Searching for a new AD
The Trib (Joe Walljasper): Rhoades was neither cause of, nor solution to, MU's problems
So where does that leave Missouri?
Probably not in the running for a sitting Power 5 athletic director, because there isn’t one of those without serious problems on the home front who is going to sign up for this gig.
But there are good and attainable candidates just among those with Missouri ties. Interim AD Wren Baker has only been here for a year, but he is a sharp and personable guy with experience as a Division II athletic director at Northwest Missouri State. Memphis associate AD Mark Alnutt has a long history as an athlete and administrator at MU and has athletic director experience at the FCS football level at Southeast Missouri State. Going back a little further, New Mexico State AD Mario Moccia was a popular and gregarious deputy to Mike Alden before striking out on his own.
Q: When you have somebody that comes and goes so quickly, like Mack did, the natural response when looking for a replacement is to search for someone who really wants to be here for the long term. Can you make a convincing argument that you’re that person even though you’ve only been here for a year?
A: I’m going to leave it Chancellor Foley, President Middleton and the curators to decide, 1, what that profile looks like and the hire that best fits the program moving forward. But I will say this: Heather and I love Columbia. We love our neighborhood. We love it here. It feels a lot like home. We’re both from Oklahoma, so similar values, similar people. We love Mizzou. I grew up and Oklahoma State fan, got my master’s there, and campus feels similar, game day feels similar. We like it here a lot. Heather has been very supportive of me throughout the various steps of my career and the progression, and I want to be an athletic director at this level, and she knows that. Hopefully, I’ll have the opportunity at some point. …
PowerMizzou: Q&A: Interim AD Wren Baker
PM: With an interim chancellor, an interim president and five Curators up for review in January, it’s a really strange situation. Have you been given any indication if this interim term is a couple weeks, a couple months, do you have any idea?
WB: "We have not discussed timeline at this point. The Chancellor and I have had a brief conversation, we’ve exchanged some other communications. We have not talked what the timeline will be. I’m sure that there’s still some discussion on what that should be. Objectively, I think Chancellor Foley has done a tremendous job as interim. I think he’s provided some strong leadership during some difficult times. I think that he will make the right decision. I have 100% confidence that he’s going to lead us to the right decision."
Today's U: Wren Baker Will Get A Chance To Remake Missouri Hoops
It could be that with Missouri — the university system, not just the campus in CoMo — in a very unstable condition, Anderson will get one season beyond this next one, enabling both Baker and university leaders to wait until 2018 to hire The Next Great Missouri Basketball Coach. Yet, whether his moment comes in 2017, 2018 or 2019, it seems very hard to deny that Baker — able to work at Memphis — will be able to remake the Mizzou hoops program.
Post-Dispatch (Dave Matter): Video: How to hire Mizzou’s next AD
More on Rhoades
SB Nation: Baylor's new AD hired Tom Herman at Houston. That's why he's Baylor's new AD.
It’s not. What’s happened at Baylor and Missouri in the last year couldn’t be more different. Creating some kind of one-size-fits-all "oversaw, survived scandal" résumé bullet would be naive, especially when the candidate in question was something less than beloved at Mizzou for his role.
Rhoades is a Texas hire, and a football hire. The former gives him equity — eight years at UTEP and six at Houston — and the latter gives him appeal.
Fansided: Tom Herman reportedly considered Missouri Tigers job
Houston Cougars head football coach Tom Herman reportedly considered the 2016 job with the Missouri Tigers after long-time head coach Gary Pinkel retired.
Apparently, per Pete Scantlebury's sources, Herman was interested in the Mizzou job but wanted to hold out for Texas A&M.
SEC Media Days happened
Bloopers from #Mizzou's visit to #SECMD16
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) July 14, 2016
#ShowMe #MIZhttps://t.co/J6FS5xMX50
In case you didn't catch that last part, Charles Harris has a new nickname: "Black Ice"
Black Ice: You can't see me until it's too late
— Black Ice (@Charles_AO1) July 12, 2016