Nov. 20, 1999
TIPOFF: 1:00 p.m. (central)
ARENA: Hearnes Center (13,300).
RADIO: Tiger Network (Mike Kelly, play-by-play/Gary Link, color). Carried on more than 50 stations statewide, and on the Internet at www.gamecruiser.com
TV: None.
RANKINGS: Neither team is currently ranked.
SERIES: MU leads, 1-0. The only previous meeting was an 85-64 MU win in Columbia on Nov. 16, 1997.
COACHES:
Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke ?89), 2-1 at MU (1st season), 2-1 overall (1st season).
WCU: Phil Hopkins (Gardner-Webb ?72), 51-63 at WCU (5th season), 51-63 overall (5th season). Hopkins is 0-1 vs. Missouri.
OFFICIALS: Will be announced prior to tipoff.
TIGERS HOST CATAMOUNTS ON SUNDAY
The Missouri Tigers (2-1 overall) will play their second game in three days when they play host to the Western Carolina Catamounts (0-1) Sunday afternoon at the Hearnes Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
The Tigers are looking for their third straight win, and are coming off a 75-69 home-opening win against UNC-Asheville on Friday. Freshman Kareem Rush led MU with a career-high 16 points, and Keyon Dooling scored all 15 of his points in the second half to help fuel a Tiger comeback from a 10-point first half deficit.
Western Carolina will be playing its second game in the state of Missouri in three days, as they?re coming off a 93-69 loss at Southeast Missouri State on Friday.
MISSOURI TIGERS (2-1)
(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. | 8.0 / 5.7 |
| C | 33 | Tajudeen Soyoye | 6-9 | 236 | Jr. | Lagos, Nigeria | 7.0 / 7.3 |
| G | 5 | Keyon Dooling* | 6-3 | 184 | So. | Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. | 18.7 / 1.7 |
| G | 12 | Brian Grawer** | 6-0 | 165 | Jr. | St. Louis, Mo. | 5.0 / 3.7 |
| G | 4 | Clarence Gilbert* | 6-2 | 197 | So. | Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. | 8.7 / 1.3 |
WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS (0-1)
(Probable Starting Lineup/Just an SID?s best guess)
| P | NO | NAME | HT | WT | YR | HOMETOWN | PPG/RPG |
| F | 33 | Corey Largent* | 6-6 | 200 | So. | Morganton, N.C. | 8.0 / 3.0 |
| F | 41 | Dondrell Whitmore*** | 6-6 | 200 | Sr. | Fayetteville, N.C. | 11.0 / 5.0 |
| F | 44 | Leon Davis* | 6-6 | 200 | Sr. | West Helena, Ark. | 13.0 / 4.0 |
| G | 12 | Casey Rogers* | 6-0 | 170 | So. | Morganton, N.C. | 2.0 / 5.0 |
| G | 23 | Ricky Gandy | 6-4 | 175 | Jr. | Augusta, Ga. | 14.0 / 3.0 |
THE QUIN-TISENNTIALS
The 15th head coach in Missouri basketball history, Quin Snyder is 2-1 in his first season as a head coach. He notched his first career win Nov. 13th vs. Princeton, when the Tigers grabbed a 51-48 victory in the NABC Classic in Syracuse, N.Y.
An exciting new era began at Missouri this past April, when 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 just the fifth diferent head coach at Missouri since 1926.
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.
GET THE LID OFF THAT BASKET
Through three games this year, the baskets for the Missouri Tigers have been more snug than a Taco Bell drive-thru window in Lawrence, Kan. If you don?t get the reference, we?re saying that the Tigers have struggled with their shooting thus far.
Missouri won on Friday vs. UNC-Asheville, despite shooting just 38.9 percent from the floor. That represented a season-high success rate for MU, however, as they shot 34.7% in a loss to Wisconsin, and just 29.4% in a win over Princeton.
MU is now shooting 34.4% from the floor for the season, and haven?t been able to hold the opposition down much, as Tiger foes are connecting at a 49.6% field goal rate.
Perhaps most perplexing thus far has been the struggles of junior sharpshooter Brian Grawer. The long-range marksman, who was third in the NCAA last season in three-point shooting percentage (49.6%), is just 2-of-14 so far (14.3%) beyond the stripe. He went 0-of-7 from the floor Friday vs. UNCA, including 0-of-5 from three-point range. That broke a string of 18 consecutive games in which the St. Louis, Mo. native had hit a three-point field goal.
PRESSURING THE BALL
Quin Snyder?s Tigers are forcing an average of 16.0 turnovers per game, and the ability to get the ball back proved quite huge in MU?s 75-69 win over UNC-Asheville on Friday.
