As preseason workouts officially get underway this weekend for the Missouri State Bears and Lady Bears, the MSU basketball teams have set the date for their first public appearances of the 2008-09 season. The new campaign will open with the Missouri State Basketball Sneak Preview presented by Ashley Furniture, Saturday, Oct. 25, and include an open house at JQH Arena, as well as scrimmages for both basketball squads in Hammons Student Center following MSU’s volleyball match against Creighton.
The evening’s festivities begin with an open house from 4:30 to 6:30 at JQH Arena. Boosters, fans and students are encouraged to be a part of the excitement and see the largest on-campus basketball facility in the Missouri Valley Conference. Missouri State is scheduled to take possession of the facility on Oct. 24 after a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony.
After MSU takes on Creighton in a Missouri Valley Conference volleyball match-up at 6 p.m., players and coaches from both basketball teams will be introduced and each squad will take part in brief scrimmages. Posters, schedule cards, team photos and other items will be available for fans, and players and coaches will be on hand to sign autographs. Parking for the evening’s events will be available in Lot 25 south of Hammons Student Center.
Admission to all of the evening’s scheduled events is free, but a voluntary donation to the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks can be made upon entry. The BCFO is a local organization that keeps every dollar raised in the community to provide practical assistance to families facing breast cancer.
Both Missouri State basketball teams are scheduled to begin practice today (Oct. 17), with the Bears working out at Hammons Student Center, while the Lady Bears will conduct practice off-campus.
The Bears will not only be breaking in a new arena during the upcoming season, but also a new mentor, as Cuonzo Martin takes the reins as the 16th head coach in MSU history. The MSU men open the regular season at Auburn on Nov. 14, then christen JQH Arena with a match-up against SEC power Arkansas on Nov. 22.
Under second-year head coach Nyla Milleson, the Lady Bears will begin their 40th season of competition with a Nov. 14 road tilt against Southeast Missouri State, before playing their inaugural game at JQH Arena against Arkansas State on Nov. 23.
Season ticket packages for 2008-09 Bears and Lady Bears basketball are available in all price ranges, and Athletics Department representatives will be on hand during the open house to handle season ticket requests and inquiries.
