Eight years ago, Mike Alden asked Missouri legend Jon Sundvold to be on the search committee for a new basketball coach after Norm Stewart "resigned." Sundvold recommended Illinois coach Bill Self. Alden declined to even interview Self, who later took the job at Kansas. We all know how that turned out. Instead, Alden hired Quin Snyder, who had no head coaching experience at any level. Nice decision, Mike.
Seven years and countless public relations nightmares later, Alden again asked Sudvold to be on the search committe for a new head coach. Sundvold recommended former Cincinati coach Bob Huggins and former Utah coach Rick Majerus. Both proven head coaches deserving of at least consideration despite Huggins' less than angelic image and Majerus' health issues. Alden flatly refused to interview either candidate and dismissed Sundvold and two others from the search committe. Instead, Alden hired Mike Anderson from the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Anderson may be a great fit at Mizzou. However, Alden once again alienated himself from the Mizzou family. Norm Stewart and Sundvold have now publicly expressed their displeasure with Alden's lack of leadership skills.
At the press conference that is scheduled to take place after the Curators meet today, Alden's fate will be revealed. In the ass-backwards world of Mizzou athletics, the athletic director could be fired a day after hiring a man for the school's highest profile position- head basketball coach. I hope Mike Anderson knows what a mess he's getting himself into. I wish him the best of luck in his new job. He'll need it. He may have the skills he needs to build a successful program, but the deck is stacked against him. He will be Missouri's first permanent African-American head coach in any sport. Predjudice and ignorance are still rampant in mid-Missouri in 2006. He was not on the list of candidates of the majority of the members of the search committee. The man who hired him against the advice of the very committee he appointed to aid the search could be fired today, leaving Anderson in an impossible situation.
Did Alden know that it would make it harder for the Curators to fire him if he hurriedly hired a new coach? Did he know that if he were to be fired soon after hiring Anderson, the new coach would likely reconsider taking the job, thus causing the University more turmoil? Did he know that hiring a black coach would appeal to system president Elson Floyd who is also black? Did he think that would make him look good in his boss's eyes? These are conspiracy theories with no facts or evidence to support them. However, has Alden done anything up to this point to make us think differently? No. Reports say that 8 of the 9 curators are in favor of firing Alden. Is it too late? We'll find out this afternoon.
This stuff is better than a soap opera.
3 comments:
What about your bracket picks? Please elaborate on how horrible your picks are this year. How you flat lined going into the Sweet Sixteen. Tell us! Your people want to know of your folly.
Travis, I thought that Self was one of the three finalists last time MU searched for a coach. In fact, It was him, Quin, and Kim Anderson. Self was the head coach at Tulsa at the time. He had led them to the sweet 16. He also did some good things at Illinois. The team that made it to the championship game last year was almost wholly recruited by Bill Self and his assistants.
Attica, my picks were bad, but I can hold my head high knowing I did not finish last. In fact, I took second overall in another pool I was in. Did you pick George Mason to win it all? I didn't think so.
Seamhead, you got your wish for an Anderson to be the new coach. It just wasn't the Anderson you were hoping for was it? We'll have to see how it all turns out.
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