Men’s Basketball

Making a trip to the 2013 Final Four marked an event in Shocker history that has already been accomplished before. Making the second Final Four appearance in Shocker men’s history created the vibe that the 2013-14 season was going to be the best one to come.

The men’s basketball team has started the non-conference and conference schedule with the best record start in the program’s history. Surpassing the previous 9-0 start record, the men’s basketball team stands at 19-0 and No. 5 in the AP Top 25 rankings. 

With an impressive undefeated record, fans and bandwagoners can only imagine that the team has had an easy sailing through their season schedule. But not every game has been an easy win for the men’s team. 

Over winter break, the team inched passed Missouri State on Jan. 11 with a nail-biting 72-69 win in overtime. Fans worried if the Shockers would be able to move past the Bears in their first contest against them this season, but once the game moved into overtime, the team pushed through to continue their perfect record.

“We just take it one game at a time,” head coach Gregg Marshall said.

Having four seniors on the team, the veteran presence is dominant. While the veterans are looked at for their experience on the court, sophomore guards Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet have made their presence known when in the game.

Baker is averaging 12.9 points, 3.2 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game while VanVleet is averaging 12.9 points, 5.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game. Both players have stepped up, contributing to the team’s perfect record.

Being one of three undefeated teams remaining, the Shockers continue to focus on the job at hand and the next upcoming game.

“We just think we should just look forward to our next game,” VanVleet said.

Women’s Basketball

While the men’s team continues to impress its fans, the women’s team has been breaking records and creating their own headlines. 

Marked with an undefeated conference record, the Lady Shockers have also recorded the best record start in its program’s history. 

Having only one senior on the team, this year’s team is fairly young, meaning this year’s talent will be around for more seasons to come.

“This team has a lot of new players,” head coach Jody Adams said. “We’re young again.”

So far this season, junior guard Jamillah Bonner has made for an impressive stat sheet. Averaging 13 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game, she has earned MVC Newcomer of the Week three times this season.

“I attribute energy, my aggressiveness and being a big leader on the team and helping my team out,” Bonner said.

On and off the court, the team can be found pushing each other academically and athletically. Sophomore forward Michaela Dapprich attributes the team’s closeness and tight bond.

“We are a family,” Dapprich said. “We spend every minute we can outside with each other and every minute we can inside with each other on the court. We bring each other in on our own time, free time, and help each other. Especially the freshmen.”

While continually breaking records, the team’s focus has remained on finishing the season strong in hopes of returning to the post-season tournament.

“The thing we need to work on is to not play to not lost but to play to win,” Dapprich said. 

Being undefeated in conference play is a great accomplishment within itself, but Coach Adams thinks the best is yet to come from the team.

“I still think there are three players that haven’t played at their best yet,” Adams said. “Alex Harden, we are waiting for her to really see that big time game come through. Michaela Dapprich and Alie Decker, we are kind of waiting on those three. Jamillah, Michelle and Kelsey have played well. I think those three are playing their best and if we can stick strong, I think we are a really, really tough squad.”

Continuing the success in conference play, the team is looking toward earning back-to-back MVC titles and making their second appearance in the post-season tournament in the program’s history.

“I think we can make it to the tournament again,” Bonner said. “I think we just have to continue to stay together as a team and as a family and believe in each other and keep trust. Our defense is our identity so everyone is trying to stop us. I feel like every team is trying to destroy us, so we have to stay together so we can achieve this goal together.”