Jan. 3, 2005
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Tigers Face American on Tuesday
The University of Missouri men's basketball squad looks to extend its home winning streak to four games on Tuesday night when it welcomes American to Mizzou Arena for a 7:00 p.m. contest. The Tigers are coming off of a dramatic 63-61 win over No. 12/21 Gonzaga last Thursday and are winners of five of their last seven contests overall.
Senior Jason Conley led the Tigers' efforts on Thursday night with 16 points and a career-best 13 rebounds as the Tigers held off a late Gonzaga run after leading by as many as 10 points with 8:28 left in the second half. Sophomore Linas Kleiza also broke into double figures with 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting in 21 minutes of action. The Tigers held the Zags to their lowest scoring output (61 points) and lowest shooting percentage (38.3 percent) of the season.
The game will be broadcast on Tiger Radio Network with the `Voice of the Tigers' Mike Kelly and former Tiger Gary Link on the call. The Mizzou Sports Network will also be airing the television broadcast with Chris Gervino and former Tiger All-American Jon Sundvold calling the action and Steve Kurtenbach producing. The Tigers are now 2-0 on the season with Gervino on the call and are 6-2 on the year when playing on the Mizzou Sports Network.
Mizzou is in the middle of a three-game home stand which ends on Saturday against Iowa State. After the ISU contest, Mizzou will play three of its next five games away from home including trips to Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Colorado.
Quick Hits
The Tigers are 4-1 under coach Quin Snyder in opening games of the calendar year ... Last Thursday's crowd of 14,675 was the largest crowd to ever watch a Mizzou basketball game at home ... The Tigers have won three straight at home and five of their last seven overall ... Mizzou finished 2004 with a 19-15 mark ... The Tigers are 7-2 at Mizzou Arena this season, but are 0-3 away from home ... Sophomore Linas Kleiza has led Mizzou in scoring, rebounding or in both categories in 10 of its 12 games so far this season ... Kleiza ranks 7th in both scoring and rebounding in the Big 12 as of Monday's report ... Head coach Quin Snyder is looking for win number 108 at Mizzou ... Junior Jimmy McKinney has now started 68 straight regular season games for Mizzou, dating back to Dec. 30, 2002 against Valparaiso ... Seven of the Tigers' 2004-05 opponents were ranked or receiving votes in the latest Associated Press Top 25 ... Mizzou has faced ranked opponents in each of its last two contests ... Kleiza has averaged 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and has shot 50 percent from the field over the course of the last four games ... freshman Jason Horton has also showed promise over the last four, handing out 15 assists while committing only three turnovers during the stretch in which Mizzou has gone 3-1 ... Mizzou has averaged only 11.3 turnovers per game during the last four games.
About the Eagles
The Eagles are coming off of a hard-fought 64-58 win over Delaware on Sunday afternoon, but have lost two of their last three contests. Led by sophomore guard Andre Ingram (16.8 ppg.), the Eagles are an extremely solid all-around team, knocking down shots at a 48.5 percent (244-of-503) clip including 42.0 percent (76-of-181) from three.
Four Eagles average better than 9.7 points per game. However, rebounding has been a bit of an issue as Amercian has been outrebounded by nearly 3.5 boards per contest so far this season. Under the guidance of 5th year head coach Jeff Jones, the Eagles are 4-1 at home this season, but just 2-3 away from Washington, D.C. This will be the second meeting between the two schools with Mizzou holding a 1-0 lead in the all-time series.
Series - Mizzou leads, 1-0 - Last Meeting: MU, 72-57 in Columbia, MO on Nov. 22, 2002
A Look at the Series
Nov. 22, 2002 - MU, 72-57 in Columbia, MO
A Look Back ... Mizzou vs. Gonzaga
Defense was the name of the game for Mizzou against the No. 12/21 Zags as they limited Gonzaga to just 61 points when they had been averaging just under 80 per contest. Senior Jason Conley was just one of several Tigers to step up and challenge the Zags with the first double-double of his career as Mizzou knocked off its first ranked opponent since it defeated No. 6 Oklahoma State on Feb. 24, 2004. Turn the page couple other notes of note on the win ...
