Tigers Set for 1998-99 Campaign
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
October 13, 1998
The Missouri Tigers made steps in the right direction during the 1997-98 season: despite a grueling schedule, MU finished 17-15, returned to post-season play after a one-year hiatus, and finished fifth in the Big 12 Conference (after placing 10th the previous year).
With a solid group of returnees and one of the nation's best recruiting classes in the fold, veteran Head Coach Norm Stewart has his Tigers poised to make even bigger strides in the upcoming 1998-99 season -- potential strides that have Tiger fans dreaming of a conference title and NCAA Tournament berth.
While Stewart, who will enter his 32nd year at MU (38th overall) doesn't want to speculate too much on his team's chances, he does recognize its potential.
"We just want to field a competitive ballclub that's fundamentally sound," Stewart said. "That's the primary focus. If we're able to do that, there's enough talent on the roster to be able to do some nice things," he said.
Stewart enters the season with 711 career victories, which ranks him third among active Division I coaches, and eighth alltime in NCAA Division I history. He needs 14 more to move up a spot on the list -- DePaul legend Ray Meyer is currently seventh, with 724 wins. The 1997-98 season saw Stewart notch two noteworthy milestones. In early December, he earned his 600th win as head coach of Missouri, when MU defeated Oral Roberts, 85-67. Less than two weeks later, he became only the eighth man in NCAA Division I history to reach 700 wins, when MU won the annual Busch Braggin' Rights Game against rival Illinois in St. Louis, 75-69.
Stewart will have a considerable amount of talent to work with this season, but a look at the Tiger roster shows that it will be a young squad, one that will need to find its way quickly. On the 11-man roster, there are only four scholarship players who are upperclassmen (juniors or seniors). And only senior Monte Hardge and junior Jeff Hafer have played more than one year in the Tiger system.
"We're certainly a bottom-heavy squad, in terms of experience" said Stewart. "We'll probably have to keep things simple at first to get everyone on the same page. Again, focus on the fundamentals of defense and rebounding, and everything else will fall into place," he said.
Here's a look at what Stewart and his staff will have to work with for the upcoming season:
THE NUCLEUS
Lost to graduation are MU's top two scorers from last season in
Kelly Thames (14.8 ppg) and Tyron Lee (11.6 ppg), but seven lettermen return
from the '97-'98 squad, and they carry plenty of firepower with them.
Leading the way offensively will be senior long-range bomber JOHN WOODS, who came to MU last season as a junior-college transfer, and ended up as the Tigers' third-leading scorer, at 11.4 points a game. Woods was named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer team last year, and was one of the league's best three-point shooters -- he ranked seventh in the conference with his 38.6 success rate. Woods closed the season with a career-high 29 points against Alabama-Birmingham, and hit an MU-record eight treys (on 15 attempts) in the game. His ability to score in flurries and from all over will prove valuable to the Tiger fortunes in the upcoming year.
Mizzou's only other senior is one you can't miss -- center MONTE HARDGE, an imposing 6-foot-11, 335-pound physical specimen. Hardge had a break-through season as a junior, averaging 7.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game (he entered the year with career averages of 2.4 and 2.2, respectively). He steadily became one of the Big 12's most influential big men throughout the year, both offensively and defensively, and was named to the league's All-Improved team by the Associated Press. His development last season gave MU an inside presence that the Tigers had lacked for several years, and if he continues to improve at that rate, MU foes will want to steer clear from him in 1998-99.
Junior forward ALBERT WHITE gives Missouri a marquee player with enough pure talent to be one of the country's best small forwards, if he can stay healthy. White made quite an impact last year -- his first at MU -- as he averaged 10.9 points per game in 20 appearances. White showed his potential when he helped lead the Tigers to huge victories over #3 Kansas and eventual Big Ten champion Illinois, scoring 23 points vs. the Jayhawks, and adding 16 against the Illini, in only his second game as a Tiger. Unfortunately, his sophomore season was limited due to a pair of gimpy ankles that kept him out of four games, and restricted his play when he was on the floor. He enters the 1998-99 season healthy, however, after off-season surgery to clean up both ankles.
