November 12, 1998

Game #1
Jackson State Tigers (0-0)
at
Missouri Tigers (0-0)

TIPOFF: 8:00 p.m. CST

ARENA: Hearnes Center (13,300). Opened in 1972. MU has a Hearnes record of 320-50 alltime. The Tigers have played before 127 consecutive regular-season sellouts at Hearnes, and are 161-23 at home during the last 11 seasons. MU is 179-17 against non-league foes at Hearnes, including 65-12 the last five seasons.

RADIO: Tiger Network (Sean Kelly, play-by-play/Gary Link, color). Carried on more than 50 stations statewide, and on the Internet at www.gamecruiser.com

TV: The game will not be shown on television.

RANKINGS: Neither team is currently ranked.

SERIES: MU leads, 5-0, including 4-0 at the Hearnes Center. The teams last met on Dec. 9, 1995 in Columbia, with MU notching an 86-63 win.

COACHES:
Missouri: Norm Stewart, 614-324 at MU (32nd season); 711-366 overall (38th season). Stewart is 5-0 vs. KSU, and is 4-0 versus Andy Stoglin.

Jackson State: Andy Stoglin, 124-115 at JSU (10th season); 157-138 overall (12th season). Stoglin is 0-4 vs. Missouri and Norm Stewart.

OFFICIALS: Gerry Pollard, Terry Davis, Kelly Groom

TIGERS HOST JACKSON STATE IN MU'S EARLIEST SEASON-OPENER EVER
The Missouri Tigers open their 1998-99 season as they host the Jackson State Tigers at the Hearnes Center, on Fri., Nov. 13th. If that seems a little early, you're right, as Friday's game represents the earliest season-opener ever for Missouri Basketball. MU's Nov. 16th opener last year vs. Chicago State was Mizzou's previous earliest start.

MISSOURI TIGERS (0-0)
(Probable Starting Lineup/Subject to Change)
P NO NAME HT WT YR HOMETOWN PPG/RPG*
F 31 Johnnie Parker* 6-6 220 So. St. Louis, Mo. 3.7 / 2.2
F 44 Albert White* 6-5 238 Jr. Inkster, Mich. 10.9 / 4.9
C 53 Monte Hardge** 6-11 335 Sr. Jefferson City, Mo. 7.0 / 5.9
G 12 Brian Grawer* 6-0 166 So. St. Louis, Mo. 5.9 / 2.4
G 32 John Woods* 6-3 202 Sr. McKinney, Texas 11.4 / 2.4
*-Statistics from 1997-98 season

JACKSON STATE TIGERS (0-0)
(Probable Starting Lineup/Subject to Change)
P NO NAME HT WT YR HOMETOWN PPG/RPG*
F 34 Jojo McKenney 6-7 210 Sr.Crystal Springs, Miss.-- / --
F 44 Richard Bradley 6-4 225 So.Jackson, Miss. 5.0 / 3.1
C 50 Vincent Jones 6-11 205 So.Greenwood, Miss. 3.5 / 3.0
G 5 Willie Gross 5-10 170 Jr.Clinton, Miss. -- / --
G 45 Marino Walker 6-3 170 So.Lorman, Miss. 1.7 / 0.9
*-Statistics from 1997-98 season

