It look's like you don't have Adobe Flash Player installed. Get it now.
The Missouri State Bears basketball team had its 24th victory this year on Tuesday night by winning the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. It’s the first time the team has ended its season with a win in over 30 years. Many fans are attributing the team’s success to its new head coach, Cuonzo Martin. KSMU’s Royal Yates spoke with Coach Martin after the big win, and has this report.
The Bears’ big win over the Pacific Tigers on Tuesday night has many people claiming they’re glad to be a Bear. MSU took home the trophy for the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, or CIT, giving many fans hopes of an even more successful season next year.
Some fans are expecting NCAA-level success next year since Old Dominion, the 2009 winner of the CIT trophy, made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament this year.
The NCAA named the Bears the 5th most improved college basketball team in the U.S. this season. MSU won 10 more games than last year.
Cuonzo Martin, new head coach for the Bears, says even though trophies and titles are important, winning games isn’t the only thing he’s here for.
He says, “Well for me, I’m here to do a job. My job, at the end of the day, is winning ball games. But for us as a staff, it’s bigger than that. It’s about graduating guys and developing young men, and in the process winning basketball games. But for us, we feel like if we do what we need to do as a staff, as a team, and as a program, the success will come. ”
Martin was named as the 16th head coach for the Bears in 2008 after coaching for eight years at Big Ten School Purdue. He says before the team can focus on getting into the NCAA tournament, they have to become the best team in the Missouri Valley Conference.
“You know, for us it’s trying to take it the next step further to be one of the best teams if not the best team in Missouri Valley. We need that fans’ support, so the challenge is for our fans and the student section to support and try to fill the arena. We seat 11,000. We want to try to get 11,000 screaming, excited fans in there. I think it’s a two way street. We work together. Our guys do everything in their power to try to win basketball games, and our fans do everything in their power to try to support and make it to every game,” Martin said.
The Bears won the tournament on Tuesday with a score of 78-65.
For KSMU News, I’m Royal Yates.
