April 12, 2007

Columbia, Mo. - To call his initial task as head coach at the University of Missouri a challenge would have been quite the understatement. Taking over a team that went just 12-16 the season prior to his arrival and predicted to finish dead last in the Big 12 Conference in his first season, Mike Anderson did what he always does, he got to work. Early morning workout sessions with his new team, a rigorous off-season conditioning program, a bombarding tour of public appearances and a tireless approach to recruiting each played integral roles in allowing Mizzou's first year head coach to put an early stamp on his new program.

From his introductory press conference on Norm Stewart Court, Anderson let the Mizzou Nation know, "This is your Program" and that "A new day of Tiger Basketball had arrived". Days after his arrival in Columbia, Anderson met with the Missouri High School Coaches Association at the Final Four in Indianapolis and shortly thereafter, he was seen from coast-to-coast evaluating prep and junior college talent, searching to breathe life back into a proud program, simply in need of a "spark".

Anderson's efforts on the recruiting trail paid immediate dividends, as he added the Big 12 Conference's unanimous Newcomer of the Year, Stefhon Hannah, rugged forward Darryl Butterfield, athletic guard and defensive stalwart J.T. Tiller and Vanderbilt transfer DeMarre Carroll. Anderson's recruiting prowess didn't stop there. He retained the commitment of junior college forward Vaidotas Volkus and reassured talented guard Keon Lawrence that Columbia, Mo., was where he wanted to be.

After adding key performers to go alongside two returning starters and five returning letterwinners, Anderson began cultivating talent within the program. Seldom used during their Mizzou careers, Anderson announced that each player would enter summer workouts with a clean slate and got breakthrough improvements from a number of players, most notably returning reserves Matt Lawrence, Kalen Grimes and Leo Lyons. Seldom used during their collegiate careers, Anderson saw that trio go from averaging a combined 6.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in 2005-06 to 25.6 points and 13.0 rebounds. That group also made a combined 60 starts after making just two starts over their entire MU careers.

Stefhon Hannah was named the unanimous pick as Newcomer of the Year in the Big 12.

Next, Anderson instilled a winning attitude. During practices and workouts, nearly every drill had a competitive aspect. Shooting games, defensive drills and scrimmages each pitted players in competitive scenarios, teaching them not only how to win games under pressure, but simply how to win. As it turned out, those drills were instrumental in Mizzou's fast start to the season, which saw the Tigers not only win their first nine games of the year, but avoid difficult early-season slumps that had plagued them in the past. Impressive wins over NCAA participants Davidson and Arkansas and a tournament title in the John Thompson Foundation Classic helped Mizzou race to the 9-0 ledger, its fastest start to a season in five years (2001-02).

Ole Mizzou opened the season with a 101-80 throttling of North Carolina A&T, led by Matt Lawrence's career high 27 points. During his entire freshman season, Lawrence scored just 37 total points, so his outburst in game one provided tangible proof of the drastic improvements taking place on the practice courts inside Mizzou Arena. Overall, Lawrence connected on 7-of-11 three-pointers and fellow sophomore Leo Lyons added a career high 16 tallies as well. Back-to-back Kalen Grimes' double-doubles helped Mizzou secure the John Thompson Foundation Classic crown. Named MVP of the four-team event, Grimes scored 18 points and grabbed 11 boards vs. Army, before adding 14 points and 11 caroms against Stetson. In addition to Grimes' MVP nod, Stefhon Hannah and Matt Lawrence each received All-Tournament recognition for their efforts.

While the fast start excited fans, an old nemesis waited in the wings. Following an 89-69 win over Lipscomb, Mizzou faced a Davidson club that had defeated them each of the past two seasons. As expected, the contest was close and the two clubs traded 12 lead changes, including 10 times in the second half before the Tigers could pull away. Mizzou got 42 combined points from Matt Lawrence (22 points) and Hannah (20), while Lyons added 18 points off the bench. The Tigers also did an outstanding job on Wildcat freshman star Stephen Curry, who had just two points in the first half.

Anderson's club enjoyed 20-point wins over both Stephen F. Austin (85-56) and Coppin State (98-77), before a nationally-televised contest with Arkansas highlighted the early-season schedule. Not even a Nov. 30 snow and ice storm could dampen the Mizzou Arena atmosphere, as the Tigers forced 24 Razorback turnovers, including 18 first-half miscues to race to the 86-64 triumph. While 15 inches of snow and ice rained over Columbia, Anderson's version of 40 Minutes of Hell reigned over Norm Stewart Court. The nation's leader in steals at the time, Hannah pickpocketed the Razorbacks six times and led the Tigers with 21 tallies, while Matt Lawrence added 19. The Mizzou Nation also began its love-affair with a charismatic freshman named Keon Lawrence. Lawrence scored 14 points and added three thefts to help Mizzou jump back into Top 25 consideration and once again provide fans with tangible proof that the process of restoring Missouri's proud basketball tradition was well on course.