1998-99 Schedule

AFTER TWO EXHIBITIONS, TIGERS READY TO ROAR
After nearly four weeks of practice, two scrimmages and two exhibition games, the Missouri Tigers are ready to get the regular season started. Missouri went 2-0 in the exhibition season, defeating the California East All-Stars, 83-76 (Nov. 2) and the Philippine National Team, 77-47 (Nov. 9). The Tigers faced the All-Stars without the services of junior forward JEFF HAFER and freshman center PAT SCHUMACHER, who both sat out the game with injuries. But the Tigers shot 50 percent on the night, including a scorching 57 percent (12-of-21) from three-point range, in downing the All-Stars, 83-76. Three Tigers scored in double figures, with junior forward ALBERT WHITE and senior guard JOHN WOODS leading the way with 18 points apiece. White also just missed out on a triple-double, as he added eight rebounds and nine assists. Additionally, sophomore forward JOHNNIE PARKER chipped in with 15 points (a career high) and six rebounds. This past Monday, the Tigers closed out their exhibition season with a solid 77-47 win over the Philippine Nationals. Missouri held the visiting nationals to a 36.4 field goal percentage on the night, and enjoyed a 39-25 rebounding advantage to notch the win. Senior guard John Woods led all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-10 field goals, including 3-of-4 from three-point range. Junior forward Jeff Hafer returned to the lineup, after missing last week's exhibition opener due to a groin pull, and contributed 10 points and five rebounds (all on the offensive end). Fellow junior Albert White had an off-shooting night (2-of-9 FGs for 4 points), but led the Tigers with game-high totals of eight rebounds and seven assists.

MU IN SEASON-OPENERS
Missouri has won seven straight season opening games, dating back to the 1991-92 season. The last time the Tigers did not win in their lidlifter was the 1990-91 season, when the Tigers were defeated at Rutgers, 68-60. Missouri has won an impressive 24 straight home openers, and is 25-1 alltime in season openers at the Hearnes Center. The last, and only time, the Tigers dropped their home opener at Hearnes dates back to the 1973-74 season, when SMU dealt MU a 74-73 defeat. Under Head Coach Norm Stewart, Missouri is 27-4 in season openers, and 29-2 in home openers. MU's largest margin of victory in season and home openers is a 50-point win over Slippery Rock (103-53) to open the 1992-93 campaign. Alltime, Missouri is 74-18 in season openers (80.4 percent), and stands an even-better 80-12 (87.0 percent) in home openers throughout the Tigers' 92-year history.

TIGERS NOT SUPERSTITIOUS
Apparently, the Tigers aren't too concerned with superstitions. Mizzou will be playing against Jackson State on Friday the 13th, and have already held their annual Halloween Haunted House of Hoops and Howls scrimmage, which took place on Halloween night. Only one other time have the Tigers played on Friday the 13th, under Norm Stewart. That came back on March 13, 1992, when Iowa State downed MU, 80-75 at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, in the first-round of the Big Eight Conference Tournament. A press pass in honor of Jason Vorhees, (Friday the 13th movie fame), has been left at will call.

ABOUT JACKSON STATE
Jackson State finished 14-16 in the 1997-98 season, and went 9-5 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, which placed the Tigers 2nd in the league. The Tigers, who are led by 10th-year head coach Andy Stoglin, lost all five starters from last year's squad, but return nine lettermen. Sophomore Richard Bradley is the leading returner for the Tigers. Bradley played in 29 games last year as a freshman, and averaged 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.

MU-JACKSON STATE SERIES
Missouri and Jackson State have met five previous times since 1982, with MU holding a 5-0 lead in the series. The first meeting came in December of 1982, as the Tigers claimed an 86-51 win in Columbia. The teams didn't meet again until 1991, when the two played four contests over a five-year period. The last meeting between MU and Jackson State came in December of 1995, when Missouri claimed an 86-63 win in Columbia.

SERIES HISTORY (MU Tigers lead, 5-0)
12- 8-82MU86-51at Columbia, MO
12-21-91MU99-76at Columbia, MO
12-4-93MU80-76at Columbia, MO
1-18-95MU86-72at Jackson, MS
12-9-95MU86-63at Columbia, MO
at Columbia: MU leads, 4-0
at Jackson: MU leads, 1-0