Missouri Team Notes vs. Gonzaga
* With the victory, Missouri takes a 2-1 lead in the all-time series between the two teams.
* Mizzou opened the game with a 6-0 run, with Linas Kleiza scoring all six of the Tigers' points during that stretch. The first Gonzaga basket came with 17.25 left in the first half.
* Gonzaga took its first lead of the night (15-14) at 10:09 left in the first half on a dunk by Ronny Turiaf.
* Missouri went on a 12-2 run over a 4:04 stretch midway through the second half to build a 10-point lead at 61-51.
* Gonzaga used a 8-0 run over 4:46 to cut the lead to two at 61-59 with 3:29 left in the game.
* The attendance of 14,675 not only set a new Mizzou Arena record, but surpassed the all-time record at Missouri. The previous record was 14,098 in the Hearnes Center against Kansas in January of 2000.
* The win was the first for Missouri over a Top 25 opponent since Feb. 24, 2004, when it defeated No. 6 Oklahoma State 93-92 in double overtime.
* The Tigers are 7-2 in the Mizzou Arena
Missouri Player Notes after the Gonzaga Game
* Junior Jimmy McKinney has now started 68-straight regular season games dating back to Dec. 30, 2002.
* Freshman Kalen Grimes set a career high with 6 rebounds on Thursday night. His previous best was three. Grimes also set a career high with 22 minutes played.
* Senior Jason Conley set a career high with 13 rebounds against Gonzaga on Thursday.
* Linas Kleiza fouled out of the game with 3:29 left in the game. It was the second game this season in which Kleiza has fouled out.
* Kevin Young fouled out of the game with 8.4 seconds left in the game. It was the first game he has fouled out of this season.
Conley Comes Alive!
After being held to a season-low two points (on 0-of-3 shooting) against Illinois on Dec. 22, senior Jason Conley came out on first against Gonzaga last Thursday. The native of Silver Spring, MD, played one of the most dynamic games of the year, scoring 16 points (on 7-of-13 shooting) while also pulling down a career-best 13 rebounds. The double-double was the first of Conley's career and was the second double-double a Tiger guard has produced this season. The other was Thomas Gardner's 19-point, 12-rebound effort to open the season against Brown.
Doing it with Defense
One of the main focuses of the Tigers' efforts has been and will be improving on the defensive end. Its no secret how the Tigers have won five of their last seven contests. Mizzou has given up only 60.6 points per contest during that stretch. After holding No. 1 Illinois to only 70 points (14 below their season average) before the Holidays, the Tigers stepped up their defense once again against Gonzaga. Mizzou held the high-powered Zags offense that was averaging 80 points per contest and 52 percent shooting from the field to just 61 points and 38.3 percent shooting from the floor in the upset win.
Mizzou recorded its best defensive performance of the season against Indiana, holding the Hoosiers to just 53 points, the lowest total the Tigers have allowed this season. Mizzou held Indiana's leading scorer Bracey Wright to just 12 points on 3-of-8 shooting and forced 15 Hoosier turnovers.
Against Montana, the Tigers held the Griz to only 38.3 percent shooting from the field while also blocking a season-high seven shots. They allowed only one Grizzly to reach double figures in scoring and nabbed nine steals in the win.
Against Arkansas, the Razorbacks were averaging nearly 78 points per contest heading into the game and were hitting their three-point attempts at a 42.4 percent clip. Even though the final outcome wasn't what the Tigers had hoped for, they did make strides on the defensive end holding Arkansas to only 62 points (16 points off of their average) and shut down U of A from three (12.5 percent - 1-of-8). In fact, after giving up eight three-point field goals per game during the first seven contests of the season, the Tigers have allowed just 20 three pointers over the course of the last five games and has held its last five opponents to a combined 31.1 percent from three (19-of-61).
