that into a strength. So much so, that this may be his best team ever.

MVC’s Top Duo

There is no better tandem in the league than Gaige Prim and Isiaih Mosley. Compare any two players from any other Missouri Valley team and you will come up short. They finished first and third in scoring. Prim led the league in rebounding and Mosley in free-throw percentage.

There is no more dangerous duo in the Valley. Prim is the league’s best big man and is amazingly versatile. He is virtually unstoppable in the paint, and runs the floor better than any Valley post player. When teams want to double the 6’9, 235 pound big man, his adept passing skill finds the right teammate. He averaged three assists per game.

Mosley is deadly from deep, incredible in transition and he too will find the open man. As a bigger guard, he can shoot over smaller defenders and he and Black seem to have a sixth sense about the location of their long time teammate.

Last season Prim and Mosley combined to average over 37 points. With greater depth, they may not have to score that many points this season, but they are capable of gigantic numbers.

Wave of Good Guards

Black and Demarcus Sharp return and are very solid complementary pieces. If Mosley wasn’t on this team, either could be a go-to type of guard. As it is, they both score when needed, and fill the other gaps. Sharp was among the league leaders in assists and as he joined the starting lineup late in the season, we saw his scoring take off.

Black is a team leader and a player that settles down his teammates. This team plays with emotion and Black helps them focus their passions in the right direction. Another returner, Lu’Cye Patterson had a very solid freshman season and will be an asset this season.

The wild-card in the Bears’ wave of good guards is newcomer Jaylen Minnett. The IUPUI transfer is another proven scorer. His 285 career three-pointers were a program record and is bringing over 1,400 career points with him to Springfield.

Incoming freshman Isaac Haney scored over 3,100 points at nearby Springfield Kickapoo. The 6’2 guard was the state’s sixth highest rated senior. Missouri State is loaded in the backcourt.

If Ford wanted to run a four-guard lineup, this could be his best team ever, but he doesn’t have to.

Donovan Clay’s Impact

Donovan Clay’s arrival is potentially monumental. The 6’8 Clay is talented, competitive, solid defensively and is growing into his game. Clay was named to the league’s all-freshman team that Mosley wasn’t named to in 2020. Last season he averaged 10.1 points and 5.5 rebounds for Valparaiso.

While Clay isn’t really a threat from deep and isn’t an accomplished shooter, he gets his points in ‘the ugly area’. He is a good finisher in traffic, he is a relentless rebounder and blocked 35 shots last year.

If Prim plays center, Clay is the perfect ‘power forward’ to give MSU an intimidating front court. Last year’s ‘four man’, Keaton Hervey, is more suited to a small forward role and whether he or Clay start, Ford has greater flexibility up front.

Since Clay is on the team, back up centers like Nic Tata and Dawson Carper have a greater chance to have productive minutes, the Bears’ frontcourt won’t be as offensively challenged as it was last season when Prim rested.

Best Team Ever?

Is this Dana Ford’s best team ever? On paper, yes it is. If Clay is in the starting lineup and Minnett is not, the fourth year MSU coach has two starting quality players in Hervey and Minnett ready to come off the bench. Another year of training and maturing make Tata and Carper more legitimate post reserves and Patterson, who scored 2,900 prep points is ready to be a more significant contributor, if given the chance.

The large looming question is about their ability to beat the league’s top teams. Loyola drilled the Bears twice. Missouri State dropped three single digit games to Drake. During the previous season, they split with the Bulldogs and Ramblers, but were swept by regular season champion Northern Iowa.

Ford’s teams are combined 5-16 against this year’s predicted top teams (Drake, Loyola and Northern Iowa) and are just 2 and 3 in three Arch Madness appearances.

For this to be Dana Ford’s best team ever, they will have to translate their deep and talented roster into a team that can perform under the brightest lights. Missouri State hasn’t won a regular season title since the days of Cuonzo Martin, and haven’t taken home the Arch Madness trophy since 1992.

If this is Ford’s best team ever, they could erase both of those droughts in one magical season.

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