Help!!

Today's post is written by Assistant Coach Marcus Moeller:

If you stroll through the Leggett and Platt Athletic Center after October 15th you will undoubtedly hear the word "Help!" echoing through the rafters. The nature of playing defense is that you sometimes require the aid of one of your teammates. Coach Mitts has talked a lot about the fundamentals of our defense during preseason. We are actually trying to reduce the number of times that we say "help!", because the fewer times we need help on the floor, the better our defense will be.

We have also stressed another type of help during this preseason as we have been able to lend a helping hand by doing community service! Community service is a huge part of what we do in our program. We put a huge emphasis on helping others because of how fortunate we are and how much people have given to us. The community of Joplin is EXTREMELY supportive of our basketball program and it is simply the right thing to do to give back to the community.

Our first service project of the year was moving everything inside of the Outreach House into its new building. The Outreach House is a ministry of St. Peters Catholic Church that strives to supply food and clothing to underprivileged families. The Outreach House's new building is located one block away and is far more secure in stature than its previous dwelling. We teamed up with the football team (almost 100 of them!) and got to work sorting clothes, moving racks, carrying heavy appliances, and many other things. Everything had to be moved and it was so fun to see over 100 Missouri Southern student athletes involved in the process. As you can imagine after working that hard for 4 or 5 hours, our team was ready to eat! That's when the members of the church stepped in and were nice enough to prepare a feast for lunch. Our players were so grateful for the meal.

After working all morning, senior guard Jasmine Lovejoy had this to say "It's a great experience. We get to learn about the Outreach House and how they help all of the underprivileged families." We are grateful that our team is willing to give up their weekend to help people in need. When asked about the day Coach Mitts shared these thoughts, "There is something to be said that this is their weekend: when I'm sure they could be going home and spending their downtime, they chose to be here."

The following weekend we spent all morning and early afternoon helping out another program on campus. The Men's and Women's cross country teams hosted the annual Southern Stampede on our cross country course. The event consisted of more than 2000 runners split into 6 divisions: College Men, college Women, high school girls varsity , high school boys varsity, high school girls junior varsity, and high school boys junior varsity.

On a hot and steamy Saturday morning, our whole team was perched at the finish line helping the official time keepers by cutting off the microchip timing devices that were tied to every runner's shoe. Due to the steamy temperatures and the high humidity, the Missouri Southern training staff was overloaded with work and we were also able to help them by carrying runners over to their training area. Whether cutting the microchips off the runner's shoes, sorting the microchips, carrying people to the medical area or giving congratulatory high-fives, it was a great day to be outside helping the event run smooth.

Don't be afraid to ask for help and don't be afraid to give it. This idea is something that we talk about in our program a lot. If you are struggling in a class, don't be too prideful to ask someone else for help. If you get beat off the dribble drive to the basket, you better be calling for help. By the same token, we really try to instill in our players a desire to help others. The past 2 weekends of lending a helping hand to others have been a great experience for our players and our coaching staff.

Until next time...It's a GREAT day to be a LION!!

Assistant Coach
Marcus Moeller

The Reality of Fantasy

Today's post is written by assistant coach Marcus Moeller:

They say admission is the first step right? Okay here goes nothing........I have a problem. There, I feel much better. Oh wait, you actually have to admit what the problem is?? Okay......I am obsessed with fantasy football. It's just the truth. I often talk about my team and how they performed on Sunday, but unfortunately I get little response from my co-workers. But that was until things took a drastic turn in late August. Coach Hubbard muttered those words I've been longing to hear, "Marcus, I have been asked to join a fantasy football league...can you help me prepare a little bit for my draft?" To be honest, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Well now, 2 weeks into the NFL season, you'll find Coach Hubbard and I talking about the ups and downs of our teams and how we wish we would have started this person over that person, etc.

