Dec. 1, 2002
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No. 18 Mizzou Faces Off With Sacramento State
The University of Missouri men's basketball team (2-0) will welcome the Sacramento State Hornets (1-2) to the Hearnes Center. The Tigers are coming off of an impressive 81-46 win over Austin Peay on Saturday and finish the month of November at 2-0.
The Tigers were extremely balanced on Saturday against Austin Peay with every player seeing time in the game and six scoring seven or more points. Mizzou shot just under 49% from the floor in the contest and was also solid on the boards, out-rebounding the Govs, 46-32.
This is the final game of Mizzou's season-opening three-game home stand. Following their match-up with the Hornets on Monday, Mizzou will wing to the left coast for a Saturday game with the USC Trojans in the John R. Wooden Classic in Anaheim, Calif., before returning to the friendly confines of the Hearnes to take on the Phoenix of Wisconsin-Green Bay on Dec. 9.
About the Sacramento State Hornets
The Hornets enter the contest with a record of 1-2 early in the 2002-03 season. After going 9-19 last season, SSU opened this season with a 88-55 loss to Loyola-Marymount, a 62-47 win over Dominican and dropped a tough contest to Southern Utah, 74-68 on Saturday night in Cedar City, Utah.
Guard Brandon Guyton leads the way offensively for SSU averaging 12.3 points per contest. He has been Sacramento States sharpshooter from the outside as well with eight three point baskets. Joining Guyton in the Hornets offensive efforts are five other players that are averaging 6.3 points or better per contest.
The Hornets have not been shy about putting up shots from the outside. In just three contests, they have hoisted up 71 three-point field goal attempts, connecting on 17 (24%). However, they have been strong on the boards so far, out-rebounding their opponents, 122-113.
Head coach Jerome Jenkins is in his third year at SSU, registering a 15-43 mark thus far. Jenkins is a 1990 graduate of Regis University of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, which is also the home conference of the University of Nebraska-Kearney, the alma mater of the writer. It truly is a small world.
Hostile, Mobile and Versatile
Junior All-American Arthur Johnson had another one of his signature balanced days on Saturday.
The native of Detroit, Mich., was tenacious on defense recording a career-best three steals while also pulling down three rebounds. Johnson also dominated the low-post area recording his 137th career block early in the second half, leaving him just 13 shy of the MU blocked shots record. He also took a charge and ... oh yeah, had a game-high 16 points to lead Mizzou to the win.
Who Was that Masked Man?
There have been many fictional characters throughout time that have decided to wear masks as a way to disguise their true identity. Take, for instance, the Lone Ranger, Zoro, the Phantom of the Opera, Mankind from WWE Wrestling...the lists goes on and on.
With 11:49 left to play in the first half of Saturday's match-up with Austin Peay, Mizzou's own version of a masked avanger, freshman Jimmy McKinney, made his much awaited comeback and regular season debut for the Tigers. Sporting a plastic mask to protect the area over his right eye where he suffered a fractured frontal sinus, the talent freshman came into the game to quite the ovation. He did not disappoint the fans that gave the ovations either. He scored eight points on 2-of-3 3-pt. shooting while handing out three assists in 16 minutes of playing time.
McKinney brought an instant spark to the squad and was asked to play both the point and off-guard spots and handled both well.
Quick Out of the Gate
Mizzou has been extremely strong in the first half of both of its games so far. They are averaging 39 points per game in the first half while holding their opponents to 21 and are shooting 44% from the field in the opening stanza while holding their opponents to 32% from the field
The Tigers were superb on the defensive end on Saturday against Austin Peay. The Govs were hanging tight with Mizzou with the score at 29-30 with 5:41 remaining. However, Mizzou would use smothering, trapping defense and solid half-court offense to go on a 13-0 run the rest of the half taking a 42-20 lead into halftime.
The Tiger defense forced Peay into turnovers on eight straight possessions in the latter stages of the half and were able to pull away in the second half to grab the 81-46 win.
Bench Marks Revisited
For all of you poor souls that read my notes on a game-by-game basis, first off, my deepest apologies. Secondly, you know you just can't get enough bench marks.
With only 10 scholarship players on its roster this season, Mizzou will definitely rely on its bench for some offensive and defensive spark. So far, the bench has been up to the task registering 21% of the team's total offense (32-of-153 points) and 30% (27-of-91 rebounds) in the Tigers first two games. Freshman Kevin Young has provided two solid outings so far scoring four points against American and five points against Austin Peay while recording nine total rebounds in 29 minutes in the two contests.
Sophomore Jeffrey Ferguson was also solid against the Govs pulling down eight rebounds and putting in seven points in 15 minutes of playing time.
Clemons Named Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week
Junior put in 25 points in Tigers' win over American.
