Robin Pingeton talks about the fight for racial equality

Welcome, friends, to what is becoming a weekly Mizzou-based social justice post from yours truly. These are my favorite kinds of posts these days, if that hasn’t become obvious.

On today’s agenda, we’re checking in with women’s head basketball coach, Robin Pingeton! As you are aware, Pingeton took part in the football players’ march on June 3 to the courthouse, and the learning and conversation with her staff and players hasn’t stopped there. Eric Blum of the Columbia Tribune brought her on as a guest on the Mizzou Sports Podcast, and wrote an accompanying piece to go along with it on Thursday afternoon...

Here’s a few highlights. I highly suggest listening to the podcast or, at the very least, reading Eric’s post. Coach P is always a thoughtful interview, so it’s well-worth your time.

In regards to what’s going on in our country right now, and how she’s addressing that with her team:

“Silence is not the answer,” Pingeton said. “We’ve got to have tough, challenging conversations. ... There’s so many things that I think we’re all realizing that we weren’t taught in our history classes. And so, just showing up, being present, asking questions, listening, the last thing we want to do is be silent. I care too much about what’s going on in this world to stay silent... I want to be a voice and I want to be an active participant in helping create change that needs to happen.”

They held a two-hour Zoom call on Juneteenth where the team discussed history and education related to the holiday, and they’re developing a plan of action of what they will do moving forward.

“This can’t be something where we’re part of a moment,” Pingeton said. “We’ve got to be part of a movement. I think it’s all of our responsibilities...”

Clearly, these conversations are empowering the team to use their voices. In the past month we’ve seen lengthy posts on social media from a number of players, including a PHENOMENAL post by Hayley Frank, who is White, as well as Aijha Blackwell.

Y’all... I continue to be impressed by our coaches, and I’m so happy they’re our leaders. I can’t wait to see them actually COACH their teams on the court or field soon (PLEASE?)!

In other women’s hoops news:

Recruiting for Women’s Hoops remains hot, as Coach Pingeton and her staff picked up the commit of 6’3” Post player, Da’Necia Trusty from Houston (2021). Welcome aboard!

On to the links. Happy Friday, and Happy Fourth of July Weekend! Be safe out there!

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Yesterday at Rock M

• In case you missed it: Nate and BK were back with a super-sized episode of Before the Box Score. Definitely worth a listen (or a read of the recap Producer Mitch put together).
• Coming up: Brandon Kiley asks you to climb aboard the Tyler Macon HYPE TRAIN, and the Editorial Bored of Josh, BK, & Nate return with some COVID-related football talk.

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More Links:

Football

• Maneater: Eli Hoff took anot her stab at the quarterback battle. Next up? Taylor Powell!
• PowerMizzou/Rivals): Recruiting analyst Matt Hamilton put together a film room on commit, Zachary Lovett ($$). Woody Wommack and David Berry shared some video footage of Mizzou QB commit Tyler Macon at the Elite 11 camp (free).
• Commitment Day is near for Mizzou target, Isaiah Brevard.
• Congrats, Jordan Elliot! Welcome to Cleveland, officially!

• Time for more voting in the Mizzou Photo of the Year bracket! This time it’s #3 Mizzou Football, vs #14... Mizzou Football? I don’t know about you, but #14 is the clear winner.

Other Mizzou Sports

• From The Associated Press/Memphis Commercial Appeal (via the Columbia Tribune), former Mizzou players are primed for the NBA restart. Could Jontay participate? EEEEEKKKKKK.
• Time for a new Inside the Huddle with Ben Arnet, who talked with the dynamic duo,, Deputy Athletic Director, Dr. Brian Brown, and Associate Track & Field Head Coach, Natasha Brown!

• Great memory for Swim & Dive, who in 2019 had their first SEC swimming champion in the 200 freestyle (my former favorite event!)

