The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame celebrated basketball and wrestling – and a longtime PGA club professional – during the Winter Hall of Fame Luncheon presented by Reliable Superstore.
A crowd of more than 700 turned out Wednesday at University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center as the Hall of Fame inducted its Class of 2023: Missouri State University men’s basketball coach Barry Hinson, former longtime Highland Springs Country Club professional Brian Maloney, former Kickapoo High School and Evangel University basketball standout NaTasha Neal Moore, Ozark High School coach and athletic director Yancey Little and longtime sportswriter Lyndal Scranton.
Additionally, the Hall of Fame inducted the 1964 and 1965 Buffalo High School Boys Basketball State Championship Teams, the 1986-1996 Era of Pleasant Hill High School Wrestling, the 2005 and 2006 Ozark High School Girls Basketball State Championship Teams, and the unbeaten 2009 Sparta High School Girls Basketball State Championship Team.
“We are honored to be honoring this class,” said Byron Shive, CEO & Executive Director of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. “Every one of them not only were success stories, but they inspired so many who came after them. We also want to thank the community, businesses and individuals who supported this event, especially Reliable Superstore.”
The Hall of Fame also bestowed the Filbert Five Awards on 10 individuals who made significant contributions in the sport of basketball at the high school, collegiate and/or professional level. The award is named for the late Gary Filbert, a longtime basketball coach who at one time was an assistant to University of Missouri coach Norm Stewart (MSHOF Legend 2000), and was in instrumental in the start of the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association.
The women’s team of the Filbert Five Awards are: Lauren Aldridge Britton (Marshfield High School/University of Kansas/University of Missouri), Kristina Mingos Cunningham (Pembroke Hill High School/Florida Gulf Coast University/Rollins College), Cassidy Johnson Denton (West Plains High School/College of the Ozarks), Alice Heinzler Harmon (Republic High School/College of the Ozarks/Drury University), and Nicole Lehman Osborne (Lamar High School/Missouri State University).
The men’s team of the Filbert Five Awards are: Todd Crighton (Rochester Adams High School (Mich.)/College of the Ozarks), Spud Harbour (Glendale High School/Evangel University), Chris Kendrix (Willard High School/Missouri State University/University of Minnesota-Mankato/Overseas), Byron Looney (Central High School/Evangel University), and Matthew Rogers (Doniphan High School/Southwest Baptist University/Overseas).
The event supported the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit that was established in 1994. Throughout its history, the Hall of Fame relies on events such as golf tournaments, luncheons and enshrinements and private donations to continue championing the stories of sports in the Show-Me State.
Barry Hinson – Basketball Coach
Hinson was the Missouri State University men’s basketball coach from November 1999 to March 2008. His teams were 169-117. Four of his teams played in the postseason National Invitation Tournament (2000, 2005, 2006, 2007), with the 2005 and 2006 teams building top 25 RPIs, or Rating Percentage Index, that had them on the brink of at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. Four of his teams finished among the top four in the Missouri Valley Conference, which at the time was the premier mid-major conference in the country as it was often sending four teams to the NCAA Tournament. A 1983 graduate of Oklahoma State University, Hinson eventually retired from coaching college basketball with a career record of 321-246. He was coach at Oral Roberts (1997-1999) and Southern Illinois (2012-2019), and also spent four seasons (2008-2012) on the staff of coach Bill Self at the University Kansas. His 155 victories in the Valley made Hinson a dean of the conference, with only Henry Iba (21 years, 190 wins), Eddie Hickey (20, 164) and Dana Altman (16, 178) coaching more seasons and winning more games as a head coach in the history of the Valley. Hinson is now Associate Athletic Director/NIL Director for Oklahoma State University, after having served as an analyst for four seasons on the men’s basketball staff.
Brian Maloney – Golf
Maloney was the Director of Golf at Highland Springs Country Club from 1994 until his retirement in 2023. He had been a PGA Class A Professional since 1986, after playing at Park University in Kansas City. He is a former president of the Midwest Section PGA and a certified custom club fitter with Titleist, Callaway, Cobra and Ping. He was elected to the Midwest Section PGA Hall of Fame in 2014 and, in the Midwest Section PGA Club, earned the Fitter of The Year four times (1997, 2000, 2006, 2016), the Merchandiser of the Year twice (2001, 2012) and the Player of the Year in 1994. He was named Golf Digest’s Best Teachers in the state in 2000 and 2001. Through the years, he became a go-to source of assistance during the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper, which is played annually at Highland Springs Country Club. As a club fitting instructor for Titleist, he traveled the country teaching hundreds of PGA Professionals and Assistant Professionals about fitting clubs with the Titleist systems. At Park University, he became the school’s first All-American, after qualifying for the 1980 NAIA Tournament individually. Before Highland Springs, Maloney was the Director of Golf at Blue Springs Country Club in Kansas City.
