Nov. 10, 1999

PDF Formatted Notes

Games #1 & #2 ? NABC Classic
Nov. 12-13, 1999 ? Syracuse, N.Y.

TIPOFF:
Vs. Wisconsin, Fri., Nov. 12 ? 6:00 p.m. CST
Vs. Syracuse/Princeton, Sat., Nov. 13 ? 6:00/8:00 p.m. CST

ARENA: Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. (33,000). Mizzou has never played there.

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

TV: Mizzou Sports Network. Brian Neuner, play-by-play/Jon Sundvold, color. Statewide affiliates include: Columbia (KOMU-TV), Joplin (KGCS-TV), Kansas City (Metro Sports), Kansas City (KMCI-TV ? Saturday only), Kirksville (Cable One), Springfield (KBLE-TV 36), St. Joseph (St. Joseph Cablevision), St. Louis (Charter Communications), St. Louis (AT&T Cable).

RANKINGS: MU is receiving a vote in AP poll/Wisconsin is not ranked/Syracuse is ranked #17 in both AP & ESPN/USA Today/Princeton is receiving a vote in AP poll.

SERIES: MU is 4-6 vs. Wisconsin, MU is 1-2 vs. Syracuse, MU is 1-0 vs. Princeton.

COACHES:
Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke ?89), 0-0 at MU (1st season), 0-0 overall (1st season).
Wisconsin: Dick Bennett (Ripon ?65), 69-54 at UW (5th season), 429-243 overall (24th season). He is 0-0 vs. Missouri in his career.
Syracuse: Jim Boeheim (Syracuse ?62), 549-193 at SU (24th season), 549-193 overall (24th season). He is 2-1 vs. Missouri in his career.
Princeton: Bill Carmody (Union ?75), 73-14 at Princeton (4th season), 73-14 overall (4th season). He is 0-0 vs. Missouri in his career.

OFFICIALS: Will be announced prior to tipoff.

TIGERS TIP-OFF QUIN SNYDER ERA AT NABC CLASSIC FRIDAY
The most highly-anticipated debut since sliced bread forged its way into mid-Missouri takes place this Friday, as the Missouri Tigers begin the 1999-2000 season under first-year head coach Quin Snyder. Snyder takes over for MU after serving as an assistant coach at Duke for the past six seasons, including the last two as associate head coach for Mike Krzyzewski?s Blue Devils. He replaces Norm Stewart, who stepped down in April after guiding the Tigers for 32 years.

The Tigers (20-9 last year), face the Wisconsin Badgers (22-10), in the tournament?s first game Friday (6:00 p.m. central). Princeton (22-8) and host Syracuse (21-12) are the nightcap (8:00 p.m. central) Friday. First-evening losers meet for the consolation finals Saturday at 6:00 p.m. (central), while the winners play in the championship game at 8:00 p.m. (central).

MISSOURI TIGERS (0-0)
(Probable Starting Lineup/Just an SID?s best guess)

P	NO	NAME	HT	WT	YR	HOMETOWN	PPG/RPG
F	31	Johnnie Parker**	6-6	221	Jr.	St. Louis, Mo.	5.3 / 3.9
C	33	Tajudeen Soyoye	6-9	236	Jr.	Lagos, Nigeria	? / ?
G	5	Keyon Dooling*	6-3	184	So.	Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.	8.7 / 2.1
G	12	Brian Grawer**	6-0	165	Jr.	St. Louis, Mo.	9.6 / 4.1
G	4	Clarence Gilbert*	6-2	197	So.	Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.	4.2 / 2.3

HAFER INJURY UPDATE
Missouri?s only three-year letterman, senior guard Jeff Hafer, twisted a knee (his own) in practice last week, and as of Tuesday, his status was unknown for the NABC Classic.

Hafer sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in practice last Wednesday, and was held out of MU?s final exhibition game on Sunday vs. Global Sports. He resumed practice with the team this Tuesday on a limited basis, and hopes to be available when Missouri takes on Wisconsin this Friday.

The senior from Joplin, Mo. is hoping to avoid the injury bug which has pestered him in the past. He?s missed 12 games in his career due to a variety of injuries, but was completely healthy entering this season prior to the recent development.

TIGERS IN OPENERS
In 93 previous seasons, Missouri is 75-18 (.807) in season openers. The Tigers have won eight straight season openers, all coming at Columbia. The last time Missouri did not come away with a win in a season lidlifter was in 1990, when the Tigers dropped a 68-60 contest at Rutgers.

