Men's Basketball Summer Preview
7/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
July 21, 1999
Columbia, Mo. - The theme for the University of Missouri athletic department in the 1999-2000 season promises, "It's a Great Time to be a Tiger."
And perhaps with no other program does that mantra fit more appropriately than the Tiger mens basketball team. With a new head coach taking over, a talented nucleus returning and an exciting trio of newcomers joining the ranks, it should truly be a great time to follow Mizzou.
The enthusiasm begins with changes at the top, as QUIN SNYDER takes over as head coach. He replaces Norm Stewart, who stepped down in April, after 32 years on the job for MU. Snyder will be embarking on his first foray into head coaching, but his resume sparkles with past success that includes reaching five Final Fours as a player and coach for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke.
Snyder's philosophies of an up-tempo game and a full-court style of play has the Tiger players and fans alike eagerly anticipating the upcoming season. The current bunch of Tiger players seems to be a good fit for success in the new system.
So, with all the excitement being a given, what should be in store for the '99-'00 Tigers? Here's a brief rundown of the team's apparent strengths and weaknesses:
Speed/Quickness -- From top to bottom, this squad appears to be well-suited to excel in an up-and-down style of play. The team speed starts with guards Keyon Dooling and Clarence Gilbert, and even the biggest man on the team -- 6-foot-11 Pat Schumacher -- can run the floor well.
Athleticism/Versatility -- Along the same lines as speed, Snyder's first Tiger outfit is pretty athletic and versatile -- everyone on the roster save for Schumacher can play two or three positions. It's a team that should be able to score and get after opponents with pressure defense.
Guard Play -- Missouri should have arguably the best and deepest backcourt in the Big 12, and one of the nation's top units, with the likes of Keyon Dooling, Brian Grawer, Clarence Gilbert and Josh Kroenke patrolling the perimeter.
Chemistry -- The current group of Tigers is a close bunch, and one that should play well together and play hard for eachother and their coaches. The team expressed an eagerness to get the season started when Snyder was hired in April.
But, alas, this group of Tigers will certainly be far from perfect. Here's a brief look at what areas MU could have a tough time with this season:
Youth/Inexperience -- Snyder will go to battle with a team that has only three scholarship players on the roster who've had more than one year of Division I experience. Forward Jeff Hafer is the only senior scholarship player on the team.
Size -- Size, or more specifically, a lack thereof, could give MU fits against big, strong and physical opponents. Only two players on the roster stand at 6-foot-9 or taller. The obvious areas of concern include rebounding and an ability to score inside consistently.
Adjustment -- While the new system to be installed by Snyder should prove to be a good fit for the current personnel, any change of that sort will require an adjustment period. Just how quickly the kinks get worked out will go a long way towards determining MU's success.
Add to the equation one of the nation's toughest non-conference schedules (MU is slated to play the likes of Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Syracuse/or Princeton, and St. Louis, to name a few), and Tiger fans should have many reasons to get excited as they enter the new millenium.
THE VETERANS
A GUARD-ed viewpoint
Whatever the expectations, there's no doubting that the strength of Snyder's first Tiger club will be his backcourt. Missouri boasts arguably the best set of guards in the Big 12 Conference -- and one of the top groups in the nation -- in sophomore KEYON DOOLING, junior BRIAN GRAWER and sophomore CLARENCE GILBERT.
Dooling came into the Tiger program last year with much fanfare, and after going through the typical freshman adjustments, he didn't disappoint. The Florida native averaged 8.7 points and 3.1 assists per game, and it was a late-season injury which kept him from earning conference freshman of the year honors. He electrified Tiger fans during a seven game stretch (Jan. 24 through Feb. 13) when he averaged 16.0 points and 4.3 assists per game, and shot 54.9% from the floor. In that stretch, he notched consecutive 20-point games, with 22 against Baylor and 21 versus Texas Tech. A lightning-quick ball handler with highlight reel finishing ability, Dooling should emerge as a leader in Snyder's up-tempo style of play.
Grawer might not possess the flash of his backcourt mate, but what he does bring to the table is one of the nation's deadliest long-range shooting eyes. The St. Louis, Mo. native ranked third in the NCAA last year in three-point shooting, with a solid 49.6 percent mark. Included in that total was a school-record 6-of-6 effort from beyond the arch against Iowa State, when he scored a career-high 27 points. Grawer is MU's leading returning scorer and rebounder (although he stands just 6'0" tall) from last year, as he turned in averages of 9.6 and 4.1, respectively.
Yet another weapon in MU's three-pronged guard attack is Gilbert, who gives the Tigers an exciting combination of speed and quickness and scoring ability. He averaged 4.2 points per game as a freshman, but look for those numbers to jump significantly in the new offensive system. Gilbert made 24 three pointers last season, which ranked third on the squad, and showed the ability to be a stopper on the defensive end. He nabbed 34 steals on the year, and was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team.
FORWARD thinking
When Albert White chose to bypass his upcoming senior year for professional playing opportunities, MU's leading scorer, rebounder and assist-man from last year left a big opening to fill for the 1999-2000 season.
Looking to jump right in to White's void will be a pair of athletic veterans, in senior JEFF HAFER and junior JOHNNIE PARKER. As two of MU's three upperclass scholarship players (Brian Grawer is the other), they'll certainly be called upon for leadership.
