MU Tiger Basketball 
MU awaits recruits' letters
By the Tribune's staff
The Missouri men’s basketball team is expecting two national letters of intent to arrive today, the first day of the NCAA’s early signing period, which runs until next Wednesday. [ 11/13/02 ]

MU makes strides in second outing
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri basketball Coach Quin Snyder was quick to point out that the Midwest All-Stars didn’t exactly play defense like the Oklahoma Sooners. [ 11/09/02 ]

Media pick MU men’s hoops team fourth
Big 12 media outlets picked the Missouri men’s basketball team to finish fourth in the conference in the preseason poll released yesterday. Missouri received 234 points in the poll. [ 11/06/02 ]

McKinney will miss a month
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
The season hasn’t officially started, but the Missouri basketball team is already dealing with adversity. [ 11/04/02 ]

Tigers barely survive exhibition opener
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri basketball Coach Quin Snyder was looking forward to seeing his team get a chance to execute a number of different things in its first exhibition game. [ 11/03/02 ]

Tigers welcome next chapter
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
DALLAS - Missouri’s Rickey Paulding and Arthur Johnson were amused by the number of times they had to answer the same question at the Big 12 Conference’s basketball media day yesterday. [ 11/01/02 ]

Clemons struts his stuff
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri basketball fans finally got to see for themselves what they’d been hearing about for months - there’s a new point guard in town. [ 10/27/02 ]

Floyd highlights MU coaches' clinic
Missouri basketball Coach Quin Snyder hosted his annual coaches’ clinic this week as high school and youth coaches from around the state converged on the Hearnes Center for the two-day symposium. [ 10/20/02 ]

Basketball team needs bodies
The Missouri men’s basketball team is looking to add another player or two to its roster this season. [ 10/16/02 ]

Tigers keeping it simple
By JOE WALLJASPER
It was only the second day of practice, and already Missouri basketball Coach Quin Snyder was battling attrition. Ryan Kiernan had a sore heel, and Najeeb Echols twisted his ankle. On a team that had only 10 scholarship players in the first place, it was tough to scare up enough bodies for a scrimmage. [ 10/15/02 ]

Tigers, Snyder get right back to work
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
As he met with the media before the first basketball practice of the season, Missouri Coach Quin Snyder was like a kid on Christmas morning. He was antsy to dive in and get to work. [ 10/13/02 ]

Tigers receive Laurie’s word
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Spencer Laurie knew in his heart that Missouri would probably wind up winning the recruiting battle for his services, but just to be fair, the lifelong Tiger fan kept an open mind during the recruiting process. [ 10/03/02 ]

Young answers call, works way into shape
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Kevin Young arrived on the Missouri campus in late May and immediately got an eye-opener. He wasn’t anywhere close to being ready for major college basketball. [ 09/29/02 ]

Persistence pays off in recruitment of Gardner
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Persistence and personal attention paid off for Missouri basketball Coach Quin Snyder in the recruitment of Portland, Ore., shooting guard Thomas Gardner. [ 09/18/02 ]

Basketball recruit fond of Missouri
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
The NCAA’s early signing period is two months away, but the next few weeks will be critical for the Missouri basketball staff as it tries to line up its recruiting class of 2003. [ 09/11/02 ]

MU announces basketball slates
By the Tribune’s staff
Missouri announced its 2002-03 men’s and women’s basketball schedules yesterday. [ 09/07/02 ]

Bryant’s trip to Scandinavia caps off-season of hard work
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
The Missouri basketball staff likes to refer to the off-season as the "player development season." From April to October, the Tiger players are expected to better themselves on the court, in the weight room and in the classroom.
[ 09/01/02 ]

Paulding honored by Athlon Sports
Missouri junior basketball player Rickey Paulding was named to the All-Big 12 first team yesterday by Athlon Sports magazine. [ 08/15/02 ]

European vacation
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Former Missouri basketball player Clarence Gilbert isn’t answering his cell phone with a hearty "Ciao" yet, but he might be very soon. [ 08/14/02 ]

MU coaches embark on hoops safari
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Soccer has always been king in Africa, but in recent years, as the global influence of NBA stars such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal has increased, so has the popularity of basketball across the continent. [ 08/11/02 ]

