Bleacher Report - Missouri Tigers Basketball

What Is a Moc? Missouri Tigers About to Find Out

Robert Givens — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:27:37 -0500

The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Microsoft Office Communicators doesn't exactly roll off the tongue does it?

What about the UTC Mars Orbiter Cameras? Or the UTC Macedonian Orthodox Church?

Casual observers of UTC athletics will have to dig a little deeper than Wikipedia to discover the mystery behind the UTC mascot. A Tennessee state history book might do the trick.

The athletic department at UTC has faced identity crisis since the inception of the program. Since the 1920's, the Moccasins represented UTC on the field and hardwood. Tennessee's Cherokee history supplied the impetus for the name.

Since the 1920's,UTC struggled with an appropriate logo for the Moccassins. UTC employed a Water Moccasin snake initially, in the 20's, eventually switching to a shoe (yes a Moccasin) to strike fear into their opponent's hearts during the 50's and 60's.

UTC kicked the shoe in the 70's in favor of Chief Moccanooga, an exaggerated Cherokee tribesman incorporating their previous nickname with the city's name. The on-going criticism against stereotyped Native American mascots reached UTC in 1996 and the school dropped Chief Moccanooga from the payroll.

After this most recent identity crisis, UTC administrators aimed to create a logo everyone in the region could relate to and appreciate. Using the base of their previous name, UTC transformed Moccasins to Mockingbirds, the state bird of Tennessee. The new logo places Scrappy, a mockingbird named for legendary football coach A.C. "Scrappy" Moore, riding a train.

Chattanooga's place on the Tennesee River made it an essential trading post for farmers attempting to move their products out of the Tennessee River Valley. Its location also serves as an important link between North and South.

The railroads that sprouted up and around Chattanooga transformed the city from a few markets into a thriving city with hotels, saloons, and warehouses to entertain tourists and store traders' materials.

In trying to unite the region, UTC's decision to include the railroad was a no brainer.

Now that we have the mascot ironed out, lets turn our focus to later tonight at Mizzou Arena.

The Mocs make their second trip to Columbia in as many years. Last year, the Tigers handled the Mocs in a 103-75 victory that saw DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons combine for 46 points. However, Carroll now shares the Volunteer State with UTC as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies.

No matter for the Tigers. In their first two games, MU illustrated the strong cornerstones of a Mike Anderson lead team even with the departure of the two big men. MU has established a feeling of dominance in these two games, controlling the tempo in every aspect and running their "Fastest 40 Minutes" to perfection. MU has out rebounded their opponents 92-63, forced them into 43 turnovers, and held opponents to 32 percent shooting.

All the while, MU has used 42 assists in those games to spur their now signature lopsided scoring runs, including a 46-5 run to end the first half Sunday against Texas Pan-American.

To be as dominant as the first two games, the Tigers must contain UTC guards Keegan Bell and Josh Odem. These two Mocs have shot 55 percent and 41 percent respectively in their first three contests, accounting for over a fourth of UTC's 80.2 points per game.

Although defensive specialist JT Tiller remains questionable for tonight's contest, Zaire Taylor and back court mates Michael Dixon and Marcus Denmon, should not have a problem keeping these guards in-check.

In addition to stopping the Moc's three point shooters, MU must pound the ball down low. UTC starts only one player of considerable height, that being 7'1, 225 lb Jeremy Saffore, a redshirt junior. The Tennessee tandem of Keith Ramsey and Laurence Bowers, listed at 6'9 and 6'8, should easily give their home state a good dose of baby hooks and turnaround jumpers.

Mockingbirds may pride themselves on being "swooping down on a predator venturing too close to their territory" (www.gomocs.com), but Kimmie English & Company will be waiting at Mizzou Arena to shoot them out of the sky.

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Missouri Tigers' Hoops Class Climbing the Rankings

Ryan Faller — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:20:07 -0500

Ask and thou shall receive.

In the wake of the conclusion of the early signing period in college basketball, the question to which everyone sought an answer was this: How high would Missouri's class for 2010 rise in the eyes of recruiting evaluators, particularly considering the supersized splash that was made when the Tigers announced the signing of five-star swingman Tony Mitchell last week?