For those of you not engrossed in the joys of Fantasy Football let me give you a quick rundown. Fantasy football is centered around the actual performance of actual NFL players every Sunday. A league of "owners" (typically 10) get together and each draft a roster of current NFL players that make up their team. Every week that owner decides who they will put in their starting lineup (traditional leagues start 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, and 1 Defense). Each player gains "fantasy points" according to a scoring system based on each statistical category. For example, for the quarterback position you might receive 6 points for every touchdown, 1 point for every 50 throwing yards, 1 point for every 25 rushing yards, and -2 points for every interception and lost fumble. So, if Tom Brady is in your starting lineup and throws for 250 yards and 2 touchdowns, then he earned you 17 points (12 in TD's and 5 in yardage). Every week you play head-to-head against someone else in your league. So, Coach Hubbard is happy to announce that after 2 weeks, she is 2-0!

This is my 11th season playing fantasy football and I have noticed something about it that I really don't like. Individual performance is EVERYTHING and it is no longer about winning and losing. Being a die-hard Chiefs fan and owning Jamaal Charles (one of their running backs) has caused me to say things I would have never dreamed of saying. Last year, after the Chiefs lost a game I said "Yeah but it's okay because Charles scored 24 fantasy points for me." After I said it I took a step back and thought "wow, never thought I would be okay with the Chiefs losing." The truth is, winning has been devalued. That is the reality of fantasy. There is a very similar trend occurring in youth sports today. The 2 main areas that I believe have lead to this issue are AAU/summer basketball and participation medals in youth sports.

I LOVE AAU basketball. I have always been a huge fan of it. Summer basketball was such a GREAT experience for me and I have so many memories and made some awesome friendships along the way. The one downside that I see to it is the massive amounts of games that kids play during the summer. It is not uncommon to play 3 games in a day and 20 in an 8 day span during the peak of summer ball in July. The sheer number of games has taken the emphasis off winning. Individual performance, getting seen by college coaches, and creating a "recruiting buzz" around each player has become far more important than teaching these athletes how to win AND how to lose. It is not uncommon to hear an athlete that just lost a game say, "yeah, but at least I scored 20". This is so hard to stomach as a coach.

A friend of mine was talking to his 10 year nephew on the phone and found out that his soccer team had just ended their season. He was so proud to tell his uncle about the medal he received at the awards ceremony. When asked how many games he won he replied, "I don't know, we don't keep score." Naturally, my friend responded with, "so what is the medal for?" "Oh, everyone in the league gets one" was the 10 year old's response. I really do believe that winning is not everything, but winning AND losing and the lessons that come from those 2 things, is the most important thing. To steal some of Aaron Rodgers' thoughts (Quarterback of the Green Bay Packers and NOT a member of my fantasy team :), kids must learn how to deal with disappointment. Losing is a disappointment and a very important tool in the maturation of young children. Winning and losing at a young age is so important. The lessons learned from those experiences are invaluable to the growth of the youth.

The reality of fantasy has become the reality of reality.

Our preseason has been all about breaking down those barriers and stressing the importance of "winning" in everything you do. Win in school, relationships, your mindset, the community, and on the court. And if by chance you do lose, you need to learn from it, grow from it, and move on from it.

Until next time...It's a GREAT day to be a LION!!

Marcus Moeller
Assistant Coach

Off and Running

Today's post is written by Assistant Coach Marcus Moeller:

As we enter the 3rd week of school and the second week of preseason, there is a common thread woven throughout our daily activities. Simply put...we are officially off and running (literally). The word running, unless you were born with whatever it is that God gave cross country runners that none of the rest of us seem to possess, often carries a negative connotation. That being said I am going to explain how running is the most positive thing that happens during our entire preseason.