Keon Lawrence was Missouri's top freshman scorer since Kareem Rush in 1999-2000.

Missouri's ninth consecutive win came at the expense of the Evansville Aces. Grimes added his third double-double of the year (12 points, 12 boards) and Jason Horton and Darryl Butterfield each added 10 points apiece to lift the Tigers to the 19-point win.

Contests vs. NCAA Tournament teams, Purdue and Illinois, saw the Tigers come up short for the first time on the year, but even a 73-70 Busch Braggin' Rights loss to Illinois in St. Louis gave Tiger fans yet another sign of improvement. One year prior, Missouri suffered an 82-50 loss at the hands of the Fighting Illini. This time around, Mizzou and Illinois battled until a potential game-tying three-point attempt from slipped away and allowed the Fighting Illini to escape with the three-point win. Hannah once again wowed a national TV audience, as he poured in 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, while adding four assists. Early foul trouble plagued the Tigers, as starters Marshall Brown and Matt Lawrence each played less than 20 minutes. Third on the team in scoring at 10.1 points per game, Brown actually played just nine minutes and forced Missouri to go deep into its bench. Still, the Tigers rallied and led by as many as six points, but missed free throws and key turnovers down the stretch kept Missouri from recording the upset victory.

Despite the narrow loss, Missouri returned from the holiday break to claim a pair of home-court victories against Southern University and Mississippi State. Matt Lawrence was again outstanding from beyond the arc, hitting 6-of-8 treys en route to 24 points, while freshman Keon Lawrence added 17 tallies and a career high five steals to help the Tigers cruise to the 29-point win over the Jaguars. Three days later, Hannah's career high 27 points and five steals helped the Tigers pull away from a Bulldog club that would later qualify for postseason play and advance to the semifinals of the MasterCard National Invitation Tournament in New York City. Trailing by as many as 10 points (37-27) with 5:23 remaining in the first half, Hannah, a native of Chicago, scored nine points in a span of 3:24, while a Butterfield lay-up, coupled with a trey from Matt Lawrence and a Grimes bucket at the buzzer gave the Tigers a 16-0 run to close the half and a 43-37 lead at the break. The Tigers would never trail in the second half and pushed their lead to as many as 13 as they concluded non-conference play with an 11-2 overall mark. The MSU victory was also Anderson's 100th of his coaching career in just his fifth season as a head coach.

While the 11-2 start showed that the direction of the program was headed upward, the harsh reality of Big 12 play quickly settled in as MU struggled to an 0-4 start. Narrow home losses to Iowa State (66-65) and Kansas State (85-81), and a road loss at No. 5 Kansas (80-77) showed that the Tigers weren't far off, but needed a new spark to get over the hump. Winless on the road in 12 consecutive games, Mizzou got a balanced effort in Boulder, Colo., during a 79-65 win at Colorado. Hannah and Matt Lawrence each scored 14 points and the Tiger defense held CU to just 1-of-15 shooting from three-point range to get the win.

Missouri made it two-in-a-row with dominating 71-58 over Bob Knight and his NCAA-bound Red Raiders in front of a sold out Mizzou Arena crowd. As he had done so many times throughout his first season in Black and Gold, Hannah led the Tigers with 15 points and four assists, as Missouri stopped a four-game skid to Texas Tech. Holding a 41-35 lead at the break, MU held Tech scoreless for the first-seven minutes of the second period and pushed their lead to 51-35. The Tigers wouldn't look back and enjoyed one of their biggest wins of the season, helping to set the stage for future sellouts against Nebraska and Kansas.

Narrow losses again plagued the Tigers in Manhattan, Kan. (80-73) and at home vs. Nebraska (66-61), but Anderson's resilient group bounced back with a dominating 77-55 win at Iowa State. The first start of freshman Keon Lawrence's career also saw the Tigers earn their first win in Ames, Iowa, since the 1998-99 campaign. The Tigers utilized a pair of 11-0 runs in the second half to blow open the contest, keyed by a three-point play from Tiller after the Cyclones cut the MU lead to 39-36 early on. A missed lay-up by ISU's Mike Taylor and a missed dunk by Wesley Johnson each turned into easy buckets for Missouri and the Tigers left the Hilton Coliseum with their first victory since Norm Stewart's final season in Columbia.

Darryl Butterfield quickly became a fan favorite for his high-energy play off the Tiger bench.

A home loss to Kansas didn't hinder Missouri's late-season surge. Led by a 25-point night from Hannah and a 24-point effort from Keon Lawrence, Missouri topped Baylor 78-71 on Valentine's Day. The 24 points from Lawrence were a career high and ranked No. 8 all-time in single-game points for a Tiger freshman. Hannah's 25 tallies were aided by 4-of-6 shooting from three-point range. Lawrence also became the first freshman to top 20 points in a game since Kareem Rush in 1999-2000.

