Sept. 19, 2008
Columbia, Mo. - MUTigers.com continues its preseason look at the 2008-09 Missouri Basketball team. Today's edition takes a look a the Tiger front court, a group that has a pair of starters returning in 2008 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year DeMarre Carroll, and Leo Lyons, who was among the league's most-improved players as a junior.
Front Court Preview
Perhaps the strength of Missouri's 2008-09 team will be in the post where Carroll and Lyons return after leading the club in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and blocked shots last season.
The Big 12 Conference's Newcomer of the Year, Carroll initially entered his name for consideration in the 2008 NBA Draft, but will return for his senior season in Columbia and begin working on his graduate degree. Nicknamed the Junkyard Dog, Carroll gives the Tigers toughness and a rebounding tenacity underneath and should be healthy after suffering an array of ankle injuries last year.
The 6-foot-8, 225-pounder finished second on the team in scoring (13.0) and tops in rebounding (6.7), while ranking fourth in the Big 12 in field goal percentage (.536). Carroll was dominant when healthy and averaged 17.8 points and 7.0 rebounds over the season's final four games, a stretch that helped him earn All-Big 12 honors, as well as being named one of the nation's top transfers by Rivals.com.
"I think health will be a key factor for DeMarre," Anderson said. "He plays so hard out there on the floor that his health dictates his ability to play his style. DeMarre was battling injuries throughout most of league play, but once he started getting healthy, we saw the real DeMarre out there and that's going to help our basketball team."
Like Carroll, a strong finish by Lyons peaked the interest of NBA organizations, but the Kansas City native chose to return for his senior season. Lyons was named to the Big 12's All-Improved Team after averaging 13.1 points and 5.7 boards in 31 games. Lyons saw those numbers improve to 14.3 points and 6.5 boards in league play, numbers that ranked among the Top 10 in both categories. Few players were as dominant as Lyons towards the end of the season, as the 6-foot-9, 240-pounder averaged 16.1 points and 8.0 rebounds over his final 16 contests. Lyons reached the 20-point plateau a team-leading six times, including a memorable 27-point, 18-rebound effort against Oklahoma State on national television. Lyons followed that with a 23-point, 11-board afternoon at Baylor showing the Tiger coaching staff the consistency needed to become one of the league's most dominant big men. The Big 12 leader in field goal percentage (.583), Lyons also ranked among team leaders with 53 assists and chipped in 22 steals, making him one of the league's most versatile post players returning for 2008-09.
"With Leo, we saw him develop that consistency he had been missing the first couple of years," Anderson said. "He started producing night-in and night-out. It's not all about points, but his rebounding and post defense improved on a day-to-day basis and that's what allowed him to post those bigger numbers down the stretch."
A player similar to the mold of Lyons is sophomore Justin Safford. Safford saw his playing time increase throughout his rookie season and finished the year averaging 2.3 points and 2.2 boards in 8.9 minutes a game. Like a number of returning Tigers this season, Safford saw his playing time and production increase in Big 12 play, as he averaged 3.6 points in 11.1 minutes. Safford was also a threat to shoot from the perimeter, as he hit 37 percent of his three-pointers, including a pair of treys in the upset win over No. 22 Kansas State and connected on 4-of-5 shots from the floor en route to a career high 10 points against No. 18 Texas A&M.
"A lot like J.T. Tiller, you saw Justin's play improve when he got comfortable with his role," Anderson said. "As the year went along, you saw the game slow down for Justin and that allowed him to use his abilities. Justin is a young player and he is learning, but we are excited about his future in our program."
The Tigers also welcome three newcomers to help bolster a solid front line. Similar to the newcomers in the back court, Missouri has a mixture of experience and youth coming into the program, with junior college All-American Keith Ramsey joining freshmen Steve Moore and Laurence Bowers.
Ramsey was originally recruited by Anderson and his staff at the University of Alabama at Birmingham before spending two seasons at JUCO powerhouse Okaloosa-Walton. A versatile forward who has the ability to play in the open floor, Ramsey ranked among Okaloosa-Walton's leaders in several categories, including rebounding, assists, blocked shots and three-point field goals. A first team all-league selection after averaging 14.6 points, Ramsey was a highly-coveted recruit after posting per game averages of 3.8 assists, 3.0 blocks, 8.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals on his 6-foot-9 frame.
Like Ramsey, Bowers excels in the open floor and brings a winning mentality after leading St. George's High School to the Tennessee Division II state semifinals and a 25-3 overall record. Runner-up for the state's Mr. Basketball Award, Bowers averaged 19.8 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.8 blocks to be ranked as one of the nation's better defensive post presences. The 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward also earned All-State honors all four seasons as a prepster and even received scholarship consideration on the baseball diamond as a pitcher from local colleges.
A local product out of Kansas City's Truman High School, Moore brings size and strength to the club and will have the opportunity to help the team with his defensive presence. Moore averaged 17.0 points and 12.1 rebounds per game and led his school to the Missouri Class 5 Final Four. Moore's team started the season 9-8, but the 6-foot-9, 250-pound bruiser led his team to 11 consecutive victories, which included a last-second, game-winning three-pointer in district play.
"Again, I think these three guys can add depth to our post and give us options," Anderson said. "Certainly some players have different strengths, but we are excited about the young men coming into the program and feel they will help us get to the next level in our rebuilding process here at Mizzou."