MU’s Clemons arrives in town
Junior college transfer Ricky Clemons has completed his associate’s degree at the College of Southern Idaho and arrived in Columbia, according to MU associate head coach Tony Harvey. [ 08/11/02 ]

Gilbert signs with Italian team
Former Missouri basketball standout Clarence Gilbert has signed with Scavolini Pesaro, a professional team in Italy. It is the same team that former Tigers Larry Drew and Melvin Booker played for. [ 08/08/02 ]

Paulding among Wooden candidates
Missouri junior guard Rickey Paulding is one of 50 college basketball players named as early frontrunners for the John R. Wooden Award. Paulding averaged 11.9 points and 3.9 rebounds last year. [ 08/03/02 ]

Missouri recruit a mystery
By JOE WALLJASPER
The Missouri basketball team’s latest international man of mystery - Ousmane Konate, a native of Senegal by way of France by way of Bridgton Academy in Maine - is truly mysterious. The 6-foot-8 power forward who committed to MU last week has yet to play high school basketball in the United States.  [ 07/31/02 ]

Judge sides with NCAA on rule
Missouri will have to find one more game to complete its nonconference basketball schedule now that a federal judge in Columbus, Ohio, has ruled in favor of the NCAA, denying a motion for a preliminary injunction on the two-and-four rule for the 2002-03 season. [ 07/20/02 ]

Tigers add Memphis series
Although the official Missouri basketball schedule won’t be released until later this summer, the pieces are beginning to fall into place.[ 07/14/02 ]

MU schedule still on hold
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri is waiting for a judge to determine the legality of the NCAA’s two-in-four rule before finalizing its 2002-03 nonconference schedule.
[ 07/07/02 ]

Rush signs with Lakers
By the Tribune’s staff
It didn’t take long for the Los Angeles Lakers to sign their newest addition. [ 07/05/02 ]

Stokes lands at San Diego State
Wesley Stokes has found a new team. After several months of rumors that he would transfer to San Diego State, the former Missouri point guard has made it official. [ 07/02/02 ]

A perfect fit
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Kareem Rush’s agent, Calvin Andrews, tried to prepare his client for the possibility that his stock for Wednesday night’s NBA draft might have been taking a last-minute plunge. [ 06/30/02 ]

Rush’s draft day airs on Fox Sports
Fox Sports Midwest will air a documentary tonight detailing Kareem Rush’s time in New York for the NBA draft.[ 06/28/02 ]

Makings of a Laker
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Former Missouri standout Kareem Rush grew more nervous and frustrated as he watched 19 players get selected in front of him last night at New York’s Madison Square Garden, the site of the 2002 NBA Draft. [ 06/27/02 ]

Waiting game almost over
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Kareem Rush has waited his whole life for this day. The 6-foot-6 guard from Kansas City is expected to become the 11th Missouri player selected in the first round of the NBA draft tonight at Madison Square Garden in New York City.[ 06/26/02 ]

Paulding ready for draft talk
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri guard Rickey Paulding will attend Wednesday’s NBA draft as a guest of former teammate Kareem Rush. It could be a trial run for next year.
[ 06/23/02 ]

Rush’s last stop is Madison Square Garden
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Kareem Rush wasn’t sure where he was going to watch next week’s NBA draft. Maybe at his home in Kansas City with family and friends. Perhaps he’d come back to Columbia to watch with his teammates. [ 06/19/02 ]

Rested & Recharged
In the past off-seasons, Missouri basketball Coach Quin Snyder has traveled abroad, but he always felt compelled to squeeze in some work when his wife, Helen, wasn't looking.  [ 06/02/02 ]

MU hopes to reload
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
With more scholarships than anticipated available for the 2003 recruiting class, Missouri basketball Coach Quin Snyder and his staff have been trying to find the right guys to fill them. [ 06/02/02 ]

Rush signs with agent, officially ending MU career 
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
When he announced that he was declaring as an early entrant for the NBA draft last month, Kareem Rush made it clear he had no intention to pull his name out of the draft and return to Missouri for his senior season.[ 05/18/02 ]