Columbia, Mo.-University of Missouri junior point guard Ricky Clemons was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week for the week of Nov. 17-24, as announced Tuesday by the Big 12 Conference Office. Clemons led the Tigers to a season-opening 72-57 win over American last Friday with 25 points, 17 of which came in the second half on 5-of-8 (63%) shooting from the field.
The Raleigh, N.C., native who transferred to Mizzou from the College of Southern Idaho this semester also pulled down five boards in 38 minutes against the Eagles. He was 8-of-15 from the field overall and 4-of-9 from 3-point range while leading the Tigers in field goals, 3-point field goals, points, steals and assists in the win.
An Interesting Opener
The Tigers opened their 2002-03 campaign with a 72-57 win over American. Mizzou was outstanding in the first half jumping out to a 19 point lead with 3:53 left in the 1st half. The jump was sparked by an 11-0 run over a 4:15 span in from 9:50 to 4:24.
The Tigers were stingy on defense in the half as well forcing the Eagles to open the game with 0-of-8 shooting while out-rebounding AU, 11-4 in the first 4:24 of the contest. Junior Ricky Clemons paced the Tigers with 25 points while also pulling down five rebounds.
The Tiger starters were strong in the contest as they recorded 66 of the Tigers' 72 points with four of the five reaching double figures in scoring.
Junior All-American candidate Rickey Paulding got of to a quick start in the game scoring the Tigers first six points of the contest. He also registered the Tigers last six points of the fist half scoring 17 of his 19 points in the opening stanza. He also equaled a career-best with three steals in the win.
The Tigers were unbelievable in the paint in the first half, outscoring the undersized Eagles, 22-2 in the paint. After recording a team best 11 double-doubles last season, Arthur "Doc" Johnson picked up right where he left off putting in 11 points while pulling down 10 boards for his first double-double of the season. Fellow junior big man Travon Bryant was not far off, going for 11 points and 8 'bounds while also recording two blocks in the contest.
According to the Pollsters
While its true that the only poll that matters will come out after the first weekend of April, it is noteworthy to watch the polls as the season progresses. In honor of having the Governors in town, here is a look at how the Tigers have opened in the polling in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll so far this season.
AP ESPN/Coaches Preseason #18 #18 Poll #2 #20 #18 Poll #3 #18 #17
Like a Bear Grabbing a Trout The Tigers continue to develop into one of the top rebounding teams in the Big 12. While Mizzou lost almost 55% percent of its scoring when senior Clarence Gilbert graduated and junior and current LA Laker Kareem Rush departed for the NBA, the Tigers still boast the team's top rebounders.
The Tigers have carried that strong rebounding into this season. They have out-rebounded their first two opponents by an average of 12.5 rebounds per contest. Junior Rickey Paulding was amazing on the boards on Saturday pulling down nine rebounds just missing a double-double with 14 quiet points. Junior Josh Kroenke and sophomore Jeffrey Ferguson were also solid recording career-bests in rebounds with five and eight rebounds respectively.
The emphasis on rebounding and toughness has grown more and more apparent every season since Head Coach Quin Snyder arrived at Missouri. After being out-rebounded by 5.0 boards per game in his first season at Mizzou, the Tigers turned the tables last season, out-rebounding opponents by nearly 4.5 reb. per outing. Below is a look at the progression Mizzou has made over the past four years on the boards:
Year Reb. Margin 1999-00 -5.0 2000-01 -0.6 2001-02 +4.4 2002-03 +12.5
4 Sure
The fourth place spot has been the vogue place to pick Mizzou to finish this season in the Big 12. The Big 12 Coaches, media from around the league and ESPN.com have all picked the Tigers to finish in the No. 4 spot behind Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas and ahead of Texas Tech.
The Tigers have some time to get their feet under them before they face any of the top three picks. Their first tilt with any of those three teams doesn't come until January 25th when they travel to Austin to hook up with the Texas Longhorns.
Below is a breakdown of where each school was picked by the Big 12 Coaches, media and ESPN.com in preseason polls:
School Coaches Media ESPN Kansas 1 1 1 Oklahoma 2 2 2 Texas 3 3 3 Missouri 4 4 4 Texas Tech 5 5 5 Oklahoma St. 6 6 6 Iowa St. 7 7 7 Baylor 8 9 8 Colorado 9 8 9 Nebraska 10 10 10 Kansas State 11 11 11 Texas A&M 12 12 12
Quin Snyder Leads Mizzou into Year Four
Exactly 102 games into his career as a head coach at Missouri, Head Coach Quin Snyder sports a 64-38 mark. He has led the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first three seasons and the Tigers have progressed one round further every season. Snyder and the Tiger's most recent post-season run yielded an appearance in the Elite Eight, MU's first trip to the round of eight since 1994.
