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After the Missouri State Bears’ exciting win against Wichita State last weekend they’re preparing for the big show in St. Louis on Friday. KSMU’s Chasity Mayes tells us how the first time Missouri Valley Conference title holders are crediting their season to the fans.
Led by Coach Cuonzo Martin, the Bears are the number one seed going into the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament this year. That’s a considerable difference from two years ago when they were happy to be the number 10 seed in the same tournament.
Kyle Weems is a Junior Red Shirt player for the Bears. He says the team’s recent win is exactly what they were hoping to give the community.
“We have such great fans. You know, just such a great fan base that this is exactly what they deserve. [It’s] kind of good to get that monkey off of our back to let our community know that this is a great place for basketball to be played and has great tradition and this is pretty much just icing on the cake. Hopefully we can keep it going, and even when I’m done here they can keep it going as well,” says Weems.
And there’s a reason why Weems and the rest of his teammates are thrilled to be able to give back to the fans. Weems says fan support at games plays a significant role in how they play.
“Not only do we feed off of their energy, it just makes the opposing teams job that much harder with communication and relaying their plays. Having that on your side in such a big game was really huge for our program,” says Weems.
The Bears are hoping to see a lot of maroon and white as they fight to be Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champions. They will leave Springfield Thursday morning and play Friday at noon at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
For KSMU News, I’m Chasity Mayes.