Hafer can contribute in numerous different ways -- he ranked among MU's leaders last season in rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots. He was also second on the squad in field goal percentage (49.1%), and averaged 5.8 points a contest. He keyed MU's big win at Kansas by scoring 11 points and adding four assists, two steals and a school-record five blocked shots. Versatile enough to play either the two, three or four position, Hafer should benefit from Coach Snyder's up-tempo, pressure-defense style of play.
Parker is a skilled offensive player who is coming off a sophomore campain in which he tallied averages of 5.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. The St. Louis, Mo. native scored a career-high 14 points against Austin Peay last year, and sealed MU's win against Big Ten runner-up Illinois with a late steal and three-point play. He's been most effective on the perimeter, but with MU's lack of size, he'll be looking to improve his effectiveness around the basket.
Also figuring into the mix among MU's stable of forwards will be sophomore MATT ROWAN, a 6-foot-7 banger who's inside muscle will be much needed. Rowan saw action in 17 games as a freshman, and averaged 1.4 rebounds in his limited minutes. He grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds and added six points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Missouri will also benefit from the efforts of a pair of walk-ons who can contribute at either forward or guard -- MARK WAMPLER and KENGE STEVENSON. Wampler will be back for his third year on the squad, and has played in 28 games in his Tiger career. Stevenson is back for his second go-around, and averaged 1.1 points and just under one rebound in nine games last year.
CENTER of attention
It's not hard to pick sophomore center PAT SCHUMACHER out of a team lineup -- at 6-foot-11 inches, he's the only member of the Tiger squad who stands above 6-foot-9. While Missouri may not be deep at the center position, the Tigers do have a good young talent in Schumacher. The St. Louis, Mo. native didn't post huge numbers in his first year as a collegian (3.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg), but he showed nice development throughout the 1998-99 season. He played in 28 games (starting eight) and closed the season by scoring eight points and grabbing a career-high six rebounds vs. New Mexico in the NCAA Tournament. He showed a soft shooting touch over the year, as he led the Tigers in field goal percentage, with a 54.2% success rate. His ability to run the floor should fit well with Quin Snyder's system.
THE NEWCOMERS
If recruiting is the lifeblood of any program, then Snyder has the Tiger supply flowing strong. In spite of the upheaval that comes with a change in coaching staffs, Snyder signed two highly-regarded recruits in the spring period, Kansas City's KAREEM RUSH and Columbia's JOSH KROENKE. Those two combine with junior college all-American TAJUDEEN SOYOYE (who signed in the fall) to give Mizzou three newcomers who can contribute immediately.
An imposing 6-foot-9, 240-pound physical specimen, Soyoye was a first-team JUCO all-America selection last year as a sophomore at Meridian (Miss.) Community College. A native of Lagos, Nigeria, Soyoye averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, and led Meridian to a 5th-place finish at the NJCAA national tournament. His size and strength in the middle will likely be crucial to MU's fortunes for the upcoming season.
Rush is a 6-foot-6 forward from Kansas City, where he led Pembroke Hill to a 121-5 record and three straight state championships in the last four years. Considered a top-30 national recruit, he averaged 27.8 points and 12.4 rebounds a game as a senior, and was named a fourth-team Parade All-American and the player of the year in the state of Missouri. An excellent shooter with good range, Rush runs the floor very well, making him another good fit for MU's new offensive system.
Rounding out the recruiting class was Kroenke, a hometown hero from Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, Mo. Kroenke graduated from Rock Bridge in 1998, and spent the past year at New Hampton Prep School, in New Hampton, N.H., where he averaged 15.4 points a game. He tallied 17.8 points and 4.3 rebounds a game as a senior at Rock Bridge, and in 1997 led the Bruins to a third-place finish in Class 4A. An excellent shooter with good size (6-foot-4), Kroenke is regarded as a top-50 national talent by many services.
Also new to the Columbia scene is a talented staff of new coaches which Snyder brought to town.
JOHN HAMMOND will serve as Snyder's associate head coach. Hammond has 20 years of experience in the coaching profession, and comes directly from the NBA's Detroit Pistons, where he was an assistant for the past four seasons. He's also had coaching stints with the Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA, as well as collegiate stops at Southwest Missouri State, Houston Baptist and Nebraska.
Also joining the staff is TONY HARVEY, considered by experts as one of the bright young coaches in the game. Harvey comes to Mizzou after spending the past three years at Eastern Michigan. A Michigan native, he also has experience at Compton (Calif.) Community College, McNeese State and Southern University.
Rounding out the coaching staff is BRUCE FRASER, a former player and coach under Lute Olson at Arizona. Fraser spent seven years at U of A, and helped guide the Wildcats to five PAC-10 championships, five NCAA Tournaments and the school's first-ever Final Four appearance.
Behind the scenes will be Snyder's right hand man, LEE RASHMAN. He'll serve as the director of basketball operations, handling recruiting, scouting, scheduling and many other important organizational areas. Rashman spent the last six years working with the Duke basketball program, including the past year as the recruiting and academic coordinator.
The lone holdover from Norm Stewart's staff will be Administrative Assistant BRYAN ENGLAND. An MU veteran, England spent the last six years handling administrative duties for the Tiger basketball program.