Propelled by Mitchell's commitment, as well as the September signing of four-star point guard Phil Pressey , Missouri's class for 2010 was recently ranked as the 12th-best in America, according to Rivals.com.

Meanwhile, ESPN.com recruiting service Scouts, Inc. has the Tigers listed at No. 14 , one slot above Big 12 rival Oklahoma.

The Memphis Tigers nabbed the No. 1 spot in both sets of rankings.

Prior to Mitchell's signing, which was made official on Nov. 17 , neither recruiting service had MU ranked in the top 25. However, both Scouts, Inc. and Rivals.com now consider the Tigers' class to be the best in the Big 12 .

The foursome of Mitchell, Pressey, shooting guard Ricky Kreklow , and forward Kadeem Green is Missouri's highest-rated recruiting class since 2004. That year, Marshall Brown, Glen Dandridge, Jason Horton, and Kalen Grimes combined to form a class ranked No. 13 by Rivals.com, although that group turned out to be a rather unproductive and troubled bunch.

As a whole, the 2004 class averaged a modest 4.4 points a game, with two of the four encountering legal turmoil during their tenures at MU.

Horton was suspended by head coach Mike Anderson toward the latter stages of his senior season in 2008 after assault charges were filed against him stemming from an altercation at an on-campus nightclub .

Grimes was dismissed from the program prior to his senior season after similar charges were brought against him for an incident that occurred in his hometown of Florissant, Mo., in July of 2007.

Dandridge, widely regarded as a Top 100 recruit, transferred to Lambuth University in Tennessee following his junior season.

With four players signed for next season, Missouri—barring a decommitment from a recruit or defection of a current player—does not have a scholarship available for the spring signing period, which begins on April 15.

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Missouri Tigers: Dominating Team Effort Shows True Colors

Robert Givens — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:52:44 -0500

On Sunday, the Missouri Tigers feasted.

On the opening weekend of Thanksgiving Break, the generous atmosphere of the holiday infused Mizzou Arena a little early. Every Tiger scored en route to their 100-44 victory over Texas Pan American. Kim English led all scorers with 25, including 5-6 from three point land.

Sure, the 56 point margin of victory fosters positive thoughts heading into the 2009 South Padre Invitational. But it was the way the Tigers won on Sunday that should have Columbia buzzing.

The Tigers forced the Bronchos into 10 first-half turnovers as MU allowed just 13 points in the opening half, the fewest in the history of Mizzou Arena. After each steal or block, Missouri guards began a track meet that ended in open transition threes or highlight-reel dunks.

A staple of this season's squad as well as any Mike Anderson team, the high-tempo attack, helped the Tigers enter halftime on a 46-5 run. Although it was against not the toughest of competition, the efficiency displayed by the Tigers gives many in Columbia something to get excited about.

"I thought the defense started it all. It triggered everything, it got everything into a rhythm, and of course now you're making shots, rebounding the basketball, defending, and it kind of all came together," said Coach Mike Anderson.

The up-and-down displayed on Sunday was nothing new to the 5,796 in attendance. However, the personnel on the floor was. Without All-World defender JT Tiller, Coach Anderson elected to start freshman Michael Dixon. And the Kansas City native did not disappoint.

Aside from pouring in nine points, Dixon turned the ball over only once while dishing out seven assists, one of which was a ally-oop to Keith Ramsey that brought an ovation from the crowd that sounded much larger than under 6,000.

Along with high points totals, Anderson's style of offense comes with high risk. The up-tempo transition encourages turnovers. A very encouraging sight was seeing Dixon run the Tigers break with the precision of a surgeon. Also, the persistence displayed by the Tigers on Sunday should have fans dreaming of a second consecutive Big XII championship.

After allowing only 13 first-half points, the Tigers kept their foot on the pedal by allowing only 10 second half field goals. Complacency was on no one's mind. Rather, dominance was the main dish. The tough post defense of Keith Ramsey, Laurence Bowers, and Steve Moore combined for six blocks. Numerous dunks inspired a no-prisoners attitude throughout Mizzou Arena.