You will often see the members of our team running around throughout the day. It may look like they are in a hurry, rushed, or simply on a mission, but the truth is...they are running around getting things done. Being a good student-athlete is a full time job. 15 hours of coursework, weights and conditioning workouts, individual workouts, study groups, getting treatment in the training room, community service, observation hours in the local schools, being involved in FCA, departmental clubs, student athlete advisory council....get the picture? And I haven't even mentioned the "extras" such as supporting all of the other athletic teams that support us throughout our season. Being a student athlete at such a high level lays the groundwork for the "real world" in one glaringly obvious way. Our student athletes are extremely busy and always on the go. Running around and being busy is one of the GREATEST things about being a student athlete!!

As a player, I dreaded the preseason for one reason and one reason only...running. I was not born a runner and I do not possess that inner passion for running. Running was always a means to an end. The end, or course, is being in good enough physical shape to push my body on all levels in order to be ready for a grueling 6 month basketball season. I believe it safe to say that our players view running very similar to the way I once did. I have learned so much about running now in my post-playing days, but the biggest thing I learned is that the goal of running in the preseason is 2-fold. The ONLY way a person can gain physical toughness is to force their body far outside its comfort zone. By the same token, the ONLY way a person can gain mental toughness is to force their mind far outside its comfort zone. Running forces your mind and body far outside of their normal comfort zones. There is probably nothing more positive that goes on in the bodies and minds of our team, than what happens during the time we spend out on that track.

This Friday morning we will take part in our annual Jog-a-Thon. The Jog-a-Thon is a fund raiser centered around (you guessed it) running. Starting at 5:45am at Fred G. Hughes stadium we take off on a 5-mile run (actually we run for a whole hour, so if there is time left over after we finish our 5 miles, we just keep running). We are blessed to have so many wonderful families and friends that sponsor us on our run. Some people sponsor per lap (20+, for those of you counting) and some sponsor the whole event with one lump sum. I (yes, I run it as well) really enjoy running the Jog-a-Thon because it is one of those things that you never think you can do until you do it. 5 miles seems like a mountain to climb for a "non-runner", so I actually enjoy the competition of running against the clock. I have set a personal goal to get the 5 miles in under 40 minutes this year (I've ran it in 38+ and 43+ min the last 2 years). A HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who have given to our program. There are so many things that we would not have if not for your generosity!!

Well, I gotta run.

Until next time...It's a GREAT day to be LION!!

Marcus Moeller
Assistant Coach

A Trip to Remember

Today's post is written by Randi Henderson:

Hello everyone! As many of you know I just had the opportunity of a lifetime, to go on a missionary trip to Europe. This journey began three weeks ago when nine girls from all over the United States met for training camp in Denver, Colorado. The day began with introductions and ended with knowledge that many of us would be lifelong friends. After 11 hours of flying, a two hour layover, an hour and a half train ride, and a twenty minute bus ride we had arrived to our destination of Garmisch, Germany. It was beautiful to say the least. The view of the largest mountain of Germany could be seen from the gymnasium or outside the window when you woke up in the morning. Our first basketball camp lasted two days with 13 U.S. Military children ranging from twelve to sixteen years old. Since we had free time during this camp we spent most of our time getting to know each other through bible study, cooking dinner, and practicing two times a day.

The following week we traveled just twenty minutes by car to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. During this week, the team separated and stayed with church members who had volunteered to be our host families for the next couple days. It was a great experience staying with our host families because most of them spoke very little English. For instance, my host could only tell me who was going to take me to the gym in the morning in German, so honestly I never knew if I was going to be picked up or not. It was clear that this camp was going to be tough because of the language barrier between us and the campers. However, it was great to listen to worship songs that were being performed in both German and English. The basketball camp lasted five days, from 8 am until 11 pm. The day included prayer time with the campers, small groups, tons of defensive drills, ball handling stations which I led, an amazingly hard pain station, and many more offensive stations. It was a ton of fun to run the ball handling station because I had to use German words for the kids to understand what I wanted them to do. I quickly picked up on “links, rechts” which means to the left and to the right. My two favorite words to use were “Schnell” meaning quicker and “nein” which meant No! The day ended with workshops, consisting of dancing, photography, geocashing, or crafts along with many fun games put on by the church staff. On Tuesday and Thursday of that week we played our first two games of the tour. Fortunately, we won the first game with a good advantage. During halftime the team sang a song then I delivered my testimony followed by another song. Giving my testimony was an amazing experience because I had to break my normal larger words into simple phrases so that those who knew very little English could understand it. The second basketball game brought forth a much larger challenge. At the end of the third quarter one of our teammates who already had a back injury was pushed down by the opposing team and from the fall she had lost feeling in her left leg. The injury was very serious and our teammate was quickly surrounded by a group of medical staff that spoke very little English. As the team began to pray it was very humbling as we watched two non-believers step into the circle to pray. As our teammate was carried away the team had decided to finish the game in honor of her. We ended up winning the game 100 – 55. The next morning, there were many children who claimed that they had felt the presence of God. We were all so touched by this experience. It was very clear to see that God works in all situations.

