ISSUE #3 - DECEMBER 2017
CUONZO MARTIN A Memorable Opening Head Coach
Night for Mizzou Hoops CORNELL MANN Isn’t it crazy to think that opening night for Assistant Coach Missouri Men’s Basketball already took place over a month ago? Yet, that night still holds CHRIS HOLLENDER great meaning for all who played a role in its Assistant Coach success.
The student section was filled to the brim MICHAEL PORTER, SR. with anxious, basketball-crazed students. The Assistant Coach upper and lower bowls were ordained with Black & Gold wearing patrons. The play on the NICODEMUS CHRISTOPHER court was electric, intense for the entirety of Director of Athletic Performance the 40 minutes.
Junior forward Kevin Puryear recollected MARCO HARRIS how he could not wait to step out on the floor Director of Player Development that night in front of the Missouri faithful. It was evident that this game took on a greater PAUL RORVIG meaning for him than usual. Director of Basketball Operations “I just love the game and I was just so excited,” Puryear said following the win. MARCUS GREEN “There was a bunch of excitement going into Asst. Director of Basketball Operations today, the turnout was great, and we had a good showing, so I’m happy.” JOHN POETTGEN Assistant to the Head Coach Iowa State entered the game led by senior returnee Donovan Jackson, sophomore PAT BECKMANN forward Solomon Young and a bevy of graduate transfers. The Cyclones would not Athletic Trainer be afraid nor shook by the hostile environment they anticipated they would walk into. BRANDON BYER Graduate Assistant Missouri had to take it to them. CARL RICHBURG The Tigers did just that. Graduate Assistant Like the theme for most of the season has been to this point, the balanced up and down of the lineup kept Iowa State’s defense off-balance. The Tigers CONNOR WHEELER were able to wear down the Cyclones because of this onslaught, wave after wave. Returnees Puryear and senior Graduate Assistant Jordan Barnett led the way with 17 and 15 points respectively. LATISHA MAYES Meanwhile, senior newcomer Kassius Robertson and freshman Jeremiah Tilmon chipped in 25 points and 12 Executive Assistant rebounds combined to add much needed fuel to the Tigers’ new-look offensive attack.
Robertson particularly impressed Barnett with his steadiness and subtle moxie that the senior transfer from Canisius brought to the floor throughout the entirety of the action.
DO YOU FOLLOW ? TAP THE ICONS TO THE LEFT! Keep up-to-date on everything Mizzou Basketball by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 2017-18 SCHEDULE “Kassius is a seasoned vet, and you can tell when he plays so composed and when he has the ball in his hands, he makes great decisions and he is a great shooter,” Barnett said. “He’s the leader of the squad... DATE OPPONENT LOCATION / SCORE we’re all looking at him to lead the way for us.” 11-10-17 Iowa State W, 74-59 This balanced scoring distribution has been the calling card for this Missouri squad to date. Three Tigers are 11-13-17 Wagner W, 99-55 averaging double figures, while five players are scoring at least eight or more points per game. 11-16-17 at Utah L, 77-59 Missouri hopes November 10th was the beginning of something all the more special. 11-20-17 Emporia State W, 67-62 11-23-17 vs. Long Beach State ^ W, 95-58 11-24-17 vs. St. John’s ^ W, 90-82 11-26-17 vs. West Virginia ^ L, 83-79 11-30-17 at UCF W, 62-59 12-5-17 Miami (Ohio) W, 70-51 12-9-17 Green Bay W, 100-77 12-16-17 North Florida Mizzou Arena 12-19-17 Stephen F. Austin Mizzou Arena 12-23-17 vs. Illinois # St. Louis, Mo. 1-3-18 at South Carolina * Columbia, S.C. 1-6-18 Florida * Mizzou Arena 1-10-18 Georgia * Mizzou Arena 1-13-18 at Arkansas * Fayetteville, Ark. “Stormin’ Norm” 1-17-18 Tennessee * Mizzou Arena Enshrined Forever at 1-20-18 at Texas A&M * College Station, Texas 1-24-18 Auburn * Mizzou Arena Mizzou Arena 1-27-18 at Mississippi State * Starkville, Miss. Norm Stewart, who is the winningest and most heralded 1-30-18 at Alabama * Tuscaloosa, Ala. coach in the history of Missouri Men’s Basketball, has 2-3-18 Kentucky * Mizzou Arena been enshrined forever, on display in front of Mizzou 2-6-18 at Ole Miss * Oxford, Miss. Arena. 2-10-18 Mississippi State * Mizzou Arena The statue, which was unveiled prior to the November 2-13-18 Texas A&M * Mizzou Arena 10th home opener against Iowa State, pays homage to 2-17-18 at LSU * Baton Rouge, La. Stewart and his numerous contributions to the growth of the men’s basketball program at Missouri on-the-court, but 2-20-18 Ole Miss * Mizzou Arena also for his impact on the community at-large throughout 2-24-18 at Kentucky * Lexington, Ky. Columbia and the state of Missouri. 2-27-18 at Vanderbilt * Nashville, Tenn. 3-3-18 Arkansas * Mizzou Arena “He’s (Stewart) someone that’s respected across the country for what he’s done for basketball at Mizzou and March 7 SEC Tournament % St. Louis, Mo. obviously in-state as well,” Missouri’s Director of Athletics Jim Sterk told the Kansas City Star. GAME TIMES AND TV INFORMATION Beginning his tenure at Missouri in 1967, Stewart won AVAILABLE AT a school record 634 games during his 32 seasons pacing MUTIGERS.COM the sidelines at the Hearnes Center. Stormin’ Norm, the nickname coined to Stewart by numerous Missouri fans, coached the Tigers to eight Big Eight conference regular * SEC game season titles, six Big Eight conference tournament ^ AdvoCare Invitational at ESPN Wide World of Sports championships and 16 NCAA tournament appearances. Complex in Orlando, Florida This included two trips to the Elite Eight.