NaTasha Neal Moore – Kickapoo High School/Evangel University
Moore earned four varsity letters at Kickapoo High School and was a three-time All-State selection in Class 4. She led the 2001 girls basketball team to a state championship and 28-4 record, with Moore also named the state title game’s Most Valuable Player. She finished as Kickapoo’s all-time leading scorer with 1,789 career points. At Evangel University, Moore was a four-year starter and four-time All-Heart of America Athletic Conference selection. She was the HAAC Freshman of the Year in 2002, and the league’s Player of the Year in her last three seasons. Moore was an NAIA Division II All-American each of her four seasons, and ended her career as Evangel’s second all-time scoring leader, with 2,654 points. She also was first in career 3-pointers (317) and top five in career rebounds and assists. The Valor won four conference titles during her tenure, compiling a 118-30 record overall, including 74-6 in league play. The teams were all NAIA D-II Tournament qualifiers, with three reaching the quarterfinals and the 2005 team reaching the Final Four. Her jersey, No. 44, is retired at Kickapoo and Evangel.
Yancey Little – Coach & Administrator
A 1988 Clever High School graduate who later played at College of the Ozarks, Little has been a successful basketball, softball and baseball coach – with an overall record of 681-289 (.702) in four sports. He was the baseball coach at Blue Eye High School for six years, compiling a 126-57 record in guiding the team to a state quarterfinal berth and four conference championships. He also was 68-69 as a boys basketball coach in five seasons, with the team reaching a state sectional. At Ozark, Little was the softball coach for 13 seasons, as his teams were 290-102. Two teams reached the Final Four, with the 2007 team placing fourth and the 2012 finishing as a state runner-up. The softball teams also won two conference championships, nine district championships and reached four state quarterfinals. He was an assistant coach for three seasons, and two of those teams won the program’s first two district titles. In coaching girls basketball for nine seasons at Ozark, while compiling a 197-61 record, his 2005 and 2006 teams won Class 4 state titles. They also won two conference championships, five district titles, made three quarterfinal appearances, and won 13 regular-season tournaments. Seven of his teams were ranked in the Top 10 in the final rankings of the season. Little, who also was an assistant baseball coach for five seasons that included three conference championships, is now in his seventh year as athletic director at Ozark.
Lyndal Scranton – Sportswriter
A Springfield native, Scranton was a sportswriter for the News-Leader from 1979 until 2015, and enjoyed a 36-year run in which his wide-ranging interests and abilities included staffing events from the Major League Baseball World Series to Missouri State University sports to bowling, horse racing and auto racing. Scranton was the primary beat writer for MSU men’s sports from 1989 until his retirement, and added women’s sports when called upon. He is a 1978 Central High School graduate who was hired as a sports desk clerk by sports editor Marty Eddlemon (MSHOF 1989) a year later. Scranton, who attended Missouri State, covered all seven games of the 1982 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers. He was hired soon after full-time. He was assistant sports editor from 1985 to 1992. He also covered every NCAA Tournament game the basketball Bears played in the Division I era. Highlights were the 1999 NCAA Sweet 16 in basketball and the 2003 NCAA College World Series in baseball. He has since become the public relations director for Lucas Oil Speedway and a contributing sports reporter for the Springfield Daily Citizen. An avid bowler, he also hosts Tailgate Guys Podcast, a show featuring the country’s top barbecue competitors and also competes in professional BBQ events around the Midwest with two top-15 finishes at the American Royal World Series of BBQ.
1964 & 1965 Buffalo High School State Championship Boys Basketball Teams
Folks in the basketball community of southwest Missouri have long talked about the 1964 and 1965 Class M state championship boys basketball teams from Buffalo High School. The 1964 team was coached by Mike Kirksey and finished 31-1, beating Richland (Essex) 79-63 in the championship game. Doug Cassidy was a Class M First Team All-State selection, and Chuck Johnson was a Class M Honorable Mention All-State recipient that season, along with Mert Bancroft. In 1965, the team was coached by Larry Atwood and beat California 65-49 in the championship game. That team finished 32-3. Bancroft (MSHOF Filbert Five 2018) earned First Team All-State honors in Class M, and later starred at Missouri State on its two NCAA Division II national runner-up teams before playing in the NBA.
