Uh oh, "sources" say

[mcdadenets50]

a "mid major" coach is going to the Big Bad 12

Source: Missouri to hire UAB's Anderson
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com

Missouri is expected to choose UAB's Mike Anderson as its next men's basketball coach, possibly announcing it as early as Sunday, ESPN.com has learned.

The only holdup before making it official has been awaiting final Missouri presidential approval, a source close to the process told ESPN.com.

Anderson interviewed in Dallas for the position, according to multiple sources. Sources said Missouri was also attempting to talk to Creighton's Dana Altman this week. Missouri had sought permission to speak with Iowa's Steve Alford as well.

Anderson will replace Quin Snyder, who was forced out in February.

The hiring of Anderson ends an exhaustive search for the Tigers. Anderson would become the first African-American head coach in a major sport at Missouri.

Anderson has been atop Missouri's list from Day 1 with the hope that the Tigers could find a diverse candidate who would energize the fan base. Anderson brings a unique style to the Big 12, employing a pressing, trapping scheme with his team constantly moving at a frenetic pace. The Tigers were hoping to hire someone who could help fill the seats at Mizzou Arena with a winner, but also with a style of play that is entertaining.

Anderson, a former Arkansas assistant under Nolan Richardson, has been an instant hit at UAB. He coached the Blazers to the NCAA Tournament in three of the past four years and racked up an 89-41 record.

sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2384172

[milwsport]

Is UAB really a mid-major? They have a division 1 A (not AA) football team. They're not from a BCS conference but does that make a school a mid-major?

[FTA1982]

The odd thing about the hiring is that Missouri hired Anderson saturday and let go of their athletic director on sunday. This was according to Seth Davis on the CBS pregame show. Looks like Anderson will have a new boss that he did not even speak to regarding the coaching job. Odd timing I would say.

[kaygee]

AD is staying

[SRT4driver]

milwsport said:

Is UAB really a mid-major? They have a division 1 A (not AA) football team. They're not from a BCS conference but does that make a school a mid-major?

The Sun Belt conference also plays D 1-A football, but I don't think that makes them a "major" conference.
Since last years realignment, C-USA is definately your quintessential mid-major conference, having lost the best 8 of their 14 schools to other conferences and replacing them with 6 low- to mid-major "heavyweights", such as Marshall and University of Central Florida.
If Memphis can mantain a nationally top 10 program (and keep their coach, a big if), I'd say that they are now in "Gonzaga-land".

I'd also look for the Mid Major Top 25 poll to be adding C-USA to it's list of included conferences in the next year or two.
Welcome to the ranks of the mids, C-USA! ;D

[Ron Mexico]

I don't know, Memphis isn't really a mid major to me. They've had an outstanding program the last couple of decades and usually don't go more than a year or two in between tourneys. It's not like this year was the first year they ever did anything in basketball.

[JimmyLemke]

Conference USA isn't a mid-major conference in basketball.

[dylanrocks]

Memphis, like Gonzaga, plays in a mid-major conference. It can easily be argued that its league schedule is softer than ours. Of course, the fact that it's a mid-major program doesn't make it a bad one. Take George Mason, for example.

[Pantherholic]

jimmylemke said:

Conference USA isn't a mid-major conference in basketball.

PLEASE elaborate on this

[Pantherholic]

Loyalty mandated in contract for new Missouri basketball coach

COLUMBIA, Mo. - New Missouri basketball coach Mike Anderson will earn a minimum of $850,000 annually over the next five years - as long as he "agrees to be a loyal employee" and doesn't bad-mouth the school.

Those clauses are just part of the conduct requirements spelled out in the 22-page contract, which was signed Monday and released to The Associated Press on Tuesday through the state's public records laws.

Anderson, who comes to Missouri after four years as Alabama-Birmingham coach, will also be expected to:

_"maintain a mature and rational attitude, keep emotions in control and downplay defeats";

_"establish and maintain a frequent and systematic program of personal communication with the university's administration, faculty, staff and student body";

_make a minimum of 30 public appearances at booster lunches, alumni dinners and similar community events.

No such requirements are found in the contracts of either Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel or Anderson' successor, Quin Snyder, who resigned in mid-February with six regular season games remaining.

Anderson's base salary is less than the $1.015 million Snyder earned before he left. But the new coach's contract is loaded with more incentives for reaching at least 20 wins against Division I opponents and drawing at least 10,000 paying fans on average to Mizzou Arena.

www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/14206207.htm

[SRT4driver]

Wow! I wonder what caused all those "stipulations/requirements" to be written into that contract. Sounds pretty strange to me.

And as far as threadjacking topic is concerned...

godshamgod said:

I don't know, Memphis isn't really a mid major to me. They've had an outstanding program the last couple of decades and usually don't go more than a year or two in between tourneys. It's not like this year was the first year they ever did anything in basketball.

I'm not saying Memphis is a mid-major. I don't think they are, either. But they ARE a major program playing in a mid-major conference (even in basketball, Jimmy, definately since the 2005 realignment), if you consider that to be possible. Just like Gonzaga is. I guess it's personal preference if u want to consider all teams that are members of a mid-major conference to automatically be mid-majors, or if u believe a mid-major conference can have "major" programs within them. Your call.
I like to believe there can be exceptions, although rare. At this time, only Gonzaga and Memphis come to mind. But that can always change.
Then again, I still call those two teams MM's at times due to their conferences, so I guess even I don't know what I think anymore!

[dylanrocks]

As we all know, only two programs in the country have won their regular-season conference titles each of the last three seasons — Gonzaga and Milwaukee.