You don?t have to go back much farther to find the last time MU opened the season in tournament play. Missouri began the 1989-90 season at the Maui Classic, and strung together consecutive wins over Evansville, Louisville and North Carolina to claim the tourney title.

BEGIN THE BEGIN
When the Missouri Tigers take the court Friday vs. Wisconsin, those in attendance will witness a bit of history, as Quin Snyder coaches his first game at MU.

For you history buffs, Snyder is Missouri?s 15th coach in the program?s history, and is just the 5th different Tiger skipper since 1926.

When Snyder makes his debut on Friday, he?ll be looking to keep alive a pretty impressive streak ? no coach has ever lost in his coaching debut at Missouri. All 14 of Snyder?s predecessors won their maiden voyages for Mizzou, with the last one coming in 1967 when rookie head coach Norm Stewart won at Arkansas on Dec. 2, 1967 by a score of 74-58.

While that fact does seem to be pretty impressive on the surface, please note the level of competition in most of the instances was far from awe-inspiring.

Coach	Year	1st Game
Isadore Anderson	1906-07	W, 65-5 vs. Cent. Methodist
A.M. Ebright	1907-08	W, 42-21 vs. Joplin YMCA
Guy Lowman	1908-09	W, 38-16 vs. Cent. Missouri
Chester Brewer	1910-11	W, 40-22 vs. Iowa St.
O.F. Field	1911-12	W, 26-17 vs. Washburn
Eugene Van Gent	1914-15	W, 29-11 vs. Tarkio
John Miller	1916-17	W, 47-21 vs. Cent. Methodist
Walter Meanwell	1917-18	W, 52-12 vs. Tulsa
Craig Ruby	1920-21	W, 30-11 vs. Iowa St.
George Bond	1922-23	W, 37-18 vs. Texas
George Edwards	1926-27	W, 40-20 vs. NE Missouri
Sparky Stalcup	1946-47	W, 49-41 vs. Drake
Bob Vanatta	1962-63	W, 79-70 at Washington (Mo.)
Norm Stewart	1967-68	W, 74-58 at Arkansas
QUIN SNYDER	1999-00	vs. Wisconsin

THE QUIN-TISENNTIALS
On April 7, 1999, the University of Missouri ushered in an exciting new era, when Quin Snyder was introduced as men?s head basketball coach by Director of Athletics Michael Alden.

Snyder, an assistant coach at Duke University the past four years, is the 15th head basketball coach in Mizzou history, and is just the fifth since 1926. This is his first head coaching opportunity.

Snyder?s mission is to take the Tiger program to the next level. And if that next level represents the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, Snyder will be a repeat visitor. In 10 years at Duke, he took part in five Final Fours ? three as a player (1986, 88, 89) and two more as a coach (1994, 99). For those of you keeping score at home, that?s exactly five more Final Fours than Mizzou has qualified for in its previous 93 years.

Snyder had served as Duke?s associate head coach the past two seasons, and was entrusted with numerous on-court coaching responsibilities, as well as recruiting duties for the Blue Devils by Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski. He was widely credited with recruiting the group of student-athletes (including 1999 national player-of-the-year Elton Brand) at Duke who compiled a 37-2 record last year and finished as NCAA runners-up.

Snyder and his wife, Helen, were married on Sept. 24th of this year. Snyder celebrated his 33rd birthday on Oct. 30th.

FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING COACH SNYDER, PLEASE REFER TO THE 1999-2000 MISSOURI BASKETBALL MEDIA GUIDE.

DOOLING LIGHTING IT UP
If the exhibition season is any indication of things to come, keep an eye on electrifying sophomore guard Keyon Dooling, who was nothing short of spectacular in MU?s two practice contests.

In the two Tiger outings, Dooling ? the runner-up for Big 12 Freshman-of-the-Year honors last season ? averaged 25.0 points, 6.5 assists and 6.5 rebounds, and shot 58.3 percent from the floor. He also hit 4-of-9 three pointers, and was a near-perfect 18-of-19 (94.7%) from the foul line.

On Sunday vs. Global Sports, Dooling had a monster game, with 28 points (on 8-of-10 FGs), eight assists, four rebounds and three steals. He was a perfect 10-of-10 from the foul line, and was a key factor in MU?s pressure defense which forced 30 turnovers by Global Sports.

In MU?s first game, vs. the California All-Stars, Dooling led the way with 22 points, and added nine rebounds and five assists.

