Lady Bears senior point guard Lacy Stokes looked like the conference championship game hero last year, with a go-ahead shot in the final seconds. But Drake had just enough time to spoil those heroics, scoring at the buzzer to win. “I would definitely say there’s a little fire under lit under all of us, especially me and coach [Beth Cunningham],” said Lacy.
That fire almost helped her lead her childhood team to the NCAA tournament. Lacy says she’s motivated by that moment, but not stuck on it as she moves forward. “I don’t think we’re going to let the last 2.6 seconds consume us,” she said.
After all, last year’s nine-time Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week award winner says she’s still living out her dream. “It’s pretty crazy,” Lacy said. “It’s kind of unbelievable. Sometimes I have to take a step back and realize how far I’ve come and just how thankful I am for all the work and all the people who have invested in me in order to get here.”
From Mount Vernon, to Division II, and now Division I, Lacy has set school records every step of the way.
And in this era of player movement in college sports, eight of last year’s 14 players have transferred or stopped playing college ball. “Beyond just being teammates we’re all friends,” Lacy said. “And at the end of the day we want what’s best for each other. If that’s not here and they need to leave we want what’s best for them.”
But the 5’4″ southpaw remains, even as she faces a tall task. Last year no one in the Valley allowed fewer rebounds to their opponents than Missouri State. But those rim protectors: Kennedy Taylor, Jade Masogayo, and Kickapoo’s Indya Green will need to be replaced. Lacy says she knows just where to take the newcomers to make them feel right at home here in the Ozarks.
“We’re going to go down there and a lot of people haven’t been there,” she said. “And they’re like, ‘What is Silver Dollar City?’ Just a little music park. Just something for us to do outside of basketball and kind of have some team-bonding and spend some time off the court together.'”
From Newcomer of the Year to teaching the newcomers the ropes.