• A slew of 2022 offers went out for Mizzou Hoops including 6’3 PG Caylen Goff-Brown, as well as one for 6’8” Wing/CF Isaac Traudt. Check out Rock M Hoops guy Matthew J Harris’ Twitter thoughts on Isaac here.

Other SEC/Mizzou-adjacent Sports News

• Alex Wang of the Missourian wrote about how pandemic-related travel bans have posed some challenges for the 43 international students on Mizzou’s various sports teams.
• YIKES! Alex Scarborough of ESPN covered the recent announcement about Texas A&M’s football violations. Not only is the team being placed on one-year probation, but Jimbo Fisher gets six-month show-cause order. FOLLOW THE RULES, KIDS (and adults)!!!
• Nicole Auerbach of the The Athletic ($$) asked Dr. Brian Hainline, Chief Medical Officer of the NCAA, why a nationwide standard for safety guidelines, testing exist in CFB. Good stuff.
• Vandy... NO. This is horrendous and just complete incompetence by the school. An article by Adam Sparks in The Tennessean detailed how they let an EXPELLED football player (who sexually sexual assaulted a football equipment manager) back on campus for Pro Day and continued to let him back in the athletic facilities with the victim around... Read the story. Try not to throw things.

Interesting/Non-Mizzou News

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

• Maya Moore, Mid-MO local hero, got it done! With her tireless efforts (as I’ve detailed in previous Links posts), Jonathan Irons was released from Jefferson City Correctional Center after the judge declined to re-try his case for burglary and assault. (from The Undefeated). The former UConn star and 4-time WNBA champion for the Minnesota Lynx will again sit out this year, as her social justice work isn’t done.
• Vahe Gregorian of the KC Star wrote that we’ll just have to see how MLB’s restart will go, but athlete empowerment is not going away. Excellent read.
• Mara Reinstein of The Ringer.com (a great website), ranked every movie released on Fourth of July Weekend, since it became a “thing” in 1985.
• Forever in my brain: The day Albert Pujols effectively ENDED Brad Lidge’s baseball career.

• According to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the reigning Stanley Cup CHAMPIONS, St. Louis Blues, appear to be headed to Edmonton when play resumes to defend the cup. (I still get chills reading the words Stanley Cup Champions and St. Louis Blues together.... SIGH)
• Former Rock M writer, Tashan Reed, who now covers the Raiders for The Athletic, posted the first in his two part series on the lack of Black coaches in CFB and the NFL, and how they can fix it. ($$)
• Hope none of you visited Room 38 in downtown CoMo between June 22-25, since you might have contracted Covid, according to this report by Rebecca Tianting Zhang in the Columbia Missourian.
• Excellent work, Mizzou J-schoolers! 17 won awards in the 2019-290 Hearst Journalism Awards program (referred to by some as the College Pulitzer)
• LeBron continues to show why he’s one of the best people around. In his newest initiative, More Than a Vote, his braintrust is tackling voter suppression. Part of this plan, according to this AP News story by Bill Barrow, is to turn sports venues (such as as the Atlanta Hawks arena) into mega voting sites.
• This is super interesting. From The Athletic ($$), Brittany Ghiroli takes you inside the biggest All-Star Game that no one has watched. Located at Palm Beach Gardens High School, you’ll find a secret society of big name players working together (at a safe distance): Verlander, Scherzer, Goldschmitdt, Stanton... the list goes on. (Side Note: Look at all the stuff I’ve shared with you from this site today! Doesn’t that make you want to subscribe? DOESN’T IT?!
• Listen to Cubs pitching coach (and former Wichita State star), Tommy Hottovy, talk about his scary experience with COVID.

• And finally, this gave me a laugh. What would possess someone to try this out? Are funny treadmill videos a thing I’ve just been missing out on? Chrissy Teigen, who I got this tweet from, alluded to an unknown (to me) internet treadmill video haven of sorts. Sign me up!

• If you’re looking to sign up for ESPN+, Rock M Nation now has an affiliate link: click Here for ESPN+ Now! (** RockMNation has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though RockMNation may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.**)