We’ve got a little bit of everything this week. Pete unveils our early top ten in the state for 2013. Brian Austin has a rundown of a huge visit weekend for Tiger hoops. And we’ll end it with a rambling reminiscence on Mizzou-Kansas and what I consider the best basketball rivalry in America.
Pete Scantlebury on Football Recruiting
1. Nick Ramirez, LB, Lee's Summit West -- Always tough to decide who goes on top of these early rankings, but you can't go wrong with Ramirez. Already, he has multiple BCS offers. He's a three-year starter on varsity for one of the most consistent in-state teams. He was a first-team all-state performer as a junior. Right now, Ramirez leads the way.
2. Trent Hosick, QB, Staley -- Some may see Hosick as an athlete, based mainly on his bruising running style and impressive testing numbers. But Hosick, who has already been offered by Iowa, will get plenty of interest at quarterback.
3. Ezekiel Elliott, RB/DB, John Burroughs -- Big, fast running back who could also play safety in college. Elliott ran for over 1,800 yards as a junior, and is the top senior running back for 2013. Already, he has offers from Illinois and Arkansas.
4. Eric Beisel, LB, Rockwood-Summit -- Throw-back linebacker who just loves to play football. At 6-foot-3, 230-pounds, Beisel will get interest because of his measurables alone. But, with his ability to project to multiple positions, Beisel will be one of the top in-state defenders.
5. Jamone Boyd, DL, Lee's Summit West -- Still raw on the football field, Boyd's mix of size (6-foot-4, 250-pounds), strength and speed are putting him on the radar of many colleges. His on-the-field production hasn't been as great as the top three guys on this list, but his projections are off the chart.
6. Brandon Minor, LB/DE, Chaminade -- Minor has produced since his freshman year, and has been on Missouri's radar since then. At 6-foot-2, 235-pounds, he could play linebacker, defensive end, or maybe even fullback in college.
7. Anthony Sherrils, DB, Hogan Prep -- Plays both ways in high school, but may project better as a defensive back in college. He's flown a bit under the radar, but his speed and agility stand out. He has good size (6-foot, 170-pounds) to play on either side of the ball. Check out his highlights herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZDFqK8avgM.
8. Antar Thompson, DT, Maplewood-Richmond Heights -- While qualifying may be an issue, Thompson is a big, physical middle-of-the-line defender. He's already high on Missouri, but more colleges will come calling.
9. Derrick Mitchell, Jr., ATH, Vashon -- Mitchell spent time as a receiver, safety, quarterback, linebacker and punter, and broke out as a junior. At 6-foot, 185-pounds, he could conceivably play either side of the ball. He probably won't be as highly rated, but he has a similar skillset as Durron Neal. Check out his highlights here.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKHolzzAtDs
10. Corey Winfield, WR, Riverview Gardens -- Thanks to an astute subscriber for pointing out Winfield. He's already getting buzz as a possible Missouri offer, and at 6-foot-3, 185-pounds, he's another guy that could play either side of the ball. Check out his highlights here.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU1eUaTJoSo
Others to watch: OG Jack Kurzu, MICDS; DT Dakota Brake, Glendale; OT Keith Jones, McCluer North; LB Kellen Ash, Parkway South; OT Gabe Kuhn, Lafayette; LB Joe Burkett, Jeff City
Brian Austin on Basketball Recruiting
This is a big weekend for Missouri basketball. Hosting ESPN Gameday, the Kansas Jayhawks, and a very good group of recruits. I've talked with Raymond Doby, and Jordan Barnett will be in town with Pollard being on an official visit. When I talked with Rosburg I asked him if he new Pollard and he said no, but then he added "hopefully I can convince him to join us". Kendrick Nunn is a new 2013 name from Simeon in Chicago, but he is coached by a familiar name to Tiger fans, Marlo Finner. Devin Booker is also connected to a familiar name in Tiger basketball, being the son of Melvin Booker. Doby has visited Mizzou a few times before and is part of the Southwest Jets AAU team. Barnett has also visited Mizzou a few times including sitting behind the Tigers' bench at the Braggin' Rights game.
I've also talked with Darreon Reddick. Each of them told me they hope to come to the game, but possible scheduling conflicts leave them unsure at this point. I will be in contact with each of them today to find out their final decisions and when I know something I will put it on the board. As you can see this is going to be a very interesting weekend for Missouri basketball recruiting.
Gabe DeArmond on the Border War
I understand this isn’t the usual Chamber type material. I debated where to put it, but I decided to throw it in here to give the Chamber a little bit of a different twist.
