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Midwest's new powerhouse Snyder has Mizzou positioned for a long run at the top
Hard to believe, but the start of basketball practice is just around the corner. One of the coaches with the most reason for optimism is Missouri's Quin Snyder. As loyal readers know, we have been championing the Tigers' cause for some time now. We've included them in our preseason top five ever since last season ended, and right now they sit at No. 3. "I don't know how accurate all that stuff is, but it is something we're talking about," Snyder says. "Frankly, the way we've approached it is, if you're rated at a certain level at the end of the year, that's actually something to dream because it's a reflection of what you've done. Whereas what we're facing right now is just that: expectations. You don't have to go very far or look very long to find that many teams who were picked to win things that have not. "At the same time, for our guys that is a possibility. I don't know that for the last couple years it was possible for us to achieve anything that lofty, where now maybe the capability is there. Whether or not we do it is going to be determined by how hard we work." Missouri features a stunning array of talent, perhaps as deep as any school this side of Kentucky or UCLA. The Tigers are young, with eight of those players entering their first or second year in the program. However, MU's unquestioned leaders are a pair of upperclassmen, junior small forward Kareem Rush and senior shooting guard Clarence Gilbert. Snyder has quickly transformed Missouri from a middle-of-the-Big 12 program that periodically would surface in the top 10 into one that should sit there on an annual basis. The first step was to make Columbia a hot destination for the nation's best high school players, which Snyder and lead assistant Tony Harvey have done. Now the task is to mold the talent into a program that expects to be a Final Four contender.
The Tigers teased us with their potential last March in the NCAA tournament, when they stayed with eventual champion Duke, Snyder's alma mater, for 30 minutes before succumbing 94-81. "We feel good about a lot of things that have gone on," says Snyder, in his third season. "That's something our kids have really earned. It's a reflection, hopefully, of the culture that's developing, more than any single season or any single win. It's the accumulation of a lot of good and bad over a two-year period. Maybe it's made us stronger and has brought us together." Rush, a consensus preseason All-American, is the best scorer in the country. Name a way to put the ball in the basket, and Rush can do it. The 6-foot-6 left-hander tore a ligament in his shooting hand last season but missed just seven games, returning to play -- effectively -- despite wearing a splint. The 6-2 Gilbert is an unconscious gunner with unlimited range. When he's hot -- as he was in the first round of the Big 12 tourney, hitting 8 of 12 from beyond the arc in a win over Texas A&M -- he can carry a team. The sophomore class provides the meat and potatoes. Arthur Johnson, 6-9 and 270 pounds, averaged 9.0 points and 7.8 rebounds as the starting center a year ago. Superquick 5-10 Wesley Stokes, he of the Sideshow Bob hairdo, will run the show after splitting point-guard duties with Brian Grawer. Rickey Paulding, a 6-5 wing player who averaged 10.1 points starting in place of Rush last season, may be the team's best athlete. And 6-9 bruiser Travon Bryant, the only McDonald's All-American on the roster, struggled last year after becoming eligible at midseason but should get back on track. Also returning for his second go-round is 6-5 shooter Josh Kroenke, coming off a redshirt year because of postconcussive syndrome. Another top-notch recruiting class joins this crew, led by juco center Uche Okafor. Once the NCAA rules on his status (he is one of hundreds of players awaiting possible suspension for having played in a professional league overseas), the chiseled, 6-11 Nigerian will bring intimidation, shot-blocking and rebounding to a team that has everything else. The three freshmen also figure to see contribute. If Paulding isn't Missouri's best athlete, then that title would belong to 6-6 Canadian Duane John. Harvey exploited his Michigan connections once again to land 6-10 Jeffrey Ferguson, a onetime stringbean who did not play as a prep senior but is up to 230 pounds and brings inside/outside skills (Snyder says he's been "a huge surprise"). Najeeb Echols also did not compete as a senior, after blowing out a knee, but Snyder has been singing his praises ever since he signed. The 6-7, 235-pounder can play any position on the floor. "Najeeb Echols is an unbelievably mature kid who I'm going to look to for some leadership, even as a freshman. That's something Najeeb and I talked about when I was recruiting him, so that's not new to him," Snyder says. "The other two guys, Jeffrey and Duane, went through an entire summer term without ever missing a class, which says a lot about their commitment. I think those things are awfully related, how reliable you are in one facet of your life and how that translates into another one." Snyder's up-tempo style should mean plenty of court time for everyone, even though Rush and Gilbert both figure to play more than 30 minutes a game. The coach was able to integrate four newcomers into the lineup last season, and there's no reason he shouldn't be able to do so again. The schedule will provide some early tests (Iowa, Illinois), but with essentially four starters returning, the learning curve won't be steep. Missouri should have a pretty good idea from the get-go whether this will be a special season. "We've been absolutely committed to staying focused on the process of improving, as opposed to fixating on any particular