Mizzou Links, 2-5-10

by Bill C. on Feb 5, 2010 5:37 AM CST in News

More Signing Day Links (and some 2011 recruiting links too)

MUtigers.com: Coach Pinkel Comments On Recruiting
On building a relationship with St. Louis:
"When we first came here, there were things that I was probably naïve about. I didn’t realize that the general feeling of St. Louis toward the University of Missouri was as bad as it was. There were a lot of dynamics in that, and I thought we would just draw a line in the sand and say, "This is our new program. Trust me, it’s going to work." I found out really quickly that all the bags just got piled right on our back, and what we had to do for a great length of time here was the same thing we did in Texas – build trust. Cornell Ford has done a great job there, this is his tenth year there and he’s good at what he does. He’s smart and very relationship-oriented. Everything we do here is starting to filter back there through the players. That’s been really important. When a guy goes back home, he talks to his community about the things we’re doing here. Slowly a bag would fall off, and then really slowly another one would, and that’s what we did. The dynamics were a lot different from Kansas City to St. Louis. We did a lot of things, and right now I think we’ve built a reputation not only in the city of St. Louis but in the state that we do the right things for kids. Most of the high school coaches trust us that we do that."
The Trib: Tigers get shopping done early
Missouri expanded its recruiting territory into Florida, a move made possible with last year’s hiring of co-offensive line coach Josh Henson. As LSU’s recruiting coordinator the three previous seasons, Henson had contacts along the Gulf Coast and across the Florida Panhandle.
"We didn’t want to lose those connections when we hired him," recruiting coordinator David Yost said.

It paid off. Henson landed Darvin Ruise, a safety/outside linebacker prospect from Glen St. Mary, Fla., who had an offer to play quarterback for Georgia Tech’s triple-option attack.

Also, as former offensive coordinator Dave Christensen’s replacement on the staff, Henson picked up the recruiting assignments in Oklahoma. Back recruiting in his home state, Henson helped deliver Edmond, Okla., cornerback Xavier Smith.
The Trib (Dave Matter): Emptying the Notebook: Signing Day (just in case you only read the James Franklin part yesterday)
KC Star (Campus Corner): Oh Brother! The 411 on Tyler Gabbert
Post-Dispatch: Did Missouri do enough on signing day?
Post-Dispatch: Gateway Tech junior gives MU oral commitment
PowerMizzou: The Chamber

Big 12 Football Links

Dallas Morning News: Longhorns win 2010 national title? Only in Haiti for a good cause
Dallas Morning News (Chuck Carlton): Potts or Sheffield? Tuberville assesses significant spring quarterback decision at Texas Tech

Mizzou Basketball links

The Trib: Some tough pills to swallow
The Trib: Streak deserved to end
The Missourian: Coach looks hard at Missouri's rebounding

Getting rebounds from guards is more important for Missouri than most teams because its forwards often wind up away from the basket because of the Tigers’ defensive pressure.

"You always feel bad when you know you have one rebound … but I don’t see it as just the forwards’ thing to do," Ramsey said. "Our system is the whole team rebounds."

But Ramsey and Safford are still two of the biggest bodies on the team. Ramsey averages 5.5 rebounds a game, while Safford averages 4.1. Not exceptional numbers, but better than the one-rebound performance each turned in Wednesday.

Safford’s case might be the most enigmatic. At times, he shows a mean streak and turns into a rebounding machine, like when he grabbed 11 rebounds against Nebraska. But more often than not, Safford seems to hold back, like Wednesday, when he played his sixth game in which he managed just one or two rebounds.
KC Star (Campus Corner): Loss Falls on Mike Anderson

Big 12 Basketball Links

The Sporting Blog: Colorado Fans Think Kansas Is Overrated...For Beating Them
Rock Chalk Talk: Statistical Rearview: Survival in the Rockies
Topeka Capital-Journal: Denis Clemente keys KSU attack
Rush the Court: Oklahoma State's Investment Strategy Fail
From the Rumble Seat: ACC fans need to stop whining (parts about the Big 12 in here)