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MVC Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

By Joey Loose

Feb 1, 2014; Wichita, KS, USA; Wichita State Shockers players Ron Baker (31), Fred VanVleet (23) and Nick Wiggins (15) walk off the court during a time-out against the Evansville Aces during the second half at Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers won 81-67. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 1, 2014; Wichita, KS, USA; Wichita State Shockers players Ron Baker (31), Fred VanVleet (23) and Nick Wiggins (15) walk off the court during a time-out against the Evansville Aces during the second half at Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers won 81-67. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /
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Missouri State Bears forward Gaige Prim MVC Basketball Tmsu Bb Vs Isu00800
Missouri State Bears forward Gaige Prim MVC Basketball Tmsu Bb Vs Isu00800 /

13. Gaige Prim

Prim is another player who had anything but a direct route to success in college basketball. This 6’8 big man from Aurora, Colorado spent a year apiece at West Texas A&M and South Plains College before landing at Missouri State in 2019. Due to the pandemic, he inevitably played three years with the Bears and developed into a major frontcourt weapon in the MVC.

Year one in the Valley was already successful, with Prim averaging 13.7 points a game despite not starting until mid-January. As a senior, he had a 29-point, 21-rebound effort at Southern Illinois, all part of a season where he averaged 16.7 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Back for a fifth collegiate season, Prim put up comparable numbers in leading the Bears to a 23-win season that ended in the NIT.

Prim earned First Team All-MVC honors for those final two seasons and was even All-Defense during one of his seasons. He led the MVC in field goal percentage and offensive rebounding in each of those season while also becoming the blocks leader in 2022. This is all to say that Prim became the premier frontcourt weapon in the conference by the end of his career and was a major part of Missouri State’s success in recent years.