Missouri Tigers Basketball Preview
The Missouri Tigers basketball season kicked off its first exhibition game last Wednesday, when the Tigers defeated William Jewell 72-31. Lead by returning guard, Wes Clark, the Tigers dominated on the glass (59-31) and in the paint with 30 points.
Clark lead all scorers with 14 points and seven boards.
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This is the first season under new head coach, Kim Anderson who replaces Frank Haith after his abrupt leaving to coach the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes. Anderson, formerly of the University of Central Missouri, is taking on the tall task of leading a Missouri Tigers team that is lacking in big time talent.
With the departure Jabari Brown and Jordan Clarkson, arguably the best guard tandem in the SEC last year, the Tigers are left to lean on guys like Wes Clark and Ryan Rosburg. Rosburg, a junior forward who started in 32 games last season, will be an undoubted leader for this Tigers team in 2014.
The rest of the roster is riddled with youngsters and few players that have experience with the team. Another player who will need to step up big this season is sophomore center, Johnathon Williams III. He played in 35 games last season, averaging 26 minutes to just 5.5 ppg. That number has to increase if the Tigers want to sustain any kind of success in league play.
The offense runs through guard Wes Clark, who I mentioned earlier lead the Tigers in scoring in their first exhibition match-up. Clark played in 33 games last season, averaging just around 4 points per game. A lot of that had to do with the fact that he was backing up two of the best guards in the country. Clark still made the most of his opportunities at times last season, and has proven worthy of a starting role on this years squad.
A freshman that the Tigers may lean on is D’Angelo Allen of Dallas, Texas. The 6’7 forward joins the Tigers after a very successful high school career in which he won three 4A state titles and averaged 13.3 points and 10 rebounds as a senior. His athleticism and ability to grab rebounds is what could earn him a starting position on Kim Anderson’s team this season.
His biggest competition would be Keanu Post, who showed signs of improvement down the stretch of last season for Mizzou. He played in 30 games, making three starts and averaging just 1.5 points per game. However, he showed up big against Mississippi State at home last season, scoring 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting in the victory. His big body (6’11, 270) is the size that the Missouri offense needs to have serious success.
As it looks right now, the Tigers will struggle to stay in the top 4-or-5 of the SEC as they just don’t have the talent to compete with the top dogs. Kentucky is absolutely loaded while Florida continues to reload and Tennessee will try to make their case for the tournament.
Either way, this Missouri team should be fun to watch.