Snyder dismisses John
By the Tribune’s staff
Missouri freshman basketball player Duane John was dismissed from the team today, just days after being issued a summons for possession of marijuana.  [ 05/15/02 ]

John faces pot charge
By the Tribune’s staff
Missouri freshman basketball player Duane John was issued a summons for possession of less than 35 grams of marijuana on Saturday night in his dorm room. The offense is a misdemeanor. [ 05/13/02 ]

MU signee Rinkevicius to try NBA
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
The roster for the Missouri basketball team is getting smaller again - a lot smaller. [ 05/09/02 ]

Arena plan is taking shape
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
After nearly six years of planning filled with countless research meetings, mock-ups and artist renderings, the principle design for Missouri’s new basketball arena is finally completed. [ 05/08/02 ]

Stokes decides to leave
By the Tribune’s staff
The Wesley Stokes experiment is officially over at Missouri. MU basketball Coach Quin Snyder confirmed today that the sophomore point guard has left the program. [ 05/08/02 ]

Stokes might be headed for West Coast
By the Tribune’s staff
Missouri point guard Wesley Stokes is reportedly considering transferring to San Diego State or some other school on the West Coast. [ 05/07/02 ]

MU lands Clemons
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Inexperience and ineffectiveness at the point guard position often took its toll on the Missouri basketball team last season. [ 04/12/02 ]

Rush headed right way
By JOE WALLJASPER
At his farewell-to-Missouri press conference, Kareem Rush was asked how he is more prepared for the NBA now than he was last year. [ 04/12/02 ]

Rush departs Missouri to test NBA waters
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
With his coach at his side and his teammates in the audience, Missouri forward Kareem Rush made it official yesterday - he and his silky-smooth, left-handed jumper are headed for the NBA. [ 04/11/02 ]

Rush expected to declare for draft
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
At a press conference today, Missouri forward Kareem Rush is expected to announce his decision to forgo his senior season and declare for the NBA draft.[ 04/10/02 ] 

Juco guard eager to sign, become a Tiger
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
When junior college point guard Ricky Clemons met Missouri basketball Coach Quin Snyder, the two hit it off immediately.[ 04/09/02 ] 

Gilbert thrives at Portsmouth
By the Tribune’s staff
Missouri’s Clarence Gilbert might have improved his chances at an NBA career with a strong showing at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in Portsmouth, Va. [ 04/08/02 ] 

Better late than never
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Shortly after Missouri’s amazing run in the NCAA Tournament came to an end with a loss to Oklahoma in the West Regional finals in San Jose, Calif., forward Travon Bryant was already thinking about next season and what the Tigers could do for an encore. [ 04/07/02 ] 

‘This is my home’
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
It certainly wasn’t the most relaxing vacation Missouri basketball Coach Quin Snyder ever had. [ 04/04/02 ]

Snyder plants his roots
By JOE WALLJASPER
When informed two weeks ago that Washington had fired basketball Coach Bob Bender, Arizona’s Lute Olson recalled some advice he received a few decades before. [ 04/02/02 ]

Snyder decides to stick with Tigers
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
After days of uncertainty, Missouri basketball fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Quin Snyder isn’t going anywhere.[ 04/01/02 ]

No decision yet from Snyder
By the Tribune’s staff
If Quin Snyder has made a decision about his coaching future, he is in no hurry to reveal it. [ 03/31/02 ]

On the way out?
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri basketball Coach Quin Snyder interviewed with Washington Athletic Director Barbara Hedges yesterday afternoon in Sun Valley, Idaho, and is considering an offer to become the Huskies’ next head coach. [ 03/30/02 ]

Harvey is a candidate for UAB vacancy.
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
While Missouri Coach Quin Snyder is being wooed by Washington for its vacant head-coaching position, one of his assistants has emerged as a candidate for the same position at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. [ 03/30/02 ]

MU officials: Snyder rumors unsubstantiated
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri athletic department officials have no reason to believe that they will be in the market for a new basketball coach any time soon, other than what they’re hearing through the rumor mill. [ 03/29/02 ]

Clemons keeps MU waiting
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Ricky Clemons appears ready to give a verbal commitment to the Missouri basketball team, but the 5-foot-11 sophomore point guard from the College of Southern Idaho won’t make an official decision until he’s certain that Quin Snyder will be the Tigers’ coach. [ 03/28/02 ]

