Cuonzo Martin press conference after Missouri State reintroduction
Cuonzo Martin takes questions from the media following his introductory press conference on Monday, April 1, 2024, at Great Southern Bank Arena.
Missouri State basketball coach Cuonzo Martin brings 15 newcomers to the Bears’ roster as he returns to the Great Southern Bank Arena sideline for the first time since 2011.
Martin’s new-look roster includes two returners, one sidelined for the season. It also features a mixture of Division I and juco transfers and a handful of incoming freshmen.
The Bears were picked to finish 11th in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll. Most of the league’s standouts from last season entered the transfer portal and are playing elsewhere. Only one player from the Valley’s postseason team returned, leaving much mystery heading into the Bears’ final season in the league.
Missouri State will tip off non-conference play when it travels to Butler for a 5:45 p.m. game on Nov. 4. The Bears will hold an exhibition game against Division II Southwest Baptist on Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. at Great Southern Bank Arena.
Here are the 2024-25 Bears:
Baldwin could be an impact freshman as a 6-foot-7, 200-pound forward who averaged 28 points, nine rebounds and four assists as a senior.
Out of high school, he held offers from Saint Louis, Murray State, Illinois State, Eastern Illinois and Bryant.
Brady is expected to have a big role for the Bears as a 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard who started 52 games and made 63 appearances across two seasons at IUPUI.
Brady averaged 10 points and made 86 3’s during his first two seasons of Division I ball.
Downing-Rivers could be the Bears’ starting point guard after he led his juco program to a national title last season. He started 70 straight games, averaging 8.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists across two seasons.
Logan Epes, Midwestern State, Junior
Epes is a walk-on Division II transfer who appeared in seven games last season at Midwestern State.
C.J. Gaines, Calvary Day (Georgia), Freshman
Gaines is a 5-foot-8 walk-on who averaged 15.5 points as a senior.
Hampton previously signed with Missouri State before choosing to follow former assistant Corey Gipson to Northwestern State. After a season of Division I ball, he transferred to South Plains College, the same juco program that produced Gaige Prim.
At South Plains, Hampton averaged 13.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 61.8% from the field.
King is a true freshman who averaged 28.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and a pair of steals during his senior year. He was named the Sunflower League Player of the Year and area player of the year during his final two seasons.
Kramer is one of two returners from last season but required offseason knee surgery and will not play.
Kramer started two games last season in his eight appearances during an injury-plagued season. A knee injury sidelined him for the final 11 games.
He was effective when active, shooting 36.4% from deep and an average of 14.9 minutes per appearance.
Martin, the son of head coach Cuonzo Martin, will play his final season of eligibility after being a walk-on for the national championship runner-up Purdue Boilermakers.
At Purdue, the 6-foot-2 guard played in 27 games over four seasons. He saw 23 minutes of action last season.
Murray is considered a great athlete who hadn’t reached his potential at Murray State before opting for a change of scenery. He played in 40 games across two seasons and was a reserve last year, seeing 159 minutes averaging 1.5 points and 1.6 rebounds.
Oba has been one of the more discussed players out of Missouri State basketball’s practices because of his high energy.
The Delaware State transfer started seven of his 34 appearances last season, averaging 6.2 points and 6.2 boards as a 6-foot-8 forward.
Osei-Bonsu is a 6-foot-4 forward who averaged 12.2 points and 9.6 rebounds last season at the juco level while shooting 62.5% from the field.
Tommy Pinegar, Sophomore
Pinegar, a Greenwood grad, is the second returner from the previous roster. He played in eight games last season as a redshirt freshman with seven minutes of action.
Stanback is a 6-foot-3 freshman who averaged 20.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.8 blocks per game playing high school ball in Florida.
Udemadu is coming off his first season of Division I basketball. He posted seven double-doubles and shot 60% from the field. He started his career at Des Moines Area Community College before transferring to Florida Southwestern.
Valentine was Pennsylvania’s Class 3A player of the year as a senior, averaging 33.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists as a 6-foot-3 guard.
Expect White to be a major contributor as he begins his sophomore season in maroon. He’s a 6-foot-2 guard who was an ASUN All-Freshman honoree, averaging 7.9 points and 3.1 rebounds for the Governors. He also hit 63 shots from deep, a program freshman record.
Martin pursued White when he was the head coach at Mizzou.