I’ll have a breakdown of the game and a prediction on Saturday morning. I’ll post five thoughts about the matchup later today. This isn’t that. This is nothing more than my thoughts on seeing the Kansas Jayhawks (yeah, I know you don’t want me to capitalize it) in Columbia for potentially the final time. It’s probably going to ramble a little bit. It’s going to be different than most things you ever read from me. But I hope you’ll enjoy it.
First off, it hasn’t hit me that this is potentially the last time the Jayhawks will come to Columbia. It might tomorrow some time. But I kind of doubt it. Everybody is caught up in the season and there’s too much going on to stop and think about that for too long. It probably won’t hit me really until next season when I go to Rupp Arena instead of Allen Fieldhouse, when the biggest home game on the schedule is Arkansas, not Kansas.
Let me say first of all that it sucks. There’s no other way to describe it. I know Missouri people are supposed to hate every jersey that says Kansas on it no matter what. Kansas people are supposed to feel the same way about Missouri. But this isn’t a football rivalry or a women’s basketball rivalry or a baseball rivalry. The true passion of Missouri-Kansas is basketball. Always has been. Especially for people my age who grew up at a time when Missouri basketball was in the midst of its golden age and Kansas was, well, Kansas.
This rivalry is so many things. It is Norm Stewart and his refusal to spend a dime in the state of Kansas. It is Anthony Peeler and Lee Coward and Corey Tate. It is the brawl in ’61. It is Roy Williams and Ryan Robertson and Aaron Miles hitting a prayer and David Padgett shutting down the Hearnes Center. Missouri-Kansas is a rivalry in football because we are told it is supposed to be. Because it is Missouri and Kansas. But Missouri-Kansas is a rivalry in basketball because for the last 30 years, it’s been as good as any. It’s right there with Indiana-Kentucky and Carolina-Duke and Syracuse-Georgetown. Coast-to-coast, not many people get up for Missouri-Kansas football games. But they pay attention in basketball.
For lack of a better word, it flat out sucks that this is going away. I’ve supported the SEC move and said it is what Missouri needed to do. I agree with it. I like a lot of things about it. I hate that it might mean this rivalry ends, even for a short time. I understand that is Kansas’ fault. There is no reason they can’t keep playing. But it seems they won’t. And I hate that.
I know they won’t continue to play twice a year, but I want them to play once. I’d like it to be a home-and-home because that’s what makes it fun. Missouri fans get up for this one like no other. Fans buy season tickets and skip 18 games, but they go to this one. When it’s in Lawrence, many of you will hate me for saying this, but it’s the highlight of the schedule for me. If you’re a college basketball fan and you haven’t seen a game in Allen Fieldhouse, you’re doing yourself a disservice. It’s old and rickety and it’s the best place in America to watch a college basketball game. And when the opponent is the Missouri Tigers, it’s even better than that.
There are so many moments that stand out. And they don’t even all have to do with Missouri and Kansas actually playing. What makes this rivalry great is that you root against the other team almost as hard as you root for yours. I was 11 in 1988. The Final Four was in my home town and it was a home game for Danny and the Freaking Miracles. Never in my life have I been a bigger Oklahoma fan than I was that night. I lived in South Dakota when Kansas played Syracuse in the national title game. I almost couldn’t watch because I was afraid Kansas would win. I didn’t move for the last 30 minutes of the Kansas-Bucknell game because I was afraid if I got up to go to the bathroom that would somehow alter the cosmos and the Jayhawks would win. I was nearly physically ill when Memphis kept bricking free throws and Mario Chalmers hit the most famous shot in Kansas history and fans at a Columbia bar actually cheered. If you cheered for that shot, you are not, never have been and never will be a Missouri fan. If I have another child, personally, I think Ali Faroukmanesh DeArmond has a certain ring to it.
As far as the moments that stand out in the rivalry, here are my top five from a Mizzou-centric standpoint. They’re all fairly recent because my memory as a sports fan starts in about 1984:
1. Corey Tate picks up a loose ball and hits a 15-foot jumper to beat undefeated and top-ranked Kansas in double overtime. I was a junior in college. That Missouri team wasn’t very good. That Kansas team was probably the best I’ve seen. But the Tigers won. Kansas wouldn’t lose again until facing Arizona in the Sweet Sixteen (I’m still not sure if I loved the Wildcats more for winning that game or hated them more for Damon Stoudamire and Khalid Reeves and the 1994 Elite Eight game).