# Braggin’ Rights Game at the Scottrade Center in St. “You’re talking about a legend, a guy that’s done some Louis, Missouri tremendous things at this university,” coach Cuonzo Martin said to the Kansas City Star. “I think it’s a great % SEC Tournament played March 7-11at the Scottrade thing for Coach Norm, he’s one of the best that ever did Center in St. Louis, Missouri this thing, at a high level and had a tremendous amount of success, so it’s the least we could do.” Missouri Shows Its Mettle, COURT CHAT WITH... Potential In Orlando #15 Missouri Basketball made its way to ESPN’s Wide World of Sports JORDAN GEIST Complex, in Orlando, Florida and displayed what its potential could • JUNIOR be with a couple impressive performances, as well as a bitter battle in the championship game. • GUARD • 6-2, 180 After splitting the difference in two matchups, first in a road defeat at Utah and then a win against Division II Emporia State, the Tigers • FORT WAYNE, INDIANA turned its attention to the first of three opponents at the 2017 Q: AS A POINT GUARD, WHAT AdvoCare Invitational, the Long Beach State 49ers. MUST YOU DO TO MAKE THE TEAM SUCCESSFUL, AND HOW DO YOU GO The Tigers jumped all over Long Beach State from the opening tip. By ABOUT ACCOMPLISHING THIS? the 13-minute mark of the first half, the Tigers had opened up a 13-2 lead with six different players adding their names to the box score in A: “The key thing in being a point guard is the scoring column. being a leader by making sure guys get to the right spots, not only on the court, but off of The defensive effort and intensity was on full display too, as the it as far as school goes. Just being a leader 49ers did not reach double digits, as a team, until the 8:48 mark of and making sure you’re doing the right thing the first-half. all the time.” If you look up and down the box score through the entirety of the tournament, a major theme that should excite Q: WHAT QUALITIES DO YOU LOOK FOR Tiger fans is the balanced scoring effort put together by members of the starting lineup and those off of the bench, which showed first against Iowa State. IN A TEAM LEADER, AND WHY?
Senior Kassius Robertson, juniors Kevin Puryear, Cullen VanLeer and Jordan Geist along with freshman point A: “Just making sure that a person is always guard Blake Harris all scored in double figures along the way to a 95-point day for Missouri. doing the right thing. A lot of times on the court you can be talking, communicating, running the set right as the coach says, but then off of it you have to also be taking care of your grades and going to class so that other people do as well.”
Q: WHAT’S ONE FACET OF YOUR GAME, PHYSICAL OR MENTAL, THAT COACH MARTIN HAS HELPED YOU WITH?
A: “I think the biggest thing Coach Martin has taught me so far is how to best grow into becoming a man by not having to rely on anyone to do things for you. He has done a great job of holding everyone accountable, and that’s valuable to me.”
Q: GOING BACK TO THE IOWA STATE
GAME, WHAT WAS THE EXPERIENCE EVERY DAY IS A PROCESS. WE WORK HARD. LIKE FOR YOU ON THE COURT? WAS IT WE’RE A GOOD PROGRAM. “ EVERYTHING YOU EXPECTED IT TO BE? BUT WE HAVE A LONG WAYS TO GO, WE HAVE A: “It was amazing having the place packed, “TO BE ASSERTIVE AND WE HAVE TO loud and to be able to get a win for coach Martin in his first game is both unforgettable SET A TONE EVERY DAY. and indescribable in a lot of ways.”