Snyder to talk to Washington
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
The University of Washington has received permission to talk to Missouri basketball Coach Quin Snyder in the search for a successor to Bob Bender. [ 03/26/02 ]

A beautiful journey
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
SAN JOSE, Calif. - As they gathered their gear and made their way out of the Compaq Center, the members of the Missouri basketball team knew they had nothing to be ashamed of after losing to Oklahoma.[ 03/25/02 ]

Final floored
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
SAN JOSE, Calif. - One by one, the members of the Missouri basketball team walked off the floor with their heads down. [ 03/24/02 ]

A Tiger on the rise
By JOE WALLJASPER Tribune sports editor
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Kareem Rush was in foul trouble, and Clarence Gilbert was misfiring. [ 03/24/02 ]

Foul-line problems doom MU
By JOE WALLJASPER Tribune sports editor
SAN JOSE, Calif. - On Friday, Quin Snyder was asked what chance the Missouri basketball team had against an Oklahoma team that had beaten the Tigers eight straight times. [ 03/24/02 ]

Taking his time
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Almost immediately after Missouri’s season ended with an 81-75 loss to Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament West Regional final, forward Kareem Rush was asked to address his playing future. [ 03/24/02 ]

Woeful ending
By JOE WALLJASPER
SAN JOSE, Calif. - By yesterday, the Missouri basketball team was supposed to be scattered in 12 directions, soaking up the sun or fattening up on mom’s cooking. [ 03/24/02 ]

Swimming with sharks
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
SAN JOSE, Calif. - It’s symbolic that for the Missouri basketball team to advance to its first Final Four, it will have to get past familiar menace Oklahoma in a building nicknamed "The Shark Tank." [ 03/23/02 ]

Elite grrr-Eight!
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Midway through the second half with the game tied, Missouri’s Justin Gage knocked the ball away from UCLA’s Matt Barnes and chased it the length of the court. It was a race that he couldn’t win, but Gage dived anyway. [ 03/22/02 ]

Johnson outmuscles Gadzuric
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Missouri center Arthur Johnson took one look at his counterpart, UCLA’s Dan Gadzuric, during the pregame warm-ups, and he knew it was going to be a long night. [ 03/22/02 ]

Tiger erases early jitters
By JOE WALLJASPER and BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Rickey Paulding’s night started with a turnover and ended with his fifth foul. And there was one very noticeable missed dunk that he might be reminded of for the rest of this life. [ 03/22/02 ]

No better place
By JOE WALLJASPER of the Tribune’s staff
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Yesterday afternoon, Clarence Gilbert was passing the final nervous hours in his room at the Wyndham Hotel before heading to the Compaq Center. Then there was a knock on the door. [ 03/22/02 ]

Snyder’s Tigers shut out the sounds around them
By JOE WALLJASPER
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Twelve seconds into last night’s game, Missouri guard Clarence Gilbert unsuccessfully tried to swipe the ball from UCLA center Dan Gadzuric. After the play, he looked at his left hand and noticed that his ring finger had "made a U-turn." [ 03/22/02 ]

Tigers get physical in first scrimmage
By DAVE MATTER of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri cornerback R.J Jones let Shirdonya Mitchell know yesterday what will be waiting for him when the Tigers return from spring break on April 2. In the team’s fifth and final practice before its week vacation, Jones blindsided Mitchell with a crunching blow after the junior receiver caught a short pass over the middle. [ 03/22/02 ]

Ellison bolsters MU defense
By DAVE MATTER of the Tribune’s staff
Shaking hands with Atiyyah Ellison is like meeting Sasquatch. Your palm is swallowed quicker than Rosie O’Donnell’s morning latte. [ 03/21/02 ]

Hairdos don’t tell the story
By JOE WALLJASPER
SAN JOSE, Calif. - People wonder about Steve Lavin’s hair. The UCLA basketball coach wears it slicked straight back, highly lubricated and seemingly lacquered into place. [ 03/21/02 ]

