Nov. 11, 2000
Columbia, Mo. -
TIGERS BEGIN EXHIBITION SEASON SUNDAY
The University of Missouri men's basketball team gets its 2000-01 season underway Sunday afternoon by hosting Team Fokus, an AAU team representing getfokus.com.
Team Fokus has played games at Syracuse (Nov. 7 -- L, 86-70), at UNC-Greensboro (Nov. 9 -- L, 88-77) and at Massachusetts (Nov. 10 -- L, 82-71).
Missouri closes its exhibition season just two days later, with a match up against Lincoln University on Tuesday, Nov. 14. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. The season then officially gets underway this Friday, as MU hosts Savannah State in an 8:00 p.m. tip.
QUIN SNYDER LEADS TROOPS INTO SECOND SEASON
Hopes abound in Columbia, Mo. as the basketball season approaches, and much of the excitement has to do with Head Coach Quin Snyder, who will enter his second season at the helm of the Tigers.
Snyder took over last year and led a group that was outsized and outmatched most nights, and led them to a solid 18-13 season and an NCAA Tournament berth. The Tigers finished 10-6 in Big 12 play, which was good for sixth place. For Snyder's efforts, he was named National Rookie Coach-of-the-Year by Basketball Times.
ABOUT THE TIGERS, BRIEFLY
Missouri returns five full or part-time starters from last year's team, including sophomore forward Kareem Rush (14.7 ppg) and junior guard Clarence Gilbert (13.7 ppg). Other starters returning include senior center Tajudeen Soyoye (8.8 ppg), senior guard Brian Grawer (7.4 ppg) and senior forward Johnnie Parker (6.1 ppg). A solid group of veteran reserves and one of the nation's top freshmen classes will lend a hand, as well.
MU lost top scorer Keyon Dooling (15.3 ppg) when he opted to forego his final two years for the NBA, and is now playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. MU's other casualty was senior forward Jeff Hafer (7.0 ppg), to graduation.
TIGERS PICKED 3RD IN BIG 12
Mizzou was picked to finish third in the Big 12 race for the 2000-01 season, according to league coaches' and media polls.
If history holds true to form, then count on the Tigers finishing within one spot of that prediction. In the history of the league, MU has always finished within one spot of where the league coaches tabbed them to end up in the annual pre-season poll.
Here's a quick look at the coaches' poll history:
Year Predicted Actual 1997-98 4th T-5th 1998-99 3rd T-2nd 1999-00 5th 6th 2000-01 3rd ???
The coaches did not do a pre-season poll prior to the 1996-97 season, the first year of the Big 12's existence.
OFF-SEASON FEATS OF STRENGTH
While most people spend the summer months kicking back on vacations, the Tiger roundballers worked hard in their off-season strength and conditioning program.
Senior center T.J. Soyoye, as if he needed to add any more muscle mass on his already-statuesque physique, was again a workhorse. In pre-season testing, Soyoye benched a school-record 400 pounds. That broke the previous MU Basketball record by 55 pounds!
Soyoye demonstrated his strength during the summer, when he shattered a backboard in the practice gym at Hearnes Center when he went in for a dunk.
Sophomore guard Josh Kroenke added 13 pounds to his frame in the off-season, and increased his bench press by 30 pounds. He's now listed at a playing weight of 197 pounds, compared to 184 as a freshman.
Freshman guard Wesley Stokes has gained an impressive 16 pounds from when he reported to school in August. It's been good weight, though, as he's increased his bench press by an eye-popping 70 pounds, and now can pump 270 pounds.
Fellow freshman Rickey Paulding tested out as MU's best leaper, and those who get to see him perform in the open court this year will certainly not be surprised by that finding. Paulding can touch 11-foot-4 inches with just a one-step vertical jump.
MEDIA GUIDES AVAILABLE
Those with an infinite thirst for knowledge about Tiger Basketball can sate that thirst by purchasing a 2000-01 media guide. Guides are in, and they're packed with nearly 250 pages of information about Quin Snyder and his crew.
Guides can be ordered by sending a check or money order for $12 payable to the University of Missouri to: Athletic Media Relations, P.O. Box 677 -- Hearnes Center, Columbia, Mo. 65205.
TOEING THE LINE WITH THE BEST
One year after playing what was rated as the nation's 16th-toughest schedule, Missouri will once again take on an impressive slate of foes that will likely rank high again this year on strength of schedule.
Awaiting Mizzou on the 2000-01 schedule is a virtual who's who of top-notch basketball programs.
Among MU's non-conference highlights include bouts against Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, DePaul, Saint Louis and Virginia. Mizzou will also participate in the Great Alaska Shootout, where they will take on Rhode Island in the first round, and possibly face the likes of Syracuse, Ohio State, Florida State and Valparaiso, among others in later rounds.
Never one to back down from a challenge, Quin Snyder believes in playing a tough schedule to become the best. That strategy paid off last season, when his Tigers received a #9 seed in the NCAA Tournament with an 18-12 regular-season record.
CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'
Missouri has had a program of national prominence for some time now, and has benefitted from that notoriety by being able to recruit talented players from all over the country.
However, a quick scan of the media guides shows that Tiger freshman Wesley Stokes will be the first native Californian to letter at MU in 36 years.
Incredibly, not since 1965, when John Loyear (Fresno, Calif.) played in 16 games during the 1964-65 season, has a Californian lettered at MU.
The only other close call since then was back in 1982, when Lenny Wechsler played in seven games during the 1981-82 season. The Los Angeles native did not receive a letter, however, after playing a total of 13 minutes.