Bowers and English declare for NBA draft
by MizzMatt - 4/4/11 @mizzou_matt on Twitter
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| Bowers, Denmon, AD Alden, English at a press conference. |
Columbia, MO- Mizzou basketball takes yet another blow. With the
possible hiring of Miami's Frank Haith (possible meaning that the Board of Curators still has to discuss and approve of it), players are contemplating their futures at the University of Missouri. So far on the list, or off, is Kim English and Laurence Bowers. Both English and Bowers are entering their names in the draft, but are not hiring an agent, which makes coming back for another season possible. According to reports, English made his mind up about this
before the Haith development in the coaching search, but the news didn't break until after.
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| Bowers goes skylab as English looks on. |
Other Tigers are thinking about their futures as well. Marcus Denmon tweeted "decisions decisions" at 1:50p today. Up in the air after the Anderson Scandal is freshman Phil "Flip" Pressey, and now with English and Bowers, and possibly Denmon and Ratliffe entering the draft, it seems as all hands are abandoning ship at the news of Frank Haith.
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| Marcus Denmon |
Many fans are asking 'Why us? What have we done wrong to deserve such lackluster coaches?' Other fans are saying that this could turn out to be a miracle in disguise. Haith has excellent recruiting abilities and has many ties in Texas, but still has gone a dismal 40-63 in conference play with the Hurricanes. He's had one NCAA tournament berth in 7 years alongside 4 NIT berths. Is he really a good fit for MU? Well, a lot of fans thought the same when Anderson was hired on in 2006 from UAB, and he turned the program around. Look where we're at now- square numero uno. My prediction? Fair weather fans will be out in full force. When the chips are down, we'll struggle to get 5,000 into Mizzou Arena, but when (and if) Haith starts winning, we'll sell out again.
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| Laurence Bowers |
As stated above, it's the
possible hiring of Haith that has fans worried. The MU Board of Curators is meeting tonight at approximately 7:45p in University Hall on the Mizzou campus to discuss the deal that was offered from athletic director Mike Alden. According to reports, Alden talked with Minnesota coach Tubby Smith, VCU's Shaka Smart and a short list of others, being rejected by all, until coming across Haith. David Wasinger, a member of the BoC, has his doubts regarding the impending hire, and is addressing fan concerns tonight at the meeting. The BoC is welcoming all fan input on the deal, and you can email them at
boardofcurators@umsystem.edu.
So, with the probable hiring on the block for tonight's BoC minutes, I'd like to add that in wake of what happened with Anderson and Painter, I will remain skeptical and critical of the coach until the official word has been given by the University. When and if it becomes official, I shall support him just as I would any other coach at Mizzou.
