Alumni are Big Part of @MizzouHoops Tradition and Future
1/19/2018 2:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Former Tiger hoopers excited about direction Mizzou Basketball is heading
by Cady Lowery, Mizzou Strategic Communications
COLUMBIA, Mo. - On Saturday, Jan. 6, the Mizzou Men's Basketball program welcomed back former players to Mizzou Arena for the annual alumni reunion. While players had the chance to watch the game and enjoy the arena's electric atmosphere, the day was also about connecting with old teammates and reminiscing over what it means to be a Missouri Tiger.
Former Missouri forward and All-American John Brown is a season ticket holder, and being honored at halftime just made him more excited to be a part of such a legacy.
"Once you wear the Black & Gold, you live and die by it," said Brown. "Whether it's football, women's or men's basketball, whatever - it's always a part of you. It's so much fun to be able to stay excited like that. Even at my age, to be excited about each sport is special."
Former Missouri point guard and four-year letter winner Brian Grawer was also in attendance and immediately noted the atmosphere surrounding Mizzou Arena this season.
"It's fun to have people anxious and excited about Mizzou Basketball again," said Grawer. "You walk around St. Louis and see people in Mizzou gear. It's all I wear, and my neighbors used to see me in it and say, 'You're still wearing that stuff?' And I always said we'd turn it around at some point. This is my school."
Grawer's love for the school does not stay in St. Louis. In fact, since his graduation, Grawer has made attending at least one Mizzou game a year a priority.
"As a player, you feel like you're in control of everything. Being here as a fan, I feel more anxious, more nervous about what will happen and what'll take place. It's just cool to come in and see familiar faces of staff members and people in the building. Just to be a part of the Mizzou Athletics family is really nice. It's always been great to be a part of."
While the Tigers are off to an outstanding start to the 2017-18 season, no one is more excited about the program than the former players themselves.
"With the excitement and the toughness that Cuonzo Martin brings," Brown said. "These guys are fun to watch. The way they play the game, and how they pull for one another, is fun as a fan to watch and appreciate."
Brown added that supporting the program as an alum is just as important as wearing the uniform itself.
"I'll always have an intense interest in this school because I was here," Brown said. "I wore the uniform. I was a part of this. It meant so much to me then, and it means so much to me now. I love supporting the program."
The family that Mizzou Basketball has provided its former players is irreplaceable, and guys like Grawer and Brown cherish that.
"It's great to know you're always going to be part of a family," Grawer said. "To be welcomed back whenever we want. It's just a family, and I am grateful to be a part of it."