The opponent may have been Texas Pan-Am, but on Sunday the Tigers treated it as business as usual.

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Missouri Tigers, Tony Mitchell Put Official Stamp on Commitment

Ryan Faller — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:35:59 -0500

I have not seen Tony Mitchell play a second of basketball, nor am I at liberty to question his stature as one of America's top recruits.

But let's assume for a second that Mitchell—a 6'8", 220-pound forward from Dallas who is currently ranked by Rivals.com as the 15th-best prep player in the country—is every bit as good as the recruiting services and crystal balls say he is and can be at the college level.

What does his recent pledge do for the immediate future of the Missouri Tigers program? For that matter, what impact will his decision to come to Columbia have on future recruiting and head coach Mike Anderson's quest to sustain success and turn MU into a national power?

If you believe the hype—in other words, trust the rankings—then it means an awful lot.

A five-star prospect and McDonald's All-American candidate, Mitchell is arguably one of the most heralded recruits ever to enter the MU program. In the past 15 years, Mitchell is MU's highest-rated recruit, surpassing former forward Linas Kleiza, who was rated as the nation's 17th-best player in 2003.

If nothing else, Mitchell should provide the Tigers with a needed athletic presence and powerful force up front, as well as on the perimeter, when he arrives on campus sometime next summer. More specifically, he'll undoubtedly become part of the equation Missouri is attempting to piece together to help fill the frontcourt void left by former players DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons.

As part of MU's 2010 class, which already includes coveted point guard Phil Pressey and three-star forward Kadeem Green , Mitchell is yet another indicator that Anderson is building something special in Columbia, a basketball-rich town that was starved for success on the hardwood prior to his arrival.

In just his fourth season, Anderson, who inherited the mess left behind by his predecessor, Quin Snyder, continues to bring in talented players from all corners of the college basketball landscape.

And now, with a platform of success to work with—the foundation of which was constructed during last season's school-record 31 wins and run to the Elite Eight—Anderson is able to target recruits of Mitchell's caliber as a means to continue that success.

And the trickle-down effect produced by Mitchell's decision, which speaks to the notion of good players wanting to play with other good players, may be significant in regards to Anderson's future recruiting efforts.

Of the first 10 players listed on Rivals.com's Top 150 for 2011, two are reported as to having expressed interest in Missouri, including St. Louis (Chaminade High) point guard Bradley Beal , who is considered the seventh-best player in the class.

Recruited by a host of schools that included Georgetown, Marquette, and Cincinnati, Mitchell officially gave the Tigers his verbal commitment following his visit to Columbia over the weekend. For him, it wasn't so much about the sport as it was the unity of the MU program.

"As soon as I stepped on campus, it was a family atmosphere," Mitchell told Rivals.com. "The team really embraced me. This is more than just about basketball, it's more about my future."

Mitchell attended MU's final exhibition game against Northwest Missouri State Friday evening, but he left Columbia giving Anderson and the Tigers nothing more than his verbal commitment, which is non-binding. However, Missouri's official athletics web site reported late Tuesday that Mitchell has indeed signed his official letter of intent, becoming the fourth member of the 2010 class.

Had Mitchell not signed before the Nov. 18 deadline, which ends the early signing period, he would have been forced to wait until early April—a scenario that potentially could have reopened his recruitment.

On Tuesday, Anderson spoke about the newest member of his program.

"Tony is excited to be a Missouri Tiger and we are elated that he is joining our family," Anderson said. "Tony is one of the best forwards in the country and he certainly fits the Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball. He is very versatile, skilled, has toughness and great instincts for the game.

"He's an elite athlete who loves to win. And as talented as Tony is, he's an even better person."

Mitchell, who is considered the No. 2 prospect in the state of Texas, joins Pressey (the third-best player in Texas), Green, and Columbia native Rick Kreklow as part of a class that is quickly becoming one of the finest in the country.

Notes

For those living under a rock, the Tigers begin their 2009-10 season against Tennessee-Martin in a matter of minutes. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. central time. The Tigers are 4-0 all-time against the Skyhawks, including a 86-63 win in the last meeting in 2001.

Photo credit: Columbia Daily Tribune

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