Expect junior guard JEFF HAFER to figure prominently in the mix. The 6-foot-5 Joplin, Mo., native is one of the most exciting players in the Big 12 Conference, with his acrobatic leaping ability and hard-nosed hustling style of play. After battling the injury bug as a freshman, Hafer stayed healthy last season, and started 24 of 31 games, averaging 5.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest. With another year under his belt in the Tiger system, look for his output to increase. Hafer was selected to the Big 12's all-star team which which toured Europe in August. He averaged 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds a game, as the Big 12 team went 4-2 against foreign teams.
Returning for his second stint in a Tiger jersey is sophomore guard BRIAN GRAWER. Grawer was one of the Big 12's top freshmen last season, as he started 17 games at the point, and averaged 5.9 points and 2.6 assists per contest. When the reigns were handed over to him midway through the season, Grawer showed he could efficiently run the Tiger offense -- he had a solid 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (48 assists/24 turnovers) in his last 14 starts. He also gave a nice scoring punch from the point guard spot, as he scored in double figures seven times. Deadly from behind the three-point line, Grawer was one of the Big 12's most accurate long-range bombers, connecting at a 45.6 percent rate.
Sophomore guard/forward JOHNNIE PARKER hopes to have a breakthrough year in 1999. Parker's numbers weren't huge in his first year as a Tiger, with averages of 3.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. But the 6-foot-6 slasher showed the potential to be a solid player for years to come when he contributed back-to-back 10-point games in big wins over Illinois and 20th-ranked Maryland. He gives MU a good perimeter touch, with the ability to penetrate and finish.
Junior guard MARK WAMPLER walked on to the Tiger squad last year, and gave valuable contributions. The Savannah, Mo. native toiled hard every day in practice, and got a few chances to contribute in game conditions. He saw the court in nine games (including a starting assignment against Texas in a nationally-televised ESPN Big Monday game) and scored four points.
THE NEWCOMERS
Stewart and his coaching staff worked the recruiting trails to no
end, and their efforts were rewarded with what was considered by many to be
one of the nation's most talented classes. Virtually every recruiting
service has it ranked among the nation's top five groups. It's, of course,
unknown just how much of an impact they'll make immediately, but there is
undoubtedly enough talent there to keep Tiger fans smiling for many years.
Leading the way is Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., native KEYON DOOLING. A third-team Parade All-American, Dooling averaged 22 points a game at Dillard High School as a senior, and was named the Florida class 6A Player-of-the-Year. Dooling is a fluid, smooth creator on the court who is an excellent ball-handler, passer and leaper who could challenge immediately for playing time. Over the summer, he earned one of 12 spots on the 1998 USA Basketball Junior World Championship Qualifying Tournament team. He started all six games for the United States, and helped lead his team to a perfect 6-0 record and the gold medal, averaging 7.8 points a game and adding 14 assists (to only five turnovers). Dooling was tabbed as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year by one pre-season magazine.
Joining Dooling will be his backcourt teammate and long-time friend CLARENCE GILBERT, also from Dillard High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Gilbert teamed with Dooling to help lead the Panthers to the state semifinals in 1998. Gilbert averaged over 25 points a game, and possesses an "in-the-gym" shooting range and excellent leaping ability. He was the state's 6A player of the year as a junior, preceding Dooling, who won in 1998. Gilbert brings excellent leaping ability and the ability to play tenacious defense to the mix.
Bolstering MU's inside presence will be 7-foot center PAT SCHUMACHER, from Hazelwood Central in St. Louis, Mo. Schumacher was a third-team all-metro pick by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch after averaging 11.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game as a senior. He'll look to bulk up and improve his game serving as an understudy to Tiger big man Monte Hardge. And as one of only two Tigers over 6-foot-6 inches on the roster, he's bound to get his chances to contribute.
Rounding out the class is banger MATT ROWAN, from Liberty, Mo. Rowan was an integral part of a Liberty team which went undefeated last year and won the Missouri 4A state championship. He averaged 11.6 points and 8.5 rebounds as a senior, helping lead his school to a perfect 31-0 record. A muscular 6-foot-7, 230 pounds, Rowan will look to lend help at the four spot.