MU HEAD COACH NORM STEWART
One of college basketball's most successful coaches and colorful characters is "Missouri's Favorite Son," Norm Stewart. Stewart, voted by the Associated Press and the Kansas City Star as the all-time Big Eight Conference coach, is the third winningest active coach and eighth all-time winningest coach in NCAA Division I annals. The 1998-99 campaign will be Stewart's 32nd at the helm of the Tigers, and his 38th overall. With every win, he further solidifies himself as one of the most successful mentors ever. At MU, he has a record of 614-324, while overall he's 711-366. During the Tigers' 1997-98 season, he recorded both his 600th win at Missouri and his 700th career victory. He begins the 98-99 season as the third winningest active coach in Division I (behind Mount St. Mary's James Phelan and Indiana's Bob Knight) with 711 career victories. That win total is also good for eighth all-time. Stewart is one of 19 coaches in NCAA history to win 600 games, and one of just 17 who've won 500 or more games at one Division I school. Three years ago, he became just the 10th coach in NCAA history to coach in 1,000 games, and passed legendary Kansas coach Phog Allen on the longevity list. Stewart has now coached in 1,077 games to rank 5th in NCAA history. He's been involved as a player, assistant or head coach with 1,098 of the 2,122 games that have been played in Missouri basketball history - meaning that he has had a role in more than 50 percent of Mizzou's basketball history. The 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons have to rank as two of the most gratifying campaigns in Stewart's long tenure. First, the 1993-94 Tigers went undefeated through the Big Eight Conference, notching Stewart's eighth conference championship, then went on to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament while posting a 28-4 record. Appropriately, Stewart earned national "coach-of-the-year" honors from six different organizations, including both the Associated Press and United Press International.

STEWART NAMED MISSOURI CITIZEN OF THE YEAR BY MARCH OF DIMES
Missouri head coach Norm Stewart, who has been so instrumental in fundraising efforts both statewide and nationwide to fight cancer, has been named the 1998 Missouri Citizen of the Year by the March of Dimes. Stewart, who is the third winningest active coach and the eighth all-time winningest coach in NCAA Division I history, will be honored at a black tie affair on Thurs., Nov. 12 at the Reynolds Alumni Center on the MU campus. Tickets for the even are available through the Columbia March of Dimes office. Interested parties can call (573) 449-0573. "I consider it a distinct honor to represent this group," Stewart said. "I hope my visibility might create awareness for such a great cause." Stewart will act as a figurehead for the March of Dimes' cause, which is to help prevent birth defects and infant mortality.

TIGERS PICKED THIRD IN BIG 12 BY LEAGUE MENTORS
Hopes are rising in Columbia, Mo., as the season draws near for the 1998-99 basketball Tigers. And, according to Big 12 Conference coaches, the hopes raised by Tiger fans are justified, as the Big 12 Coaches' pre-season poll picked MU third in the league, behind only Oklahoma State (#1) and Kansas (#2). Missouri finished an even 8-8 in league play last year (17-15 overall), and tied for 5th in the standings. MU's Big 12 mark included an odd, if not symmetrical, 8-0 record at home and 0-8 on the road. No Tiger individuals received enough votes to garner mention on the coaches' all-Big 12 preseason team, but junior forward Albert White is listed among the honorable mention. Tiger freshman Keyon Dooling received enough votes to be tabbed the league's Preseason Freshman-of-the-Year. The 6-foot-3 Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., native was a third-team Parade All-American last year, after averaging 22 points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals a game for Dillard High School. Dooling is the third Tiger in as many years to receive preseason individual honors from league coaches. In 1996, Tyron Lee was voted league Preseason Newcomer-of-the-Year, and in 1997, Albert White was tagged with the same label. The recently-released Big 12 Media Poll listed the Tigers finishing fourth in the league, behind OSU, KU and Oklahoma. The media poll concurred with the coaches' assessment that Keyon Dooling is the pre-season freshman-of-the-year. Albert White also recieved votes for the all-league first team.

WOODS BRINGING THE WOOD
After MU's season-ending loss to Alabama-Birmingham in last March's NIT, John Woods guaranteed the Tigers would make it to the NCAA Tournament in 1999. The senior from McKinney, Texas has put his money where his mouth was, as he led MU in scoring in the Tigers' two exhibitions. He averaged 17.5 points in games against the California East All-Stars and the Philippine National Team, tallying 18 in the first and 17 in the latter. Woods shot a blistering 67 percent from the floor in MU's two exhibition games, connecting on 14-of-21 field goals, including 7-of-10 from three point range (for the math-impaired, that's 70 percent). Woods is picking up right where he left off last season. Over the last third of the 1997-98 season, the junior college transfer was MU's most steady offensive weapon, as he averaged a team-best 16.4 points in MU's last 10 games. That included a career-high 29 points in the UAB game, in which he hit an MU-record eight three-pointers.