Missouri trailed UNCA by as many as 10 points in the first half, but the Tigers staged a comeback, largely due to forcing 25 Bulldog turnovers on the evening, while committing only 9 themselves (including just 2 in the second half). MU nabbed a season-high 13 steals on the evening.
Missouri took advantage of the Bulldog miscues to the tune of a 31-6 margin in points off turnovers.
FREEBIES GO A.W.O.L.
Missouri opened the season by hitting 24-of-29 free throws (82.8%) in its first two games, offsetting the Tigers? shooting troubles from the floor.
But on Friday vs. UNCA, while the Tigers still had trouble finding the mark offensively, the foul line also proved to be a bit of a problem for MU.
Mizzou got to the line 41 times vs. the Catamounts, but could manage only 26 makes (63.4%), which kept the Tigers from breaking the game open late.
MU-WESTERN CAROLINA SERIES
HISTORY
There?s not much of a rivalry between the Tigers and Catamounts, as they?ve met only once previously. That meeting took place on Nov. 16, 1997, and resulted in an 85-64 win for Missouri.
Four current Tigers played in that matchup two seasons ago. Jeff Hafer scored 13 points and added 6 rebounds and 4 assists in what was MU?s season opener for the 1997-98 campaign.
Brian Grawer scored 3 points and added 3 assists, while Johnnie Parker had 5 points and 4 rebounds. Steve Weaver also saw action in the game, but did not score.
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 three games, as they have connected on 25 treys thus far. The Tigers made nine treys each vs. Wisconsin and Princeton.
The MU record for made treys in a game 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. Through three games, the Tigers are on pace to make 241 three pointers in 733 attempts.
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.
MU?S KEY: KEYON DOOLING
If the early season is any indication of things to come, keep an eye on electrifying sophomore guard Keyon Dooling, who clearly is the key to MU?s fortunes.
Dooling helped fuel a Tiger comeback on Friday vs. UNCA, as he scored all 15 of his points in the second half, erasing a 10-point Bulldog lead. Dooling was held scoreless in the first half, as he could play only 9 minutes due to foul trouble.
Dooling led Missouri to victory against Princeton on Nov. 13th, as he scored 25 of MU?s 51 points on the night (that?s 49.0 percent of the team?s scoring). The 25 points was a career high for the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native.
Dooling entered the season determined to be more of a scoring threat from the outside this season, and early on, he?s showing he can get it done. He hit 5-of-6 three pointers against Princeton, both totals marking personal bests. He?s hit 7-of-14 threes to open the season (journalism majors, that?s good for 50%), and now in three games has one less three pointer than all of last season, when he hit 8-of-28 threes (28.6%) in 28 games.
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.
A RUSH TO JUDGMENT
No, it?s not a cheesy made-for-TV movie about O.J. Simpson or Monica Lewinsky, althought we?d like to see one that combines the two!
We?re talking about Tiger freshman forward Kareem Rush, who has been pretty impressive thus far.
In MU?s three games, Rush is averaging 9.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Not eye-popping numbers, exactly, but he has definitely been a key for Quin Snyder?s Tigers.
Rush is coming off a career-high 16 point outing on Friday vs. UNCA. He hit 3 three-pointers on the night, and helped keep the Tigers in a game in which they trailed by 10 points at one point.
In MU?s win against Princeton, Rush gave Quin Snyder 31 key minutes. He managed just five points (on 1-of-8 shooting), but came up huge on the boards, as he grabbed a game-high 10 caroms, including the game-saving rebound after Princeton?s last-second attempt was no good. He also added two assists and a blocked shot on the night.
Against Wisconsin, he came off the bench to contribute eight points in 16 minutes of play.
OH, TO BE YOUNG AGAIN
Okay, senior forward Jeff Hafer, at 22 years old, isn?t exactly an old-timer. But, with all the bumps and bruises he?s sustained in his Tiger career, it was good to see the Joplin native flying all over the floor like he was a freshman again, on Friday night.
Hafer came off the bench Friday and helped guide MU to its comeback win vs. UNCA. He scored 10 points (the first of his senior season), and added 4 steals, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 21 minutes of play.
He made a key play late in the game Friday that helped seal MU?s win. With 3:09 left in the game, and MU clinging to a 67-62 lead, Hafer made a steal, and raced down the court for a crowd-pleasing slam while getting fouled. His free throw capped a three-point play which gave MU 70-62 lead, the Tigers? biggest of the night.
TIGERS SIGN THREE PREP BLUE-
CHIPPERS DURING EARLY PERIOD
MU Head Coach Quin Snyder has signed three high school standouts in what is quickly becoming one of the nation?s top recruiting classes.
