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Nov. 17, 2003
The University of Missouri basketball team wraps up its exhibition schedule on Tuesday night when it welcomes the Asheville Altitude of the National Basketball Developmental League to the Hearnes Center for a 7 p.m. tip. The Tigers are 1-0 in the preseason after taking out Inter Hoop last Monday, 85-76. The contest will be the first time out this year for the Missouri Radio network, which is broadcast on over 50 stations around the state featuring Mike Kelly and former Tiger great Gary Link. Tuesday's contest will also be aired on the Mizzou Sports Network with Chris Gervino providing play-by-play while former Tiger great Jon Sundvold will be the analyst.
Mizzou does not open the regular season portion of its schedule until Nov. 29 at Oakland. This will mark the first time the Tigers have opened their season away from the Hearnes Center since Coach Quin Snyder's first season at Mizzou, 1999-2000, when Mizzou played Wisconsin in Syracuse, New York.
Recapping the Week that Was In Mizzou Basketball Oh what a week it was for Mizzou basketball last week. Here's a quick look at last week's(Nov. 9-15) notes and tidbits: * The Tigers received word prior to their exhibition contest against Inter Hoop last Monday that they were ranked No. 5 in the Preseason Associated Press poll. The ranking is the highest preseason mark for a Tiger squad in school history.
* Seniors Arthur Johnson and Rickey Paulding combined for 36 points and 18 rebounds on Monday night as the No. 5/6 University of Missouri men's basketball squad took out Inter Hoop, 85-76.
* The preseason honors continued to roll in for University of Missouri guard Rickey Paulding. Already a nominee for the John R. Wooden and Naismith Awards, Paulding was named to the Associated Press' preseason All-American team last Wednesday. He joins Emeka Okafor (Connecticut), Jameer Nelson (Saint Joseph's), Ike Diogu (Arizona State) and Raymond Felton (North Carolina) on the team, which is made up of three seniors and two sophomores.
* Finally, Mizzou signed four talented individuals last week in the early signing pe- riod. Point guard Jason Horton (6-0, 170 lbs., Cedar Hills, Texas), Kalen Grimes (6-8, 260 lbs., St. Louis, Mo.), Marshall Brown (6-7, 205 lbs., Austin, Texas) and Glen Dandridge (6-6, 180 lbs., Durham, N.C.) all signed letters of intent to attend Mizzou in 2004-05. The great class has been ranked in the Top 15 in the country by several recruiting services and all four players have been ranked in the top 100 in the nation.
I Did Not Know That. Did You Know That Ed?
Pardon the tribute to Johnny Carson, but did you know that there have been 16 schools that have participated in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments? Five of the 16 are Big 12 schools - Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas. The other schools are Duke, Maryland, Indiana, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Arizona, Stanford, Kentucky, Cincinnati and Gonzaga.
Saving the Best for Last?
The Tigers have been picked to win the Big 12 Conference title by the conference coaches and have been ranked in the top five by the Associated Press. Since opening the season with Mizzou Madness on Oct. 18 at midnight, the Tigers have played the Black and Gold game on Oct. 25, an exhibition squad called Inter Hoop from Lithuania on Nov. 10, and finally Tuesday nights' exhibition contest versus the Asheville Altitude of the NBDL. Here's the point ... the Tigers will have practiced for 41 days when they open the regular season on Nov. 29 in Detroit, Mich., against Oakland. That is the latest opening date of any squad in the Big 12.
In a related note, this is also the latest date a Tiger squad has opened their campaign since the 1981-82 season, a year in which the Tigers went 27-4 overall and 12-2 in the Big Eight (1st place) and also won the Big Eight tournament. Hopefully we see some parallels in March.
Getting Defensive
The Tigers continue to work on becoming a better defensive team. Last year, the Tigers held opponents to only 41 percent, down from 45 percent in 2001-02. Also, the Tigers dropped opponents scoring average from 72.5 point per game in 2001-02 to 67.7 points per contest in 2002-03. With its new-found depth and large amount of experience in 2003-04, look for Mizzou to focus on extending opponents and jumping in passing lanes more frequently in an attempt to get out and run.
A Look at the Altitude
Tuesday nights' contest will be the first action of the year for the Asheville Altitude. This will also mark the first time the Tigers have faced a team from the National Basketball Developmental League since its inception two years ago.
The NBDL, which consists of six teams, is considered to be a high-level minor league system for the National Basketball Association. Tuesday nights' contest is one of three exhibition contests in which an NBDL team will be taking on a college squad including the Roanoke Dazzle vs. Maryland and the Huntsville Flight vs. the Purdue Boilermakers.
The Altitude's roster contains several names that will be familiar to college basketball fans. The projected starting line-up includes former Arkansas point guard Kareem Reid (5-10, 180 lbs.) and former St. John's standout Levar Postell (6-5, 205 lbs.) who averaged 14.3 points and 6.9 rebounds as a senior and spent three years on the New York Knicks roster from 2001-2003. At 6-7, 245 lbs., Desmond Penigar spent the final two years of his college career at Utah State when he averaged 15.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game his senior campaign. The forward ended up 25th on the Utah State scoring charts in just two years with 1,051 points.
