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1. Did you know Drew Lock was a basketball player?
While that lead has some sarcasm attached — please don’t let this take over each game like the Charles Harris/basketball factoid — this is a good read on Mizzou’s QB1 from Jason Kersey of The Athletic. The article is behind a paywall.
I covered Lock’s recruitment extensively, and it was interesting that, early on, there was some legitimate thought that basketball would play a role in his eventual commitment. I believe Oklahoma was the first school to offer him in both football and basketball; Missouri, under Frank Haith, also offered Lock in basketball.
It’s unrealistic to think that a starting SEC quarterback could also play basketball, but hey, Oklahoma’s starting quarterback will be making millions of dollars this fall.
Also from Kersey, who’s making the radio rounds ahead of SEC Media Days:
“I’m very interested in two teams in the SEC East. That’s Missouri and South Carolina.....This is the year for them to make a jump if they’re going to do it,” -@jasonkersey on @550KTRS with @bwiese16. #Mizzou
— KTRS Sports (@BigSportsShow) July 11, 2018
I do not disagree with this. Even with Dan Mullen, Florida still isn’t Florida. Tennessee will very much be a work in progress. Missouri has the talent and returning to production to make a run in the East this year. The Tigers are in a very similar position to South Carolina, but Drew Lock, in my opinion, gives them a leg up.
2. More smoke rising out west of Kansas City
And I am here for this:
Kansas tacitly acknowledges being subpoenaed in ongoing federal basketball investigation (via Pat Forde, Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports)
(Editor’s note: Yes, this probably should be the lead item on a relatively slow Mizzou news day, but I will never lead a links story with mention of the team out West.)
Also, this — again from the Yahoo! Sports article:
In response to a request for comment Monday, a University of Kansas spokesman referred Yahoo Sports to an earlier statement regarding the indictment that identified Kansas as a victim and expressed confidence that the school’s staff followed the rules.
Excuse me for a moment, it seems my eyeballs have rolled right out of my head.
3. Save us, Barry Odom. You’re our only hope
This is more of a recap from the big Jim Sterk Q&A that led the Tuesday Links, but Ben Fredrickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch sums up that wide-ranging interview session best in this column.
Basically, all the budget issues — the deficit, tapping into reserves, expanding expenses — can all be solved by a resurgent year on the football field.
Via BenFred:
What is better than pinching pennies, Sterk agreed, is fielding a football team that truly moves the needle. This team should do that. Yet early feedback is mixed.
Good news: Donations to Mizzou’s annual scholarship fund have increased after a record-setting last year. And 1,000 new football season ticket holders are on board.
Concerning news: Football season ticket sales, overall, are down from this point last year. If that doesn’t change, this could become the third consecutive season that Mizzou has played in front of a smaller average home crowd than the season before.
There’s also some more #OdomContent, via Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star. It comes pretty far down in his latest Mellinger’s Minutes.
Here’s the money quote, but Mellinger has some good thoughts and comparison’s on Odom’s expectations entering this season:
My bet would be that Odom and Mizzou have a nice fall. I believe that coaches and athletes reveal their worth in times of crisis, so I believe Odom has shown significant chops already and now has his most talented team.
Yesterday at Rock M
Mizzou’s ‘not in the poorhouse’ but has some work to do
More Links:
- More VERY GOOD NEWS. #RallyforRhyan
This little miracle gets to fly home with CLEAR SCANS!!!!
— RallyforRhyan (@RallyforRhyan) July 10, 2018
Thank you for the thoughts and prayers!#RallyforRhyan#PowerInPrayer#WeWillBeatThis pic.twitter.com/fGVjqLQAbH
- Comprehensive Peach Jam preview from Mitchell Forde of PowerMizzou.com, and it’s not behind a paywall. If AAU basketball recruiting is your jam, a lot of good info in this one.
- Commitment probability for three Mizzou football recruiting targets, from Sean Williams of PowerMizzou.com (Paywall)
- More updates on some former Mizzou basketball players in the Summer League, via the Columbia Missourian. Good showing from Jordan Barnett.