Old friends reuniting on Sweet 16 battlefield
By JOE WALLJASPER Tribune sports editor
SAN JOSE, Calif. - On Sunday afternoon, UCLA upset Cincinnati to advance to the NCAA Tournament West Regional semifinal game against Missouri. On Sunday evening, Bruins forward Jason Kapono got a phone call from a few old friends who were going to meet him in San Jose. [ 03/21/02 ]

Down to business
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The stakes have been raised, and the tension is mounting. But Missouri and UCLA both still have chips in the big game, and Quin Snyder and Steve Lavin are seasoned pros at playing a hand in the NCAA Tournament. [ 03/21/02 ]

Feeding frenzy
By BOB THOMPSON and JOE WALLJASPER of the Tribune’s staff
SAN JOSE, Calif. - When Bob Bender was fired from his post as head basketball coach at Washington, Missouri Coach Quin Snyder’s name was one of the first to surface as a replacement. [ 03/21/02 ]

Morford begins unforeseen NCAA quest
By DAVID CHOU of the Tribune’s staff
Amanda Morford’s life has been a game of separating herself from her family. Her quest for individuality is hardly out of anger or spite. Morford just happens to look incredibly similar to her mother, sister and brother. [ 03/21/02 ]

Homecoming kings
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
SAN JOSE, Calif. - When the NCAA Tournament bracket was revealed, Missouri sophomores Travon Bryant and Wesley Stokes couldn’t help but look ahead to the West Regional semifinals. [ 03/20/02 ]

Tigers oblivious to Edney
By JOE WALLJASPER
SAN JOSE, Calif. - If you broach the subject of Tyus Edney in the Missouri basketball team’s locker room these days, you’ll receive a response as passionate as Ben Stein on NyQuil. [ 03/20/02 ]

In the cross hairs
By JOE WALLJASPER of the Tribune’s staff
After one possession of Missouri’s NCAA Tournament opener against Miami, Coach Quin Snyder understood how much progress the Tigers had made since January. [ 03/19/02 ]

Juco guard to decide this week
By JOE WALLJASPER Tribune sports editor
The former high school coach of Ricky Clemons said the College of Southern Idaho point guard will announce his college choice this week. Missouri is one of the favorites to win his services. [ 03/19/02 ]

Tournament success has Tigers sky high
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Shortly after his team polished off Ohio State to advance to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16, Missouri Coach Quin Snyder was stopped in the hallway by Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl. [ 03/18/02 ]

Pit bosses
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The chants from Missouri’s fans started early in the second half. [ 03/17/02 ]

Chairmen of the boards
By DAVE MATTER of the Tribune’s staff
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - All-Big 12 receiver Justin Gage missed Missouri’s first spring football practice yesterday in Columbia. A time zone away, he still took a pounding. [ 03/17/02 ]

Gritty Gilbert keeps Missouri career going
By DAVE MATTER of the Tribune’s staff
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The visitors’ locker room at "The Pit" overflowed with Missouri players, reporters and cameramen yesterday. But for senior Clarence Gilbert, there was someone missing from the Tigers’ postgame celebration. [ 03/17/02 ]

Slams put exclamation point on stellar outing
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The dunk is one shot that had been missing from Missouri swingman Rickey Paulding’s repertoire recently. [ 03/17/02 ]

Worth a second look
By DAVE MATTER of the Tribune’s staff
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The stars of the NCAA Tournament’s West Regional are easy to spot here at "The Pit." [ 03/16/02 ]

Tigers attempt to break bad habits
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The Missouri basketball team wasn’t celebrating too much after Thursday’s first-round victory over Miami in the NCAA Tournament’s West Regional. [ 03/16/02 ]

Rush OK to play in a game of reunions
By BOB THOMPSON and DAVE MATTER of the Tribune’s staff
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - On Thursday it was nothing to laugh about.
[ 03/16/02 ]

Bad Boys
By DAVE MATTER of the Tribune’s staff
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The postgame stat booklet didn’t reward Josh Berger with an assist in Missouri’s opening-round victory in the NCAA Tournament yesterday. But he may have earned one. [ 03/15/02 ]

Rush not KOed in first round
By DAVE MATTER and BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri’s Kareem Rush had no comment on his team’s 93-80 victory over Miami yesterday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He had no comment on his fine second-half performance. And he had no comment on his busted lip. [ 03/15/02 ]

