SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State men’s basketball coach Dana Ford announced today the addition of six roster commitments to the Bears roster for the upcoming 2022-23 campaign.
Signing national letters of intent and athletic aid agreements to attend Missouri State University are: James Graham, a transfer from Maryland; former St. Peters point guard Matthew Lee; Oklahoma transfer Alston Mason; St. Louis native Damien Mayo; rebounding sensation Jonathan Mogbo from NEO; and former Colorado State star Kendle Moore.
“What we set out to do was put together the best team we could,” Ford said of his fifth recruiting class at Missouri State. “We feel like we put together a very skilled, athletic and versatile group that has a lot of interchangeable parts. We will have a ton of options with our group. Most importantly, these guys are all mentally, physically and emotionally tough enough to do the things necessary to win. I’m very pleased with the hard work of our staff to collect this amount of talent and toughness in a short period of time.”
The latest additions to the Bears roster are:
James Graham III (G/F, 6-8, 205, So., Milwaukee, Wis., Nicolet High, Maryland)
Graham is a transfer from Maryland where he played in just one game in 2021-22 after arriving in College Park as a mid-year enrollee in 2020-21. During his first season at Maryland, he played in eight games after arriving on campus on 12/27/20. He scored first career collegiate points vs. Wingate (1/15/21), finishing with 10 points as a season-high. He also recorded four rebounds in 10 minutes vs. No. 5 Iowa (1/7/21).
He was a four-star recruit via all major recruiting publications and ranked as the No. 52 overall player, No. 11 small forward in the 2021 class and No. 2 out of Wisconsin, per 247Sports. He was also logged as the No. 22 small forward and No. 4 player in the state of Wisconsin via ESPN and the No. 19 player at his position according to Rivals. He averaged 20.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game for Nicolet High School in Milwaukee as a junior and helped Nicolet to a 22-2 record with a 24.2 scoring margin over its last nine games. Nicolet was the preseason favorite to win the WIAA Division 2 state title before the COVID shutdown cut the 2019-20 season short.
“James is an extremely-gifted basketball player with a ton of potential,” Ford said. “He’s someone who can score in a variety of ways and can impact the game with his versatility. He has a high ceiling.”
Matthew Lee (G, 6-0, 160, Sr., San Juan, Puerto Rico, Dohn (Ohio) Prep, St. Peters)
Lee started 25-of-30 games for St. Peters en route to an Elite Eight run in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, averaging 6.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game as the point guard for coach Shaheen Holloway’s Peacocks. He had a season-high 20 points vs. Iona (1/30/22) in a contest in which he went 4-of-5 from 3-point range. St. Peters finished the 2021-22 season with a 22-12 overall record after going 14-6 in conference play. As a sophomore, he started 24-of-25 games, ranking second in the MAAC in assists (89), third in assist average (3.6) and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4), while earning MAAC All-Academic Team distinction.
Lee attended Dohn Prep in Cincinnati and was a four-year starter and three-time captain, scoring over 1,000 career points, including 25.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game as a senior.
He is the son of Alfred “Butch” Lee, the first-ever Puerto-Rican born player to play in the NBA and the only Puerto Rican to win both NCAA (Marquette) and NBA (Lakers) championships.
“Matthew is a winner and has been part of a part of a very good program (at St. Peters) the past couple of years,” said Ford. “He plays with a chip on his shoulder. He’s an overachiever who brings a winning mindset and high level of toughness to our program.”
Alston Mason (G, 6-2, 169, So., Overland Park, Kan., Blue Valley Northwest, Oklahoma)
Mason is a transfer from Oklahoma who appeared in 18 games for the Sooners as a true freshman in 2021-22, averaging 1.4 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game for coach Porter Moser. He made his debut vs. Northwestern State (11/9/21) and scored 6 points and added 2 assists in that contest. He scored a season-high 8 points on 3-for-6 shooting and grabbed a season-best 4 rebounds against UTSA (11/12/21). He also appeared in all three games of the Myrtle Beach Invitational against East Carolina (11/18/21), Indiana State (11/19/21) and Utah State (11/21/21) and matched his season-best with a pair of steals at Kansas (2/12/22).
He was a three-star recruit according to Rivals and 247Sports at Blue Valley (Kan.) Northwest High School where he averaged 22.4 points, 4.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game, while shooting 44% from 3-point range as a senior for coach Ed Fritz.
“Alston is an extremely-gifted and skilled offensive player,” said Ford. “He has the ability to change the game with his speed. He’s going to be a very valuable asset to our program, both on and off the floor. He has a huge personality, and he’s someone who has a chance to make a big impact.”
Damien Mayo, Jr. (G, 6-2, 175, Fr., St. Louis, Mo., Link Year Prep)
A three-star composite recruit and Rivals three-star point guard, St. Louis native and former Chaminade standout Damien Mayo Jr., has committed to join the Bears this fall. He spent the 2021-22 season at Link Year Prep in Branson, coached by former Bear Rodney Perry. Mayo was a pivotal cog in Chaminade’s 21-2 run in 2020-21, his junior season, that culminated in district and conference titles and a Class 6 state playoff run. He hit a 28-footer at the buzzer to defeat CBC in the district championship game in 2021. He also averaged 13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in 2020-21 at Chaminade, with a season-best 32-point outburst vs. Vianney (12/9/20) in which he was 13-of-18 from the field with 4 three-pointers.
