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Missouri Valley Basketball: Biggest “glue guy” players of 2021-22 season

By Harry Schroeder

Mar 6, 2021; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Drake Bulldogs guard Joseph Yesufu (1) celebrates with guard D.J. Wilkins (0) and guard Garrett Sturtz (3) and teammates after scoring the game winning points during the second half against the Missouri State Bears in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2021; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Drake Bulldogs guard Joseph Yesufu (1) celebrates with guard D.J. Wilkins (0) and guard Garrett Sturtz (3) and teammates after scoring the game winning points during the second half against the Missouri State Bears in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Donovan Clay, of Missouri State
Donovan Clay, of Missouri State /

Garrett Sturtz and Donovan Clay

When league fans think of Missouri Valley Conference glue guys virtually every one of them would mention Drake’s Garrett Sturtz. The 6’3 Sturtz has been named to the Valley’s all-bench team two years in a row. Despite his small stature he routinely leads the Bulldogs in rebounding and has collected 643 boards during his Drake career.

He does all the little things and he’s a scholar-athlete. Oh and he’s finally on scholarship. He’s closing in on 1,000 career points and wasn’t given a scholarship until this season. He leads the team in rebounding (7.5 per game), steals, and is suddenly second in scoring (11.0 ppg). The Newton, Iowa native has simply outworked bigger and more athletic opponents.

He understands the game and gathers those rebounds by being at the right place at the right time. His scoring average has improved every year of his career. Other Drake players are more well known, but Garrett Sturtz is their most valuable player.

Sharing the honors with Sturtz is Missouri State’s Donovan Clay. After transferring within the conference from Valparaiso to MSU, Clay has chosen to do all the important things that make the Bears better.

The 6’8 Clay was part of the 2020 all-freshman team and was a double-digit scorer at Valparaiso last season. In Springfield, Missouri he has turned himself into the ultimate glue guy. He is MSU’s best defender and is the Bears’ second-leading rebounder. While he’s making 51% of his field-goal attempts, he’s only averaging 7.6 points per game.

"“Donnie is definitely a glue guy for us,” said Ford. “He does a lot of things. Holds a lot of things together on both sides of the floor. Donnie is a rare glue guy.”"

Clay leads the Bears in minutes played and is third in assists. Ford says Clay is an exceptional ‘glue guy’.

Next. Latest top-25 power rankings. dark

There isn’t one mold for a ‘glue guy’. Sturtz is 6’3 and 180 pounds while Clay is 6’8 and 216. Sturtz actually outrebounds his taller competitor and outscores him. It is the defensive stop, the key rebound, the charge taken, the diving for loose balls that we see, but it is the mindset to put team before personal headlines that makes these players our first ‘All-Elmer’s Glue Team’.