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Rally For Rhyan festivities raised more than $60,000 for cancer research

Here are today’s Mizzou Links.

By Bill Connelly

Saturday’s Rally For Rhyan festivities gave us a (more) dramatic (than it needed to be) Mizzou win. It also raised over $60,000 for pediatric cancer research.

The #RallyForRhyan movement has grown beyond grassroots efforts to support Mizzou Athletics staff member Brad Loos’ 7-year-old daughter, Rhyan, into a charitable campaign to raise money and awareness for pediatric cancer research.

”I’m continually blown away every year by the amount of money we’ve raised,” Loos said. “I thought this was the year we’d finally take a dip. Every year, this fan base comes back stronger and stronger. They keep buying into the cause. It’s overwhelming and incredibly humbling.”

Through cash donations, t-shirt sales, raffle tickets, a silent auction and fundraising efforts from the University of Missouri’s Greek Community, the latest edition of the #RallyForRhyan Game set a new best for money raised by the event, surpassing last season’s $54,000 total. Across three such events, more than $164,000 has been compiled.

Very, very cool, Mizzou fans.

Of course, that game, that ending, and that shot will stick with everyone involved for a while. That it was Kevin Puryear making said shot was even more special.

But it was no coincidence that Rhyan’s name was on Puryear’s shirt during warmups. Rhyan’s mother, Jen Loos, made sure Puryear got that honor.

“My wife is a big Kevin Puryear fan. She was determined that Kevin was going to wear the Rhyan Loos warmup,” Brad said. “That was planned. We like to think that was what gave him the divine inspiration to bang that 3 in the corner.”

“If you ask me, I think it was put in my locker on purpose,” Puryear said, probably being coy. “That little girl, she’s a fighter. She’s been through so much. To see her still smiling and to still see her happy, it makes me really happy.”

If Missouri’s program is indeed back on an upward trajectory, Kevin Puryear’s 3-pointer will be remembered as a signature moment of the renaissance. And of course, Mizzou had to do quite a few bad things to set up that shot.

“Oftentimes you get complacent with a lead like that,” Martin said. “They (Mississippi State) stayed aggressive. We struggled in areas with pressure like that.”

Porter, who finished with 10 points, turned the ball over once more in overtime — but this time it was on a charge. The Tigers were able to recompose themselves after their collapse, and they didn’t have to deal with a press in overtime because Mississippi State only mustered one point in the final 2 1/2 minutes. Kevin Puryear, who hit the game-winning three-pointer, called this a “growth moment.”

Count learning to make successful inbounds passes against a press as a growing pain then.

“Growth moment” sounds nice. Let’s hope that’s what that was. Giving up a late 17-0 run and still winning is a fun thing to check off the bucket list, but you probably won’t be able to do it twice.

This weekend at Rock M

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