“Damien is wise beyond his years and adds a lot of value to our program.” Ford said. “He is an extension of the coach on the floor,” Ford explained. “He’s tough, and he has the ability to play multiple positions. Former Bear Rodney Perry has done a great job preparing him for the collegiate level.”
Jonathan Mogbo (F, 6-8, 215, Jr., West Palm Beach, Fla., Forest Hill High, NE Oklahoma A&M)
Mogbo played the 2021-22 season at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami, Okla., where he led coach Jeremy Jackson’s Norsemen to a 19-11 record. He led all NJCAA Region 2 players in rebounding average with 10.5 per game, which placed him 17th in the country. He also ranked 14th nationally in total rebounds (308) and shot 49.7 percent from the field. He scored in double figures 26 times, averaged 14.3 points and posted 1.4 blocks per game to help him earn first-team All-Region distinction. He logged a season-high 28 points vs. Casper (11/19/21).
He spent his freshman season at Independence (Kan.) Community College where he averaged 8.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in 23 appearances. He led the Pirates to a 14-9 record in an abbreviated season with coach Justin Mann’s club advancing to the regional quarterfinals. He also averaged 1.9 blocks per outing and made 49.7 percent of his field goal attempts. Mogbo racked up a season-high 20 points vs. Cloud County (3/24/21).
He played high school basketball at Forest Hill High in West Palm Beach, Fla., where he helped the Falcons to a 28-3 ledger his senior year (2019-20), winning district and regional titles. He averaged 12.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game for coach Tony Watson in his final prep season.
“Mogbo is a hybrid guy who can play a number of positions,” Ford noted. “He can defend a number of positions which gives us an opportunity to play different lineups and move him around. He also possesses the skill to do a little bit of everything on the court and has tremendous upside.”
Kendle Moore (G, 6-0, 155, Sr., Danville, Ill., Danville High, Colorado State)
Moore scored 1,036 points in four seasons at Colorado State, making him the 33rd Ram to reach the 1,000-point milestone. He started all 29 games he played in during the 2021-22 season, averaging 6.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He also shot 44.4 percent from the field and 81 percent at the line with a season-best 23-point outing at Utah State (2/26/22), which including five 3-pointers. He also scored 10 points and snagged 3 steals in the NCAA Tournament game vs. Michigan (3/17/22). He averaged 10.5 points per game as a junior in 2020-21 while boasting 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per outing in 27 starts. He started all 32 games his sophomore year (2019-20) while averaging 9.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists with 60 3-pointers. Moore started 31-of-32 games as a true freshman in 2018-19, scoring 8.6 points per game with 2.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
He prepped at Danville (Ill.) High School where he was the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,700 career points. He averaged 21.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.9 steals per game as a senior (2017-18) for a Vikings team that was 26-3 overall and ranked No. 4 in the state 4A poll. He was an all-state second-team selection by the Chicago Tribune and was also an all-state pick by the AP and IBCA in Class 3A/4A, while earning Big 12 Player of the Year. He scored 21.5 points per game as a junior for a 22-9 squad while being named area player of the year and a second-team all-state pick by the IBCA.
“Kendle is a tough winner and competitor who can play multiple positions,” Ford said. “He impacts the game both offensively with his speed and defensively with his activity. He’s a great teammate who impacts winning.”
The six new commitments bring Missouri State’s total number of newcomer additions for the 2022-23 season to the following eleven players:
- N.J. Benson (F, 6-8, 225, Mt. Vernon, Ill., Mt. Vernon Township High)
- Jonathan Dunn (F, 6-7, 190, Rogersville, Mo., Logan-Rogersville High, We Are United Prep)
- James Graham III (G/F, 6-8, 205, So., Milwaukee, Wis., Nicolet High, Maryland)
- Matthew Lee (G, 6-0, 160, Sr., San Juan, Puerto Rico, Dohn (Ohio) Prep, St. Peters)
- Alston Mason (G, 6-2, 169, So., Overland Park, Kan., Blue Valley Northwest, Oklahoma)
- Damien Mayo, Jr. (G, 6-2, 175, Fr., St. Louis, Mo., Link Year Prep)
- Jonathan Mogbo (F, 6-8, 215, Jr., West Palm Beach, Fla., Forest Hill High, NE Oklahoma A&M)
- Chance Moore (G, 6-5, 195, So., Brookhaven, Ga., McEachern High, Arkansas)
- Kendle Moore (G, 6-0, 155, Sr., Danville, Ill., Danville High, Colorado State)
- Dalen Ridgnal (F, 6-7, 225, Sr., Kansas City, Mo., Lincoln Academy, Georgia)
- Bryan Trimble Jr. (G, 6-2, 203, Sr., Kansas City, Mo., Sunrise Christian Academy, Akron)
In Ford’s fourth season in Springfield in 2021-22, he led Missouri State to a 23-11 overall record and 13-5 ledger in the Missouri Valley Conference to finish as runners-up in the conference. The Bears also earned a berth in the National Invitation Tournament for the first time in 11 seasons and racked up the 10th-best win total in school history. MoState also eclipsed single-season records for total points (2,628), 3-pointers (283) and free throw percentage (.797), while boasting the highest-scoring tandem in program history in All-MVC and NABC All-Region first-team honorees Isiaih Mosley and Gaige Prim who combined for 1,247 points. Mosley recently declared for the NBA Draft, while Prim has been preparing for professional opportunities with elite invitations to the Portsmouth Invitational and the Dos Equis 3×3 National Championship in New Orleans.