After three days in the hospital we were reunited with our teammate. On Sunday, we set out for Brussels, Belgium. At this basketball camp many of us stayed on base and slept on army cots. It was truly a great and fun experience! This basketball camp lasted four days from 9 am until 2 pm. This was probably my favorite camp because not only did we get to have amazing Belgium waffles in our spare time but we got to teach the game of basketball to kids whose parents have been stationed in Belgium. Many of the kids have dreams of playing basketball at large Universities like Virginia Tech and UNC. During this week, we played one game and scrimmaged against some members of the Olympic team. It was a wonderful experience but both times we fell short. Regardless of how well we played, testimonies and songs were still performed to show our love for Jesus Christ. As the trip ended we spent a couple of days going to downtown Brussels and shopping, mainly for Belgium chocolates. Leaving those eight wonderful girls was not easy but I can say we gave everything we had to planting seeds in young children’s lives.

I would like to say that the story ends there but it doesn’t. Mainly because News Release Basketball is a program that revisits the same areas in Europe year after year so that lifelong relationships can be built. I would also like to add that the fairy tale continued because after reaching the Kansas City airport, Isaac Norman my boyfriend of 2 years and 9 months picked me up and took me to downtown Kansas City, supposedly to eat dinner. Since the MIAA championships are at downtown K.C. every year I was really excited about seeing the beautiful city again. After walking around downtown for about twenty minutes I finally caught on to the real reason why Isaac had brought me downtown, to propose to me! After wiping away a few tears of joy I said “Yes” and grinned really big as I thought about the wonderful future we have in front of us and the great memories that we have shared from attending Missouri Southern State University. This trip was a great experience that ended with many lifelong relationships. I am grateful to everyone who donated and supported my MSSU college basketball career. Thank you so much!

Until next time...It's a GREAT day to be a LION!

Randi Shay Henderson
Class of 2010

SouthernFest = A Huge Success

Today's post is written by Assistant Coach Marcus Moeller:

Last week was the 2nd annual SouthernFest. SouthernFest is a 2 day event that encompasses a dinner auction (both silent and live) and the Rod Smith Golf Invitational. It is a GREAT event for our athletic department. This year, the dinner auction (held at Downstream Casino & Resort) was held on Thursday and the golf tournament on Friday.

The dinner auction featured major items such as Super Bowl tickets, several appealing get-aways, hunting trips, and multiple MSSU athletic experiences. The silent auction produced so many quality items for Lion fans to bid on. Whether sports memorabilia, MSSU gear, trips, services, house hold items, or stuff for the baby in your family, there were so many great things to bid on. One highlight was the presence of Jaime McMurray's racecar. The car was the centerpiece of the sports memorabilia section. Jaime, the Joplin native, won both the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 this year!! The picture on the left is Coach Mitts and Coach Moeller standing next to the car during the setup before the big event!!

