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By David Boyce  |  Northwest Basketball at Missouri Western  |  Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017  |  MWSU Fieldhouse  |  St. Joseph, Mo.  |  W: 2 p.m.; M: 4 p.m.
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MARYVILLE, Mo. - There will be a day or two in the future when senior D'Vante Mosby is years removed from the Northwest Missouri State basketball team, and he will tell a story to his future children and grandchildren about his two years with the Bearcats.
 
The story might be hard to comprehend for them. Mosby played on a Northwest basketball team that broke an 86-year-old conference record by winning 22 straight MIAA regular-season games. The previous mark was 19 set in 1931.
 
"Some days I sit back and I am like wow," Mosby said. "I knew we were going to be good, but I didn't think this good."
 
Northwest will try to extend the streak to 23 on Saturday when it plays at rival Missouri Western at 4 p.m. in St. Joseph Mo.
 
 "I will have some stories to tell the kids and grandkids for sure," Mosby said. "It is kind of unreal. We get glimpses of it. But we really focus on the next game. All three of the seniors (Mosby, Zach Schneider and Anthony Woods) are focused on just enjoying our time together and really investing in the team and younger guys."
 
Twenty-two straight conference regular-season wins remain a difficult thing to grasp. The second-place team in the conference this season already has three losses. A year ago, Northwest lost three conference games and won the league by five games over Nebraska-Kearney and Missouri Southern, who both went 14-8.
 
 "It is really tough," Mosby said. "It is one thing to be talented and have the right pieces, but it is another thing to have those pieces to buy in and be selfless. And two, to have those pieces ready to go every single game. That is hard. On top of the games, you have practice when coach sometimes is happy with you, sometimes not. We have good practices and bad practices. When you look at the full scope of everything, that is really tough.
 
"At the same time, we are lucky enough to have a coach who understands that and pushes us through that and also players who are willing to pick you up when you are not doing your part.
 
Clearly, the unselfish trait was already instilled in the players by their parents before they stepped foot on campus. In the culture that coach Ben McCollum has established, the selflessness has only been enhanced.
 
Mosby is a perfect example of it. After playing two seasons at William Jewell, Mosby decided to transfer. He could have gone to other Division II programs in the MIAA or the GLVC and started.
 
For the Bearcats, Mosby, a 6-foot-5 forward, comes off the bench. He is averaging 15.2 minutes per game, 7.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
 
"Yes, he could go to a lot of Division II schools and be a starter and probably be an all-conference kid," McCollum said. "I think he is that good. But he chose to win. He chose to be part of a quality culture, a family atmosphere over individual awards.
 
"We definitely appreciate him and the sacrifices he makes. It is tough to be on a good team because it requires so much self-sacrifice. You have to have special kids."
 
Mosby is no different from the other Bearcats on the 2016-17 team. Each has surrendered a bit of their talent to help their teammates be successful. It has led them to an 18-0 overall record, 10-0 in the MIAA and a No. 1 ranking in the NABC top 25.
 
A team doesn't win that many games in a row to start a season without having talent. Northwest definitely has it. But what the players see game after game is the things that can be accomplished by playing together without a care who gets the glory. The glory comes in celebrating a victory together after a game.
 
As nice as the wins are for Northwest, the three seniors are indeed learning more important lessons that will serve them well in the real world.
 
"This will go very far for all of us," Mosby said. "It is a tough thing to do. In the time we are up here, it is OK to be me, it is OK to want more for myself. But the ability to set your goals aside and your dreams aside for the betterment of somebody else, I can't see a better life lesson in college in this game we play and get to enjoy. I think it is going to carry us a long way."
 
The role Mosby fills on this smooth-running Bearcat machine is to come in for junior forward Brett Dougherty and provide inside muscle.
 
Usually, the defender Mosby is guarding is a couple inches taller. It doesn't matter. Mosby, who is generally soft-spoken, plays with a ferocity once he is on the court. He goes after every rebound like it belongs to him.
 
Mosby buys into the defensive philosophy that everybody on the team guards and makes it difficult for opponents to get easy looks at the basket.
 
"The essential things we do is guarding the ball and imposing our will on defense and offense," Mosby said. "That is the main thing we take into every game.
 
"Obviously, Western is playing well. With the team that we have, we have to make sure all the pieces are firing and we are all at a high level at game time. We trust the coaches will put us in the right position."
 
Northwest got a bit of a break in the schedule. After three straight weeks of playing Thursday and Saturday, the Bearcats only have to prepare for Western this week.
 
The Bearcats know they will have a tougher game than their 78-52 victory over Western on Dec. 6. The Griffons are coming off a win against Nebraska-Kearney, which is tied for fourth in the MIAA.
 
"Obviously, a rivalry game and we are ranked, it makes it a bigger game for them," McCollum said.
 
Because of their ranking and standing in the MIAA, the Bearcats go into every game knowing they are going to get an opposing team's best effort. They enjoy the challenge. It makes the games fun.
 
Mosby knew he was coming into a good situation when he transferred to Northwest, but he never expected to win at this level.
 
"It has been unreal," he said. "You grow up as a kid dreaming about this kind of stuff. I know we are all competitive and result driven sometimes, but when you stop and take a look at what we have and what we are learning you can't help but just smile and try to enjoy it.
 
"I am happy to be along for the ride. It is awesome."