Missouri State Reps attend official State Qualifier tournaments to award Golden Ticket invites to the top two finishing teams at each grade and to answer any questions from coaches and families.  Please say "hello" when you see them!

Beau Baker 
Beau has lived in Kansas City, Missouri since he was five years old. He attended Staley High School and received his bachelor's degree in Convergent Journalism from Missouri Western State University in May 2020. Beau started playing basketball in the third grade and hasn't stopped playing since. In high school he was a 1,000 point scorer and played basketball for four years a MWSU. Beau is currently a Case Investigator for the Johnson County Health Department. Outside of basketball Beau also enjoys watching and playing football. A fun fact about Beau is that when he was in high school his mom had a rule that he was only allowed two Bs on his report card, and those were the ones in his name, so he graduated high school with a 4.11 GPA! 

Pat Pinkins
Pat is from Kansas City, Missouri and graduated from Saint Michael The Archangel Catholic High School. In May of 2022 he graduated from Missouri Western State University majoring in Health and Exercise Science and minoring in both Biology and Wellness.  Pat began playing basketball at age 3 and continued playing through high school. His senior year of high school he began coaching youth sports and has been involved in coaching ever since. Currently, Pat works in the University of Kansas Health System in the Physical Therapy Department and he is in the process of going to graduate school for his Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree. Outside of work, Pat enjoys playing sports, making music, exercising and coaching. 

Joseph Garr
Joseph grew up in Ottumwa, IA and currently lives outside of Ozark, MO.  He was raised in the tournament world and before he was even born, his dad was traveling around the mid-west coaching AAU teams and competing against the best players across the country in the 80's.  

Joseph now also coaches and has five kids of his own. He played basketball through High School and after and is a huge basketball fan.  Joseph grew up in Iowa and closely follows the Iowa Hawkeyes, Iowa State Cyclones, Drake Bulldogs, and Northern Iowa Panthers.  

Since 2018, Joseph has been a licensed Insurance Agent.  From 2012 to 2018, he was in the Mortgage Industry and for hobbies, he loves anything sports related.  With having 5 kids, most hobbies revolve around coaching them, playing sports or video games with them.  His kids are Brynlee(9), Sawyer(6), Milo(4), Wynter(1), and a new one on the way in January 2024.

Shari Hayden
Shari grew up in a very small town in the Washington, Missouri area and is the oldest of four siblings. She graduated from Washington High School in 2009 and finished her Bachelor's in Sociology in May 2022 from Southeast Missouri State University online. Shari grew up watching a lot of sports and played basketball with the boys teams or girls older than her since her small school didn't have enough girls in her class. She was the starting point guard and loved every minute of it. She also managed her brother's basketball team and kept stats for the boys and girls teams after a knee injury in high school. Outside of basketball, Shari works in Human Resources and lives in Springfield, MO with her wife and 2 fur-babies. She enjoys volunteering,  card games, board games and old Mopar cars. 

Daniel Gray
Daniel grew up in Fulton, Missouri and started playing basketball at the age of 9. He has played basketball consistently through his school years and even helped the teams with equipment and practices in high school. Daniel has always been a part of a basketball community growing up.  Outside of his life as a state rep, he enjoys riding his bike on trails, has a skateboarding group he skates with, and he makes his own music and playlists, and he takes photos! 

KD Sharp
KD Sharp grew up in the St Louis metropolitan area.  He attended East Saint Louis Lincoln Sr High School which produced basketball phenoms Sports Analyst, LaPhonso Ellis, former college coach Cuonzo Martin, and Illinois Hall of Fame inductee Chris McKinney. KD played baseball for the 'Cardinals' in the Jackie Robinson Khoury League and was a member of the Grande Masters wrestling troupe. Currently, the State Basketball Championship representative is a promotions and marketing manager whom stays active with Recreational and Senior softball associations.

Michael Gassen
Michael attended Grain Valley High School where he played football, and now attends The State Technical College of Missouri for HVAC. Michael played up until high school. College basketball has always been his favorite sport to watch. Outside of his role as a state rep, he is a student and works for Driveline and his hobbies include golfing, watching basketball and playing with his roommates dog. 

Robert Kennedy
Robert grew up in a small town outside of St. Louis called Venice, Illinois. He grew up playing basketball and went on to graduate from Mineral Area College with a degree in General Studies, Murray State University with a degree in Sociology and then Missouri Baptist University with a Masters Degree in Sports Management. Robert played basketball while in college and went on to play professionally in Portugal and China. He has also coached in St. Louis now for 10 plus years and is a player development coach and is the Youth Sports Director for the YMCA. 

Stacy Thayer
Stacy grew up in St. Joseph, MO and graduated from Lafayette High School and then went on to attend Missouri Western University. Stacy played for 10 years and coached for 6 years and has been a lifelong fan of the game. Stacy works in the events and venues industry outside of being a State Rep. 

Reid Bayliss
Reid is from the greater St. Louis area, and has a great passion for the game of basketball as well as youth sports. Ever since the 5th grade, Reid has been infatuated with both playing, watching and teaching basketball. He still plays pickup games with his high school friends every week! After graduating from the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri - Columbia, he helped start an LLC with his good friend who trains and develops basketball skills for athletes from 3rd grade to the collegiate level. Reid serves as a Track and Field coach in the spring time as well as a substitute teacher during the day; the satisfaction of helping others succeed is a huge motivator for what he does. In his free time, Reid enjoys spending time with his friends and family, typically outdoors and involving sports such as watching football on Sundays, playing golf and indoor soccer.