*We'll start this week with recruiting news from Brian Austin. First of all, if you missed it, we had a number of hoops updates earlier this week.
*Since then, it has been reported that Michael Thorne is likely to end up at Virginia Tech. I can't speak to the validity of the report. Thorne would be a great get for Mizzou, exactly what they need, but it doesn't appear likely at this point.
*Another transfer that's come on the radar is Clay Custer from Iowa State. There had been some talk that Custer might be eligible next year, but Brian and I can't find anything that would support that at this point. I checked with my counterpart at ISU and he said, "I can't think of any reason he'd be eligible immediately, but I think he's going to turn into a nice player." Does Custer fit what the Tigers need? I don't know. Honestly, they need all the players they can get. Preferably they're all eligible next year, but if you have a scholarship you can use, why not? The fact is, you're never going to actually play 13 guys. In a best case scenario, I don't see anybody playing more than ten. So there's pretty much always room to have a transfer on scholarship sitting out in reality.
*On the football side, 2016 California DE Jordan Greenlee told Brian he'll be on an unofficial visit to Mizzou on Tuesday. We'll follow up with him after the trip.
*Make sure to keep up with the rest of the visitors we've confirmed during spring ball right here.
Okay, now we're going to transition to team news. And that means basketball. Right now, I use the term "news" a little bit loosely. I mean, we don't KNOW a whole lot. Most everything still seems to be up in the air. But I'm going to pass on what I can.
*Obviously, Tim Fuller is gone. The rumors of this started going around probably in early December. Many have asked if it has to do with the Jakeenan Gant situation. I don't know that. I do know that's right about the time the rumors started, but I can't tell you that there's some smoking gun that is any sort of a direct link. As I've posted on the board, according to everything I've heard, Fuller wouldn't have had the option to return next season. I don't know if he'd have wanted to or not. I've tried to reach him four times in the last week and a half with no luck. Even if he gets back to me, I don't think anyone involved is really going to give us a definitive answer on how things went down. And truthfully, I don't think it really matters at this point.
*We do not expect any other changes to the on-court coaching staff. As I've posted multiple times, we have good sources who have told us that Brad Loos and Rob Fulford aren't going to leave this offseason. I've been told that Mack Rhoades has already met with Kim Anderson at least once since accepting the job (he said he was going to make a few trips from Houston to CoMo before he started to meet with all the coaches and athletic department employees), but absolutely nobody I talk to has any inclination that Anderson's job is in jeopardy prior to next season.
*So the end result is that Missouri is looking to replace just one assistant coach. I put together a list of Daniyal Robinson, who has been mentioned a couple times in recent years at Mizzou and interviewed for the job when the Tigers hired Rob Fulford.
There's no need to rehash the arguments on either side. You either get a guy that brings some D1 experience and credibility with him or you get a guy that you feel can deliver you players. Ray and Robinson on the first side. The other three are on the second. So let's look at each:
*Tate: Can he bring you Tatum? I don't know. If he can, it's the best argument to hire him. If he gives you a chance, you think about it, but you've got to feel good that he can give you more than just a chance at Tatum. Outside of Tatum, does hiring him help you with Tyler Cook and Xavier Sneed? And outside of any of that, regardless of what players he could help you get, does he make your staff better?
*Tatum: Does hiring him help with Jayson? I mean, I can't imagine it would hurt (though many have said if you really want to land Jayson, you should hire his mother and I don't see Missouri doing that). Tatum is a former Division One player and has been a coach for quite a while and a well-respected one from what I've heard from people around the state. I guess the question you have to ask is if his son wasn't who he is, would you hire him? I'm not saying yes or no to that question and it isn't my decision to make, but if the answer is no, then I don't think you go this route. Because even if you do hire him (and I think the same goes for Tate) I think it's far from a sure thing that you're landing Jayson Tatum.
*Porter: Yes, he's got a top five in the country son...who won't play a college basketball game until November of 2017. Missouri has to be significantly better well before that. If the Tigers aren't at least in consideration for the tournament before Porter even gets to campus, it may not matter who you hire in an effort to land him because there may be a different coaching staff in place. The same question you ask about Tatum should be asked about Porter: If he wasn't the father of a top five player in America, is he in play?
*Obviously, this is in no way a comprehensive list of candidates. There will be others. We'll do our best over the next week or two to figure out who those might be (I think we can probably rule Donnie Tyndall out). We'll pass on news as we get it. What's going to happen? One source told me he's been told Anderson prefers to hire a coach with Division One experience. Another person told me the feeling is that Corey Tate is the leading candidate. I don't know that I'd put a whole lot of stock in either statement right now, but I'm passing along some things I've heard.
*Next up is the question of the roster. Again, I believe there will be some change. I'd expect at least a transfer or two. If it goes beyond that, you start to be concerned. The players are gone on spring break. I do not know what meetings have been had with Anderson at this point. I know the coaching staff has been out recruiting a lot. I would think when the guys get back from spring break, Kim is likely to sit down with each one individually and hash things out. There's no definitive timeline for news of transfers. I'd think over the next month, we'll have some clarity of who's staying and who's going. To this point, I have no information that any of those decisions have definitively been made. As I said, as best we can, we'll keep you guys informed of what happens.