Snyder guided his first squad to an 18-13 overall record, and he was named National Rookie Coach of the Year by Basketball Times. In 2000-01, the Tigers went 20-13, despite playing one of the nation's toughest schedules, and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Snyder's mission is to continue to build on the foundation the Tigers have built over the past three years and take them 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).
Pre-Season Picks
Here's a brief look at where MU is being picked by a handful of preseason polls:
FoxSports.com 10th Sporting News 18th Lindy's 9th Street and Smith's 24th
Picking Up Where They Left Off
Mizzou ended the year last season on an unbelievable hot streak which was ended by Big 12 foe Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight.
The run began with consecutive wins over #5-seed Miami (93-80) and #4 Ohio State (83-67) in Albuquerque, N.M. That put the Tigers in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1994, and the 6th time in school history. Mizzou then notched its 1st win in six tries against UCLA, as they came back from an 8-pt. deficit to win, 82-73 in San Jose, Calif., putting the Tigers in their third Elite Eight in school history.
October 1, 2004
That is the forecasted opening date of the Tigers' new arena that they will call home for the next several years. The ground breaking for the state-of-the-art building was Sept. 21, 2002. The yet-to-be-named facility is penciled to cost $75 million, and was kick-started by a generous $25 million donation by the Laurie Family.
The State of Missouri will contribute $35 million in bond appropriations. The additional $15 million will be raised through athletic fund-raising efforts.
The Hearnes Center will continue to be utilized by MU Athletics Olympic sport programs.
Fans will be able to monitor the progress of the new arena as it grows from the ground up, by logging on to www.mutigers.com. A web-cam is positioned on the southwest corner of the Hearnes Center and provides a live, 24-7 shot of the site as the building is being completed.
Going Vertical
Over the past two seasons, 2002-03 Wooden Award Candidate Rickey Paulding has dazzled Mizzou fans with a dizzying array of rim-rocking dunks and high-flying action.
The talented junior was en fuego in his first action of 2002-03 pouring in 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field. 17 of those points came in the first half where he scored the Tigers first six and last six points of the half.
He poured in an equally impressive 14 points in the Tigers latest conquest over Austin Peay, 81-46, while also pulling down a career best nine rebounds.
While he is known best for his crazy athleticism and above-the-rim antics, Paulding has become one of the most well-rounded players in the conference.
One of the indicators of Paulding's dedication and desire to become a well-rounded player was his increased accuracy from the perimeter. After going 12-of-56 (including a stretch where he went 0-for-22) from the three-point arc during his freshman season in 2000-01, Paulding was the Tiger's most accurate marksman last season, which is pretty impressive considering he was on a team with two of the most prolific shooters (Clarence Gilbert and Kareem Rush) in MU history.
He shot a team-high 44% (50-of-113) from the land of trey including 53.3% in the NCAA Tournament. Rick averaged 18.3 points and was named to the All-West Region Team during the Tigers' run to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight.
Detroit-Block City
Pardon the Kiss reference, but Arthur Johnson has kissed several opponent's shots good-bye over the past two years. Possibly one of the most underrated big men in the country, Johnson has been a powerful presence in the middle for the Tigers.
Doc started 2002-03 with a bang picking up right where he left off with his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds against American.
He was even more impressive in the Tigers' win over Austin Peay as he scored a game high 16 points on 8-of-13 shooting while also picking up three steals and a blocked shot.
Arthur has led the Tigers in blocks and rebounds each of the last two seasons while averaging 10.7 points per game over the course of his two-year stint at Mizzou.
In fact, AJ needs just 13 blocked shots to surpass former Tiger great Steve Stipanovich for the all-time MU blocked shots mark. AJ sits in second on the chart right now with 136 swats right behind Stipanovich's 149.
Possessing great hands and a veritable plethora of quality interior moves, Johnson has been named All-Big 12 honorable mention each of the last two seasons and was named to the Big 12 All-Defensive team following his 71 blocks last season.
Trav"On Fire"
Since arriving at Mizzou, junior Travon Bryant has been one of the hardest workers on the team. He showed flashes of brilliance against American last Friday putting in 11 points while pulling down eight boards in 30 minutes of work.
Bryant's hard work payed off at the end of last season when he earned a starting spot on the squad for 25 of the Tigers' final 29 games.
His play in the final five games was nothing short of awesome. He averaged 7.8 points and 8.4 rebounds during that stretch that included an outstanding effort against the Tigers' NCAA first round opponent, Miami (Fla.) in which he scored 11 points while pulling down 10 rebounds.
