SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Missouri State men’s basketball coach Dana Ford announced today the addition of three transfers to the Bears roster for the 2022-23 campaign.
Signing athletic aid agreements to attend Missouri State are Chance Moore, a 6-foot-5 guard who will transfer from Arkansas; Dalen Ridgnal (DAY-lin RIDGE-uh-nall), a 6-foot-7 forward and two-time juco All-American who played at Georgia this year; and Bryan Trimble, a 6-foot-2 guard who has spent the last three years at Akron after starting his collegiate career at St. John’s.
“We are excited about the addition of all of these young men,” said Ford. “Each of them possesses different abilities and a vast amount of versatility. All three are fine young men from great families who will continue to represent Missouri State University the right way.”
Chance Moore (G, 6-5, 195, So., Brookhaven, Ga., McEachern High, Arkansas)
Moore is a transfer from Arkansas who played in 5 games for the Razorbacks in 2021-22, recording 5 points and 3 rebounds in limited action as the only freshman in Arkansas’ 2021 recruiting class. Had 2 points and 2 rebounds in home win over Missouri (1/12/22) and then posted 3 points with a rebound in road win at Georgia (2/2/22). He also saw action in NCAA Tournament win over New Mexico State (3/19/22) as part of an Elite Eight run and 28-9 season by Arkansas.
He was a four-star guard out of McEachern High in Powder Springs, Ga., where he led coach Mike Thompson’s Indians to a 24-5 overall record 7A top-four ranking after averaging 19 pts and 9 rebounds per game as a senior for a state semifinal squad. Moore was the No. 97 overall recruit in the 2021 class, per 247Sports composite rankings, and was the No. 24 shooting guard and the No. 5 overall recruit from the state of Georgia. He was also listed as the No. 4 overall prospect in Georgia by ESPN, while being a finalist for the Sports Illustrated All-American team and McDonald’s All-America nominee. He earned Atlanta Journal-Constitution 7A All-State second-team honors in 2021 and second-team All-Cobb County distinction. He was a mid-year transfer to McEachern his junior year and averaged 21.7 points and 5.8 rebounds. Played his sophomore season at Holy Innocents Episcopal High in Atlanta where he was a Class A all-state honoree and private school player of the year after posting 20.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Played his freshman season at Chamblee High School.
“Chance is an extremely skilled basketball player. He has a knack for scoring in an assortment of ways,” Ford explained. “His size, athleticism and skill package will allow for him to be a valuable player for our program.”
Dalen Ridgnal (F, 6-7, 225, Sr., Kansas City, Mo., Lincoln Academy, Georgia)
Ridgnal is a transfer from Georgia where he played in 28 games in 2021-22 in his only season in Athens, averaging 10.3 minutes, 2.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game overall and 3.3 points per game in SEC play. Fell just shy of a double-double with 10 points, 9 rebounds vs. Western Carolina (12/20/21) in just 12 minutes of playing time. He snagged 7 rebounds at No. 2 Auburn (1/19/22) and scored 6 points and snagged 7 rebounds vs. Jacksonville (12/7/21).
Prior to coming to Georgia, Ridgnal was a two-time All-American, All-Region VI and All-Jayhawk Conference selection at Cowley (Kan.) College for coach Tommy DeSalme where he led the Tigers to a 50-11 record in two years with a pair of conference titles and a 2021 national runner-up finish. He scored 1,118 points (18.6 ppg) and snagged 699 rebounds (11.7) in 60 career games. Was a first-team All-America pick in 2020-21 after posting 21.1 points and a national-best 12.8 rebounds with 23 double-doubles. As a freshman, he recorded 20 double-doubles and averaged 16.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game as a third-team All-America pick. Was also named Jayhawk East Freshman of the Year in 2019-20.
In high school, he helped Lincoln Prep (Kansas City, Mo.) to a 22-5 record during his senior season (2018-19) for coaches Bryan Lippman and Omar Gonzalez. Played his sophomore and junior seasons at Rockhurst High School where he averaged 9.1 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game to help Rockhurst compile a 22-6 record and district title. He averaged 5.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game for the Hawklets as a sophomore.
“Dalen is a high-energy hybrid forward with a knack for rebounding both in and out of his area,” Ford said. “Offensively, he can stretch the defense with his accuracy from long range. His energy and passion will be felt throughout our program.”
Bryan Trimble Jr. (G, 6-2, 203, Sr., Kansas City, Mo., Sunrise Christian Academy, Akron)
Trimble is a transfer from Akron where he has spent the last three seasons after starting his career at St. John’s. He averaged 10.4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game in 23 appearances (22 starts) in 2021-22 for the Zips while dropping in 61 threes (2.7 per game). He scored 33 points at Bowling Green (1/20/22) behind 10 3-pointers. His best season at Akron came in 2020-21 where he was an NABC All-District second-team pick and an All-MAC honorable mention selection. He started 20-of-23 appearances, averaging 12.0 points, which was second on the team, with 2.1 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game. He also knocked down 74 threes in his sophomore season and connected on 39.8 percent (74-of-186) from long range. He scored a career-high 26 points against Kent State (2/5/21) and made four or more triples 10 times, including seven in the Kent State game and vs. Central Michigan (1/21/21). Trimble sat out the 2019-20 campaign to satisfy NCAA transfer rules.
In two seasons at St. John’s, he played in 65 games with three starts for the Red Storm. In 2018-19, he averaged 2.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game, making 24 threes. He scored 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting with three treys against Creighton (1/30/19) and also grabbed a season-high six boards against DePaul (1/12/19). As a true freshman (2017-18), he played in 32 games, averaging 3.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 17.3 minutes per contest. He scored 19 points at Marquette with five triples (2/21/18). He also scored seven points vs. Georgetown during the BIG EAST Tournament (3/7/18) after scoring 9 points vs. the Hoyas at MSG (1/9/18).
A product of Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas City, Trimble was a three-star recruit after averaging 14.0 points per game as a senior, earning him a number of high-level offers. He was rated as the 59th-best shooting guard in the country in the season-ending rankings by 247 Sports.com and the No. 6 ranked recruit from Missouri. He converted 45 percent of 3-point attempts as a senior for coach Luke Barnwell at Sunrise. Also played as a member of the Sunrise Christian Post Graduate team in 2016-17 for head coach Kyle Bankhead, averaging 12.2 points per game against a schedule that consisted mostly of junior college opponents. He was on the all-tournament team at the 2017 National Prep School Invitational as member of MoKan Elite of the Nike EYBL league on the AAU circuit. He also helped MoKan Elite win the championship of the prestigious Peach Jam Tournament in 2016.
“Bryan has the ability to take over a game with his shot-making skill set,” Ford noted. “He is a veteran who has played in big games over the course of his career. His experience will be a vital asset for our program.”
In Ford’s fourth season in Springfield, he led Missouri State to a 23-11 overall record and 13-5 ledger in the Missouri Valley Conference to finish second in the league in 2021-22. The Bears 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. The Bears 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 is preparing for pro opportunities with an elite invitation to the Portsmouth Invitational.