The golf tournament consists of 2 different groups (9:00am and 1:30pm shotgun starts). Over 45 teams competed in the tournament. It was great to see so many people out supporting our athletic department! The tournament consisted of long drive, closest to the pin, and hole-in-one contests. Each tee time was flighted and the top 3 groups in each flight received prizes. Former Denver Broncos wide receiver and Missouri Southern Alum, Rod Smith, addressed both groups before they teed off. He also went around on the course and played a shot with every group and posed for pictures.

The event was deemed a HUGE success by all that attended. Click HERE to see photos from both the dinner auction and the golf tournament!!

Until next time...It's a GREAT day to be a LION!!

Marcus Moeller
Assistant Coach

Where are they now? -- Charity Slinker-King

Today's post is written by Charity Slinker-King:

Where has the time gone? When I was younger I remember hearing people say oh how time flies, and at the time I didn't really get it. Now as I get older I do get it!! It is hard to believe that 7 years have passed since my days at MSSU. In December 2000 I was hired on at St. Johns as a X-Ray Student Technolgist and after Graduation from MSSU I continued to work at St. Johns as an OR/Portable Technologist in the Radiology Department.It was truly a blessing to recieve a full-time job after Graduation! I worked in X-Ray for a short time before God opened another door in my life and an MRI Position became available and I have been an MRI Technologist ever since. I absolutely love my Job and my co-workers! I am blessed to work with a wonderful group of people!!

Another saying I heard all the time, but in my younger years I didn't totally understand was that, Family is one of life's greatest blessings. I understand that even more now as God has blessed me with a wonderful husband Matt, and two beautiful children Tyler 2 years old, and Kynlee 3 months old. We live in Riverton, Ks and spend the majority of our time outdoors enjoying God's beauty and creation as we work on our Family Farm. Never would have thought 10 yrs ago I would be living a Cattle farmers life, but I do my best to help out in the areas that I can!

The newest saying I heard was, "it's a great day to be a Lion." This is one saying I understood immediately! I attended some Basketball camps at Southern and because of those camps I always hoped and dreamed of becoming a Lion! Because of Coach Mitts this hope and dream became a reality. The top 2 lessons I learned by being a Lion was hard work and dedication!! The coaching staff instilled this in us everyday at practice and I have taken this with me and applied it my job and everyday life. It is obvious to see that the Coaching Staff work hard and are VERY dedicated to the MSSU Womens Basketball Program. I am truly thankful as well as grateful for the opportunity of being a Lion!!

God has truly blessed me in life thus far. I am blessed to have an Amazing husband that is an awesome Dad, and we are blessed with two beautiful kids! We are blessed to have a loving extended family on both sides of our families as well. I know that I probably would not be where I am today if it had not been for MSSU. And I am honored to be a part of the MSSU Womens Basketball Family!!!

Until next time...It's a GREAT day to be a LION

Charity Slinker-King
Class of 2003

Where are they now?" -- Lyndsey Kenealy-Perry

Today's post is written by Lyndsey Kenealy-Perry:

It’s hard to believe how many years have passed since I last wore a Lion jersey, however, it’ll take more than years to take the Lion out of my heart! I am Lyndsey Perry – formerly Lyndsey Kenealy - and I played for Missouri Southern from 1996-2000 and I am honored to contribute to the blog and let you all know where these last 10 years have taken me.

