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By David Boyce  |  Northwest vs. Pittsburg State  |  Friday, March 2  |  6 p.m.  |  Municipal Auditorium  |  Kansas City, Mo.
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MARYVILLE, Mo. - One time after a poor shooting game at Bearcat Arena this season, Northwest Missouri State sophomore Ryan Welty made his way back to the court several minutes later and fired up a few more shots.
 
Sure, he wanted to have a conversation with his parents like many of the players after a home game. But Welty, who shot 67 percent from three-point range his freshman season, was determined to return to form.
 
"He," said Northwest coach Ben McCollum, "is extremely coachable. He does exactly what you tell him to do. Sometimes I wish he wouldn't be so coachable. Coach Tapp (former Northwest coach Steve Tappmeyer) told me he wanted players who were 90 percent coachable and 10 percent do what you want."
 
Well, McCollum knows that is not Welty, a graduate of Park Hill South High School in Kansas City. When Welty walks into Muncipal Auditorium with his teammates to face Pittsburg State 6 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Tournament, he will be focused on playing his role to help Northwest win and then spend time afterwards with family and friends who came to watch.
 
"I like the MIAA Tournament a lot," Welty said. "Municipal Auditorium has a lot of history in that building. It is really cool to play there and it is close to home. It is not too far of a drive for my parents. It is an exciting environment.
 
"We are definitely excited going in. I feel there is still work to be done so we have been practicing on doing the little things, boxing out and getting back on defense. We are really keying on doing the little things."
 
Northwest knows it is going to be tough tournament to win. The Bearcats are coming off a magical season that saw them go 35-1 and win the national championship. They had a tougher road this season to win its fifth straight MIAA regular-season title.
 
Now, Northwest, 24-3 overall and 16-3 in the MIAA, are going for its third straight conference tournament title. Although the Bearcats have beaten Pittsburg State twice this season, the Gorillas are scrappy under first-year coach Kim Anderson, whose team is 17-12 overall.
 
No questions, the games in the MIAA Tournament will get the Bearcats ready for the NCAA Division II Tournament. Northwest is a lock to make it. The Bearcats are currently ranked No. 1 in the Central region. Missouri Southern is ranked fourth, Central Oklahoma ninth and Washburn 10^th. The top eight teams in the region advances.
 
Obviously, Central Oklahoma and Washburn will be playing for their basketball lives. And Missouri Southern has already beaten Northwest twice this season.
 
"A lot of times the MIAA Tournament is more difficult just because the teams know you so well," McCollum said. "It makes it more difficult to win it. It definitely prepares you."
 
The Bearcats have responded to all challenges this season. They won a couple of games when conference player of the year, senior Justin Pitts was out with an injury.
 
More recently, Welty has stepped into a starting role because senior Chris-Ebou Ndow, a MIAA second-team selection, has missed the last two games because of an injury.
 
"We all have that next man up mentality," Welty said. "Whenever someone gets hurt and whoever has been the next man up has done a good job and stepped into that role perfectly. Things happen in basketball with injuries so you have to be ready."
 
Welty is ready for whatever is thrown at him. Last year he was an unknown and was left alone until he set a conference record by hitting 16 straight three-pointers early in the season.
 
"I am still able to shoot three-pointers, but teams are obviously aware of me," Welty said. "Teams won't double off me as much as they did last year. They will stay home on me if Xavier Kurth or Justin drives. That is the biggest difference."
 
Despite more attention, Welty's scoring average is slightly better than last year and so is his rebounding average.
 
"Statistically, he is not where he was as a freshman, but in regards to his play, I think he has gotten drastically better," McCollum said. "Defensively, he is a deceptive defender. You can always count on him being in the right spot.
 
"Offensively, he takes care of the ball. A lot of his threat comes from his ability to shoot. Although he hasn't been getting a lot of shots, you have to stay home on him."
 
All the Bearcats are looking forward to the MIAA Tournament.
 
"Northwest draws well," McCollum said. "We have so many alumni in Kansas City, and they come down and support us. It makes for a fun environment.
 
"We have always performed really well there. Last year I thought our match ups were pretty difficult, playing Lincoln in the first round and Missouri Southern, we had to win on a buzzer beater."
 
If you win and advance in the MIAA Tournament, you get three games in a short period of time.
 
"The tournament feel is always fun," Welty said. "You have three games in three days. You are trying to win a championship. It is always motivating to win a championship."