Kim Anderson has stepped down as head coach of the Missouri Tigers.
According to the school’s official statement, Anderson was asked to resign from his position by Missouri Director of Athletics Jim Sterk.
“This decision has been very difficult for me personally because of the tremendous respect I have for Kim,” Sterk said.
“I know how hard he and his staff have worked to turn the program around over the last three years, however, the lack of on-court success has resulted in a significant drop in interest surrounding our program, and we could not afford for that to continue another year.”
Missouri became the first SEC team to lose 20+ games in three straight seasons.
Anderson’s final record with the Tigers was 26-67.
Blake’s Analysis:
This move was inevitable. Missouri had no chance of keeping up with other programs in the SEC at the current rate it was going.
And now, let the speculation begin as to where the Tigers will turn next.
A few months ago, these were the names that I thought would receive interest for this opening and the likely opening at LSU: Kevin Keatts (UNC Wilmington), Cuonzo Martin (Cal), King Rice (Monmouth), Matt McCall (Chattanooga), Eric Musselman (Nevada), and Kermit Davis (MTSU).
I’d take McCall off that list due to Chattanooga’s problems down the stretch.
Martin is the most likely target from that group since he’s a St. Louis native. He’s leaving Cal sooner than later, and this would be a great opportunity for him to return home and rebuild the Tigers into an SEC contender.
Keatts will be on NC State’s shortlist due to location and conference familiarity, but both Missouri and LSU could do much worse than him. He’s a rising star in the coaching business.
Rice should also find a power conference job in the next year or two based on his Monmouth success, while it remains to be seen how much it will take for Davis to leave MTSU after 15 seasons. On the Musselman front, he has the energy and basketball experience that you’d want in trying to turn a program around.
But here’s the thing: Missouri can get even bigger names interested if the money is there. This is a program with good tradition, great fans, and the resources needed to win. It’ll be seen as such by those in the coaching community.
Read this in-depth story by Sam Snelling to get a better idea of how this job will be viewed nationally. Also follow Sam on Twitter, as he is tapped into the ins and outs of Missouri basketball.
People will view Missouri’s record the past three seasons as a sign that this is a terrible basketball program without any hope for the future.
That simply isn’t true.
There’s young talent on the roster, and with the right coach that can effectively recruit the St. Louis era, this program will be back on the rise shortly.