You may notice that my playing years pre-date Coach Mitts and her coaching staff, as they arrived on campus in 2002, but my connection runs deep. I enjoyed my playing career at Southern immensely under the direction of Amy Townsend – we were not the winningest teams, but I came away from my experience having built strong character and with meaningful relationships. I graduated in 2000 and married my college sweetheart, Paul Perry, that summer. His job was in Kansas City, so we were moving back to my hometown of Liberty, MO. I met with Coach Townsend about my future and thought I might want to coach – she made a call up to Rockhurst University, where Coach Maryann Mitts was in need of an assistant coach. The rest, as they say, is history. Coach Mitts impacted me greatly in the year I worked for her – her authenticity and passion are unmatched. I walked away learning some amazing life lessons and with a lasting friendship. After the 2000-01 season, my alma mater found themselves in need of a new women’s basketball coach and I could think of no better situation, for MSSU or for Coach Mitts, than for her to fill that role. After the search and interview process, Coach Mitts was hired and I was faced with one of the toughest choices in my life. My husband is about a big a basketball fan as they come and he was so supportive of my playing and coaching career – he even came to every practice at Rockhurst and ran the clock and helped with laundry after work each day! However, for some reason, despite sending out numerous resumes in Joplin – he wasn’t able to find a job that would allow us to move with Coach Mitts and me to continue as a member of her coaching staff. We trusted God to open and shut the doors that led to our future and our family. It was a disappointment to take myself away from the coaching world, but God has blessed our path tremendously with a beautiful family and a new direction.

Which leads me to where I am now. I am a stay-home mommy to three wonderful children: Emma, who is 7 and going into the 2^nd grade, Gabe, who is 4 and has another year at home with me before kindergarten, and Millie, who is 2. It's been a tough transition for me these last 7 years to change my focus, but Paul and I are confident it is in the best interests of our family for me to be home with them full-time. I love being with my kids and finding new and exciting things for us to do and learn about and I love my front row seat to watching these 3 little people turn into who God made them to be. We enjoy being active in our church home and keep ourselves busy serving in many different areas there. This past fall, one of my little dreams got to come true as I coached Emma's 1st and 2nd grade basketball team, Sidewalk Chalk. Although it would be hard to grow up with Paul and I as parents and not love the game of basketball (we skip sending out Christmas cards and instead send out March Madness cards) - we have been careful not to force basketball on any of our kids, but with Emma there's no question - she totally loves it. We recently purchased a new home and put up our first outdoor basketball goal - she told me it would be hard because she wasn't going to be riding her bike for awhile after school since now all she wanted to do was shoot baskets! We had a great season - all 10 girls on our team made huge improvements and, more importantly, came away with a love for the game. That is one thing that I've carried with me since my time at Southern and my time with Coach Mitts - passion. It's so important to keep dreams and passions alive - its taken me a few years to remember that, but these little gals helped me get back on track.

For the past 3 summers I have made a point to take a trip to Joplin during the week of Coach Mitts' Lil Lion camp with Emma. Even though Sidewalk Chalk was just a Parks and Rec. team, I wanted to be sure we treated it as a real team and focused on fundamentals of the game. Coach Mitts taught me that there are no shortcuts when it comes to fundamentals and I knew that I had an opportunity to teach 7 and 8 year olds basic basketball skills to help them in their future careers, so I didn't take it lightly. At the end of the season in February, as I presented them each with their awards, I included a brochure for Coach Mitts' summer camps and mentioned that I take Emma every year and would love to have any of their daughters come along. I am confident that Coach Mitts is one of greatest teachers of the game I have been privileged to be around and her staff puts on stellar camps each summer, so I felt I would have been remiss to not provide an opportunity for my girls to attend her camp. Coach Mitts ran her Lil Lion camp the 2nd week of June and I was there, along with 6 players from our team. Coach Hubbard and Coach Moeller were so helpful as I registered 6 girls from Kansas City and my girls felt so welcomed when they showed up. They had 3 wonderful, basketball-filled days and learned so much more than we ever got through in our one hour a week practices back in the winter. They got to interact with great Southern players like Erin Rice, Danielle Harris and Kelby Fritz and Coach Mitts even showed them the locker room and weight room before we drove back to Kansas City on Wednesday. It was such a gift to share one of the places that has impacted my life so deeply with my daughter and her teammates.

I love to reminisce on my days at Southern and am so grateful that Coach Mitts and I crossed paths. I look forward to the many things that the future holds for my family, including sharing in our love of basketball and all of the life lessons it has taught me.


Until next time...It's a GREAT day to be a LION!!

Lyndsey Kenealy-Perry
Class of 2000