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Hoops Transfers Ready to Run Through a Wall for Coach Martin

Mizzou News for Wednesday, June 23

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“I’ll Run Through a Wall for Him”

I mean, how can you NOT like the sound of that? Don’t you just love this time of year? When the new guys — there’s SOOOO many this year — are just getting to campus and starting to get to work with their new team? There’s an excitement in the air. I love it. Especially this year, when the team is basically starting over from scratch and they’re getting acclimated to one another.

I know Josh shared this in yesterday’s links, but it’s worth a RT, I think. I’m SO READY (and also in need of a photo sheet, as there’s a few that I can’t put faces to names to just yet).

In a new story from the Columbia Tribune’s Eric Blum, we got to hear from the new transfers, and that quote above (about running through walls) is courtesy of K-State transfer DaJuan — remember kids, it’s pronounced DAY-SCHWAN — Gordon, who made this statement while talking about how hard he worked at KSU to get better and how it will translate here in CoMo.

From the article, where DaJuan was asked about why he thought he could improve even more at Mizzou:

“The coaches, they want it. They want to be the best,” Gordon said. “They want to win. The coaches came from the same type of situation I came from in my life. We all grew up the same way. So it’s a pretty good connection because they know exactly how I feel. So there’ll be more of me getting better, just wanting me to get better, just being a sponge and trying to learn everything I can.”

I LOVE THIS. I know that recruiting hasn’t always worked out in Zo’s favor, but this is what he (and the staff he formed) was brought in for— to connect with the players on this kind of level. And connect he has. We’ve seen it work with his previous transfers— Kash, Dru, Drew... just to name a few. These were all guys that came in ready to work hard and lead and are also were, by all accounts, great humans.

When asked about what he looked for when scouting for transfers, Coach Martin said that he and the staff spent a lot of time talking with grassroots coaches, parents, high school coaches, and all sorts of people trying to find out what kind of guy they could be getting. Because fit is everything, and the coaching staff is selective. After all, Mizzou isn’t trying to be Arkansas, offering quite literally everyone in the portal.

From Martin, in the same article :

The obvious part for me, is he a good guy, you like being around him?” Martin said of the fresh faces in Columbia. “Does he have a work ethic? You saw Kassius, Dru Smith, those guys have a work ethic. And then with the guys that are coming in now and the transfers, those guys are able to make individual plays, they can make a shot and I think they have good size. I think all those things are very helpful.

Be sure to check out the article to see what Boogie and Ronnie Three-Sticks had to say as well. It was a really nice story, and makes me so pumped for the new season.

Keeping with hoops news, but switching over to Robin Pingeton’s squad, it looks like Coach P has got the team working HARD and ready to run through a wall for her. I love this tweet as a peak behind the curtain.

Onto the Links!


Yesterday at Rock M


More Links:

Football

Hoops

  • While we don’t really know if this relates to basketball, it’s a nice little bit of perspective from two of our newest transfers:
  • Loving the sneaker game from Pingeton’s staff, especially those Air Forces:

Mizzou in the Olympics (AKA Karissa Time)

  • THE MIZZOU TRACK QUEEN SPEAKS!

From her former Mizzou XC coach, Mark Burns:

We are so happy for Karissa to achieve the first step of a lifelong goal to be an Olympian,” Missouri head cross country coach Marc Burns said in a statement. “Now it is time to get ready to make a podium run. Her dream started in Des Moines and became something very real during her time as a Tiger. The Bowerman Track Club has continued to nurture her dream.

Mizzou in the Pros

  • OMG, this is the CUTEST. Thank you for sharing, Chase Daniel.

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