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Missouri State

Chase Martin -124

Men's Basketball Set for Cayman Islands Classic

November 21, 2024

By: MSU Athletics Communications
Games 5-7 - Missouri State Bears (3-1) at Cayman Islands Classic
Dates and Times Sunday, Nov. 24 | 4:00 p.m. (Central) vs. High Point (5-0)
Monday, Nov. 25 | Time TBA | vs. Old Dominion or Boston College
Tuesday, Nov. 26 | Time TBA | vs. Boise State, Hampton, Duquesne or South Dakota St.
Location John Gray Gymnasium (1,900) | George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Tickets Cayman Islands Classic Tournament Central
Radio KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Corey Riggs, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live |
The Varsity Network App (Game 1) | (Game 2) | (Game 3)
Television FloCollege ($treaming Service) (Matt Martucci, Jess Settles) | Watch (Game 1) 
Series W-L Old Dominion (1-1); Duquesne (1-0); South Dakota State (4-3); Hampton (2-0)
Missouri State has never played High Point, Boise State or Boston College
Live Stats Tourney Live Stats Page
Game Notes Missouri State | MVC Weekly Release | MSU Media Guide
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Bears Mobile App App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Up Next Up Next: Sunday, Dec. 1 at Oral Roberts (3 p.m.)
Next Home Game: Saturday, Dec. 7 vs. Indiana State (7 p.m.) | TICKETS

The Ten Count (Game Notes)
  • Fresh off a three-game sweep in its first home stand of the season, Missouri State now embarks on a three-game trip to the Western Caribbean for the Cayman Islands Classic. The eight-team field will feature the Bears vs. Big South Conference foe High Point (5-0) in the opening round at 4 p.m. (Central) on Sunday with a second-round matchup against Old Dominion or Boston College on Monday. 
  • This will be Missouri State's first appearance in the Cayman Islands Classic. The Bears were champions of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam last November (2023) in their most-recent MTE outing. 
  • During his career, Cuonzo Martin's teams are a combined 159-39 (.803) when they score 70 or more points. The Bears eclipsed 70 points in all three games of their most-recent home stand, averaging 93.0 points per game.
  • Missouri State ranks 12th nationally in steals per game (12.0) and 21st in forced turnovers (18.25), both of which lead the Missouri Valley. The Bears also lead the MVC in free throws (21.0) and free throw attempts (30.5) per game, both of which rank in the top 20 nationally.
  • True freshman Zaxton King (Fr., Lawrence, Kan.) has scored in double figures in all four games, including a team-high 18 points in MSU's most-recent game on Tuesday against UT Arlington. He is 10-of-21 (.476) from beyond the arc this season, while averaging 14.3 points, 3.0 rebounds. He ranks 4th in the MVC in 3-point shooting.
  • The Bears lead the Missouri Valley in offensive rebounds per game (12.75) with Jalen Hampton (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) leading the way with an MVC-best 3.25 offensive caroms per contest. Hampton is coming off his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday's win over UT Arlington.
  • Dez White (So., Jefferson City, Mo.) has also scored in double figures in each of MSU's first four games. White ranks 3rd in The Valley in scoring average at 17.3 points per game, while ranking 3rd nationally in minutes per game (38.1) and 47th nationally (3rd in MVC) in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.33).
  • Vincent Brady II (Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.) was named MVC Newcomer of the Week last Monday after he averaged 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game in a 2-0 week. He added to that standard with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals in the Nov. 19 home win over UT Arlington.
  • Chase Martin (Sr., Columbia, Mo.) will turn 23 on Saturday, Nov. 23. The graduate transfer from Purdue (and son of coach Cuonzo Martin) is coming off his third-double-figure scoring game of the season. At 11.3 ppg, he has accounted for 53 percent of MSU's bench scoring this season and is second on the team in steals (8).
  • Seven different Bears have already scored in double figures this season -- King 4, White 4, Brady 3, Hampton 3, Martin 3, Downing-Rivers 1, Osei-Bonsu 1 -- including all seven in the triple-overtime win over Tulsa (Nov. 16).
     
Coach Cuonzo Martin
  • After an extensive national search, Missouri State University announced Cuonzo Martin as its men's basketball head coach on March 27, 2024. The man who orchestrated Missouri State's only MVC regular-season championship run during his first tenure in Springfield originally coached at Missouri State from 2008 to 2011.
  • Martin begins his second tenure at MoState with a 267-199 (.573) career record in 15 seasons as a Division I head coach with experience at MSU, Tennessee, California and Missouri. His teams have made nine postseason appearances in that span, including four trips to the NCAA Tournament, four appearances in the NIT, and a CIT title with the Bears in 2010. 
  • Coach Martin is also 64-42 (.604) in his fourth season (and second stint) at Missouri State University. Against teams in the Cayman Islands Classic field, Martin has only coached against South Dakota State (1-0) with an 82-53 Cal win over the Jackrabbits on 11/11/16 in Berkeley.
  • Martin also  boasts 56 college graduates during his career with stints at MoState, Tennessee (2011-14), California (2014-17) and Missouri (2017-22).
  • A native of East St. Louis, Ill., Martin was a star player at Purdue from 1991-95 for coach Gene Keady and then played four years professionally. He was on the coaching staff at Purdue for eight years under Keady and Matt Painter before accepting his first head coaching position at MSU on March 26, 2008.
  • In Martin's first stint in Springfield (2008-11), he was named Missouri State's 16th head coach in time for the program's 100th anniversary season and its inaugural campaign at Great Southern Bank Arena. In his second season (2009-10), Martin guided MoState to a 24-12 overall ledger, a 19-2 home record, and an impressive run to the CIT Postseason Tournament title.
  • His third season at MSU (2010-11) was one of the program's most memorable, as the Bears finished 26-9 overall on the way to the program's first-ever MVC regular-season title with a 15-3 league record. The Bears fell to Indiana State in the finals of the MVC Tournament in St. Louis and capped an unforgettable campaign by advancing to the second round of the NIT. Martin was named 2011 MVC Coach of the Year and recipient of the Ben Jobe Award as the nation's top minority head coach. Over Martin's last two years at MoState, the Bears were 35-3 at home and did not lose a non-conference home game.
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