Shouldering the Load
Linas Kleiza has recovered fully from a shoulder separation he experienced half way through last season and it looks as though he will be shouldering a major part of the Tiger offense this season. The All-Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention recipient has been amazing offensively so far this season and continues to improve on defense.
Kleiza scored 25 (of Mizzou's 64) points, pulled down seven rebounds and handed out three assists against Illinois. He has led Mizzou in scoring in four of its last five games and in eight of the Tigers' 12 games so far this season.
After scoring just three points in the opening half against Indiana, Kleiza poured in 15 of his game-high 18 points in the second half including 12 free throws in the win.
He had the best offensive game of his career against Montana, scoring a career-best 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field. Kleiza recorded the fifth double-double of his career against Arkansas with a team-high 14 points and 11 rebounds. He broke out of mini-scoring funk with 13 points, nine boards and nine assists against Oakland while turning the ball over just one time, something he has been focusing on improving all season. He is definitely Mizzou's most versatile player as he leads the team in scoring (16.2 ppg.), rebounds (7.5 rpg.) and is second on the squad in assists (25).
The Youth of the Tiger Nation
The freshmen on the Tiger roster have started to really assert themselves on the court for Mizzou. Over the course of the last seven games, Marshall Brown, Kalen Grimes, Jason Horton and Glen Dandridge have combined to score 25.5 percent of the Tigers points (115-of-451) and all four of them have set or equaled career highs in points during that stretch.
The foursome was great against Gonzaga, combining for 16 points and 10 rebounds. Horton scored six points and handed out three assists and recorded no turnovers in 37 minutes while running the Tiger offense. Dandridge and Grimes also had solid nights. Dandridge scored five points on 2-of-3 shooting while also recording a steal, a block and an assist in seven minutes of playing time while Grimes set a career-best with six rebounds.
Two of the four members of the class (Brown and Horton) have started this season and all of them are playing at least 5.8 minutes per contest.
`Cap'-tain Consistency
Junior Kevin Young (his teammates call him Cap) has started each of the Tigers' first 12 contests and has been a solid contributor so far. Young is tied for fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 4.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest. He has recorded five or more rebounds and/or five or more points in nine games this season. He scored a career-high eight points against Houston in the second round of the Guardians Classic. He also matched a career best with eight boards (seven of which were offensive) against Illinois on Dec. 22. Young leads the squad in field goal percentage, connecting on 47.8 percent from the field.
Where Were You When ...
While we are not sure who ordered the first batch of nachos from the concession stand or who was the first to christen the men's room ... we do have a list of "firsts" that took place against Central Missouri State on Nov. 4 at the Mizzou.
* The first point and first free throw in Mizzou Arena history came at 19:27 of the first half when sophomore forward Linas Kleiza knocked down his first shot from the charity stripe.
* The first field goal, a two-point shot, in Mizzou Arena history came at 18:25 of the first half, courtesy of senior guard Jason Conley.
* The first dunk in Mizzou Arena history came at 17:24 in the first half, when sophomore forward Linas Kleiza slashed through the lane and raised for a two-handed flush.
* The first points of freshman forward Marshall Brown's career came at 15:36 of the first half when he converted a layup after being fouled. The first free throw of his career came moments later as he completed the three-point play.
* The first opponent point in Mizzou Arena history came at 16:40 of the first half, when senior forward Mike Suggs sank the second of two free throws. It was also the first points of Suggs' Mules career.
* The first opponent field goal in Mizzou Arena history came 13:23 of the first half, by junior forward Dwight Williams.
