Aug. 24, 2006
Columbia, Mo. - While most folks around the city of Columbia are slapping the snooze button on their alarm clocks attempting to squeeze out a few extra minutes of shut-eye, members of the University of Missouri Basketball Team are busy slapping the baselines inside Mizzou Arena as part of Head Coach Mike Anderson's well-known morning workout regimen.
Each morning at 6 a.m. the Tigers converge on Mizzou Arena for a set of four 30-minute workouts led by Anderson and members of his staff. Each 30-minute session features three to four players and has the Tigers work quickly through a number of ball-handling, shooting and defensive drills to not only prepare for the start of practice on Oct. 13, but simulate the style of play that has Tiger fans from across the Show Me State excited for basketball season once again.
"It's a fast-paced workout and we are able to get a lot done in a short amount of time," said junior guard Jason Horton who practiced alongside newcomers Stefhon Hannah, Keon Lawrence and J.T. Tiller at 6 a.m. "The way we workout, it's by design. This staff knows how to prepare its team to play in this system and that's what they are doing. There isn't time to rest in between drills and everything we do during our session has a purpose. No time gets wasted out there. It's conditioning, both physically and mentally."
Following morning workouts, the Tigers head to campus for class, but return to Mizzou Arena at 3 p.m. to begin strength and conditioning workouts with new Strength and Conditioning Coach David Deets. Like Anderson's morning regimen, Deets condenses a full training session into an abbreviated allotment of time to eliminate lengthy periods of rest and help the Tigers acclimate to Anderson's fast-paced, high-intensity style of play. After a pair of strength sessions, Deets takes the Tigers onto the Mizzou Arena floor for agility and flexibility training before breaking up the groups into three teams for games of pick-up basketball.
"Coach Deets' workouts keep us in the mode of working hard, working fast and doing it right the first time," Horton said. "The morning workouts and our time with Coach Deets really complement each other well. Everything we do has a purpose and that's to get us prepared for this style of play."
The 2006-07 Tigers enjoy a 15-man roster, although Vanderbilt transfer DeMarre Carroll will sit out the season per NCAA transfer guidelines. The Tigers do have 14 players available, however, with the remainder of Mizzou's seven-member recruiting class (J.T. Tiller, Keon Lawrence, Michael Anderson, Darryl Butterfield, Stefhon Hannah and Vaidotas Volkus) on campus and eligible for competition. Anderson was recently granted immediate eligibility from the NCAA after his transfer from UAB.
Below is a look at Mizzou's morning workout groups:
Schedules are subject to change due to class obligations.
6 a.m. (on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Jason Horton, Stefhon Hannah, Keon Lawrence, J.T. Tiller
6:30 a.m. (on Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
Marshall Brown, Glen Dandridge, Kalen Grimes, DeMarre Carroll
7 a.m. (on Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
Darryl Butterfield, Vaidotas Volkus, Leo Lyons, Matt Lawrence
7:30 a.m. (on Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
Michael Anderson, Jr., Nick Berardini, Marcus Watkins