Hallelujah! Finally a basketball story to talk about!

Y’all, I can only talk about football and will it/won’t it happen so much, so my delight at seeing a basketball story on Tuesday just made my freaking day. And no, I’m not talking about that.... interesting stuff MPJ said on the Snapchat. Like, a REAL basketball story.

The KC Star’s Souichi Terada (friend of Dive Cuts) wrote a new piece on our now complete hoops squad and what they hope to do this season, and I am here.for.it.

We knew there was a strong likelihood that all three guys (X-Man, Mitch and JT) testing the waters of the NBA would be back in black & gold, but doesn’t it feel good to know that they are returning for sure? They’ve got unfinished business, as all announced on their respective social media channels (JT’s announcement was my personal fave).

As for how the process worked for them, with not being able to schedule workouts and whatnot due to the pandemic, Cuonzo had this to say:

“All three guys were able to receive key information that can help them in their respective futures,” Martin said in a statement released by the school. “We’re thrilled to have a deep, experienced squad back for what will be a very exciting season ahead.”

With the schedule (let there be college hoops, PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEE) set up the way it is — that non-con.... wow — the Tigers are going to need that experienced roster to help them out. I think I read somewhere with them coming back we have the most experienced roster in the SEC?!? The Tigers will also need something that they haven’t had since Cuonzo took over— HEALTH. As Souichi pointed out in his article, the Tigers have all sorts of depth at wing and point guard, but an injury to a big playmaker could really throw a 6’2”-plus tall wrench in what he’s trying to do. I don’t know about you all, but I can’t take any more 6’10” or 6’5” sized wrenches thrown in. My heart can’t physically take it, as I talked about in a prior links post.

In regards to our depth, let’s take a look at it.

The wing features Mark Smith (please stay healthy one year), Mitch, Torrence, Javon, newcomer Ed Chang, AND Kobe, all of whom will be vying for time on the perimeter. The point has lots of ball-handling experience, and features X-Man, Dru, and newcomer grad transfer Drew Buggs. Center will be manned by big men JT, Parker, and (only) freshman Jordan Wilmore. This all sounds well and good to me, and like I said, we’ll need it with the schedule we’ve got set up.

Let’s review.

Step 1: The basketball season commences. With a full schedule. And fans (like ME) in the stands.

Step 2: Our beloved Tigers stay healthy and surprise EVERYONE (well, not me, but everyone else)

Step 3: Sit back and sigh and fondly reminisce about what a great season it was. Oh, and we end up with some great commits as a result of our awesomeness on the court.

In more hoops news before we get on to the links, 2022 4-star guard CJ Gunn has heard from a bunch of programs, including Missouri.

On to the links! Happy Wednesday!

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Yesterday at Rock M

• Nate wrote a game preview for the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns and told us to be weary.
• IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Check out Sam’s piece on the nature of recruiting under Cuonzo. It’s quite good, and hopefully eases some of the “Cuonzo can’t get anyone” talk on the interwebs.
• COMING UP AT ROCK M: A BTBS pod episode with BK and Nate the Great will be ready for your ear holes this evening, with the recap up by lunchtime Thursday. Don’t know about y’all, but I just love listening to these two.

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More Links:

Football/SEC News

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Dave wrote about the youth movement at cornerback.
• PowerMizzou: Mitchell Forde got started with camp previews. First up? Quarterback!
• Columbia Tribune: Eric Blum wrote about how Drinkwitz’s stay at App State has given us a possible glance into Mizzou’s future.
• Saturday Down South: Adam Spencer wrote about Drink’s appearance on Finebaum, and how he’s willing to try any and all protocols doctors recommend.
• Associated Press (via Columbia Tribune): Ralph Russo wrote about how the MLB outbreak has revealed college football’s vulnerabilities.
• ESPN.com: Heather Dinich wrote that NCAA President Mark Emmert is “concerned” about starting fall sports. Why would that be, Mark?!? (she says sarcastically)
• Albert O made it official in Denver.

• Love to see this from Travion Ford. 1000% percent seems pretty committed, right?

Mizzou Media Odds & Ends

• Get your women’s hoops season tickets!

• So many pics to vote on in the second round of the Mizzou Pix of the Year contest! (Sorry, the whole thread wasn’t posting so it’s broken up)

My votes? #1 gymnastics, #5 Mitch— I actually have a copy of this pic hanging up in my house, #3 soccer, and #2 Cale (click on the pics to expand).

Interesting/Non-Mizzou News

These are a few of the best sports stories & tidbits I found regarding some goings-on in sports and the world— Enjoy!

• The Athletic’s ($$) news round-up: Ethan Strauss wrote that, in these uncertain times, we should be giving some credit to NBA owners. Lindsay Jones wrote about how the NFL is bracing itself for potentially hundreds of positive COVID cases from their first rounds of tests (YIKES).
• This is kinda fun. Blair Kerkhoff and Pete Grathoff of the KC Star are counting down the jersey numbers of KC’s greatest athletes and asked “Who wore them best?” Do check it out.
• The NFL will stencil ‘End Racism’ on end zone borders as part of their social justice rollout for kickoff week according to ESPN/The Undefeated’s Jason Reid. Love this.
• “Leave it to the WNBA to raise the bar. As usual, its players are doing what the rest of the sports world, for all their panicked gesturing, won’t: make people—particularly white people—uncomfortable,” wrote Dave Zirin of The Nation in a stellar piece.
• Here’s more on that story with Mike mentioned above if you care to read it.... The wonderful Mike Singer covered it in The Denver Post.
• Noted Flat Earther and kinda weird dude Kylie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets has committed 1.5 million dollars of his salary to help pay WNBA players who have opted out of the season, according to an article posted on ESPN. So awesome.
• The Florida Marlins (is that what they are called these days... I really don’t know) are just trying to go and ruin baseball for everyone, aren’t they? They’ve now had their games postponed through Sunday, according to this piece in ESPN.
• And I’ll leave you with this.... from Internet God, Rex Chapman. Hahahaha

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