"We feel this class is outstanding," said Stewart. "With this class, we've addressed positions we needed to fill, and it also combines and fits very well with last year's group," he said.
THE SCHEDULE
A year after playing what was ranked among the nation's 15 toughest
schedules, this year's young Tiger squad will again have to prove itself
against a challenging group of foes.
Missouri will face a minimum of eight teams which went to post-season play last year, and will be tested early in the Chase NIT. MU will host in-state foe Southwest Missouri State in the first round, and, if they advance, could face 1998 Final Four participant Stanford in the second round.
In addition to the rugged Big 12 Conference, Missouri will face exciting non-league matchups at Iowa, at Southern Methodist and versus Illinois in the annual Busch Braggin' Right Game, played in St. Louis, Mo.
Lettermen Returning (7): Brian Grawer, Jeff Hafer, Monte Hardge, Johnnie Parker, Mark Wampler, Albert White, John Woods
Lettermen Lost (3): Tyron Lee, Dibi Ray, Kelly Thames
Starters Returning (3): G Jeff Hafer, G John Woods, C Monte Hardge
Seniors (2): Monte Hardge, John Woods
Juniors (3): Jeff Hafer, Mark Wampler, Albert White
Sophomores (2): Brian Grawer, Johnnie Parker
Freshmen (4): Keyon Dooling, Clarence Gilbert, Matt Rowan, Pat Schumacher
Tallest Player: Pat Schumacher, 7-0
Shortest Player: Brian Grawer, 6-0
Average Tiger's Height: 6-foot-5
Heaviest Player: Monte Hardge, 335
Lightest Player: Brian Grawer, 166
Average Tiger's Weight: 219 lbs.
Oldest Player: Monte Hardge, born Dec. 31, 1975
Youngest Player: Keyon Dooling, born May 8, 1980
Florida (2) - Keyon Dooling, Clarence Gilbert
Michigan (1) - Albert White
Missouri (7) - Brian Grawer, Jeff Hafer, Monte Hardge, Johnnie Parker, Matt
Rowan, Pat Schumacher, Mark Wampler
Texas (1) - John Woods
PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
Keyon KEE-on
Grawer rhymes with "hour"
Hafer HAY-fer
Rowan ROE-un
Schumacher SHOE-mock-er
· To illustrate just how much Head Coach Norm Stewart means to Missouri basketball, consider this fact ... In 31 years at Mizzou, Stewart has won 614 games entering the 1998-99 season (711 in 37 seasons overall). The University of Missouri had won just 630 games in 61 seasons (from 1907 to 1967), prior to Stewart taking over the reigns.
· Missouri will be making its second appearance in the Chase NIT, when the Tigers play first-round host to Southwest Missouri State, on Nov. 18. The last time the Tigers appeared in the pre-season tournament was ten years ago (1988-89), when Missouri also hosted SMSU in the first round (and also on Nov. 18). The Tigers defeated the Bears, as well as Xavier and North Carolina, and eventually just missed out on the tourney title, falling to Syracuse, 86-84 in overtime.
· Missouri has played before 127-consecutive regular-season sellout crowds at the Hearnes Center. With 16 home dates on the schedule in 1998-99, look for the Tigers to up that streak to 143. The 100th in the streak came during the 1996-97 season, against Southeast Missouri State.
· Missouri had never won 20 games in a season before 1971-72. Since then, not only have the Tigers won 20-or-more games 16 times, they've averaged 21 victories for the last 27 seasons. Missouri has averaged 22 wins over the last nine campaigns, including a school-best 29 wins during the 1988-89 season.
· Missouri and SMU could meet twice this season, if both teams win their respective first-round Chase NIT games. MU hosts Southwest Missouri State, and SMU plays at Stanford, both on Nov. 18th. If the two win, they'll play on Nov. 20th, either in Columbia or Dallas. Missouri is already scheduled to play at SMU in a non-conference game on Dec. 12th.
