Oct. 2, 2005
Columbia, MO - - The buzzwords hovering around the University of Missouri basketball camp this off-season have been familiarity and foundation. Last season, Head Coach Quin Snyder's young squad not only jelled towards the end of the 2004-05 campaign, closing with a stretch of six wins in eight opportunities, but found its team identity, culminating with the program's sixth consecutive appearance in postseason play under Snyder.
Competing with a roster comprised of 10 players in their first or second season with the program, Snyder and his veteran coaching staff (30+ seasons of head coaching experience) molded Mizzou's young talent into a team that not only finished strong, but toppled five NCAA qualifiers throughout the course of what was initially considered to be a rebuilding season.
The charge for Snyder and his seasoned staff in 2005-06 ... build upon that foundation with the return of three starters (Jimmy McKinney, Jason Horton and Kevin Young) and four other letterwinners (Thomas Gardner, Marshall Brown, Kalen Grimes, Glen Dandridge), which accounted for 59 percent of the team's scoring, 50 percent of the rebounding and 67 percent of the assists a year ago.
Although the Tigers lost All-Big 12 forward Linas Kleiza to the first round of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft and Jason Conley to graduation, replacing key cogs in the Mizzou lineup is nothing new for Snyder. In 2002-03, the Tigers coped with the loss of All-Big 12 performers Kareem Rush and Clarence Gilbert only to win 22 games and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Last season, the Tigers advanced to postseason play yet again, this time without the services of Arthur Johnson and Rickey Paulding, who each finished their careers among Missouri's Top 10 all-time scorers.
Now Snyder and the Tigers will look to repeat history. Paced by the return of those seven letterwinners and the addition of a talented recruiting class, the seventh-year sideline boss has the Tigers on solid footing heading into what should be another exciting season of Big 12 Conference basketball in the heartland.
Perimeter Of the eight returners, four make their homes on the perimeter, including McKinney, who has made a team-best 87 starts over his collegiate career. Second among returnees with a 7.2 ppg. scoring average, the versatile 6-foot-3 combo-guard will take on an increased role for the Tigers this season and will look to build upon a junior campaign, which not only saw the former Vashon High School standout rank among team-leaders in point production, but assists (78), steals (27) and free throw percentage (.776) as well.
Joining McKinney as a returning starter in the backcourt is the sophomore Horton. Prior to his freshman season, the Dallas, TX, native spent the better part of eight months recovering from a blood clot near his right shoulder, which not only kept him off the court, but hampered his conditioning leading into his rookie season. Now, the 6-foot-0 lead guard has spent a full summer working out with the team and knows what to expect from a rigorous Big 12 slate. Despite the health troubles, Horton ranked second on the club at 30.6 minutes per game and was among the team's better perimeter shooters at 37.0 percent (34-of-92).
Another key player on the wing is Gardner. Although he started less than half of Mizzou's 33 contests last season, the 6-foot-5 slasher averaged nearly 30 minutes every night out and is the team's top returning scorer at 10.4 ppg. An excellent free throw shooter (.831) and a high-energy performer on the defensive end, Gardner has a knack for not only creating his own shot, but generating opportunities for his teammates (66 assists) and will need to call upon that ability to help the Tigers take another step forward in League play. The key for Gardner this season ... consistency. The Portland, Ore., native reached double figures 17 times last year and led the team in three-point field goals (53), but shot just 27 percent from beyond the arc and 36.3 percent from the field.
Centers Underneath, the returning starter Young leads a youthful Tiger frontline that includes two sophomores (Marshall Brown and Kalen Grimes) and the freshman Leo Lyons. Last season Young started a team-best 32-of-33 games at center and paced the squad in blocked shots, while ranking second in rebounding (4.9). The team's best offensive rebounder a year ago, coaches feel like the hard-working Kingston, Jamaica, native is poised for a big senior campaign after averaging 8.0 points and 7.3 rebounds over his final three contests against Nebraska, Oklahoma and DePaul.