A Peek at the Mizzou Arena
On September 21, 2002, a new and exciting phase for Missouri Basketball began with the groundbreaking for a brand new, $75 million state-of-the-art facility. The new arena is an imposing place to play for opposing teams and provides unbelievable options for the Tigers when it comes to player development. In addition to more seating, with a capacity of 15,061, there are a host of other exciting additions:
Ø 26 Luxury Suites
Ø State-of-the art training room
Ø Expanded locker room facilities complete with film room and player lounge
Ø Practice gym
Ø Basketball office complex
Ø Box office and team store
Ø Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame
Mizzou Arena houses all the up-to-date technologies desired in a modern sports facility. Both men's and women's basketball programs have video game film viewing theaters; all coaches offices and meeting rooms have cable TV hook-ups and both private (suites, clubs) and public (concession stands, retail store) areas throughout the arena have direct-game and cable televisions in place. Adjacent to the west side truck dock are dedicated and secured television production and satellite truck parking areas with permanent patch-in panels. The audio-video room within the arena is also linked to Missouri's two major sports venues - the Hearnes Center and Memorial Football Stadium. The arena contains a center-hung scoreboard-video board as well as 30" high video ribbon board located above the luxury suites where the lower and upper seating bowl transition occurs.
New Editions
No, I am not going to break into a rendition of "Cool it Now" or "Candy Girl" (as much as you all would enjoy that) but Mizzou has two members of its staff that are beginning new editions of their careers. And like the group "New Edition," you might say that the newest members of the Tiger coaching family are old school.
Associate Head Coach Melvin Watkins joined the Tigers in July after six years as head coach at Texas A&M and a two year stint as head coach at UNC-Charlotte. Watkins has brought a wealth of experience and energy to the Tiger bench. The other new face on the Tiger bench is assistant coach Jeff Meyer, who most recently was an assistant at Butler University for three years. Meyer brings 25 years of coaching experience to Mizzou including 16 years as a head coach at Liberty University. He also joined the Tiger bench in July.
Coach Quin Snyder
6th Year at MU
107-68
In his sixth year at the helm of the Mizzou basketball program is Quin Snyder. Missouri's 15th head coach, Snyder has built a program that has joined the upper echelon of college basketball. With a focus on developing players academically, physically, skillfully and socially, Snyder's squads have enjoyed trips to the post season in each of the last five seasons including four trips to the NCAA Tournament. Mizzou has averaged exactly 20.0 wins per contest during Snyder's five-year tenure at Mizzou. The intense competitor the Tiger players call "Coach Q" won his 100th career game last season when Mizzou defeated Texas A&M in the Big 12 Tournament. He became the fourth coach in Mizzou school history to reach the 100-win plateau and Snyder will have a great opportunity to add to that total with a contract that will keep him as a fixture on the Tiger bench through 2007-08.
In 2004-05, Mizzou returns several of its top players including senior Jason Conley, junior Jimmy McKinney and sophomores Thomas Gardner and Linas Kleiza. Snyder and his staff also gathered a sixth straight Top 25 recruiting class to augment the already talented roster. Mizzou has moved to a new state-of-the-art home this season, the Mizzou Arena, which holds around 15,000 rowdy Missouri fans and gives the Tigers an unbelievable opportunity to build on the foundation of success that has been established.
Given the success and excitement Snyder's squads have generated in his five years at the helm, it is not surprising that Tiger fans are looking for big things from Mizzou in 2004-05. In 2003-04, Snyder led the Tigers to wins over Top 20 teams such as Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. He also saw his second recruiting class of Arthur Johnson, Rickey Paulding, Travon Bryant and Josh Kroenke complete outstanding careers at Mizzou. Johnson and Paulding both jumped into the Top 10 on the Tiger scoring charts and Johnson finished his career as the Tigers' all-time leader in blocked shots and rebounds. That outstanding class also finished their career having played in the most NCAA Tournament contests of any class in school history with eight.
A native of the Pacific Northwest, Snyder, 37, attended Mercer Island High School in the state of Washington. A two-time state player of the year, Snyder led the team to the 1985 state championship. During this time, Mercer Island achieved a No. 1 ranking in USA Today's high school polls. Snyder was named a McDonald's All-America player, being the first ever chosen from the state of Washington.
Snyder and his wife, the former Helen Redwine, a native of Charlotte, N.C, have one son, Owen Redwine Snyder, born on December 25, 2002.