Oct. 16, 2009

Columbia, Mo. - Anderson Post Practice 

Missouri Basketball opened the doors on the 2009-10 season Friday night, hosting an extended workout inside Mizzou Arena. The Tigers touched on a number of areas in Practice #1, but as you would expect, the focus of Mike Anderson's first full workout started on the defensive side of the ball.

The team started with familiar drills such as defensive slides, one-on-one defense, 3-on-2, 2-on-1 and of course the three-man weave but the common theme for Anderson's fourth squad was learning how to apply defensive pressure and stopping the basketball in the open court.

"That has got to be our identity," Anderson said. "Our style of play is predicated on our ability to defend and force our opponents out of their comfort zone. I feel like the guys put in a lot of work this offseason and came in ready to go tonight. As a coach, you like to see that eagerness."

Mizzou will host multiple workouts on Saturday, meeting first at 9 a.m. and then again at 4 p.m. The team will be done in time to watch Saturday night's gridiron showdown in Stillwater, before meeting for a pair of practices on Sunday.

For more information on Mizzou Basketball, please visit our website, mutigers.com

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