Tigers oust shell-shocked Hurricanes
By BOB THOMPSON 
of the Tribune’s staff
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Miami players walked up the ramp toward the team bus wondering exactly who or what it was that just blindsided them. [ 03/14/02 ]

Flying high
By BOB THOMPSON 
of the Tribune’s staff
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Maybe the Missouri Tigers are morning people. [ 03/14/02 ]

Ohio State miffed about seed
By DAVE MATTER 
of the Tribune’s staff
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Don’t count Ohio State Coach Jim O’Brien as a fan of the NCAA’s revision of its tournament seeding process. His Buckeyes tied for the Big Ten regular-season championship and won the league tournament but were still shipped to the West Regional with a No. 4 seed. [ 03/14/02 ]

The main Zag
By BOB THOMPSON 
of the Tribune’s staff
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - There was never any doubt what position Gonzaga’s Dan Dickau would play on the basketball court. He was born to be a point guard. [ 03/14/02 ]

MU has shot at redemption
By JOE WALLJASPER Tribune sports editor
The Missouri basketball team used to hang with a pretty rough crowd. It shared the Top 25 with St. Joseph’s, Iowa, Virginia, Memphis, Georgetown, Syracuse, North Carolina and Temple. [ 03/13/02 ]

Tigers intent on busting brackets
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The 12th-seeded Missouri men’s basketball team arrived in New Mexico yesterday wearing its underdog label like a badge of honor. [ 03/13/02 ]

Last chance to dance
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri senior Clarence Gilbert paced the floors of the Reynolds Alumni Center on Sunday evening wondering if his luck had finally run out. [ 03/12/02 ]

Fans, future team get good glimpse of Jimmy Era
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Curious Missouri fans stuffed themselves into the lower sections of the Hearnes Center on Saturday night hoping to catch a glimpse of Vashon High School senior Jimmy McKinney, a player many feel will be the next great Tiger. [ 03/12/02 ]

Tigers chinny, chin, chin way in
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
The Missouri basketball team didn’t think it had any reason to worry this year. But when more than 30 minutes went by during CBS’s selection show yesterday and the Tigers didn’t see their name after the first three regions were revealed, things suddenly got tense. [ 03/11/02 ]

Teams take similar paths to The Pit
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Maybe the NCAA Tournament selection committee knew what it was doing when it put Missouri against Miami in Thursday’s NCAA Tournament West Regional game at The Pit in Albuquerque, N.M. [ 03/11/02 ]

OU completes sweep of Missouri
By the Tribune’s staff
Oklahoma was up just one run heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, but for the third straight day, the Missouri bullpen struggled in the late innings and the Sooners rolled to an easy victory. [ 03/11/02 ]

Tigers confident about receiving tournament bid
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
There may not be as much tension this year, but the Missouri men’s basketball team is still anxious to see it is among the field of 65 teams selected to participate in the NCAA Tournament. [ 03/10/02 ]

It’s nail-biting time
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
KANSAS CITY - With less than five minutes to go and Texas ahead by double digits, Missouri needed another miraculous comeback at Kemper Arena - the same kind of magic that enabled the Tigers to stun Iowa in the final two minutes in the same building earlier in the season. [ 03/09/02 ]

Same old routine for the Tigers
By JOE WALLJASPER
KANSAS CITY - Quin Snyder has learned from experience that his basketball team responds better to adversity than prosperity. So even though it looked like Missouri was on an upswing after Thursday’s lopsided victory over Iowa State in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament, Snyder wasn’t so sure. [ 03/09/02 ]

Same old tricks
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
KANSAS CITY - It’s beginning to become an annual prank for Missouri’s Clarence Gilbert - setting off the fire alarms at Kemper Arena. [ 03/08/02 ]

Gage’s value high
By JOE WALLJASPER
KANSAS CITY - The last time the Missouri men’s basketball team was at Kemper Arena, Justin Gage wasn’t a member. The Tigers were getting along just fine without him, winning the Guardians Classic on their way to a 9-0 start. [ 03/08/02 ]