2. Thomas Gardner can’t miss and Christian Moody misses twice. Again, Missouri wasn’t all that good. Kansas was. When Moody went to the line with about a second left in a tie game, I think everyone had the same thought: Man it sucks that such a great game is going to end on free throws. It didn’t. As Fran Fraschilla said, in all my years of watching college basketball, I’m not sure I’ve ever been in a building as loud as Mizzou Arena was that night. Moody missed them both, Gardner ended up with 40 and Missouri added another chapter to the fantastic book that has been this rivalry.
3. Anthony Peeler goes off in Lawrence. Yes, it was a loss, but it was also the most transcendent individual performance I’ve ever witnessed in this game. On either side. AP almost matched his jersey number with 43 points and Dick Vitale gave him a verbal tongue bath on national television. In a career that I would say is the greatest in Missouri history, AP was never better than that night.
4. Zaire Taylor continues Missouri’s season of destiny. The first half of the 2009 game was brutal. Missouri had 16 points at half and trailed by double figures most of the first 20 minutes. They looked awful. But Sherron Collins kept missing, kept turning it over and Missouri clawed and scratched. And then the man that earned the nickname Mr. Big Shot cemented his place in Tiger history with a 14-footer that hit the front rim, hit the backboard and came down, barely moving the net on its way through for a two-point win. Crazy, crazy comeback.
5. Clarence Gilbert burns up the nets. It was 2000 and Kansas was ranked seventh in America. For about a four-minute stretch, Gilbert simply couldn’t miss. Jeff Boschee played good defense. And it didn’t matter. Jon Sundvold, the best shooter in Missouri history, was doing the game. And he simply was in awe of the shooting display by Gilbert. He ended up with 27 points and hit seven threes. It was the fourth straight loss for a top-ten Kansas team in Columbia. And it was a display that was simply amazing.
All week, people have been asking me if this is the biggest regular season game in Missouri basketball history. I don’t know that it is. The Tigers have been number one, they have gone unbeaten in Big Eight play, they have had some huge games. But then again, I don’t know that it isn’t the biggest ever. College GameDay, the last KU trip to Columbia for the foreseeable future and the Big 12 lead on the line? Yeah, it just might be.
I don’t want this to end. But if it has to, many what a way to end it. It’s been a hell of a week around Mizzou sports. The Tigers won in the final seconds at Texas. They signed the number one football recruit in the country. But make no mistake, if the Tigers cap the week with a win on Saturday, it far outshines either of those moments.
Great rivalry, great game. I just hope it lives up to the hype.
Pete Scantlebury on Football Recruiting
1. Nick Ramirez, LB, Lee's Summit West -- Always tough to decide who goes on top of these early rankings, but you can't go wrong with Ramirez. Already, he has multiple BCS offers. He's a three-year starter on varsity for one of the most consistent in-state teams. He was a first-team all-state performer as a junior. Right now, Ramirez leads the way.
2. Trent Hosick, QB, Staley -- Some may see Hosick as an athlete, based mainly on his bruising running style and impressive testing numbers. But Hosick, who has already been offered by Iowa, will get plenty of interest at quarterback.
3. Ezekiel Elliott, RB/DB, John Burroughs -- Big, fast running back who could also play safety in college. Elliott ran for over 1,800 yards as a junior, and is the top senior running back for 2013. Already, he has offers from Illinois and Arkansas.
4. Eric Beisel, LB, Rockwood-Summit -- Throw-back linebacker who just loves to play football. At 6-foot-3, 230-pounds, Beisel will get interest because of his measurables alone. But, with his ability to project to multiple positions, Beisel will be one of the top in-state defenders.
5. Jamone Boyd, DL, Lee's Summit West -- Still raw on the football field, Boyd's mix of size (6-foot-4, 250-pounds), strength and speed are putting him on the radar of many colleges. His on-the-field production hasn't been as great as the top three guys on this list, but his projections are off the chart.
6. Brandon Minor, LB/DE, Chaminade -- Minor has produced since his freshman year, and has been on Missouri's radar since then. At 6-foot-2, 235-pounds, he could play linebacker, defensive end, or maybe even fullback in college.
7. Anthony Sherrils, DB, Hogan Prep -- Plays both ways in high school, but may project better as a defensive back in college. He's flown a bit under the radar, but his speed and agility stand out. He has good size (6-foot, 170-pounds) to play on either side of the ball. Check out his highlights herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZDFqK8avgM.
8. Antar Thompson, DT, Maplewood-Richmond Heights -- While qualifying may be an issue, Thompson is a big, physical middle-of-the-line defender. He's already high on Missouri, but more colleges will come calling.