As the primary point guard in MU?s three-pronged guard attack, Dooling seems primed to have a big year in Quin Snyder?s system, which features an up-tempo style of play along with a pressure defense designed to create offensive opportunities.

Last year as a freshman, Dooling averaged 8.7 points and 3.0 assists in 28 games for the Tigers. He averaged 10.7 points a game in Big 12 play, and had a seven-game stretch in which he averaged 16.0 points, 4.3 assists and shot 54.9% from the floor.

SERIES BRIEFS
Missouri is 4-6 vs. Wisconsin ... 1-2 vs. Syracuse ... 1-0 vs. Princeton.

The last time MU met Wisconsin was in the West Regional of the 1994 NCAA Tournament, when the Tigers came away with a second-round 109-96 win in Ogden, Utah.

Ironically, that win set up MU?s Sweet 16 matchup against another NABC participant ? Syracuse. Missouri claimed a 98-88 overtime win in Los Angeles against Jim Boeheim?s squad, on its way to an appearance in the Elite Eight. Syracuse and Missouri have butted heads one other time in the NCAA Tournament, with the Orangemen winning an 83-80 decision in Minneapolis in 1989.

Missouri and Princeton have met only once before, with MU winning an 83-71 decision in Kansas City in 1957.

DIALING LONG DISTANCE
With the likes of long-range gunners Brian Grawer, Clarence Gilbert and Keyon Dooling, look for the Tigers to be a strong perimeter team in 1999-2000.

Quin Snyder?s crew showed it has the ability to score from long distance in Mizzou?s two exhibition games, as the Tigers his 21-of-59 three pointers (35.6%).

MU was off a bit in its first outing, vs. the California All-Stars, as the Tigers connected on just 6-of-28 from three-point range (21.4%). But things fell nicely in the exhibition closer vs. Global Sports, as Mizzou nailed 15-of-31 three pointers (48.4%).

The 15 made treys would have tied a school record (accomplished twice before), but exhibition games don?t count toward the record books.

The MU record for made treys is 15 (2-2-97 vs. Wake Forest & 2-28-98 vs.Kansas State), while the most attempts in a game is 36 (2-28-98 vs. Kansas State).

Season records to keep an eye on include 214 three-pointers made and 580 treys attempted, both by the 1997-98 squad.

Last year, Missouri made 38.0 percent of its three point attempts (180-of-474), and averaged 6.2 made threes per game and 16.4 attempts per game.

Individually, Brian Grawer was third in the NCAA last year in three point accuracy, as he nailed 64-of-129 attempts from beyond the arch, good for a 49.6% success rate. Included in that total was a perfect 6-of-6 performance at home against Iowa State, which set a single-game accuracy record for the Tigers.

A GUARD-ED VIEWPOINT
Take a look at MU?s roster for the 1999-2000 season, and you?d think the Tigers could do well in a 6-foot-6 and under league. That?s because only two Tigers on the roster stand taller than 6-foot-9.

The lack of size means that Tiger guards will play a heavy role in determining success this season.

Quin Snyder has started three guards in each of MU?s two exhibition games, and will likely deploy a three-guard attack for much of the season. And the results from the Tigers two preseason games shows that the guard-heavy lineup can be quite effective.

MU?s starting guard trio of Keyon Dooling, Brian Grawer and Clarence Gilbert scored 50.5% of MU?s points in the two exhibition contests, as they combined for 95 points.

Additionally, they added 26 combined assists to just seven turnovers ? nearly a four-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio.

YOU CAN CALL ME T.J.
Missouri?s Nigerian Nightmare, Tajudeen Soyoye, looks to create havoc in the middle, and by his play in the pre-season, he stands a good chance of doing just that this season.

Soyoye (soy-OY-ay), who goes by T.J., to the joy of all broadcasters, averaged 13.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in MU?s two exhibition games. He had 15 points and 10 rebounds against the California All-Stars, and added 12 points and eight rebounds vs. Global Sports.

One look at the Lagos, Nigeria native, and its evident that he?s a physical specimen. Standing 6-foot-9 and weighing 236 pounds, Soyoye tested out in pre-season testing as the Tigers? strongest man (bench pressing 340 pounds) and also incredibly the fastest on the team (he ran an electronically-timed 4.32 40-yard dash). He also has just four percent body fat, an amount of which most SIDs and sports writers contain in one leg. Tiger strength and conditioning coach Bob Jones calls Soyoye the most impressive physical talent he?s worked with in his 12 years at MU.