During the early signing period, which ran from Nov. 10-17, Snyder inked prep stars Rickey Paulding, Arthur Johnson and Wesley Stokes to national letters of intent.
Paulding and Johnson hail from Detroit, Mich., while Stokes is from Long Beach, Calif.
Here?s a look at each of them:
RICKEY PAULDING
Paulding, a 6-foot-5 guard from Detroit Renaissance High School, is considered one of the nation?s top 30 prep prospects, and has been selected to the pre-season all-American team by Street & Smith Magazine . He averaged 25.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots per game last season at Renaissance High, and was selected to Michigan?s all-state team in 1999. His point total led the extremely competitive Detroit Public School League last year. In addition to his success on the court, Paulding has enjoyed much success in the classroom as well, having fully met NCAA standards, and boasting an exceptional academic record at one of the countries? top academic high schools.
Paulding selected Missouri over Michigan State, Ohio State and Miami, Fla.
ARTHUR JOHNSON
Johnson, a 6-foot-9 power forward from Detroit Pershing High School, is considered a top 30 national prospect by many recruiting services. He?s one of the top big men in the country, and is coming off a season in which he averaged 16 points and 13 rebounds per game as a junior. He led his Pershing team to a top-five ranking in the state last year, and earned all-state honors for his efforts.
Johnson selected Missouri over Miami, Fla., Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State. His high school coach is Arnold Neville.
WESLEY STOKES
Stokes, a 5-foot-10 point guard out of Long Beach Poly, is considered the top-rated point guard prospect in the West, and is a top-50 national recruit. Stokes averaged 16 points, eight assists and four steals per game last year as a junior, and garnered much attention after some superb play in various summer all-star camps.
Stokes selected Missouri over Southern California, San Diego State, Texas and Massachusetts. His high school coach is Ron Palmer, who directed Long Beach Poly to a 24-7 record last season, and the quarterfinals of the Southern California Regionals. They are a pre-season favorite to win the Southern Section Division I-AA championship, which would be their second in the past four years.
?We?re obviously very excited to have such good kids want to join our program,? said Quin Snyder. ?We get better with all three of them, in different ways.?
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 previous games, and will likely deploy a three-guard attack for much of the season. And the results from the Tigers two early 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 62.3% of MU?s points in the two contests, as they combined for 66 points.
TIGER QUICK NOTES
Sophomore forward Matt Rowan has left the University of Missouri men?s basketball team, and will transfer from MU at the following of the fall semester, as announced today by Head Coach Quin Snyder.
Rowan, a Liberty, Mo. native, did not play in either of Missouri?s games at last week?s NABC Classic in Syracuse, N.Y. The 6-foot-7 forward saw limited action last season as a freshman, averaging 0.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 17 games. He averaged 4.9 minutes played in those contests.
Rowan will remain on scholarship through the end of the fall semester, after which time he will be released from his commitment. By releasing him at the end of the semester, Rowan will be allowed to pursue a number of options. He will be eligible to play immediately at any Division II school, and would have to sit out until the end of the first semester of the 2000-2001 season if he was to choose another Division I program.
?We wish Matt the very best, and we?ll do whatever we can to help him with his future plans,? said Coach Snyder. ?He?s made a personal decision that he wants to be in a program where he?ll be able to make more of a contribution, and we certainly understand and respect his decision.?
A quick check of the MU record book shows that Missouri had never before won a game when shooting worse than 30.0%. The Tigers managed a 51-48 win over Princeton on Nov. 13th despite shooting just 29.4%. The previous low shooting night during a Tiger win was back on Feb. 8, 1995, when MU shot just 30.0%, but beat Iowa State, 59-56 in Columbia.
The first point scored in the Quin Snyder era came on a free throw from T.J. Soyoye. Johnnie Parker Hit the first field goal (a three-pointer), got the first steal and blocked shot. Soyoye grabbed the first rebound, and Jeff Hafer was the first sub. Keyon Dooling clinched the first win for Snyder with a pair of free throws late in the game vs. Princeton.
An impressive handful of visitors have come calling in the early season to check out Quin Snyder and his Tigers. Three 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
TIGER FACT-OF-THE-GAME
MU was out-rebounded by UNCA Friday, 41-26, but the Tigers were able to win largely due to the fact that they forced 25 Bulldog turnovers, compared to just 9 for MU. Points off turnovers for the game were 31-6 in favor of the Tigers.
MU MILESTONES
? Keyon Dooling needs 1 point to reach 300 for his career
? Brian Grawer needs 14 three-point field goals to move into 8th place on the MU career three-point field goal chart
? Brian Grawer needs 25 points to reach 500 for his career.
? Johnnie Parker needs 14 points to reach 300 for his career, and needs 6 rebounds to reach 200.