9. Derrick Mitchell, Jr., ATH, Vashon -- Mitchell spent time as a receiver, safety, quarterback, linebacker and punter, and broke out as a junior. At 6-foot, 185-pounds, he could conceivably play either side of the ball. He probably won't be as highly rated, but he has a similar skillset as Durron Neal. Check out his highlights here.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKHolzzAtDs
10. Corey Winfield, WR, Riverview Gardens -- Thanks to an astute subscriber for pointing out Winfield. He's already getting buzz as a possible Missouri offer, and at 6-foot-3, 185-pounds, he's another guy that could play either side of the ball. Check out his highlights here.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU1eUaTJoSo
Others to watch: OG Jack Kurzu, MICDS; DT Dakota Brake, Glendale; OT Keith Jones, McCluer North; LB Kellen Ash, Parkway South; OT Gabe Kuhn, Lafayette; LB Joe Burkett, Jeff City
Brian Austin on Basketball Recruiting
This is a big weekend for Missouri basketball. Hosting ESPN Gameday, the Kansas Jayhawks, and a very good group of recruits. I've talked with Raymond Doby, and Jordan Barnett will be in town with Pollard being on an official visit. When I talked with Rosburg I asked him if he new Pollard and he said no, but then he added "hopefully I can convince him to join us". Kendrick Nunn is a new 2013 name from Simeon in Chicago, but he is coached by a familiar name to Tiger fans, Marlo Finner. Devin Booker is also connected to a familiar name in Tiger basketball, being the son of Melvin Booker. Doby has visited Mizzou a few times before and is part of the Southwest Jets AAU team. Barnett has also visited Mizzou a few times including sitting behind the Tigers' bench at the Braggin' Rights game.
I've also talked with Darreon Reddick. Each of them told me they hope to come to the game, but possible scheduling conflicts leave them unsure at this point. I will be in contact with each of them today to find out their final decisions and when I know something I will put it on the board. As you can see this is going to be a very interesting weekend for Missouri basketball recruiting.
Gabe DeArmond on the Border War
I understand this isn’t the usual Chamber type material. I debated where to put it, but I decided to throw it in here to give the Chamber a little bit of a different twist.
I’ll have a breakdown of the game and a prediction on Saturday morning. I’ll post five thoughts about the matchup later today. This isn’t that. This is nothing more than my thoughts on seeing the Kansas Jayhawks (yeah, I know you don’t want me to capitalize it) in Columbia for potentially the final time. It’s probably going to ramble a little bit. It’s going to be different than most things you ever read from me. But I hope you’ll enjoy it.
First off, it hasn’t hit me that this is potentially the last time the Jayhawks will come to Columbia. It might tomorrow some time. But I kind of doubt it. Everybody is caught up in the season and there’s too much going on to stop and think about that for too long. It probably won’t hit me really until next season when I go to Rupp Arena instead of Allen Fieldhouse, when the biggest home game on the schedule is Arkansas, not Kansas.
Let me say first of all that it sucks. There’s no other way to describe it. I know Missouri people are supposed to hate every jersey that says Kansas on it no matter what. Kansas people are supposed to feel the same way about Missouri. But this isn’t a football rivalry or a women’s basketball rivalry or a baseball rivalry. The true passion of Missouri-Kansas is basketball. Always has been. Especially for people my age who grew up at a time when Missouri basketball was in the midst of its golden age and Kansas was, well, Kansas.
This rivalry is so many things. It is Norm Stewart and his refusal to spend a dime in the state of Kansas. It is Anthony Peeler and Lee Coward and Corey Tate. It is the brawl in ’61. It is Roy Williams and Ryan Robertson and Aaron Miles hitting a prayer and David Padgett shutting down the Hearnes Center. Missouri-Kansas is a rivalry in football because we are told it is supposed to be. Because it is Missouri and Kansas. But Missouri-Kansas is a rivalry in basketball because for the last 30 years, it’s been as good as any. It’s right there with Indiana-Kentucky and Carolina-Duke and Syracuse-Georgetown. Coast-to-coast, not many people get up for Missouri-Kansas football games. But they pay attention in basketball.
For lack of a better word, it flat out sucks that this is going away. I’ve supported the SEC move and said it is what Missouri needed to do. I agree with it. I like a lot of things about it. I hate that it might mean this rivalry ends, even for a short time. I understand that is Kansas’ fault. There is no reason they can’t keep playing. But it seems they won’t. And I hate that.
