Missouri meets the media
By Steve Walentik
Here are some notes from the Missouri basketball team's Tuesday media session:
● Before I begin, some of you might not have missed the news from Tuesday's paper that the Tribune will begin charging for online content beginning Dec. 1. You can get more information here and here.
● Missouri junior guard Kim English was one of 50 players named to preseason watch list for the Naismith Award, given annually to the national player of the year. English was also on the preseason watch list for the Wooden Award, but the Naismith list is different -- and likely more reflective of the full pool of postseason candidates -- because it already includes freshmen such as North Carolina's Harrison Barnes, Baylor's Perry Jones and Ohio State's Jared Sullinger, among others. English, of course, is a long shot to win the award, but it is a nice honor for a the Tigers' leading returning scorer, who averaged 14 points as a sophomore. Other Big 12 players listed who made the watch list include Baylor's Jones, Colorado's Alec Burks, Kansas' Marcus Morris and Kansas State's Jacob Pullen.
● English a noted basketball junkie spent much of the day Tuesday glued to his television as ESPN brought viewers a basketball marathon. English started tuning in Monday night before the game even began.
"I watched the Duke All-Access thing, then I watched the preview show, then I watched Memphis-Miami," he said. "Two of my younger friends from Baltimore play at Memphis. I watched a little bit of St. John's, fell asleep for the Hawaii game, didn't wake up for the Stony Brook-Monmouth. I saw the second half of SIU-Northeastern. Northeastern won in overtime on a technical foul -- Chris Weber-esque. I saw the first half of Tulsa-Oral Roberts, but had class. Then my friend Malcolm Delaney" of Virginia Tech "is playing K-State right now."
He said it reminded him of being back in high school and watching the seemingly endless succession of games during the first two days of the NCAA Tournament. And of course, it only served to wet English's appetite for the Tigers' own season, set to tip off Thursday, when they play host to Western Illinois in a game that will count as part of the Cancun Challenge.
"It's great," he said. "I'm excited for practice today. I was watching all that stuff last night just excited for practice."
● English has noticed what several members of the media have discussed among ourselves since Missouri opened practice last month. That is how much Coach Mike Anderson appears to like this year's team and its prospects in the season ahead.
"Coach Anderson has always been just reserved, and that's how he is naturally, but he likes us, and that's good that he has confidence in his team," English said. "Now we've just got to go out there and work hard and prove him right."
I actually think Anderson had the showed the same sort of confidence two years ago as Missouri prepared to embark on a season that would end in the Elite Eight. But it went largely overlooked by outsiders, who simply didn't have much reason to believe big things were in store for those Tigers, who were coming off a 16-16 season and were five years removed from their last NCAA Tournament appearance. The fact that Anderson led Missouri to the field of 65 in back-to-back seasons and used that success to lure a nationally ranked recruiting class to Columbia means people are more receptive to the optimistic statements he has made.
The biggest reason for them is the depth and versatility he sees when he looks at this season's roster.
"That to me is the key to our basketball team -- who do you key in on?" Anderson said. "We'll find out the different roles guys are taking on. Kimmie might get you this night. Mike Dixon is capable, Marcus Denmon, Phil Pressey, you go on and on about this basketball team. Those are the options I talk about."
● One of the newest options Anderson has at his disposal is 6-foot-8, 240-pound junior forward Ricardo Ratliffe, widely considered the top junior college player in the country when he signed with the Tigers last April. Big things are expected for the preseason Big 12 newcomer of the year, though he has struggled a bit in the Tigers' two exhibition games, making only 6 of 16 shots and committing eight turnovers.
Anderson said there is a period of adjustment when junior college players, even All-Americans such as Ratliffe or classmate Matt Pressey, make the jump to the Division I level.
"I think all guys, you talk about high school, junior college, there's a learning curve at this level because the pace, the strength of these guys," Anderson said. "I'm not talking about just two or three guys. I'm talking about every guy on the floor. How hard you've got to play. I think these guys are learning every day in practice, but it's different when you go into the game, because now you're going against some guys that you have no clue about in terms of how they're going to play you, how they're going to get after you. Some adjust a lot quicker than the others. I can say for an example, I was a junior college player myself, it took a while to get used to Division I basketball. I think these guys here, I think the pace will be accelerated, and why? Because they're going against guys like Bowers and Safford and Moore in practice every single day."
His teammates hold high expectations for what he will achieve in his first season at Missouri.
"He's definitely in my mind going to be the Big 12 newcomer of the year," junior forward Laurence Bowers said. "I think he's just had a few jitters -- couldn't really squeeze the ball and stuff like that. But I see him every day in practice. I bang against him, and he's pretty much a beast like we always said. I think as the year goes on, he'll show everybody that he is the No. 1 juco player in the nation and it's going to translate to D-1."
● The NCAA's weeklong early signing period ends Wednesday, and Anderson was asked if he expected to sign anyone before it does.
"I never say never in recruiting," he said with a grin.
But the Tigers do not anticipate receiving any letters of intent before Wednesday's deadline. Their top two recruiting targets now seem likely to finalize their college plans in the spring. That has long been expected with Otto Porter, the 6-8 forward prospect from Scott County Central, who made his official visit to Columbia last weekend. But Ben McLemore, a 6-5 shooting guard from St. Louis who now attends Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., had planned on signing this week. He had narrowed his list of suitors to Missouri and Kansas with the Jayhawks believed to hold an advantage. On Monday, he told the Lawrence Journal-World that he would not sign until the spring at his mother's urging, but he does plan on giving one of the schools a verbal commitment on Saturday. He reportedly plans to return home to St. Louis on Friday and discuss his options with his mother before making his decision.
● Check Thursday's paper for a story that looks into how well prepared the Tigers are to replace the defense they lost from last season's team with the departure of seniors J.T. Tiller, Zaire Taylor and Keith Ramsey.
I think that is the single biggest question facing the team entering this season.
● Follow Steve on Twitter at twitter.com/Steve_Walentik.
● Chat with Steve on Friday at 1 p.m. (CT).
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