The Missouri State men’s basketball team has had a good season in its first year in Conference USA. Following an abysmal 2024-25 season in which the Bears finished 9-23, Missouri State currently sits fourth in the conference standings with a 7-5 record in CUSA play and a 13-10 overall mark.
Much of this success has come from a new group of transfers who joined the team this offseason. One transfer that has made a significant impact on the team’s success is senior forward Keith Palek III.
Palek is a 6-foot-9-inch forward, whose tall but slender frame has some fans calling him “the Slender Shooter.