I know they won’t continue to play twice a year, but I want them to play once. I’d like it to be a home-and-home because that’s what makes it fun. Missouri fans get up for this one like no other. Fans buy season tickets and skip 18 games, but they go to this one. When it’s in Lawrence, many of you will hate me for saying this, but it’s the highlight of the schedule for me. If you’re a college basketball fan and you haven’t seen a game in Allen Fieldhouse, you’re doing yourself a disservice. It’s old and rickety and it’s the best place in America to watch a college basketball game. And when the opponent is the Missouri Tigers, it’s even better than that.
There are so many moments that stand out. And they don’t even all have to do with Missouri and Kansas actually playing. What makes this rivalry great is that you root against the other team almost as hard as you root for yours. I was 11 in 1988. The Final Four was in my home town and it was a home game for Danny and the Freaking Miracles. Never in my life have I been a bigger Oklahoma fan than I was that night. I lived in South Dakota when Kansas played Syracuse in the national title game. I almost couldn’t watch because I was afraid Kansas would win. I didn’t move for the last 30 minutes of the Kansas-Bucknell game because I was afraid if I got up to go to the bathroom that would somehow alter the cosmos and the Jayhawks would win. I was nearly physically ill when Memphis kept bricking free throws and Mario Chalmers hit the most famous shot in Kansas history and fans at a Columbia bar actually cheered. If you cheered for that shot, you are not, never have been and never will be a Missouri fan. If I have another child, personally, I think Ali Faroukmanesh DeArmond has a certain ring to it.
As far as the moments that stand out in the rivalry, here are my top five from a Mizzou-centric standpoint. They’re all fairly recent because my memory as a sports fan starts in about 1984:
1. Corey Tate picks up a loose ball and hits a 15-foot jumper to beat undefeated and top-ranked Kansas in double overtime. I was a junior in college. That Missouri team wasn’t very good. That Kansas team was probably the best I’ve seen. But the Tigers won. Kansas wouldn’t lose again until facing Arizona in the Sweet Sixteen (I’m still not sure if I loved the Wildcats more for winning that game or hated them more for Damon Stoudamire and Khalid Reeves and the 1994 Elite Eight game).
2. Thomas Gardner can’t miss and Christian Moody misses twice. Again, Missouri wasn’t all that good. Kansas was. When Moody went to the line with about a second left in a tie game, I think everyone had the same thought: Man it sucks that such a great game is going to end on free throws. It didn’t. As Fran Fraschilla said, in all my years of watching college basketball, I’m not sure I’ve ever been in a building as loud as Mizzou Arena was that night. Moody missed them both, Gardner ended up with 40 and Missouri added another chapter to the fantastic book that has been this rivalry.
3. Anthony Peeler goes off in Lawrence. Yes, it was a loss, but it was also the most transcendent individual performance I’ve ever witnessed in this game. On either side. AP almost matched his jersey number with 43 points and Dick Vitale gave him a verbal tongue bath on national television. In a career that I would say is the greatest in Missouri history, AP was never better than that night.
4. Zaire Taylor continues Missouri’s season of destiny. The first half of the 2009 game was brutal. Missouri had 16 points at half and trailed by double figures most of the first 20 minutes. They looked awful. But Sherron Collins kept missing, kept turning it over and Missouri clawed and scratched. And then the man that earned the nickname Mr. Big Shot cemented his place in Tiger history with a 14-footer that hit the front rim, hit the backboard and came down, barely moving the net on its way through for a two-point win. Crazy, crazy comeback.
5. Clarence Gilbert burns up the nets. It was 2000 and Kansas was ranked seventh in America. For about a four-minute stretch, Gilbert simply couldn’t miss. Jeff Boschee played good defense. And it didn’t matter. Jon Sundvold, the best shooter in Missouri history, was doing the game. And he simply was in awe of the shooting display by Gilbert. He ended up with 27 points and hit seven threes. It was the fourth straight loss for a top-ten Kansas team in Columbia. And it was a display that was simply amazing.
All week, people have been asking me if this is the biggest regular season game in Missouri basketball history. I don’t know that it is. The Tigers have been number one, they have gone unbeaten in Big Eight play, they have had some huge games. But then again, I don’t know that it isn’t the biggest ever. College GameDay, the last KU trip to Columbia for the foreseeable future and the Big 12 lead on the line? Yeah, it just might be.
I don’t want this to end. But if it has to, many what a way to end it. It’s been a hell of a week around Mizzou sports. The Tigers won in the final seconds at Texas. They signed the number one football recruit in the country. But make no mistake, if the Tigers cap the week with a win on Saturday, it far outshines either of those moments.
Great rivalry, great game. I just hope it lives up to the hype.