result," Snyder says about his still-brief tenure. "Whether the result is a win or a high-water mark or advancement in a tournament or a championship has not been our focus. I believe in that approach and I think our team does as well. We're going to be as good as we're capable of being, independent of where we finish." Our bet is that finish will be pretty darn high. Giving propsWe touched on one member of the Mountain West Conference, San Diego State, a couple of Offseason Beats ago, but we were remiss in not mentioning that the conference title likely will be a three-way struggle between New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, all of whom are stacked (in a Mountain West sort of way) and could sniff the Top 25 later in the season. The Utes and Cowboys each return all five starters from clubs that tied for first in the league a year ago (with BYU). Utah has the added benefit of coach Rick Majerus resuming his place on the sidelines. Majerus will work with PG Travis Spivey, SG Nick Jacobson, SF Britton Johnsen, PF Phil Cullen and C Chris Burgess, plus sixth man Jeff Johnsen. The Utes lost their only double-digit scorer, Kevin Bradley, to academics, but the veterans plus a good recruiting class should more than compensate. Wyoming trots out this quintet: PG Chris McMillian, SG Marcus Bailey, PF Josh Davis, PF Ronell Mingo and C Uche Nsonwu-Amadi. Davis is a potential first-round pick, while Bailey's 17.4 ppg led the conference a year ago. If PF Ugo Udezue can return to his form of three years ago, when he averaged 20.5 points and 7.4 rebounds, before surgery to repair cartilage damage in his left knee, the Cowboys will be able to rotate four huge, productive bodies in the post. Juco-transfer guards Brandon Dickerson and Donta Richardson should provide immediate depth in the backcourt. New Mexico has perhaps the best backcourt west of Lawrence, Kan., in juniors Marlon Parmer and Ruben Douglas. Returnees Eric Chatfield (12.9 ppg) and Tim Lightfoot (7.6 ppg) add firepower, plus Washington transfer Senque Carey becomes eligible. Add to that backcourt plethora three touted frontcourt newcomers -- 7-0 juco center Moustapha Diagne, 6-11 freshman Chad Bell and 6-6 freshman Jamaal Williams -- and the Lobos look particularly potent. Worth nothingAs important as it is to get players back on campus, their arrival also means more chances for problems. Case in point: Top recruit Billy Edelin, expected to start at the point for Syracuse. The 6-3 Edelin has been suspended by the university for an alleged sexual assault, pending appeal. If the one-year suspension is upheld, Edelin will transfer. Needless to say, things don't look good; a university presumably would not issue such a harsh reprimand without substantial evidence. That leaves Jim Boeheim looking for a new floor general. ... Things are not as dire for Gale Catlett at West Virginia, where junior point guard Tim Lyles will miss the season after tearing the ACL in his left knee. Never fear, Mountaineers fans, because potential national freshman of the year Jonathan Hargett quickly will make you forget about Lyles. ... Down at Auburn, 6-7 senior power forward Mack McGadney, the Tigers' leading scorer and rebounder when he blew out his left ACL last December, was suspended indefinitely by coach Cliff Ellis for disciplinary reasons. ... SEC West neighbor LSU took a hit when 6-9 juco big man Shawnson Johnson, expected to step in at center, missed a deadline and thus is unable to receive his two-year degree until Dec. 14, despite having satisfied graduation requirements. He will enroll at LSU during the second semester but, as a mid-year graduate, will not be able to play this season. ... On the plus side, 6-11 junior center Donald Little will be allowed to return to the Cincinnati team if he adheres to certain conditions, which include abstaining from alcohol and getting anger counseling. ... Still reeling from the football team's improbable upset at North Carolina, Florida State fans received a boost concerning their basketball club: McDonald's All-American Anthony Richardson, an athletic 6-6 forward, will be able to compete this season. The NCAA granted FSU's appeal after the learning-disabled Richardson improved his GPA and his standardized-test score. Recruiting notes: Duke moved one step closer to completing the Best Recruiting Class Ever when Midwest City (Okla.) High power forward Shelden Williams pledged in early September to join the Blue Devils. Williams completes a Fab Five with point guard Sean Dockery, shooting guard J.J. Redick, small forward Lee Melchionni and center Michael Thompson; all but Melchionni are rated among the nation's top 30 prospects by TheInsiders.com. Mike Krzyzewski is still waiting on 6-10 combo forward Shavlik Randolph from nearby Raleigh Broughton. Randolph's grandfather, Ronnie Shavlik, starred at N.C. State in the mid-1950s, but the youngster reportedly favors the Devils. ... Paul Hewitt and Georgia Tech last week served notice not only to the ACC but to the nation by outslugging a couple of heavyweights for two top-50 prospects: 6-3 PG Jarrett Jack from Worcester (Mass.) Academy and 6-10 PF Chris Bosh from Dallas Lincoln. The Yellow Jackets beat out Michigan State for Jack and Florida for Bosh. ... Finally, Spencer Gloger is transferring. Again. From UCLA. Again. To Princeton. Again. The 6-7 shooter, who originally signed with UCLA in 1999 only to matriculate at Princeton, headed back to Cali after one year in New Jersey and sat out last season as a transfer. He was expected to provide outside shooting on a deep Bruins club, but apparently had another change of heart and will return east and concentrate on academics, not playing basketball.
This is the last Offseason Beat for 2001. If you have questions or comments, click here.
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