This post was edited on 3/27 11:14 AM by GabeD
*Since then, it has been reported that Michael Thorne is likely to end up at Virginia Tech. I can't speak to the validity of the report. Thorne would be a great get for Mizzou, exactly what they need, but it doesn't appear likely at this point.
*Another transfer that's come on the radar is Clay Custer from Iowa State. There had been some talk that Custer might be eligible next year, but Brian and I can't find anything that would support that at this point. I checked with my counterpart at ISU and he said, "I can't think of any reason he'd be eligible immediately, but I think he's going to turn into a nice player." Does Custer fit what the Tigers need? I don't know. Honestly, they need all the players they can get. Preferably they're all eligible next year, but if you have a scholarship you can use, why not? The fact is, you're never going to actually play 13 guys. In a best case scenario, I don't see anybody playing more than ten. So there's pretty much always room to have a transfer on scholarship sitting out in reality.
*On the football side, 2016 California DE Jordan Greenlee told Brian he'll be on an unofficial visit to Mizzou on Tuesday. We'll follow up with him after the trip.
*Make sure to keep up with the rest of the visitors we've confirmed during spring ball right here.
Okay, now we're going to transition to team news. And that means basketball. Right now, I use the term "news" a little bit loosely. I mean, we don't KNOW a whole lot. Most everything still seems to be up in the air. But I'm going to pass on what I can.
*Obviously, Tim Fuller is gone. The rumors of this started going around probably in early December. Many have asked if it has to do with the Jakeenan Gant situation. I don't know that. I do know that's right about the time the rumors started, but I can't tell you that there's some smoking gun that is any sort of a direct link. As I've posted on the board, according to everything I've heard, Fuller wouldn't have had the option to return next season. I don't know if he'd have wanted to or not. I've tried to reach him four times in the last week and a half with no luck. Even if he gets back to me, I don't think anyone involved is really going to give us a definitive answer on how things went down. And truthfully, I don't think it really matters at this point.
*We do not expect any other changes to the on-court coaching staff. As I've posted multiple times, we have good sources who have told us that Brad Loos and Rob Fulford aren't going to leave this offseason. I've been told that Mack Rhoades has already met with Kim Anderson at least once since accepting the job (he said he was going to make a few trips from Houston to CoMo before he started to meet with all the coaches and athletic department employees), but absolutely nobody I talk to has any inclination that Anderson's job is in jeopardy prior to next season.
*So the end result is that Missouri is looking to replace just one assistant coach. I put together a list of Daniyal Robinson, who has been mentioned a couple times in recent years at Mizzou and interviewed for the job when the Tigers hired Rob Fulford.
There's no need to rehash the arguments on either side. You either get a guy that brings some D1 experience and credibility with him or you get a guy that you feel can deliver you players. Ray and Robinson on the first side. The other three are on the second. So let's look at each:
*Tate: Can he bring you Tatum? I don't know. If he can, it's the best argument to hire him. If he gives you a chance, you think about it, but you've got to feel good that he can give you more than just a chance at Tatum. Outside of Tatum, does hiring him help you with Tyler Cook and Xavier Sneed? And outside of any of that, regardless of what players he could help you get, does he make your staff better?
*Tatum: Does hiring him help with Jayson? I mean, I can't imagine it would hurt (though many have said if you really want to land Jayson, you should hire his mother and I don't see Missouri doing that). Tatum is a former Division One player and has been a coach for quite a while and a well-respected one from what I've heard from people around the state. I guess the question you have to ask is if his son wasn't who he is, would you hire him? I'm not saying yes or no to that question and it isn't my decision to make, but if the answer is no, then I don't think you go this route. Because even if you do hire him (and I think the same goes for Tate) I think it's far from a sure thing that you're landing Jayson Tatum.
*Porter: Yes, he's got a top five in the country son...who won't play a college basketball game until November of 2017. Missouri has to be significantly better well before that. If the Tigers aren't at least in consideration for the tournament before Porter even gets to campus, it may not matter who you hire in an effort to land him because there may be a different coaching staff in place. The same question you ask about Tatum should be asked about Porter: If he wasn't the father of a top five player in America, is he in play?
*Obviously, this is in no way a comprehensive list of candidates. There will be others. We'll do our best over the next week or two to figure out who those might be (I think we can probably rule Donnie Tyndall out). We'll pass on news as we get it. What's going to happen? One source told me he's been told Anderson prefers to hire a coach with Division One experience. Another person told me the feeling is that Corey Tate is the leading candidate. I don't know that I'd put a whole lot of stock in either statement right now, but I'm passing along some things I've heard.
*Next up is the question of the roster. Again, I believe there will be some change. I'd expect at least a transfer or two. If it goes beyond that, you start to be concerned. The players are gone on spring break. I do not know what meetings have been had with Anderson at this point. I know the coaching staff has been out recruiting a lot. I would think when the guys get back from spring break, Kim is likely to sit down with each one individually and hash things out. There's no definitive timeline for news of transfers. I'd think over the next month, we'll have some clarity of who's staying and who's going. To this point, I have no information that any of those decisions have definitively been made. As I said, as best we can, we'll keep you guys informed of what happens.
This post was edited on 3/27 11:14 AM by GabeD
