Hiring Coaches with Character

Over the past few weeks, Missouri fans have been rightfully unhappy about the actions of some of the basketball players. One thing that most Tigers are happy about is that Coach Anderson handled it well, and showed that winning a game is not more important than teaching young men. The great thing about this is that Anderson is following the same script as two other men who have turned their programs into national players: Brian Smith and Gary Pinkel. Smith took over the cellar dweller wrestling program, cleaned the house of athletes who were constantly getting in trouble, suffered through some really tough years, and this past year, celebrated MU's best placing ever at NCAA's. Pinkel helped his team through the unimaginable tragedy of losing a teammate, faced his own doubters, and, well, we all know how this season turned out. In both cases, the men showed unbelievable character, and understood their role as shaping the young men they coached. Seeing Anderson follow in those footsteps makes me proud to be a Tiger, and excited to see the future of Missouri men's basketball.