Former Louisiana Tech power forward Antonio Meekins (6-8, 245 lbs.) and center Kris Lang (6-11, 247 lbs.) from North Carolina will provide a formidable inside presence for the Altitude. Meekins participated in the Milwaukee Bucks training camp in 2003 after averaging 17.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game his senior year at Louisiana Tech. Lang played in the Polish professional league in 2002-03 leading his team in blocked shots. He was a four-year starter at UNC and finished his career as the 28th all-time leading scorer in Tar Heel history.
Former DePaul Blue Demon head coach Joey Meyer enters his second year as head coach of the Altitude. He guided them to a 26-30 mark last year after leading DePaul to seven NCAA Tournament appearances in 10 years as head coach of the Blue Demons.
Other players of note on the squad include former Colorado Buffalo guard Jaquay Walls (6-3, 170 lbs.), and center Brandon Kurtz (6-11, 255 lbs.), who graduated from Tulsa in 2000 and enters his second year with the Altitude.
Last Time Out ...
No. 5/6 Mizzou Takes Out Inter Hoop
Johnson scores 21 points, grabs 12 boards in win Columbia, Mo. - Seniors Arthur Johnson and Rickey Paulding combined for 36 points and 18 rebounds on Mon., Nov. 10 as the No. 5/6 University of Missouri men's basketball squad took out Inter Hoop, 85-76. The Tigers received word earlier in the evening that they were ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press Preseason rankings, the highest preseason ranking for a Mizzou squad in school history.
In front of 6,207 fans in the Hearnes, Johnson, who registered 19 double-doubles last season, began the Tigers' exhibition season in fine style with 21 points and 12 boards. He was a robust 8-of-11 from the field while pulling down five offensive and seven defensive rebounds. Paulding had a rim rattling night for Mizzou scoring 15 points (eight of which came via the dunk). He also pulled down six boards and handed out five assists on the night.
The contest was relatively close at the half, with the Tigers leading only by four at 39-35. However, Mizzou came out firing in the second half, outscoring the squad from Lithuania, 34-9 over a 11:07-stretch. The run was capped with a sweet ally oop of the backboard from Jimmy McKinney to Paulding with 8:53 left in the second half to give the Tigers a 29-point lead at 73-44.
McKinney was outstanding running the point for Mizzou with 12 points, seven assists and three rebounds in a team-high 33 minutes played. Travon Bryant, Kevin Young and freshman Linas Kleiza teamed for a total of 26 points and 13 rebounds while senior Josh Kroenke pumped in seven points on 2-of-6 shooting from three.
The Tigers Reloaded
In celebration of the motion picture The Matrix Reloaded coming out on DVD, please allow the writer to present The Tigers Reloaded. Mizzou returns a wealth of experience and talent heading into the 2003-04 season. National Player of the Year and Wooden Award candidates Rickey Paulding and Arthur Johnson lead an extremely talented cast of characters into the season.
Oldies But Goodies
Johnson was named the Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year by the conference media after averaging 16.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest last season, including 19 double-doubles. Paulding, who averaged 17.4 points per contest last year and was named a preseason All-American by the Associated Press, has also been hyped as one of the top players in the country heading into the campaign and is a preseason nominee for both the Wooden and Naismith Awards. The Tigers are the only team in the Big 12 to have two players that ranked in the top 10 in scoring in the conference last season returning this year.
Fellow seniors Josh Kroenke and Travon Bryant will also play huge roles in the Tigers efforts this season. Bryant has the ability to play both on the perimeter and in the low post, and was Mizzou's second leading rebounder last season. Kroenke is a lethal shooter and pinpoint passer who will see a lot of time at the two and three spots.
Finding "The One"
Similar to the plot in the Matrix, the Tigers are also in search of "The One" (or a point guard). While Neo looks like he fits the bill in the movie, sophomore Jimmy McKinney and junior Randy Pulley will both see time at the point. McKinney proved he could handle the spot last year, but is more comfortable as a shooting guard with an amazing all-around game. Don't be surprised to see a triple-double some time this year from the talented sophomore. Pulley comes to Mizzou as an accomplished pass-first point guard with solid offensive skills. Add to the mix Springfield, Mo., native Spencer Laurie, who earned Gatorade Mr. Basketball Honors for the state of Missouri following his senior year, and the tiger should have a solid group running the show.
Hanging With Mr. Cooper
When he becomes eligible to play in late December (the 21st at 7:00 p.m. against UNC-Greensboro), junior Jason Conley (his nickname is Coop due to his startling likeness of main character of the 90's television show, Hanging with Mr. Cooper) will look to live up to his preseason moniker of Big 12 Newcomer of the Year from both the Big 12 Coaches and Media. Conley is a multidimensional scorer who was the first freshman to lead the country in scoring two seasons ago, averaging 29.5 points per contest.
