If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Mizzou hoops: Players still signing for some reason
By STEVE WALENTIK of the Tribune’s staff
Published on columbiatribune.com Tuesday, September 27, 2005
The Missouri basketball coaches have been stuck on campus for nearly the past 11 months, unable to go out and recruit because of NCAA sanctions. But that hasn’t kept Coach Quin Snyder and his staff from building a seemingly strong recruiting class for 2006.
That class now includes Ty Morrison, considered the nation’s top junior college player, who made a verbal commitment to join the Tigers last night. He joins guards Armon Bassett and Keon Lawrence, who made pledges to Missouri last summer. MU also received a verbal commitment from Linn senior Adam Knollmeyer last fall, but he is expected to attend prep school next season.
“I think the visit sealed it,” said Morrison, who toured the MU campus and met the current players during the middle of last week. “I found out there’s a lot of tradition at Missouri, and I got along with a lot of the players and coaches.”
Morrison, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound swingman from Redlands Community College in El Reno, Okla., thought enough of Missouri after his visit that he canceled a scheduled recruiting trip to Washington last weekend. He said he plans to sign a national letter of intent during the early signing period, which begins Nov. 9.
A Phoenix native, Morrison had scholarship offers from Washington and Oregon and had long planned to play in the Pacific-10 Conference. He said his thinking began to change during his fresh-man season at Redlands as he was exposed to Big 12 basketball.
Morrison, who said he plans to major in journalism with an emphasis in broadcasting, averaged 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds during his freshman season at Redlands, the same school that produced Oklahoma standout Taj Gray, last season’s Big 12 newcomer of the year.
Morrison, who has added strength since his freshman season, expects to play on the wing with the Tigers and should add to the team’s athleticism. Redlands Coach Steve Eck said Morrison is versatile enough to guard everyone from point guards to power forwards.
His ultimate goal is to make it to the NBA, but he said he’s not in a hurry to make that happen.
“There’s no rush about the NBA,” Morrison said. “I’m going to take the best route possible. It’s about winning and getting in the best position. You have to be a first-round pick. I’ll definitely play two years if that’s what it takes.”
"When you say 'radical right' today, I think of these moneymaking ventures by fellows like Pat Robertson and others who are trying to take the Republican Party and make a religious organization out of it. If that ever happens, kiss politics goodbye."
Good signing, I guess. Q just has to make the most of his talent.
I used to wonder in the late 90's why certain players would sign and play for Norm, who was getting more and more washed up, so evidentally the players see things differently than us fans do.
“I’ve always stated, ‘I’m a Missouri Tiger,’” Anderson said March 13 after Arkansas fired John Pelphrey, adding, “I’m excited about what’s taking place here.”
Asked then if he would talk to his players about the situation, he said, “They know me, and that’s where the trust comes in.
The first time I saw him play in a pre-season scrimmage at Hearnes, I loved the guy. He was a floor general who played with a flair and a swagger - real confident. And he got off to a good start to that season, as I recall. Mizzou was looking pretty good. I remember his game vs Syracuse on the road in particular, even though Mizzou lost a tough one.
Then he got in trouble and I really think that has turned out to be the turning point of the basketball program at Mizzou.
“I’ve always stated, ‘I’m a Missouri Tiger,’” Anderson said March 13 after Arkansas fired John Pelphrey, adding, “I’m excited about what’s taking place here.”
Asked then if he would talk to his players about the situation, he said, “They know me, and that’s where the trust comes in.
Rivals.com touts Morrison as being on the same level as Kareem Rush and Linas Kleiza as far as top recruits landed in Quin Snyder's six-year tenure as Missouri's coach.
"I anticipate he will play right away for the Tigers," Eck said. "He has the ability to penetrate, pass, shoot, you name it. He's very unselfish, maybe a little too unselfish for my liking, but he'll pass the ball a lot. He's also gotten a lot stronger since he's been here."
Comment