THE WHITE STUFF
Junior forward ALBERT WHITE has shown in the preseason that he's completely healthy after off-season surgery to clean up bone chips in both his ankles -- injuries which nagged him all of last season. The most versatile player on the Tiger roster, White averaged 11.0 points and a team-best 8.0 rebounds in MU's two exhibition contests, and also added 8.0 assists per game, as well. He just missed a triple-double in MU's Nov. 2nd game against the California East All-Stars, when he chipped in 18 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. The former McDonald's and Parade first-team all-American averaged 10.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last year for the Tigers, despite being hampered by his pair of gimpy ankles.

WE'RE SMALL, BUT WE'RE SLOW'
Well, that old adage might be only half true for Missouri this season. The 1998-99 version of the Missouri Tigers isn't exactly mammoth in size, but MU should prove to be a rather quick, explosive team that can play the full 92 feet of the court. Despite having only two players on the roster over 6-foot-7 inches in height (Monte Hardge and Pat Schumacher, both 6-feet-11), the Tigers have tested out as one of the strongest in team history. When the Tigers concluded their pre-season strength testing, MU strength and conditioning coach Bob Jones labeled the Tigers one of the best he's seen. "This is one of the most hard-working teams I've been around," said Jones, who is in his 10th year at MU. "They compare favorably to the 94 team (which went undefeated in Big Eight play) in terms of strength and work ethic. It's a good group," he said. Sophomore guard Brian Grawer was one of the leaders in testing, as he proved to be the strongest Tiger pound-for-pound. The St. Louis native, who weighs just 169 pounds, bench pressed 280, up from 225 a year ago. He also increased his vertical jump by three inches, to 30 inches, and led MU in all five conditioning tests. Other impressive numbers included senior guard John Woods, who set a team record with 620 pounds lifted in the squat lift, breaking the old mark of 605 pounds set last year by Dibi Ray. Freshman guard Clarence Gilbert squatted 500 pounds, which is a team freshman record. Fellow freshman Keyon Dooling has the team's biggest vertical leap, at 33.5 inches. Standing just 6-foot-3, he can reach an impressive 11-foot-6 with a one-step jump. The team's body fat percentage is down to 7.3 percent, the lowest since the figure has been recorded beginning in 1990. Sophomores Johnnie Parker and Brian Grawer lead the way, with identical figures of just 4.2 percent.

MU TV SCHEDULE UPDATED
Since the publishing of the MU media guide, the Tigers' television schedule has change slightly. The changes benefit MU fans, however, as two more games were picked up by the Mizzou Sports Network. Added to the tube were MU's Big 12 Conference opener against Nebraska, on Jan. 2nd. Also added to the slate is MU's final home game, on Feb. 24th against Iowa State. The additions to the Tigers' schedule means that all but six games (five non-conference, and one Big 12 game) will be shown on TV this year. The schedule located on page one of this release is updated to reflect MU's television schedule.

CHECK YOUR SCORECARD
The 1998-99 Missouri Basketball Media Guide is already outdated, as the Tigers have added a new member of the team to the roster. Not included in the media guide is KENGE STEVENSON (pronounced KEN-jee), who walked on to the Tiger squad this week. Stevenson is a 6-foot-5 guard/forward who hails from Ladue, Mo. He attended a prep school last year, but is listed as a freshman. He is wearing No. 3 in practice. More bio information will be available on Stevenson in the near future.

