What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 5/19/2021

METRO ROUNDUP: ISU inks Nicholls State transfer McKendree--Terre Haute Tribune Star

MSU Insider: 10 things to watch for this summer in Missouri State athletics--Springfield News-Leader

1. Will Dana Ford get an extension?
The last time a men's basketball coach received an extension at Missouri State, Paul Lusk was given one, on the same day as Kellie Harper, in early April following the 2014 season. Both also received raises.
Harper has also received extensions in May and June. The point is, the university hasn't followed an exact timeline with extensions.
With Dana Ford, there hasn't been a pressing needed to get an extension done — if one is done at all. Going into his fourth year of a five-year deal, there wasn't a threat of him leaving since the team's success has been mixed.
If an extension is done, it is unlikely it will lock him in long-term anyway. We're past the May Board of Governors meetings meaning we'll have to wait until later this summer to see if one gets done.
Missouri State was much better in 2020-21 than it was during a disappointing 2019-20 season in which it was picked to win the league and finished sixth.
With bright, young stars in the program, it might be worth making sure he's kept around to see them through. At the same time, his success hasn't been so overwhelming that an extension is 100 percent necessary.
2. Will Mox get extended?
Making sure Amaka Agugua-Hamilton is locked in for the long-haul should be a priority for Missouri State this summer. She's going into the third of a five-year deal and she's been nothing but successful on the Lady Bears' sideline.
With what the Lady Bears have coming back and have added, "Coach Mox" should have them set up for another deep NCAA Tournament run this upcoming season.
Agugua-Hamilton's success will demand attention from major colleges soon. Some were already holding their breath with jobs including Oklahoma, Baylor, Auburn and Wisconsin. With more success, the list will continue to get longer until she jumps.
There lies another reason for MSU to get an extension offered. If/when another school hires Agugua-Hamilton away, Missouri State should set itself up financially via her buyout so it can go after its next head coach.
At the very least, Agugua-Hamilton should receive a bump in her $240,000 salary going into the upcoming season.
3. Does anyone leave MSU hoops?
With the additions of Isaac Haney, Donovan Clay and Jaylen Minnett and the departure of Jared Ridder, the Bears are at the maximum number of scholarships. Minnett wouldn't count against MSU since he is a graduate player using a bonus season.
It's not a guarantee the Bears are done adding to their roster for this upcoming season — which could lead to a player having to leave.
The major contributors continue to interact on social media as if they are coming back. With a player like Drake's Joseph Yesufu transferring to Kansas, who knows what level of programs would have gone after Isiaih Mosley? He's committed to the maroon and white having helped recruit a guy like Clay to come play in Springfield.
Young players including Raphe Ayres and Skylar Wicks have been identified practicing in recent Instagram postings from the team's official account.
5. Recruiting returns to normal
Finally. All Division I sports will return to their regular recruiting calendars beginning June 1 after the pandemic kept everyone at home since last year.
This will create some normalcy and should give us some better insight at what coaches are looking for when more offers are being thrown around.
There used to be a day when Ford and the staff would give seemingly everyone and their dog a scholarship offer. While it appears he's maybe changed his philosophy a little bit with fewer offers being given, we might actually see a few more offers become public going forward.
Ford also hasn't had many scholarships to play with in recent years. With a big senior class this upcoming season, he currently has six open spots for the 2022-23 roster and nine in 2023-24. It should be a pretty busy summer.
8. Schedules will start to leak
Both the men's and women's basketball schedules largely remain a mystery heading into the summer. That will change throughout.
A few Valley teams have already seen their preseason tournaments revealed. We still don't know where Missouri State will play if they play in one at all (they likely will).
Look for the typical regional teams we're used to seeing with men's and women's basketball. The Lady Bears should have a home game against Mizzou as a part of their recent home-and-home contract.
As of Tuesday, the university didn't have any signed men's basketball contracts on record.
The Lady Bears' current signed contracts include:
Nov. 9 — @ Little Rock
Nov. 14 — North Texas
Nov. 17 — @ Oklahoma State ($28,000 guarantee payment)
Nov. 24-28 — San Juan Shootout (Puerto Rico)
Dec. 21 — Toledo
9. Local prospects to keep an eye on
Ysabella Fontleroy (2022) — The recruitment of Fontleroy should be nearing its end as she has dozens of offers on the table. Missouri State's success in recent years puts it in a position where it shouldn't be out of the question to land this high level of a recruit.