Pleasant Hill High School Wrestling 1986-1996 Era
Coached by Steve Leslie, the Pleasant Hill High School wrestling teams emerged as one of the state’s most competitive from 1986 to 1996 in Class 1-2. The Roosters earned nine top-four finishes in that span, winning state championships in 1989 and 1996. They were the runner-up in 1986, 1988 and 1995, and placed third in 1987 and 1994. Pleasant Hill placed fourth in 1992 and 1993. The program produced 11 state champions in that era: Pete Gilbreth (132 pounds in 1986), Clint Dinges (185 in 1987), Scott Ponder (heavyweight in 1987), Mark Palmer (112 in 1988), Travis Gustin (152 in 1988, 160 in 1989), Clint Redwine (130 in 1991), Shez Tucker (130 in 1992), Jay McClintock (112 in 1993), Drew Kirchner (135 in 1994), Blaine Bunch (140 in 1994) and Travis Callahan (145 in 1995).
2005 & 2006 Ozark High School Girls Basketball State Championship Teams
Coached by Yancey Little, the Ozarks Lady Tigers won Class 4 state championships in 2005 and 2006. The 2005 team finished 24-8 after beating Lincoln Prep in the finals 34-31, holding its opponent to 29 points below its season average. Ozark was picked to finish ninth in the Central Ozark Conference preseason and one publication had the Lady Tigers picked to win only 11 games. The roster featured: seniors Stacy Borgard and Shannan Borgard, juniors Cali Widel, Arianna Russell, Brie Blose, Tiffany Jones and Cassi Meadows, sophomores Kalyn Stalzer, Melissa Hogan, Cassie Prewitt, Katie Bond, and Liz Fugate, and freshman Courtney Gimlin. Managers were Katie Frizzell and Patricia Ramage, assistant coaches Shawn Widel and Scott McGee, and athletic trainer Dave Gordon. The 2006 team was 25-6 after beating Lee’s Summit West 48-38 in the finals. The team included Meadows, Widel and Simone Young as seniors, as well as juniors in Alyssa Paulsell, Bond, Fugate, Hogan, Prewitt, sophomores Gimlin, Casey Hokkanen, Kayla Carson, Megan Walker, Holly Reynolds and freshman Khyrstyn Brumley. Manager was Patricia Ramage, and assistant coaches were Widel, McGee and Sid Jordan, with Kelli Howard as athletic trainer.
2009 Sparta High School Girls State Championship Basketball Team
The only girls state championship in the history of Sparta High School belongs to the 2009 girls basketball team. The Lady Trojans were a perfect 31-0 after beating Canton 56-49 in the Class 2 state championship game. Brooke Stevens scored 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field and was 5-of-7 on free throws. Kayla Coffer added 16 points. The team was coached by Jerry Songer, with Michael Willis and James Lafferty as assistant coaches. Other starters were Tashina Tennis, Kayla Case and Alison Stevens. The roster also featured Brandy Watkins, April Crosswhite, Courtney Baughman, Mikalah Hardcastle, Torie Coffer and Dallis Coffer. Tennis, Coffer and Brooke Stevens earned All-State honors. The team’s key wins that season included an overtime win against Blue Eye, and others against Strafford and Crane. The Lady Trojans beat Miller in the sectionals before beating Osceola and Couch to advance to the championship game.
FILBERT FIVE AWARDS-WOMEN’S TEAM
Lauren Aldridge Britton – Marshfield High School/University of Kansas/University of Missouri
Britton helped Marshfield to a Class 4 third-place state finish her senior year in 2014, when she was a finalist for Miss Show-Me Basketball and earned her fourth All-State selection. She also was a three-time All-Central Ozark Conference Player of the Year, with the Lady Jays winning the conference all four of her seasons. She set school records for single-game assists and career and single-game 3-pointers. In two seasons at KU, she was on the All-Big 12 Conference Freshman Team after starting all 32 games in 2015, averaging 5.0 assists and 35 minutes. She had a team-best 11.1 scoring average the next season. At Mizzou, Aldridge started all 67 games and scored 441 points in two seasons (6.5 ppg) on 140-of-357 shooting with 202 assists and 35 steals. She also set the school record for assist-to-turnover ratio and, overall, was a 1,000 point scorer in college.