Soyoye has been playing the game of basketball for only seven years, and he?s continuing to develop his skills. He spent his first two years in America at Meridian (Miss.) Community College, where he was named a first-team JUCO all-American last year. He helped lead Meridian to a fifth-place finish at last year?s NJCAA Tournament.

A SCHEDULING ODDITY
While recent rumours of Missouri moving to the Big Ten Conference are exaggerated, you wouldn?t know it, when taking a look at the Tigers? schedule in 1999-2000.

Missouri plays four Big Ten teams this season, beginning with Friday?s contest against Wisconsin. Other Big Ten foes on the slate include Indiana (Dec. 7 in Columbia), Iowa (Dec. 18 in Columbia) and Illinois (Dec. 21 in St. Louis).

That?s the most Big Ten schools Missouri has faced in 45 years, since the 1954-55 squad played, ironically, the exact same four schools.

THE TIES THAT BIND
Missouri shares ties with each of the schools competing in the NABC Classic this year ? some direct, and some are a bit of a stretch...

Former Tiger coach Walter Meanwell guided MU to a record of 34-2 in two seasons (1917-18 and 1919-20), and led MU to its first-ever conference title. Meanwell later became an icon at Wisconsin, where he coached the Badgers to eight Big Ten titles and the second-most wins in school history. He was a 1959 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.

Former Tiger coach Guy Loman also coached at Wisconsin. He was at MU for two seasons (1908-09 through 1909-10), and went 19-15, before heading to Madison, where he went 34-19 in three seasons (1917-18 through 1919-20).

Current Tiger Johnnie Parker was heavily recruited by Syracuse, but chose his homestate school over the Orangemen.

This one?s a bit of a stretch, but former Princeton all-American and current U.S. Presidential candidate Bill Bradley is a native of the state of Missouri. Bradley grew up in Crystal City, Mo., located just south of St. Louis.

Now for the real stretch, but we?d be remiss if we didn?t give him his ?props.? Doug Gillin, who is in his first year working with Syracuse Sports Properties, spent the previous four years with MU Marketing and Mizzou Sports Properties. He also served as the social chair for the athletic department, and is the president emeritus of VT Investments, a fledgling Columbia investment club which isn?t doing too badly.

Tiger Quick Notes
An impressive handful of visitors have come calling in the past few weeks to check out Quin Snyder and his Tigers. Two weeks ago, Doug Collins, current NBA analyst for NBC Sports, and a former NBA head coach and all-star player, visited Tiger camp. He saw the Tigers three days during his visit, and addressed the Tiger team following one practice.

Also paying a visit to Columbia a few weeks ago was former Duke and Vanderbilt standout Billy McCaffrey. He saw practices on Monday and Tuesday before heading out of town.

Earlier this summer, current Detroit Pistons Head Coach Alvin Gentry paid a visit to Columbia. Gentry coached with MU associate head coach John Hammond at Detroit

SERIES HISTORIES vs. WISCONSIN
(Badgers lead, 6-4)

12-22-30	L, 37-9	at Madison, WI
12-31-37	L, 40-29	at Madison, WI
12-30-44	L, 52-37	at Milwaukee, WI
12- 9-48	L, 58-42	at Madison, WI
12-20-49	W, 50-48	at Columbia, MO
12-12-53	L, 64-53	at Madison, WI
12-13-54	W, 67-56	at Columbia, MO
12-15-58	L, 68-60	at Madison, WI
12-14-59	W, 78-66	at Columbia, MO
3-19-94	W, 109-96	at Ogden, UT*

* NCAA West Region

SYRACUSE
(Orangemen lead, 2-1)

11-25-88	L, 84-86 OT	at New York*
3-23-89	L, 80-83	at Minneapolis#
3-24-94	W, 98-88 OT	at Los Angeles+

* Big Apple NIT (pre-season)
# NCAA Midwest Region
+ NCAA West Region

PRINCETON (MU Tigers lead, 1-0)

12-28-57

W, 83-71

at Kansas City*

* Big Seven Tournament

MU MILESTONES

• Jeff Hafer needs 1 point to reach 500 for his career
• Jeff Hafer needs 3 rebounds to reach 300 for his career
• Brian Grawer needs 16 three-point field goals to move into 8th place on the MU career three-point field goal chart
• A win for Head Coach Quin Snyder will be his first career win at Missouri