Wanted to throw some thoughts up on being at Mizzou Arena today. Not on the basketball because that made the NBA all-star game look like the greatest defensive performance in the history of basketball. But nobody went there looking for a great display of hoops.
It was fun to catch up with a lot of guys I got to know by having this job over the last 19 years. I talked to Brian Grawer, Rickey Paulding, Tommy Saunders, Martin Rucker, Sean Weatherspoon, Jeremy Maclin, Corby Jones, Bud Sasser and Henry Josey. There were quite a few other guys there that I just didn't have a chance to talk to. What struck me is how many of those guys remembered me, called me by my name, etc. I don't say this as any sort of humble brag or anything. It just more took me back to a time where we got to know the players a lot better than we do now and, by extension, so did you guys. Of course, part of that is that I was 5-10 years older than those guys when I covered them and now my kid is five years older than a lot of them.
The line for autographs went halfway around the concourse. After the game, tons of people who didn't get things signed before the game were on the court getting pictures and autographs. For a couple of generations of Missouri fans, these guys that were mostly on campus between about 2002 and 2013 are the group that made them Mizzou fans. That's a connection that doesn't go away. And the players have the connection too. These guys all made the trip back partly to help out Laurence and DeMarre, but also to get a day in front of the people that cheered for them and made them what they were. Because what struck me is even for those that went on to have pretty solid pro careers, Mizzou was the pinnacle of most of these guys athletic careers. Some of the guys look like they could still play. Others not so much. It was cool for fans to get to see them, but it's also pretty cool for these guys to come back and get showered with a day of love to remind them of what they did here.
Of course, it would also be cool for you guys if there are more players like that coming soon at Missouri. Realistically, I don't think there's anybody who's played here since 2014 who is as beloved as almost any of these players. That's obviously because the players since 2014 simply haven't been a part of winning like the ones before that. Saturday was pretty fun, especially for people my age, but man, does Missouri need to be able to have some athletes to invite back to an event like this in about ten years. Because if you're 20 right now, you don't know a lot of those guys. And you don't have the memories of Mizzou sports that a lot of us do.
I didn't do a ton of interviews, but I did talk to a few guys for a story I'm working on that will run on the site in a couple of weeks. This quote from Brad Smith just really stuck out to me. I asked him after 20 years if he ever thought about his place in Mizzou history:
"I do. I think could I have done more, just for my team? Was there a stone that was unturned on my part? Did I work hard enough? Did I try to study? Did I get around the right people? That’s what I think about. I don’t think about any games or anything. I wanted to do more."
He's by any measure one of the greatest players in school history. And what he thinks about is if he could have done something else. Another one from Brad. I think if anybody can say this at the end of their career (athletic or otherwise) they did it the right way. "Somebody asked me what’s my greatest accomplishment in sports? It was the day I woke up when I stopped playing, I took a deep breath and I realized I gave everything I had. And that was the best day of my sports career."
It was fun to catch up with a lot of guys I got to know by having this job over the last 19 years. I talked to Brian Grawer, Rickey Paulding, Tommy Saunders, Martin Rucker, Sean Weatherspoon, Jeremy Maclin, Corby Jones, Bud Sasser and Henry Josey. There were quite a few other guys there that I just didn't have a chance to talk to. What struck me is how many of those guys remembered me, called me by my name, etc. I don't say this as any sort of humble brag or anything. It just more took me back to a time where we got to know the players a lot better than we do now and, by extension, so did you guys. Of course, part of that is that I was 5-10 years older than those guys when I covered them and now my kid is five years older than a lot of them.
The line for autographs went halfway around the concourse. After the game, tons of people who didn't get things signed before the game were on the court getting pictures and autographs. For a couple of generations of Missouri fans, these guys that were mostly on campus between about 2002 and 2013 are the group that made them Mizzou fans. That's a connection that doesn't go away. And the players have the connection too. These guys all made the trip back partly to help out Laurence and DeMarre, but also to get a day in front of the people that cheered for them and made them what they were. Because what struck me is even for those that went on to have pretty solid pro careers, Mizzou was the pinnacle of most of these guys athletic careers. Some of the guys look like they could still play. Others not so much. It was cool for fans to get to see them, but it's also pretty cool for these guys to come back and get showered with a day of love to remind them of what they did here.
Of course, it would also be cool for you guys if there are more players like that coming soon at Missouri. Realistically, I don't think there's anybody who's played here since 2014 who is as beloved as almost any of these players. That's obviously because the players since 2014 simply haven't been a part of winning like the ones before that. Saturday was pretty fun, especially for people my age, but man, does Missouri need to be able to have some athletes to invite back to an event like this in about ten years. Because if you're 20 right now, you don't know a lot of those guys. And you don't have the memories of Mizzou sports that a lot of us do.
I didn't do a ton of interviews, but I did talk to a few guys for a story I'm working on that will run on the site in a couple of weeks. This quote from Brad Smith just really stuck out to me. I asked him after 20 years if he ever thought about his place in Mizzou history:
"I do. I think could I have done more, just for my team? Was there a stone that was unturned on my part? Did I work hard enough? Did I try to study? Did I get around the right people? That’s what I think about. I don’t think about any games or anything. I wanted to do more."
He's by any measure one of the greatest players in school history. And what he thinks about is if he could have done something else. Another one from Brad. I think if anybody can say this at the end of their career (athletic or otherwise) they did it the right way. "Somebody asked me what’s my greatest accomplishment in sports? It was the day I woke up when I stopped playing, I took a deep breath and I realized I gave everything I had. And that was the best day of my sports career."
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