Kristina Mingos Cunningham – Pembroke Hill High School/Florida Gulf Coast University/Rollins College
Cunningham was a four-year letterwinner at Pembroke Hill, leading three teams to the Final Four. She paced the Raiders to two state championships as a freshman and sophomore and a third-place finish as a junior. Overall, she scored 1,337 points, averaging 16.8 points per game, 4.25 steals, 3.9 assists and eight rebounds. In all four seasons, she earned All-State and All-Metro. In AAU competition, her teams finished in the top five at nationals on three occasions. She played for the Missouri Junior Olympic basketball team, which placed fourth in 2006. She then spent one season at Florida Gulf Coast University and then played for Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., for three seasons. Cunningham scored 710 points, made 139 assists and had 126 steals in three seasons (2010-2012). During her junior season, she led Rollins in scoring (11.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 rpg). During her senior year, Rollins won the Sunshine State Conference and reached the NCAA Division II Final Four. She now resides in Elk City, Okla.
Cassidy Johnson Denton – West Plains High School/College of the Ozarks
A 2015 graduate of West Plains, Denton scored 1,646 career points, earned four varsity letters and twice was All-State in Class 4. She set the school record for most 3-pointers in a career (218) and in a game (11). The Lady Zizzers were 94-17 in her time. As a senior, she averaged 17 points, 2.7 assists and 2.3 steals a game. Overall, she was All-State as a junior and senior, and earned First Team All-District and All-Ozark Conference in her final three seasons, with the league naming her its MVP in 2015. Her teams won the conference in her final three seasons. At College of the Ozarks, Denton was a three-year starter, three-time NAIA All-American and scored 2,005 points, which ranks No. 4 all-time. She also set 3-point records for career (414) and single season (136), with C of O earning 121 wins and making four NAIA Division II Tournament appearances. As a senior, she scored 666 points and led the NAIA in 3-point field goals made (136), 3-pointers per game (3.886) and was No. 2 in 3-point field goal percentage (46.3).
Alice Heinzler Harmon – Republic High School/College of the Ozarks/Drury University
Harmon helped Republic win a state title in 2012 and finish 25-2. That season, she earned First Team All-State, All-District, All-Central Ozark Conference and All-Ozarks. That was after she averaged 20.1 points, 2.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 steals a game. She tied the program’s single-game scoring record (36 vs. Dexter), and had a record seven 3-pointers. Harmon also was co-MVP of the Central Ozark Conference. At College of the Ozarks, she helped the Lady Bobcats to an NAIA Tournament runner-up finish, setting a freshman record with 572 points (team-best 15.5 ppg). At NCAA Division II Drury University, she scored 1,078 points, with 142 assists and 195 steals in three seasons, helping lead the Lady Panthers to a 113-16 record with three Sweet 16 appearances and three Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships. In her senior season, Harmon set the single game 3-point record (9) on her way to a record-breaking 41 points (vs. William Jewell).
Nicole Lehman Osborne – Lamar High School/Missouri State University
Osborne graduated from Lamar High School in 2001 and finished as the program’s all-time leading scorer, with 2,450 points. She also was a two-time Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year and three-time All-State selection. She averaged 31 points and 12 rebounds as a senior just one year after averaging 27 points a game. Osborne helped Lamar win the Big 8 Conference and district in 1999. Along the way in her career, she was a four-time selection to All-Big 8 Conference, All-District and Joplin Globe All-Area teams. She also was a three-time All-Ozarks selection. Osborne, who also was All-State in volleyball, played basketball at Missouri State from 2001 to 2005. She was a team captain in 2003 and 2005 and averaged 10.3 points and 5.6 rebounds a game as a senior, when she also shot 53 percent from 3-point range. She was a Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection as well and helped the 2005 team win the WNIT. She is now a physician assistant in internal medicine at Ferrell Duncan Clinic in Springfield and owns Ella Belle Designs.
