Missouri State Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Bears

CHARLESTON, SC - NOVEMBER 21: Head coach Dana Ford of the Missouri State Bears reacts to a call during a first round Charleston Classic basketball game against the Miami (Fl) Hurricanes at the TD Arena on November 21, 2019 in Charleston, South Carolina. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

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Missouri State Bears guard Demarcus Sharp (0) defends Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

MSU’s talented bench

Clay’s arrival potentially nudges previous starter Keaton Hervey to a reserve role. The 6’7 wing had an outstanding first season in Springfield, Missouri. While he averaged 7.4 points and 4.6 rebounds, the New Mexico Junior College transfer was a deadly 44% from deep and brought great energy to the team.

Newcomers Isaac Haney and Jaylen Minnett have Bears’ fans expecting great things. Haney was a two-time state champion at nearby Springfield Kickapoo high school, where he scored 3,141 career points. As one of the top ten players coming out of the State of Missouri, this was a recruiting coup for Ford.

Minnett took advantage of the extra year of eligibility to transfer to Missouri State. The 6’1 guard left IUPUI as the program’s all-time leader in three-pointers and finished ninth on the all-time scoring list (1,403). Minnett was the Horizon League’s 2019 ‘Sixth Man of the Year’ and last year averaged 16.4 points per game.

Lu’cye Patterson is the only other holdover that played significant minutes last season. The 6’1 sophomore played 15 minutes per game and averaged 2.5 points per game. Missouri State isn’t as deep as some teams, but having four very solid bench players could be enough.

Ford has three players 6’10 or taller on the bench in Darian Scott, Dawson Carper, and Nic Tata.