Longhorns offer tough test
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
KANSAS CITY - Missouri finds itself in familiar territory in the Big 12 Tournament. [ 03/08/02 ]

Reason to smile
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
KANSAS CITY - The Missouri basketball team never was particularly concerned about its fall from grace in the national polls this season. [ 03/07/02 ]

Tigers will play on ESPN2
By the Tribune’s staff
An agreement between the Big 12 Conference and ESPN means many Columbia fans won’t get to see the Missouri men’s basketball team’s Thursday game against Iowa State in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament. [ 03/05/02 ]

A near miss
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
For one of the few times all day, the raucous sellout crowd at the Hearnes Center was quiet as Missouri guard Clarence Gilbert hurried up the court and unleashed a potential game-tying 3-pointer. [ 03/04/02 ]

Wrong finish for Gilbert
By JOE WALLJASPER
I think we can all agree that Clarence Gilbert was an acquired taste. We shook our heads at his shot selection as a sophomore. We wagged our fingers after his selfish behavior got him suspended when his team needed him most as a junior. [ 03/04/02 ]

Career day from Collison lifts KU
By the Tribune’s staff
Missouri Coach Quin Snyder said he could live with letting Kansas forward Nick Collison shoot 17-foot jump shots if it would keep the 6-foot-9 junior away from the basket. [ 03/04/02 ]

Gilbert’s last shot
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Growing up, Missouri’s Clarence Gilbert always thought he’d end up playing "40 minutes of hell" with Nolan Richardson’s Arkansas Razorbacks. 
[ 03/03/02 ]

Tigers remember perfection of 1994
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Melvin Booker remembers the celebration that erupted on the Hearnes Center floor in 1994 when he and his Missouri teammates held on against Nebraska in the final game of the regular season to finish 14-0 in the Big Eight Conference.
[ 03/03/02 ]

Williams knows Jayhawks have bull’s-eye
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
There are plenty of subplots for the 245th installment of the Missouri-Kansas basketball rivalry tomorrow. Not that the Tigers or Jayhawks need any extra motivation. [ 03/02/02 ]

Rushing out?
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri forward Kareem Rush certainly sounds like a man about to play his last home game in a Tiger uniform, but he’s not quite ready to make it official. 
[ 03/01/02 ]

Tigers believe they’ve moved off dreaded bubble
By BOB THOMPSON Of the Tribune’s staff
With 20 wins and a guaranteed winning record in Big 12 Conference play, the Missouri basketball team has seemingly reached the magic number for a bid to the NCAA Tournament. [ 02/27/02 ]

Soul survivors
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
With time running out on Missouri’s hopes for a fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, it was time to do a little soul searching against Oklahoma State. [ 02/26/02 ]

Rescuing a season on brink
By JOE WALLJASPER
At halftime of last night’s game, the Missouri basketball team was giving off the vibe its fans have come to dread. The opponent was Oklahoma State, but it just as easily could have been Texas or Oklahoma. [ 02/26/02 ]

Missouri braces for surging OSU
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri guard Clarence Gilbert was understandably pleased with himself after sinking a school- and Big 12-record 12 3-pointers to help lead his team to a 96-83 victory over Colorado on Saturday. [ 02/25/02 ]

Tigers draw ire of longtime fan
I have followed the Tigers basketball team for over 25 years and have been a season ticket holder for over 15 years. I have followed them when they could have achieved greatness and when they were not so great. I’ve always supported them in thick and thin because they always gave the game everything they had. [ 02/25/02 ]

Gunning Gilbert
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
BOULDER, Colo. - With Kareem Rush hobbling after a freak ankle injury in warmups, Missouri’s Clarence Gilbert decided to leave his conscience in the locker room against Colorado. [ 02/24/02 ]

Rush's return
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
BOULDER, Colo. - Missouri’s Kareem Rush went up for a routine layup during the pregame shoot-around yesterday and turned his left ankle as he came down on a loose ball underneath the basket. [ 02/24/02 ]

Fighting for postseason life
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
BOULDER, Colo. – Clarence Gilbert sat in the visitor’s locker room at United Spirit Arena searching for a way to describe what he was feeling following the Missouri basketball team’s 91-68 loss to Texas Tech on Wednesday night. [ 02/23/02 ]