Chances are when the charismatic lefty puts up a shot, it is probably going to go in. Tra was one of the most accurate Tigers last year, shooting just under 58% from the field. He also developed the ability to step outside and hit the three this past summer, a weapon that will make him hard to guard on the perimeter for big men around the league.
He put the newest weapon of his arsenal on display against Austin Peay, hitting 2-of-3 3-point shots en route to 10 points for the game.
The Crafty Veteran
Junior guard Josh Kroenke will be one of the Tigers' fearless leaders this season. A great hustler, Kroenke goes after loose balls with reckless abandon and is not afraid to defend against the best guards in the country.
After struggling in the field in the opener against American, Kroenke hit two huge 3-pt. buckets in the Tigers' win over Austin Peay and finished the day with six points and a career-best five rebounds.
The native of Columbia has become one of the Tigers' most lethal spot up shooters and will be called upon to continue to contribute quality minutes whenever he is in the game.
Super Sophomores
Najeeb Echols and Jeffrey Ferguson enter their second year with a sense of urgency. The two outstanding athletes made good contributions in their freshman seasons.
Ferguson proved solid down low for Mizzou. He averaged 7.1 minutes per contest last season, putting 1.7 points and 1.8 rebounds per contest. He is one of the Tigers' top shot blockers and is one of the best dunkers on the team.
Echols has now fully recovered from a knee injury he experienced during his senior year of high school. Jeeb has looked more athletic and explosive in early-season practice and will get to move back to his more natural position at guard and small forward after spending much of the year at power forward last season.
With Arms Wide Open
The Tigers welcome three newcomers to the squad this season. Junior Ricky Clemons, and freshmen Kevin Young and Jimmy McKinney join a Tiger squad that lost three starters from a year ago.
Clemons has fit in nicely at the point for the Tigers. A natural floor leader, Clemons averaged 17 points and seven assists per contest in the Tigers' two preseason games. A transfer from the College of Southern Idaho, Clem averaged 18 points and almost eight assists last season.
McKinney, who is a native of St. Louis, displays a high level of maturity and will be called upon to play both the off-guard and point guard position.
Kevin Young, who has been tabbed as the "Jamaican Sensation" by the media relations office, has dropped 53 pounds since coming to Mizzou in June. While Young has dropped the pounds, he has picked up his play to a higher level every day. An extremely coachable young man, Kevin will have a year to learn from AJ, Tra and sophomore Jeffrey Ferguson.
Quin and Helen Snyder Announce the Formation of the "Q Foundation"
Sept. 27, 2002
Columbia, Mo.-University of Missouri men's basketball coach Quin Snyder and his wife Helen announced the launching of the "Q Foundation." The organization's primary focus will be to encourage the educational ambitions of young men and women by promoting educational opportunities and literacy.
The Q Foundation will look to support educational institutions, ranging from pre-school to high school, and provide scholarship opportunities for educational enhancement. It will also focus on developing community center literacy programs in economically disadvantaged areas as well as promoting literacy through participation in reading programs.
The foundation will feature a board of directors that will oversee and guide the foundations undertakings. The President of the Board will be Coach Snyder's former Duke teammate: current ESPN personality and attorney Jay Bilas. Other board members include former Duke and current NBA star Shane Battier as well as several prominent business leaders from around the country and throughout the state of Missouri. For more information on the Q Foundation, call 573-882-1495.
Construction Camera Will Showcase Mizzou Basketball Arena Project
Columbia, Mo.- The University of Missouri athletic department announced the launching of a new feature on its web site on Friday. Mizzou fans and supporters can now log on to www.mutigers.com and monitor the progress of the new arena that is being constructed just south of the Hearnes Center.
A camera has been mounted on the southwest corner of the Hearnes Center and is linked to the web site, sending a continuous picture the arena site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Tiger faithful can point their browsers to www.mutigers.com, click on the Arena Cam icon on the front page, and view the site, as it looks at that very minute.
The project, which is set for completion Oct. 1 of 2004, will be home to the men's and women's basketball teams and will have a capacity of approximately 15,000 people.
Portland Prep Standout Signs With Mizzou
Columbia, Mo.- Thomas Gardner, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound shooting guard from Portland, Ore., has signed a national letter of intent to attend the University of Missouri next fall, Head Men's Basketball Coach Quin Snyder announced. Gardner is the first member of the 2003-04 recruiting class to sign.
Dave Telep of InsidersHoops.com ranked Gardner, who is a senior this year at Jefferson High School in Portland, as one of the top 30 players in the country. He was also listed as the No. 24 player in the country according to ESPN.com in its Top 100 prospects. Under the tutelage of Oregon coaching legend Marshall Haskins, he averaged 16 points, seven rebounds and two steals per contest and received honorable mention on the Class 4A all-state team last season as a junior.