- - Head coach Cuonzo Martin Marksmanship from the 3-point line was also on display over the three games in Orlando. The Tigers rained COURT CHAT WITH... in an average of 12 three-pointers a game from beyond the arc, while shooting 44.4% from downtown collectively against Long Beach State, St. John’s and West Virginia. #24 KEVIN PURYEAR In particular, Robertson could not be contained from beyond the arc as he shot a scorching 55.5% (10-18) from beyond the arc over the three matchups. • JUNIOR • FORWARD After a game one victory in convincing fashion, Missouri took right back to the hardwood the following morning in a matchup with NBA Hall of Famer Chris Mullin and the Red Storm of St. John’s. • 6-7, 238 • BLUE SPRINGS, MO The Johnnies, featuring a one-two backcourt punch of Shamorie Ponds and Marcus LoVett presented a Q: WHAT’S BEEN THE MOST multitude of challenges for Missouri’s perimeter defenders with their knack for scoring the basketball. REWARDING SKILL, OR LESSON, THAT YOU’VE LEARNED FROM COACH MARTIN Yet, once again, Missouri came to play and once again flexed its collective muscle with solid performances up and down the roster. Seniors Jordan Barnett and Robertson scored 19 and 17 respectively, while Puryear THAT YOU’VE TRIED TO APPLY TO YOUR tallied 15 points and 5 rebounds. EVERYDAY LIFE? “Our guys spend a lot of time in the gym and a lot of time shooting the basketball and that’s the result of it,” A: “I think adopting his mentality, picking his Martin told ESPN after the victory over St. John’s. brain. He’s a very aggressive-minded coach and I think I’ve incorporated that into my Even as the Tigers jumped to a hot start, leading St. John’s by as many as 16, the Red Storm would not relent. game.” Missouri found itself down 8 heading into the under 12-minute timeout. That is when Coach Martin’s decision to mix up his defense and go zone swung the momentum back in the Tigers’ favor. Q: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE COACH MARTIN SAYING, AND WHY? From that point forward, the Tigers would go on to outscore St John’s 40-22 to close out a 90-82 victory and advance to the championship game against Bob Huggins’ West Virginia Mountaineers. A: “He says ‘The hungriest dog hunts best’. I say that because it’s funny the way he says it.” Known for their full court pressure-style of play, the top-25 ranked Mountaineers led by senior guards Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles Jr., would prove to be their toughest challenge yet. Q: WHAT DOES THE RESPONSIBILITY OF GETTING TO WEAR “MIZZOU” ACROSS Again the three point shooting came into the forefront of the Missouri offensive attack as Barnett and YOUR CHEST MEAN TO YOU? Robertson each hit 3 three-pointers apiece against the pressure-style defense that the Mountaineers employ.
A: “Means a lot. Just representing the brand, “We had to keep fighting,” Barnett told the STL Post-Dispatch after the loss. “We built such a big lead, but when it goes away so fast you have to rally your guys together and find a way. That’s all you can do.” representing the university, representing my family. It’s always been a dream of mine to There were many takeaways to parse through for Coach Martin and his staff, both positive and negative. play at Mizzou so to represent a university, like Missouri, is big-time for me.” However, what did not need to be addressed was the intensity, energy and competitive nature that this group of Tigers showed for the duration of the tournament. Q: IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND GIVE YOURSELF ADVICE KNOWING WHAT “I thought our guys did a lot of really good things,” Martin said discussing the tournament as a whole. “They YOU KNOW ABOUT YOURSELF NOW, competed hard and made plays for each other.” WHAT WOULD THAT BE AND WHY? Combine the three-point shooting, defensive tenacity with the understanding and will to help teammates, A: “I would tell my freshman and sophomore these Missouri Tigers put its potential on display at the 2017 AdvoCare Invitational. So much so that Barnett year self to be more eager to learn, not be and freshman forward Jontay Porter were honored to the All-Tournament Team. as hard-headed because I was a little hard- headed my first two years. So I would say to “I think the positives I took away from Orlando are that we showed a lot of resiliency and fight,” Puryear said. just learn as much as you can.” “We’ve got to get better at of course taking care of the basketball and crushing teams while we’re ahead.”
Q: WHAT’S A FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MEMORY OF YOURS?
A: “Probably when I was 10-years-old, I got a Gameboy SP from my parents, and I remember how that was one of my favorite Christmas Days ever.” FOLLOW THE COACHES AND FOLLOW
HEAD COACH CUONZO MARTIN
@CUONZOMARTIN
ASSISTANT COACH CHRIS HOLLENDER
@COACHHOLLENDER
ASSISTANT COACH CORNELL MANN
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ASSISTANT COACH MICHAEL PORTER, SR.
@COACHPORTER8
One More Shooting is a great drill that we use in practice to get up a lot of shots. In order to complete this drill, you have one passer out of bounds shown as #1 in the diagram and four shooters around the arc seen as 2, 3, 4, & 5 in the diagram. The remaining players for this drill will be in line behind the passer seen as x4, x3, x2, & x1. Start the drill with 7:00 on the clock.
The passer will have four balls in which each individual will make “one more” pass for the open shot. The first ball gets swung all the way to 5, the second ball 4, third ball 3, and the final ball 2. At the halfway point (3:30), the passing line will switch sides.
Our goal when doing this drill started with 7 minutes on the clock with a goal of 240 made shots. As the season has progressed our goal while doing this drill has become 280 made shots while CLICK THE DIAGRAM TO shooting for 7 minutes. SEE THE PLAY ON YOUTUBE COACHES CORNER