FILBERT FIVE – MEN’S TEAM
Todd Crighton – Rochester Adams High School (Mich.)/College of the Ozarks
Crighton played basketball for College of the Ozarks from 1994 to 1997 after transferring to the Point Lookout campus, and finished as an NAIA All-American. He ended his career with the Bobcats as the all-time leader in steals (246), No. 4 in points scored (1,362), No. 6 all-time in assists (327) and No. 15 all-time in rebounds (422). He helped lead the Bobcats to three conference championships and three NAIA Tournament appearances, including twice to the Elite Eight. He was named to the second team on the all-conference list his sophomore and junior years. After his senior year, Crighton was the MVP of the C of O McDonalds’ Cam Jam, in addition to First Team All-Conference. He also landed on the NAIA All-Tournament Team and was a Third Team All-American. He was inducted into the C of O Hall of Fame in 2004. Crighton, who attended Rochester Adams High School in Rochester Hills, Mich., has been a longtime youth basketball coach and works for Prime, Inc.
Spud Harbour – Glendale High School/Evangel University
Harbour was one of the best guards in the state in the mid-2000s. At Glendale High School from 2004 to 2007, he scored 1,585 points, which set a record for Springfield Public Schools player. That record stood until Glendale’s Monty Johal broke it in 2017. Harbour played in 103 games, and set the record in the 99th game of his career on a 3-pointer in the first quarter against Camdenton in February of 2007. After playing at Evangel from 2008 to 2011, Harbour ranks 10th all-time in both scoring, with 1,618 points, and in assists, with 333. He also made 190 3-pointers, the seventh-most in program history. His 155 steals rank seventh all-time. In 2010, Harbour earned NAIA All-American honors, twice was All-Heart of America Athletic Conference and has since gone into coaching, with his current role as a basketball assistant at Logan-Rogersville High School.
Chris Kendrix – Willard High School/Missouri State University/Minnesota State-Mankato University
A 6-foot-5 forward, Kendrix was a standout for Willard’s Tigers before graduating in 2013. He averaged 23.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.6 steals, and also made 79 percent of his free throws during his senior season. That year, he earned All-State honors in leading Willard to a Central Ozark Conference championship. He then played three seasons at Missouri State, playing in 90 games and making 41 starts. He was fifth on the team in scoring (189 points) and fourth in rebounds as a freshman. A year later, he was named the Missouri Valley Conference’s Most Improved Player, averaging 12.1 points, the third-most among underclassmen and 14th most in the Valley. As a junior, he scored at least 10 points in seven games, including 15 and nine rebounds against DePaul. He then started 34 games at NCAA Division II Minnesota State-Mankato, helping the team to the NCAA D-II Tournament.
Byron Looney – Central High School/Evangel University
Talk about giving back to the game. Looney was an assistant basketball coach at Central High School for 30 years before retiring in 2016. It was quite a way to help shepherd so many young players. He covered a ton of aspects, from training athletes and to guiding them toward excellent leadership and communication skills. He also organized drills and demonstrated proper techniques, as well as motivated athletes to enhance their performance on the court and in the classroom. Along the way, 10 players signed college scholarships. Looney was once a Bulldog himself at Jim Ball Gymnasium on the Central campus. He played for Ball’s Bulldogs in the 1970s, playing in 67 career games and averaging 12.5 points a game. His senior year, he helped the team to 20 wins. At Evangel University, he was a solid ball distributor, tallying 205 assists. But he also could shoot it. In fact, he hit the game-winner to beat crosstown rival Drury. There, he played for Aundrea Curtis and Steve Jenkins (MSHOF 2016). Looking back on his journey of success, many played a part, including family and friends and especially his brother, Bruce, as well as Drury professor William Curt Strube.
Matthew Rogers – Doniphan High School/Southwest Baptist University/NBA & Overseas Leagues
Rogers was a standout at Doniphan in the early 2000s, twice earning All-State honors, and was a McDonald’s All-America nominee. He then became one of the most dominate athletes in Southwest Baptist basketball history. He helped the Bearcats to two regular-season MIAA championships and was named to five different NCAA Division II All-American teams during his junior and senior seasons, including three first team selections. He also earned status on seven All-Region teams, including six first team selections. He was the 2009 Daktronics Central Region Player of the Year, the 2009 MIAA MVP and a two-time MIAA Defensive Player of the Year. He also was a First Team All-MIAA pick three times. Statistically, he ranks in the top 10 of 11 career categories at SBU. That includes ranking fourth in points scored (1,638), and first in blocked shots (411) and free throws made (382). Rogers later professionally in Lebanon, Spain, the Phillippines, Qatar and New Zealand after stints with the NBA D-League’s Texas Legends. He also was in NBA training camps with the Charlotte Bobcats and Indiana Pacers.