NIT TICKET INFORMATION
With the season ticket renewal deadline now complete, the University of Missouri athletic ticket office has turned its attention to single-game ticket sales. Tickets are now on sale for the Chase NIT. MU's men's basketball team opens play in the annual pre-season tournament on Nov. 18th, hosting Southwest Missouri State, and could host a second-round game on Nov. 20th. Tickets are priced at $40 (Levels A and B), $34 (Level C) and $24 (Level D). Those prices include both the first-and-second round games. In the even that Missouri does not host a game on Nov. 20th, ticket purchasers will be given a refund. Tickets are on sale at the Athletic Ticket Office located on the west side of Hearnes Center, or by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS (884-PAWS in the Columbia area). Tickets to the NIT were not included in Missouri's season-ticket package since revenues from the event are controlled by the NIT, not the University of Missouri. Season ticket holders with questions about the NIT should contact the Tiger Development Office at (573) 882-0703.

UPDATED MIZZOU NUMERICAL ROSTER

NO.NAME POS. HT. WT.YR. HOMETOWN (High School/JUCO)
3 Kenge Stevenson F 6-5 200 Fr. Ladue, Mo. (High)
4 Clarence Gilbert G 6-2 180 Fr. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Dillard)
5 Keyon Dooling G 6-3 180 Fr. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Dillard)
11 Mark Wampler* G/F 6-5 195 Jr. Savannah, Mo. (High)
12 Brian Grawer* G 6-0 166 So. St. Louis, Mo. (Pattonville)
24 Jeff Hafer** G 6-5 215 Jr. Joplin, Mo. (High)
31 Johnnie Parker* G/F 6-6 220 So. St. Louis, Mo. (Webster Groves)
32 John Woods* G 6-3 202 Sr. McKinney, Texas (High/Connors St. JC)
44 Albert White* G/F 6-5 238 Jr. Inkster, Mich. (High/Michigan)
52 Matt Rowan F 6-7 230 Fr. Liberty, Mo. (High)
53 Monte Hardge** C 6-11 335 Sr. Jefferson City, Mo. (High)
54 Pat Schumacher C 6-11 250 Fr. St. Louis, Mo. (Hazelwood Central)

NOTE- Stevenson joined the team as a walk-on in October.

WINNINGEST ACTIVE
DIVISION I COACHES [by wins]
COACH,SCHOOL YRS. W-L
James Phelan, Mt. St. Marys 44 785-428
Bob Knight, Indiana 33 719-269
NORM STEWART, MU 37 711-366
Don Haskins, UTEP 37 703-340
Lefty Driesell, J. Madison 36 694-351
Jerry Tarkanian, Fresno St. 27 685-156
Denny Crum, Louisville 27 625-255

WINNINGEST ALL-TIME
DIVISION I COACHES [by wins]
COACH YRS. W
Dean Smith 36 879
Adolph Rupp 41 876
Henry Iba 41 767
Ed Diddle 42 759
Phog Allen 48 746
Ray Meyer 42 724
Bob Knight 33 719
NORM STEWART 37 711
Don Haskins 37 703
Lefty Driesell 36 694
John Wooden 29 664

BY THE NUMBERS...
26-0
Thats the record of MU Head Coach Norm Stewart in November at the Hearnes Center.

4
The number of St. Louis area natives on the current Tiger roster -- Brian Grawer, Johnnie Parker, Pat Schumacher and Kenge Stevenson

8.0
Thats the number of assists per game Albert White averaged in MUs two exhibition games this year.

11-foot-6
Thats how high 6-foot-3 freshman Keyon Dooling can reach with a one-step jump.

44
The number of U.S. states from which MU Head Coach Norm Stewart has beaten a team. The only states he hasnt defeated include: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Vermont.

57
The number of head coaches that have come and gone at other Big 12 schools since Norm Stewart took over at Missouri in 1967-68.

81.8 percent
Thats the field goal percentage for sophomore Johnnie Parker in MUs two exhibition games this year. Parker hit on 9-of-11 field goals (including a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point range), and averaged 11.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.

620
Thats the number of pounds senior guard John Woods can squat -- that represents an MU Basketball record!