Perhaps Mizzou's most impressive win of the year came three days later in Stillwater, Okla. Facing the 18th-ranked Cowboys, Missouri rebounded from an early 14-3 deficit to outscore OSU 72-51 over the final 34:46 to earn the 75-64 win. Once again, it was Keon Lawrence leading the Tigers, as the Newark, N.J., native poured in 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting, while adding a career high eight boards, two assists and two steals. The great all-around effort for Lawrence helped secure his first career Big 12 Newcomer of the Week award and helped Missouri enjoy its first win in Gallagher-Iba Arena since the start of the Big 12 Conference in 1996-97. Matt Lawrence and Horton also played significant roles in the upset win. Lawrence hit 5-of-7 treys en route to 15 tallies, while Horton came off the bench to dish six assists, record three steals and commit just one turnover in 19 minutes.

A Sooner-State sweep was in order as a Keon Lawrence jumper and four late-game free throws handed MU a 72-68 win. With the score tied, Lawrence, who actually struggled from the floor most of the night, hit a turn-around jumper from the elbow and made four free throws over the final 12.6 seconds to help the Tigers earn their fifth consecutive regular-season win over the Sooners. Hannah led Mizzou with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Lyons added 14.

An overtime loss in Lincoln, Neb., saw yet another Tiger step-up his play down the stretch, but even Butterfield's 13-point effort off the bench and Hannah's 17 tallies couldn't push Mizzou's win streak to four games. Aleks Maric proved to be too much inside as the Cornhusker post player poured in 31 points thanks to 15-of-17 shooting from the foul line. Overall, the Huskers shot an incredible 31-of-36 from the charity stripe, while the Tigers managed just 15-of-21 shooting. The Tigers did make six more field goals and forced 18 NU turnovers, but the 15-point disparity at the stripe decided the 82-77 overtime affair.

A 91-82 Senior Night win over Colorado allowed the Tigers to reach a number of season and career milestones. In addition to being the final home game for senior Marcus Watkins, the 18th victory to the season helped Anderson tie the Mizzou rookie coaching record and gave the Tigers an upper-division Big 12 finish for the first time in two years. Watkins, making his first start on the year, scored a career high 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, while adding six boards and two steals. Not to be outdone, Matt Lawrence added 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range and Keon Lawrence reached double-figures for the sixth consecutive game to complete the season sweep of the Buffaloes.

Jason Horton earned the team's Coaches Award for his unselfish play.

The 18 wins for Missouri marked a six-game improvement over last season's 12-16 record and the Tigers finished regular-season play as the most improved team (win total wise) in the Big 12. A number of Tigers also enjoyed postseason accolades, headlined by Hannah, who was the league's unanimous choice for Newcomer of the Year and was selected a Second Team All-Big 12 pick by the Kansas City Star and a Third Team choice by the Big 12 Coaches. A three-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week (a school record), the junior finished his first season with 72 total steals, which ranks No. 3 in MU single-season history and his 137 assists were the most for a Tiger since Wesley Stokes in 2001-02 and No. 9 all-time.

An underlying theme for the Tigers throughout Anderson's first season was individual improvement and nobody personified that improvement like Matt Lawrence. The Big 12's most improved player, Lawrence was cited by ESPN College Game Night's Stephen Bardo as being his No. 1 Surprise Impact Player in America as his scoring average went from 1.5 points per game as a freshman to 11.2 as a sophomore. He was also named to the Kansas City Star's All-Improved Team and finished the year with a team-leading 81 three-pointers, the seventh-highest total in school history.

After laying the foundation for future success in his first season, Anderson's Tigers prepare to leap onto the national stage in year two. Missouri returns a number of key performers, including all five starters, their top reserves, key recruits and 2006-07 redshirt DeMarre Carroll. The nephew of Anderson and cousin of assistant coach T.J. Cleveland, Carroll was one of the nation's most improved players in 2005-06, going from 4.0 points and 3.8 rebounds as a freshman, to 10.9 points and 6.4 rebounds as a sophomore at Vanderbilt. The Birmingham, Ala., native made 15 starts at Vandy as a second-year player and actually saw his statistical averages jump to 12.1 points and 7.4 boards in Southeastern Conference action. An athletic, rugged presence in the lane, Carroll will add scoring and rebounding stability underneath, but his most immediate contributions will be in the leadership and toughness categories, two key components to Anderson's incredible first-season turnaround at MU. Throughout his first season in Columbia, Anderson was revered for his leadership, charisma and work ethic, qualities he quickly instilled into his own club. In fact, Anderson's opening statements at his welcoming press conference proved to be quite prophetic. As witnessed throughout the 2006-07 season, a new day of Tiger Basketball had in fact arrived and optimism and promise for the Tiger Nation soon followed with it.