Some Hoops Talk! YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!

KC Star writer and “friend of Dive Cuts,” Souichi Terada, wrote a lengthy piece Mizzou Hoops’ success in 2021 recruiting, though the rankings aren’t something that Head Coach Cuonzo Martin really concerns himself with too much? Why?

Because, he told the Star, having a # 1 class doesn’t guarantee a national championship, so he’ll continue to do things his own way. Like it or not, Tiger fans, this is the truth, and some of us are WAY too focused on the rankings aspect. This class, for what it’s worth, is currently ranked 26th by both Rivals and 247.

And put in the work they are. Cuonzo and his staff should feel good about the guys they’ve gotten so far, and I know our Rock M hoops overlords are happy with a lot of the pieces added. They also will look to add another body in the spring, and are currently evaluating their options, Martin said, because bodies... they need a lot of them. Mizzou graduates 5 guys in the spring, and there will be spots open galore.

Recruiting has been going well for both coaching staffs of Mizzou’s big revenue sports, even with the pandemic going on and the recruiting dead period continually extended (until Jan 1 as of right now), and I find it truly admirable that athletes are getting to know the programs well enough to make a commitment, even without perhaps ever setting foot on campus.

According to Zo:

“The Zoom calls, at least for our program, it’s been very helpful. I think for us, it gives you a chance to gauge prospects, build relationships via Zoom, via FaceTime calls. … You can cut out a lot of information that you didn’t have before.”

So, what has Martin been looking for when getting to know prospective players? He told Terada that they need to have a certain mindset, that they “have a level of toughness and (can) fight through adversity.” More specifically, Martin said he’s well aware that players will transfer out of programs these day if they aren’t getting instant gratification (i.e. playing time), and so he looks for players who have resiliency to battle through tough situations and will stick around for the long-run.

“More than anything, you have to vet the guys that you’re bringing in,” Martin said. “Even though young men want to play from day one, you still have to be good enough and ready to play. I think the difference now is, the demand to play — whether they’re ready or not — they don’t care.

There’s so much more to this piece than what I even shared, and I HIGHLY suggest checking it out.

Want to watch the Tigers this year?!? Today is the last day to renew/request season tickets!

And if you’re looking for positive signs for this year, there’s this.... Mark is looking healthy! (CHEERS WILDLY)

On to the links!

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Yesterday at Rock M

• Nate the Great wrote about the depth chart which only saw changes in the 2’s.
• Nate ALSO channeled his inner Bill C with his Beyond the Boxscore super analysis of Bama, who is “too dang good.”
• Josh published the Rock M masthead’s votes for MV3 (hey, I voted on this!).
• Kortay covered the newest MIZ-Zoom event, where we got to hear from Drink, Larry Three-Sticks, and Martez Manuel.
• COMING UP AT ROCK M: More podcasts- I think we’ve got BOTH a Tennessee preview from Nate & BK, AND a new Dive Cuts with Sam & Matt. Also, we’ll have all the UT previewing you could possible want.

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More Links:

Football

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Dave wrote about how Drinkwitz is open to playing two quarterbacks all season, and compiled the Post-Dispatch staff’s picks on the SEC Power Rankings. AND (!!) he wrote about the O-Line, who maintained its ground in the season’s first test.
• KC Star: Souichi wrote about the newest MIZ-Zoom call, which addressed Covid and injury updates and talked about “moral victories.”
• Columbia Tribune: Eric Blum wrote about how the SEC opening weekend was like no other.
• Truman’s Tales: Christian McDonald wrote about the studs & duds from the Alabama game.
• PowerMizzou: The staff posted the depth chart (no commentary), and Gabe posted the video of Drink’s MIZ-ZOOM call. For subscribers ($$), Sean Williams wrote about 2022 Mizzou RB target, RB Arlen Harris, Jr.
• Good to see!

• Can’t wait to have him on campus! We’ll see you soon, Travion Ford!

Other Mizzou Sports

• The Maneater: Joshua Reneau wrote that fouls doomed the Tigers in their season opening loss.
• Mizzou isn’t going to be playing anyone in the Myrtle Beach Invitational at this rate. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but some other teams have bowed out of the relocated Orlando tourneys to do their own at home and using it to benefit social justice initiatives. PLEASE?

Mizzou in the Pros

• According to NFL Analyst, Albert Breer, Kelly Bryant had an NFL tryout with the Texans.
• Congrats, Peter Fairbanks on your big save!

• From ESPN NFL insider, Field Yates, former Mizzou footballer and world’s best long snapper, Beau Brinkley, has been placed on the COVID-IR list. Get well soon, Beau.
• The Missourian’s Max Baker has all your NFL stats: Former Missouri defensive end Aldon Smith is currently the NFL leader in sacks (4).

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