SEASON PREVIEW: Eutectics picked 6th in AMC; open Oct. 28
ST. LOUIS, MO - The 2025-26 Eutectics gear up for the new season which tips off on Tuesday, October 28 in Fayette, MO. They will do so as the #6 selection in the American Midwest Conference Preseason Coaches Poll which was unveiled today by the league. Columbia was the preseason favorite to win the conference with 77 points and received five of the nine first-place votes. Stephens was right behind the Cougars with 71 points and two first-place votes. Williams Baptist won their first-ever regular season conference title last year and took the two remaining first-place votes and received 69 points in the poll. UHSP finished one point behind Mission for fifth place. The Patriots received 48 points with the Eutectics landing 47. Central Baptist was just ahead of that duo in fourth place with 52 points. Cottey had 43 points and was in seventh place, four behind UHSP. Harris-Stowe (30), Crowley's Ridge (29) and Hannibal-LaGrange (20) rounded out the poll.
The Eutectics are entering their second season under Head Coach Markell Cox, who discussed the transition from year one to year two and the upcoming season as a whole.
Q: Now that it's over, how would sort of sum up your first season at UHSP?
A: I would describe it as a foundation year. When I accepted the job, it was late in the process and I inherited the roster that was already in place. The biggest win came from the group choosing to stay and believe in the vision without me having recruited them. That showed trust and commitment from day one. We focused on setting standards, establishing daily habits, and building our culture from the ground up. Now the foundation is laid and we are ready to take the next step as a program.
Q: Karsyn Morgan went down with an ACL tear last season. What is her status heading into the new season and how big a contributor do you expect her to be?
A: Karsyn has worked extremely hard throughout her recovery process. She has attacked rehab with a great attitude and has shown real maturity in how she approached it. She is cleared, confident, and competing at a high level again. Having her back gives us leadership, communication, and experience that every good team needs. I expect her to make a strong impact right away because of her toughness and her presence on the floor.
Q: Montasia McAllister came with you from Bluefield, so you have a bit of a different relationship with her. There were nights that she was fantastic and other nights where she really struggled from the floor. How much has she worked to be more consistent and how much do you need her to become a fortified offensive weapon night in and night out?
A: Montasia is someone we recruited at Bluefield but was unsure about the distance from home, and when I made the decision to come here, it was a no-brainer for her because UHSP brought her closer to home and her ideal major was a priority here. That speaks to the loyalty and trust we have built over time. I have really challenged her this offseason to be more consistent because when she is locked in, she makes everyone around her better. She has embraced that challenge and even taken on a leadership role as the chair of our "Energy Committee." We have better days when our players are leading with energy, and she sets that tone for us every single day.
Q: For the season last year, you gave up about 15.5 more points per game than you scored. What do your girls need to do to be better on defense?
A: Defense has been a major focus this offseason. We have emphasized communication, rebounding, and controlling the tempo of the game. It comes down to effort and pride on that end of the floor. Our players have bought into the idea that we have to defend at a high level if we want to win consistently. The goal is to be tougher, more disciplined, and more connected defensively than we were a year ago.
Q: Alina Bowden's season last year was sort of interesting. In your first 17 games, she started only 8 of them and averaged 5.1 ppg. Over the final 11 games, she started all of them and averaged 7.2 ppg. How big a role do you see her playing this season?
A: Alina made big strides last season as she gained confidence and found her rhythm. She finished the year strong and carried that momentum into the offseason. She has been one of our most improved players in terms of maturity and consistency. I expect her to play a major role this year as someone who can impact the game in multiple ways and provide leadership for our younger players.
Q: You like to play a free-flowing west coast sort of style where players have roles and responsibilities based on the flow of the play and you're not necessarily calling set plays all the time. How difficult is that to learn and is the installation of that style coming along as you need it to?
A: It takes time to learn, but once players understand the freedom and structure behind it, it becomes fun to play in. The key is trust and communication. We give players guidelines instead of strict scripts so they can read the defense and make basketball decisions. The team has done a great job of adapting and learning how to play together within that style. We are much further along this year and it fits the personnel we have.
Q: Of the newcomer group, what are two names that we should get familiar with and how do you see them contributing this year?
A: Two newcomers that fans should get familiar with are Aryanna Bull and Analyssa Maldonado. Aryanna gives us a physical, no-quit mentality. She is a bruiser who loves to rebound and brings a real edge to our practices and games. Analyssa is a floor general who can play both on and off the ball and shoots the ball at a high clip. She has a great feel for the game and fits perfectly in our west coast, run-and-gun style of play. Both players bring energy and toughness that match the identity we are building here at UHSP.
Q: What do you tell your players that are some of your goals for this season?
A: Our goals are centered around growth, consistency, and competing every night. We talk a lot about stacking days, controlling what we can control, and playing with purpose. The goal is to continue to raise the standard and move this program forward. We want to be a team that plays hard, plays smart, and represents UHSP the right way every time we take the floor.
UHSP has a number of returners off their 6-22 team from a year ago. Karsyn Morgan, Reece Halley, Montasia McAllister, Sara Hameed, Arianna Buduan, Alina Bowden and Da'Naiyah Darnell are the key returners from last year. Morgan was the club's leading scorer at 13.4ppg. Halley had four double-doubles last year, led the team in rebounding averaging 6.9rpg, was the best field goal shooter at 43.1% and was the team's second-leading scorer at 11.7ppg. McAllister was the second-leading rebounder at 5.8rpg and her 11.2 scoring averaging was third on the club. Bowden was the top three-point threat connecting at 37.1% while Morgan was right behind her at 35.6%. Morgan also led the team with an 83.1% free throw percentage. McAllister was second at 80%. Hameed led the team averaging 2.5 assists per game.
The Eutectics open the season on Tuesday, October 28 at Central Methodist. Their home opener is part of a new two-day home tournament that begins on Halloween and runs October 31-November 1. There will be five games each day at the UHSP Gymnasium beginning at 11:00a with teams from all over the country participating. UHSP will play Haskell at 7:00p on October 31 and Freed-Hardeman at 5:00p on November 1. The Eutectics will be in Florida in late November for a Thanksgiving Classic hosted by the Keiser University Seahawks. UHSP will play the host club on Tuesday, November 25 and then meet Florida Memorial at noon on Wednesday, November 26. UHSP will open December with their first AMC game as they visit Central Baptist on Saturday, December 6. Their first home conference game is against Mission on Monday, December 15. Once the calendar flips to January, the Eutectics will not play another non-conference game as their final 16 regular season games are all in the AMC.
The American Midwest Conference will have a bit of a different look this year as both William Woods and Missouri Baptist both transitioned to the Heart of America Athletic Conference last summer, leaving the AMC with ten teams. UHSP will play host to both the Owls (Dec. 18) and Spartans (Nov. 8) this season. UHSP will also play an exhibition game against neighboring, but Division-I SLU on Sunday, December 28 at Chaifetz Arena. UHSP will have one home date on Friday and five Saturday home games this year.