By Justin Sampson (Ozarks Sports Zone)
Paul Lusk and his new-look Bears have started the season 2-0 with wins over Alabama A&M and Jacksonville State. It’s been one of the more buzzed about seasons since Lusk’s early days in Springfield, with the Bears getting picked fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference and a non-league schedule set up for them to have favorable first six weeks. There will be plenty this team will unearth in the coming month, but here are five very early observations about the Bears so far:
“The Right Guys”
Since the increasingly-fabled 70-point game that Ronnie Rousseau III produced at The Courts this summer, Bears fans have been waiting for the season to start. Lusk brought in Rosseau III this offseason along with 6-9 forward Alize Johnson (Frank Phillips Texas) and 6-6 forward Jarrid Rhodes (Northern Oklahoma Tonkawa). Johnson and Rousseau III were to step right into the starting lineup after Camyn Boone and Dorrian Williams graduated.
So far, they’ve answered the hype.
The trio has combined for 63 points in the Bears’ first two games. Johnson, already with an MVC Player of the Week to his name, dropped 16 the first night on a perfect shooting performance. He matched a team-high with 20 points and 10 rebounds against Jacksonville State. Rousseau III already has a 16-point effort under his belt and led the Bears in assists in both games. Rhodes went 6-for-7 on opening night for 16 points, but went scoreless on Sunday, both coming off the bench.
Lusk called them “the right guys”. They have been coachable while adjusting to the Division I game and have been a big reason why MSU has topped 90 points in back-to-back games for the first time since he 2013-14 season. Only seven teams in college basketball have lit up the scoreboard more than the Bears through two games. Lusk has had offensive depth before, but now he has playmakers. His new additions can distribute and create their own shots, something that gives the Bears a dimension they have been lacking.
Ruder looks right
Gracious, does Austin Ruder appear happy to be back. After setting the school record for three-pointers by a freshman (72), the Nixa graduate had sports hernia surgery, putting the start of his sophomore campaign in doubt. He appeared in just five games last year before a hip injury led to another surgery and the end of his season.
From the first time he checked back in for the 2016-17 Bears in their exhibition, he was ready to hoist, hitting two of seven from beyond the arc. But his true comeback party came against Alabama A&M, where he drilled six three-pointers, including four in succession, for a game-high 18 points. He dropped four more against Jacksonville State on the Bears’ record-setting day from deep.
Talking with one person close to the team, Ruder looks to be in the best spot of his career. With MSU’s scoring depth, he doesn’t need to start, but can be used in short bursts off the bench when points need to be had. He’s done more than that, playing 22 and 21 minutes over the first two games, scoring 30 points, all on treys. He’s an integral part of the Bears’ second unit and a big weapon that allows Lusk to shuffle pieces through the lineup. The swagger with which he’s sprinted back into his old form is a good sign, one that could provide long lost headaches for the conference.
It’s still Miller Time… for now
Last year, the Bears’ top three scorers were separated by 0.6 points per night, but there was no doubt who was getting the ball when a big shot was needed. Dequon Miller was the late-game assassin, connecting on winning or tying shots four times while leading the team in assists and scoring. But with an influx of JUCO talent, the emergence of Ryan Kreklow and Jarred Dixon, and Ruder’s return, how would the MVC Newcomer of the Year adjust?
Like he did with Dorrian Williams last year, Miller is splitting time bringing the ball up the court with Rousseau III. Miller had a startling season opener, going 0-for-9 from the floor while notching just one point. He attributed it to contact lenses, something he’d never worn in a game before. Whatever he switched, he returned to form on Sunday with 20 points on 11-of-18 shooting.
There are a ton of guys to take shots and the prime producers could fluctuate night to night. Dixon has been bumped from the starting lineup, but added 19 points in 21 minutes off the bench on Sunday. Chris Kendrix isn’t even in the lineup yet. Miller is a Second Team All-MVC pick for a reason, and there are those who believe he could be on the First Team at the end of the year. It should be very interesting the first time MSU needs a bucket on the last possession, but Miller remains the most complete player from last year’s squad and his output could determine how far this team can go.
Paint problems or nah?
With Tyler McCullough seemingly nowhere near returning, Johnson clocks in as the Bears’ tallest active player, just ahead of the 6-8 Jordan Martin. Behind Camyn Boone, Obediah Church was the lone MSU player to crack the Top 10 rebounding list in the MVC. Johnson expects to pick up that slack, having pulled down 16 in the first two games, but it remains to be seen how much trouble MSU will have on the glass. In a guard-heavy conference, it could be very little, but we saw how elite-caliber rebounding nearly delivered an MVC Championship to Evansville last year.
The Bears have come out with their motors revving and that has produced some good glass work, having out rebounded their first two opponents 61-49, but there are post players down the road that will provide more of a test.
Just win baby
An announced crowd of 3,502 witnessed the Bears open their season on Friday. Competing with the NFL, good weather, and a conference championship soccer match across the street, that number dipped to 3,330 on Sunday. Northern Iowa drew over 4,000 for their home opener. Southern Illinois? Nearly 3,800. The most jarring difference at JQH Arena, as it typically is, was in the student section, which boasted an impressive and energized group on Friday.
The state of MSU basketball is not one that requires familiarity to draw. Hardcore fans know the struggles that Ruder has battled through and gave Kendrix a big ovation when he checked in for the first time on Sunday, but that doesn’t go far with the casual fan that MSU Athletics is seeking. New faces helped the team provide a more exciting style of play last season, but 13 wins were not enough to blow down the doors of JQH Arena. This year’s iteration appears to be even more fun to watch, but the barometer, as it always is, will be victories.
The money-back guarantee that the athletic department offered for season ticket plans was a power play to entice fans to come see what they believed would be the most entertaining brand of Bears hoops in years, and that very well could be the case. If fans turn around on Christmas and find a team that has flirted with 100 points three or four times and also happens to be 11-2, then conference play should bring the crowds. It will take time, and the Bears have not faced the stiffest of tests so far, but getting the best of beatable teams is part of the process, one that is off to a good start.