A nice complement to both Young at the center position is the 6-foot-8, 250-pound Grimes. A deceptive athlete because of that outstanding size, Grimes will make his living finishing around the hoop and should pick up some of the rebounding slack lost with the departure of Kleiza. Last season the Hazelwood Central product played in all-33 contests and shot a team-best 53 percent (35-of-66) from the floor in 9.2 minutes of action. Grimes also provided a solid shot-blocking presence and ranked second on the club with 18 swats including a career high four rejections in a career game vs. Montana, where he also added 12 points and three offensive caroms.
Forwards While Young and Grimes provide the muscle in the middle, Brown adds the athleticism and often accepted the assignment of guarding opponent's top players in the paint last season. A starter on six occasions, Brown is a capable shooter, connecting on 38 percent of his three-point opportunities and 42 percent of his shots overall. While Brown is expected to see an expanded roll offensively, his calling card will continue to be on defense and needs to have his rebounding take the next step to see an increase in minutes this season.
Like Brown, the sophomore Dandridge is also capable of shooting at a high percentage on the wing and presents match-up problems because of his size (6-foot-6, 210 pounds) and strength. The Goochland, Va., benefited greatly from off-season workouts and is ready to see an increased role in his second go-around in the Big 12. One of four freshmen to see considerable action last year, Dandridge appeared in 30-of-33 contests and hit 12 treys, which ranks fifth among returning players.
Newcomers While a solid nucleus of eight returnees highlights the 2005-06 roster, Snyder and his staff will welcome four newcomers, including Texas A&M transfer Marcus Watkins, who redshirted the 2004-05 season, despite being cleared to play NCAA.
The son of current assistant coach Melvin Watkins, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound forward will bring instant toughness and familiarity with the Big 12 Conference. Watkins played in 55 career games while playing for his father at Texas A&M and has been a workout warrior since his arrival in Columbia. That improved strength and his unselfish nature will pay immediate dividends for the Tigers, where he can bolster the team's rebounding and defensive presence on the perimeter.
Another junior vying for playing time will be James Douglas. A sizable combo-guard at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Douglas gives Mizzou quality depth and will compete for playing time at both guard positions after hitting 40 percent of his three-pointers last season at Schoolcraft (Mich.) Community College. During his prep career, the Detroit, Mich., native started four seasons at Harper Woods High School and was named the Most Valuable Player of the Metro Conference his final two years, including his senior season where he averaged 25.7 points, 8.6 boards, 5.1 assists and 4.0 steals.
Like his frontcourt mate Brown, Lyons gives the Tigers another long, athletic presence in the paint, which will be enhanced by his ability to not only run the floor and finish, but use his court vision to find teammates for open looks. A former standout at Kansas City's Piper High School, Lyons finished his high school career at Coastal Christian Academy in Virginia Beach, Va., where he led CCA to a 27-6 overall mark. A team-leader at nearly 21 points and eight caroms a game, the 6-foot-9, 225-pounder possesses a skill level typically seen in a wing, but has the physical makeup to battle with some of the League's larger power forwards.
The second freshman entering Mizzou's camp is the 6-foot-6 wing Matt Lawrence. Another player capable of capitalizing on the open perimeter looks generated by Snyder's offense, the former Lafayette High School standout (St. Louis, Mo.) gives the Tigers good size on the perimeter, coupled with an ability to find open teammates for easy opportunities. Among the St. Louis area's leading scorers (17.9 ppg.) and three-point shooters (29 treys) last season, Lawrence helped lead Lafayette to a 24-5 overall mark and earned a spot on the St. Louis Post Dispatch's All-State team.
Although the four newcomers will have an opportunity to contribute, it's the cohesion brought by the eight returners that has sparked the anticipation around Tiger camp heading into the season. There is no denying the progress made by Snyder's young club down the stretch of 2004-05, and that progress was due to an increase in the team's defensive intensity and, of course, that familiarity. In Mizzou's stretch of six wins in eight opportunities, the Tigers simply guarded. No opponent scored more than 68 points in those victories and even in defeats against Colorado, Texas and Kansas State, Missouri put the clamps on, holding the three foes to less than 65 points each night out. Now with a strong nucleus coming back, Snyder and his staff look to build upon the foundation established last year and aim towards a return to postseason success.