Missouri Basketball: Expectations for Kim Anderson's First Season as Coach

Missouri basketball has been desperate to find a new coach with whom it can ride into the sunset since Norm Stewart stepped down prior to 2000.

If you're a Tigers fan, you're happy because you know that the guy who was just hired, former assistant Kim Anderson, is the most qualified man who walks the planet in regard to Mizzou loyalty and basketball background.

And did someone say defense? Because it's getting ready to be so "in" at games in Mizzou Arena that you might swear you're watching Clarence Gilbert and Jason Sutherland reincarnated on the court.

"It may be 2014, but smart, disciplined, hard-nosed team basketball never goes out of style," Anderson told reporters at his introduction in late April. "We play a team-oriented approach centered around defense."

Indeed, Anderson comes to Columbia with the most anticipated defense since former coach Mike Anderson brought his "40 Minutes of Hell" strategy to Columbia. But perhaps it's Kim Anderson's tempo and style that Mizzou fans will be able to identify with, as much of it comes from the man whom the Mizzou Arena court is named after: the great Norm Stewart.

But is Anderson already inside of a large shadow that outcasts his own? Could the immense size of Stewart's shoes play a factor in how Anderson will coach?

Besides being very familiar with the alumni base and athletic department administration and winning a national championship in Division II with the Central Missouri State Mules, Anderson has no fear of being his own coach and aims to define himself outside of the massive Stewart legacy that is Mizzou basketball.

One obvious difference can be described in one awkward word that Anderson has lived by: "Muleball."

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"It was creating offense off of defense," Anderson told Steve Walentik of the Columbia Tribune in recollection of the defense his teams have played over the years. "It's a pretty fundamental defense."

Describing the offense, Anderson had to be gentle in transitioning to the subject of where his strategy originated.

"I hope this doesn't upset Missouri fans," Anderson began, knowing that scrutiny was coming. "I actually started running Bill Self's High/Low Motion, and I've run it ever since."

Anything that loosely affiliates you with what happens on the other side of the west border is questionable. But Anderson's version of the "High/Low Motion" varies from Self's, and with a strategy that's more adapted to today's changing game, Anderson gets it. The same things that enabled him to succeed and win national titles will enable him to win in the SEC.

So what are the expectations for him as head coach in his freshman year? Everything. He has a proven track record of winning as a coach, and he's been an assistant with Missouri before. Any insinuation that he isn't experienced enough comes from outside of the program by those who assume he's a lazy hire.

The fact is that Anderson is a product of the Stewart tree, and with that he is going to show the South and then the nation what championship basketball based on defense looks like.

Follow Dan Irwin on Twitter @irwinsports or on Facebook.