Mizzou Basketball: Kim Anderson was Destined to Fail from the Start
It was announced on Sunday afternoon that Mizzou basketball head coach Kim Anderson was asked to step down from his duties after three seasons with the Tigers. The Anderson era was a short one, but was never destined to succeed.
While Missouri Tigers fans are likely psyched that Kim Anderson decided to part ways with the school, the poor guy was never given a fair chance to succeed at the University of Missouri.
After 12 seasons with the University of Central Missouri Mules basketball program, Anderson returned to his alma mater. The hope was that Anderson could rebuild a struggling Tigers program, but the reality was that he was stepping into an impossible situation.
When Anderson accepted the job at Mizzou, the program had just seen Frank Haith abandon it. There were investigations surrounding Mizzou basketball due to some violations under Haith.
Missouri’s Kim Anderson is stepping down, sources told ESPN. School has already decided to hire Dan Parker to handle search.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 5, 2017
Anderson knew that some crap was about to hit the fan, but he joined Missouri anyway. He knew his program would be a complete rebuilding project, but he thought he was up for the task.
Instead, the Tigers floundered under their new coach. In three seasons at Mizzou, Anderson managed to go a dreadful 26-57 and only notch eight victories in the SEC during that time.
To make matters worse, the Tigers had lost 35 straight road games too. That’s unbelievable considering how bad some of the teams in the SEC are at basketball.
It didn’t get off to a great start, with the Tigers falling to UMKC in Anderson’s first game as MU’s head coach. They would go on to lose games to Eastern Illinois, Lipscomb, and North Carolina Central in 2016, which pretty much painted out Anderson’s future at the University of Missouri.
Maybe it’s the fact that I’m a UCM alum and screamed my butt off when the Mules won a National Championship in 2014, but I like Kim Anderson. I feel like he had a raw deal from the start of his tenure in Columbia and all of the drama surrounding the school fell on his shoulders.
Anyone to speak ill in anyway regarding Kim Anderson is so wrong. Inherited an impossible situation. Coached & carried himself with class.
— Seth Greenberg (@SethOnHoops) March 5, 2017
At the end of the day, no one can blame the university for wanting Anderson to step down. He didn’t do his part when it came to coaching his players and guys were transferring at a rapid pace.
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Anderson also had to deal with three different Athletic Directors (six if you count the interim guys who stepped in when the official guy would bolt). It wasn’t a good situation from the start, and MU knew that. They screwed over one of their own and that’s not a good look.
As for where Anderson could wind up next, I predict he heads back to the MIAA and becomes the next head coach at Washburn University. Bob Chipman, Washburn’s current coach, had announced that he’d be retiring at the end of the 2016-2017 season, and this is perfect timing for Anderson.
Not only would Anderson be able to stay close to home, but he’d be returning to Division II basketball, an area where he excelled.
As much as I’d love to see Anderson wind back up with the Mules, their current coach has done well and won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
Next: Five Best MU Wide Receivers Ever
While I know Mizzou basketball fans are stoked for Anderson’s resignation, they’re likely anxious for what’s to come too. New isn’t always better, but it’d be incredibly difficult to be much worse than what the Tigers have seen over the past three seasons.