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Nov. 9, 2003
Mizzou Takes On Inter Hoop in Preseason Contest
It's time to Inter Hoop it up as the University of Missouri men's basketball squad welcomes Inter Hoop, a traveling squad from the country of Lithuania, to Hearnes on Monday evening. This will be the first of two exhibition games over the next two weeks. 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 play Wisconsin in Syracuse, New York.
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 (please see "What's Returning vs. What's Lost" chart below). National Player of the Year and Wooden Award candidates Rickey Paulding and Arthur Johnson lead an extremely talented cast of characters into the season.
Catergory 2002-03 Total Return Lost % Returning Points 2,389 1902 487 80.0% FG Made 870 709 161 81.5% FG Att. 1,959 1535 424 78.4% 3FG Made 252 164 88 65.1% 3FG Att. 699 437 262 63.0% FT Made 397 320 77 81.0% FT Att. 600 496 104 83.0% Rebounds 1,301 1,170 131 90.0% Off. Rebounds 446 413 33 93.0% Def. Rebounds 855 757 98 88.5% Assists 452 320 132 70.8% Turnovers 457 335 122 73.3% Blocks 144 142 2 98.6% Steals 185 132 53 71.4%
Oldies But Goodies Johnson was named the Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year by the conference media last week 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, 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 to the main character of the 90's television show, Hanging with Mr. Cooper) will look to live up to his preseason title 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.
A Look at Inter Hoop
The Tigers welcome Inter Hoop to Hearnes on Monday evening. The Lithuanian professional club team from Vilnius, Lithuania recently completed a 10-game stretch over the past few weeks heading into their tour of the United States.
The Inter Hoopers averaged 94.10 points during the tour. They are definitely not bashful about putting up the long ball, averaging 24 three-point attempts per contest during the 10-game excursion. Here's a quick look at their offensive leaders:
Name Height Pos. Ppg. Rpg. Rolandas Matulis 6-7 Center 16.0 9.1 Mantas Cesnauskis 6-2 Guard 12.9 2.1 Rolandas Skaisgirys 6-3 Guard 12.8 3.3
Following their stop at Mizzou, the squad will head to South Carolina, Old Dominion, American, and Virginia Tech before wrapping up the tour at William and Mary.
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.
Monday's contest against Inter Hoop marks the first look at the new court. The women's game vs. Sparta Praha (Czech Republic) next Sunday, Nov. 16, and men's exhibition game against the Asheville Altitude (Tuesday, Nov. 18) will also feature the experimental rules.
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 #6-ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll #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.