Missouri State

WILLIAM FONTLEROY
Basketball, 1996-2000

William Fontleroy joined Kevin Ault as the only  four-year starting guards in MSU men’s basketball history from 1996 to 2000. Playing for coaches Steve Alford and Barry Hinson, Fontleroy and the Bears played in the 1997 National Invitation Tournament, upset Wisconsin and Tennessee to advance to face top-seeded Duke in the Sweet Sixteen of the 1999 NCAA Tournament, and in 2000 made another NIT appearance. Fontleroy was a slashing, trigger-quick playmaker whose athleticism sparked the Bears on both offense and defense. In Fontleroy's freshman season, MSU barely missed an NCAA appearance before falling at North Carolina State in the NIT to go 24-9. The 1998-99 Bears became the only school to defeat the state's other four Division I programs in a year for the mythical state title and went 22-11. The Bears were 23-11 Fontleroy's senior year, and beat SMU before losing at Ole Miss in the NIT. In 130 Bears' games, Fontleroy had 1,133 points, grabbed 323 rebounds and led the Bears in assists his last three years with 471 for his career, the second best all-time assist total in MSU cage history.