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NEW STORY THE CHAMBER, 5/15

brianaustin

Hall of Famer
Jun 18, 2001
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Columbia, MO
BASKETBALL RECRUITING

Gabe DeArmond


-- All week long, we’ve been breaking down the roster and the expectations for year two of the Kim Anderson era. As my contribution to the Chamber, I want to look at year three and beyond.

Let’s first say, it’s not a guarantee there is going to BE a year three. I don’t think it’s unfair to entertain that possibility. Yesterday, I wrote about the expectations for this season. I came away saying realistic expectations should be 15 to 18 wins. If Missouri fails to get there (or at least within a couple of plays of there), Mack Rhoades is going to have a decision to make: Is Kim Anderson the guy to lead this program going forward? Hopefully, for you, for Anderson and for my sanity, this isn’t a question we need to entertain. Hopefully he surpasses those expectations and we move forward.

Anyway, let’s assume there is going to be a year three for the purposes of this discussion. I’m not going to focus here on where Missouri stands with certain kids so much as that’s no longer my area of expertise. Instead, i want to kind of lay out the blueprint for Missouri to be a successful program under Anderson.

I was pretty blunt in saying Corey Tate wouldn’t have been the first guy I’d have hired. I would have gone with a guy who had Division One experience (and I think Missouri tried to do that). But I do see the advantages to hiring Tate and am even willing to admit I may have been wrong about going the experienced assistant route.

Tate’s role is obvious: Come in and get us players, especially those in the St. Louis area. We all understand the Jayson Tatum ship has sailed and Corey Tate is steering it back to Columbia. So scratch that.

But Tatum is only going to be anywhere for one year. It’s that next level of kid that Anderson really needs to get and that I believe Tate was hired to get.

In my opinion, you’ve got four players who are either in-state players or just across the border in the next two classes. In 2016, you’ve got St. Louis area guys Tyler Cook and Xavier Sneed. In 2017, there’s Columbia native Michael Porter, Jr. and East St. Louis’ Jeremiah Tilmon.

This year’s team and the development of the young guys already on the roster is going to determine whether Anderson gets a legitimate shot to get those players. Whether he does is what will determine how successful he might be going forward.

It’s my opinion (and I want to stress ONLY my opinion) that getting Cook and another high level player in the early signing period for 2016 is critical. Ideally, that player is Sneed. It not only gives you another in-state guy, but it validates that hiring Tate was the way to go and has you on the right track in the most talent-rich area Missouri recruits on a regular basis. If you get Cook and Sneed early, that’s something you can point to as a positive direction for the program. I think it would also play favorably with Tilmon and Porter.

I don’t think these four guys are must-get players. I think there’s only one of those in this group and that’s Porter. You have to get Porter. Period. Never before has Missouri had a top-five in America talent playing his high school basketball in Columbia with his father employed at the University. And likelihood is that it will never happen again. If you’re not getting this kid, you’re pretty much not getting a top-five player in the country ever, unless your head coach has a son. So any discussion about the future and Missouri’s recruiting absolutely has to include signing Michael Porter, Jr., in my opinion.

Outside of Porter, if you can get two of the other three, I think that shows very positive signs for the future. Tilmon is probably the lowest priority on this list in my personal estimation from one simple reason: He won’t set foot on campus for more than two years (same with Porter, but he’s a different level player).

The ideal scenario here (again, that’s what I’m laying out...this isn’t a prediction, this is what I believe needs to happen for things to work) is getting Cook and Sneed to sign this November, going out and showing significant improvement on the floor and being able to feel good about where you sit with Porter when the season ends.

If all those things happen, there’s no discussion to be had about whether Anderson will return or not. But they all have to happen...or at least the first three (and if the first three happen, I think four follows pretty naturally). If you sign Cook and Sneed, but you win ten games, I don’t think it matters. If you sign Cook, but miss on Sneed and win 13 games, the decision is still difficult. But if you sign them both and win 15 games or more, I think Anderson’s job is 100% secure and there are reasons to feel good about the direction things are headed.

Again, I have no idea how likely any of those four things are to happen right now (well, that’s not exactly true, I feel pretty good about Mizzou’s chances to get Cook as of today). But I think that’s the map that needs to be followed. If these things come to fruition, I think hope--which has been severely lacking--will return to the Missouri fanbase. By no means are they a guarantor of success. All those things could happen and Missouri could still be a bad team for three more years and then they’ll be starting over again. But this path would be, to me, what would give those who are convinced Anderson will fail a reason to rethink that stance.

In conclusion, that’s a whole lot of words to say let’s see what happens.

Brian Austin

-- Mizzou has extended several offers since the end of the April evaluation period. One of those offers was to Oldsmar (Fla.) Christian guard Eric Hester. Rob Fulford is the lead recruiter for Hester and is making some in roads with the Rivals150 prospect.

"I have high interest in Mizzou," the number 59 ranked player said. "If I had a top five they'd be in it with Florida, Indiana and USF."

Hester thinks he will officially name his top five sometime after the AAU season ends. He does not have a time frame yet on when he wants to make a commitment.

When it does come time for Hester to make a decision he will consider a couple different factors.

"Just the relationship from the coaches and the players who will return. I wouldn't base it off how the team did in the previous years just if I fit the program and everything," he said.

-- Even with the burgeoning interest in and from Hester, a guard is not a sure bet for the 2016 class. The priorities are the front court. Small forward, power forward and center. Mizzou fans seem most interested in the center position at this point for a number of reasons. James Banks and Joey Brunk are the big names right now. Another name to watch is Sedee Keita. Mizzou is just starting express some interest in the Rivals150 four-star.

FOOTBALL RECRUITING
Pete Scantlebury

-- Tate Leavitt is visiting Saturday for the day, and we'll catch up with him after the visit. I confirmed the visit with Leavitt on Thursday night. He also visited Texas Tech this week.

-- Terrance Sanders said he's been hearing from Missouri a lot more since the Junior Day, and he will camp with them in June at one of their one-day camps. He said he thinks he needs to perform well at a camp to earn an offer, but isn't sure. The only other school showing a lot of interest at this point is Kansas.

Brian Austin

-- On the camp front we are starting to get more information on some of the prospects that will be in attendance. The team camps will feature Hazelwood West (James Jennette and Nicholas Rodriguez) and St. Joseph Central (Israel Smith) that we know of so far. As we get names and teams confirmed we will update you.

-- Eric Cuffee is the cousin of current Mizzou safety Chaston Ward. He is one of the top cornerback prospects in the 2016 class. Cuffee told me his cousin has told him lots of good things about Mizzou and recommended leaving the state for college.

At this point Cuffee has 34 offers from schools all over the country. He will cut his list down at The Opening which is in July. Mizzou has a chance to make the initial cut, but it would be a pretty big surprise if they were to land a commitment. It sounds like Alabama may be in the drivers seat at this point.
 
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