Mike Anderson going to Arkansas
Missouri Tigers AD Mike Alden flanked by Marcus Denmon, Laurence Bowers and Kim English announced at a Wednesday night press conference that the rumors were true – head coach Mike Anderson is headed to Arkansas to become the head coach of the Razorbacks.
The rumors had been out there for over a week although the news didn’t become official Mizzou made an announcement he was gone, and Arkansas announced his arrival. It wasn’t until early Wednesday evening that we learned they were legitimate and it was happening.
The players clearly didn’t come across as happy at times and (according to reports) looked mad walking into the 7:00 p.m. team meeting where Anderson told them the news. They said all the right things at the press conference, focusing on moving on, but you know this wasn’t an easy moment for them.
Anderson told his players last week any news would come straight from him but that wasn’t the case. Everyone (including the media) knew of Anderson’s departure hours before he was able to get back to Columbia and tell the players. AD Mike Alden said he wasn’t told until 6:45 p.m.
It’s a disappointing day for Mizzou as they lose Anderson to Arkansas. The anger will be there for a while. We’ll figure out what his legacy is. We’ll move on.
- Mike Anderson.
Columbia. First Missouri athletic director Mike Alden said them. Then junior guard Kim English said them. Then junior guard Marcus Denmon and finally junior forward Laurence Bowers.
They all said the right things. Went over the top to say the civil things, the things that would not tinge the sudden departure of Missouri basketball coach Mike Anderson to the University of Arkansas with simple venom.
But in the end, the three players (who as seniors next season will wind up playing with a new coach) acknowledged how much that punch in their gut hurt.
“Deep down inside, you’re mad” – Bowers said, “and really disappointed. Why us?”
Bowers caught himself, reverting to the original script, saying: “He was happy. You always want someone to be happy. You do what’s best for you. Going to Arkansas was what’s best for coach Anderson.
“Hopefully we’ll get someone in here that’s really good and our senior leadership will carry us to the promised land.
“Coach Anderson used to always stress about us winning a national championship. We still plan on winning that national championship although he’s at Arkansas.”
It’s going to be impossible for me to pretend that losing Mike Anderson isn’t a blow to the MU program – especially since I have said so many times how much I like him and his brand of basketball. Nevertheless – the deed is done and it’s either mope or come up with a new plan. Mizzou has a lot going for it, so hiring the right guy will be easier than it might otherwise have been.
The temptation by every MU fan will be to become anti-Anderson from here on out. It’s bad enough for a coach to leave a school under normal circumstances because it makes you feel jilted, betrayed, unworthy. It’s even worse in this case in that Anderson isn’t exactly moving across the country. He’s traveling a whopping 200 miles, a three-hour tour, a three-hour tour.
The problem with it is that he is going to be recruiting against Mizzou for many of the same players. There’s no question about that. So (one minute) he’s your hero and the next, he’s the enemy.
When Roy Williams jilted Kansas or when Bob Huggins snubbed K-State, at least it was true that they moved over a thousand miles away. Of course, there could be some overlap in recruiting, but not much. Because of that, it makes it easier to wish them the best of luck – although even in their cases, there wasn’t much love lost.