A Little International Flavor in Low Post
Sophomore Kevin Young and freshman Linas Kleiza (pronounced Lynn-iss Klay-za) will be two dominant forces in the middle for Mizzou and will challenge Johnson and Bryant for time at both the power forward and center positions.
Young brings amazing emotion and intensity with his solid offensive (56% from the field last year) and defensive (106 rebounds, 16 blocks in 02-03) play. Kleiza is one of the most fundamentally sound players on the squad. He can score on the perimeter and in the low post and is a tenacious defender.
NCAA Institutes Experimental Rules Changes For Exhibition Season
Two experimental rules have been implemented by the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Rules Committee for use in exhibitions and exempted contests, such as the Preseason NIT and Great Alaska Shootout. The committees recommended that the three-point line be moved back to the international distance, and that the international trapezoid free-throw/three-second lane be adopted. The goal of the experimental combination is to determine if it is desirable for future seasons.
Tuesday's contest against the Asheville Altitude will mark the final time the Tigers will see the court configuration in 2003-04. The NCAA Executive Committee will meet in January to consider making both changes for the men's game, and the international 3-point line in the women's game, permanent in 2004-05.
Under the recommendations, the 3-point line would be moved back approximately 9 inches to a distance of 20 feet, 6-1/4 inches from the center of the basket to the outside edge of the line. The current distance is 19 feet, 9 inches. The exact metric distance for the international three-point line is 6.25 meters.
The trapezoid lane widens the current lane at the end line by approximately 3 feet, 11 inches on either side. The new lane lines would run approximately from that point on each end line to the intersection of the current free-throw line and lane lines. At its widest point (at the end line) the trapezoid lane's width is 6.0 meters or 19 feet, 8-3/4 inches. The current rectangular lane is 12 feet wide.
Preseason Hype, Prognostications and Items of Interest
Oh, one could say there is a pretty good buzz around the country about the Tigers heading into the 2003-04 season. Below is a listing of the preseason awards and predictions the Tigers of Ol' Mizzou have garnered over the summer:
Team Predictions#3-Lindys #4-Sporting News #5-Dick Vitale's Preseason Sensational 16 #5-Blue Ribbon #7-Athlon #7-Street & Smith's Final Four Qualifier-Lindy's Elite Eight Qualifier-Athlon Best Backcourt in the Country-Sporting News #1 in Lindy's list of Top 10 Frontcourts in the Country #5-Top 25 Recruiting Class for 2003-Athlon #11-Recruting Class in the Country-Lindy's
Big 12 Predictions Big 12 Champions-Blue Ribbon, Lindy's #2 in Big 12-Street & Smith's #1 Recruiting Class in Big 12-Street & Smith's #1 Recruiting Class in Big 12-Sporting News Top Backcourt in Big 12-Blue Ribbon
Head Coach Quin Snyder
With a 2003-2004 team poised to be among the nation's elite, Quin Snyder has proven that success can come quickly with hard work and determination. On the brink of his fifth season as head coach of the Missouri Tigers, Snyder is leading a team that has been ranked as high as number three in the nation in preseason polls. Missouri's 15th head coach, Snyder has enjoyed impressive runs in the NCAA Tournament for four straight years. In fact, the 2002-2003 season was witness to a 22-win campaign that ended with an overtime loss in the NCAA Tournament to eventual Final Four contender, Marquette.
This season, Snyder's squad promises to offer even more excitement, with a powerful returning group, highlighted by the electrifying duo of Rickey Paulding and Arthur Johnson, along with a host of new recruits. Given the excitement Snyder has generated in such a short span of time at the helm, it is not surprising that many people are waiting with anticipation for this season to begin and predicting great things for the Tigers. It is easy to see why expectations are high when you consider all of the following ...
* Missouri returns four starters from last year's team, and in all, returns over 80 percent of its scoring, 98 percent of its blocked shots, and over 90 percent of its rebounding from last season.
* All of last season's impressive junior class, featuring Arthur Johnson, Rickey Paulding, Travon Bryant and Josh Kroenke will be returning for their senior campaign and will join a number of exciting newcomers.
* A fifth straight top-25 recruiting class has been added to the roster this fall.
* Mizzou continues to be a fixture on national and regional television broadcasts. With every game but one on television, Snyder's Tigers continue to create unprecedented exposure for the program.
* The program will be the direct benefactor of a new, state-of-the-art $75 million arena which athletic officials plan to have open in time for the 2004-05 season.
* Snyder signed a contract extension, which will keep him a fixture on the Tiger sidelines through at least the 2005-06 season.
* And while Mizzou's on-court achievements constantly grab the headlines, what takes place in the classroom remains at the top of Snyder's priority list. An academic All-American himself during his playing days at Duke, Snyder is quite proud of the fact that in his four years at MU, seven scholarship players have exhausted their eligibility and all seven have graduated. In addition, this past season saw the men's basketball team achieve the highest GPA in 15 years.