Another Knightmare
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
LUBBOCK, Texas - For much of last night’s game against Missouri, Texas Tech Coach Bobby Knight just sat back in his chair and enjoyed the show.  [ 02/21/02 ]

Rush finding more ways to help Tigers
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
LUBBOCK, Texas - After suffering through the worst shooting game of his career against Texas, Missouri forward Kareem Rush continued to have trouble getting the ball to fall in the first half of last night’s 91-68 loss to Texas Tech. [ 02/21/02 ]

Turnovers costly for Tigers
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
The Missouri men’s basketball team tied a season high with 22 turnovers in Sunday’s 72-70 loss to Texas. Many of the miscues weren’t caused by heavy pressure by the Longhorns, but rather by miscommunication, poor decisions and lazy passes. [ 02/18/02 ]

Crumbling at crunch time
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
If the Missouri basketball team finds itself squirming on Selection Sunday, it will have flashbacks of missed opportunities in the final minutes of yesterday’s 72-70 loss to Texas at the Hearnes Center. [ 02/18/02 ]

Statistics don’t tell the story
By JOE WALLJASPER
On paper, the Missouri and Texas basketball teams were indistinguishable. [ 02/18/02 ]

Burning to contribute
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
To put it mildly, Missouri’s Wesley Stokes has had a rough sophomore season. No one has taken more heat from fans, media and his coaches than Stokes, a 5-foot-10 guard from Long Beach, Calif. [ 02/15/02 ]

Unseen Tigers stand tall
By JOE WALLJASPER
LINCOLN, Neb. - When nobody was looking, the Missouri basketball team put on one of its best shows of the season. Maybe that was a coincidence, maybe not. [ 02/14/02 ]

Shake, rattle, roll
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
LINCOLN, Neb. - During the afternoon shootaround yesterday, Missouri Coach Quin Snyder told his team that freshman Jeffrey Ferguson and junior Justin Gage would make their first career starts against Nebraska in place of forward Travon Bryant and center Arthur Johnson. [ 02/14/02 ]

Never too late
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
The Missouri men’s basketball team is back in familiar territory with its back to the wall. It has fallen out of the Top 25 and is considered one of the more disappointing teams in the nation. [ 02/13/02 ]

Tigers lose poll position
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
It took 14 weeks, but the Missouri men’s basketball team is finally rid of that pesky ranking. [ 02/12/02 ]

Whistled while they work
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri sophomore post players Travon Bryant and Arthur Johnson have been foul magnets this season. [ 02/12/02 ]

MU masters disappearing act
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Preparing for the Missouri men’s basketball team must be hard for opposing coaches because the Tigers don’t do anything consistently. In almost every aspect of their play, they’re a magic act - now you see it, now you don’t. [ 02/11/02 ]

Missouri’s defeat is hard to Bear
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
WACO, Texas - With time ticking down and Baylor threatening to run away with the game, Missouri desperately needed to score a lot in a hurry. Make that a Rush. [ 02/10/02 ]

Rush readies himself for late-season push
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
As Missouri prepares to take off on a crucial two-game road swing at Baylor tomorrow night and at Nebraska next Wednesday, it appears junior Kareem Rush is gearing up his game for another postseason run. [ 02/08/02 ]

Bird, plane ... ballgame
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri’s Kareem Rush didn’t change in a phone booth before coming out to start the second half last night against Iowa State. It only seemed that way. [ 02/07/02 ]

Precious memories
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
The last time Missouri and Iowa State met at the Hearnes Center, it was unforgettable. [ 02/06/02 ]

Quality victory gives Missouri RPI a boost
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Shortly after Kareem Rush and his teammates were mobbed on the court by students following Missouri’s 81-77 victory over Virginia on Sunday, he was asked what the win would do for the Tigers’ national perception. [ 02/05/02 ]

Tears turn to cheers as Tigers prevail
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri’s final non-conference game of the regular season was a real tear-jerker - before tipoff, anyway. [ 02/04/02 ]

Saving grace
By NICK MATHEWS of the Tribune’s staff
Down two points to No. 8 Virginia with 12 minutes left yesterday, Missouri’s Clarence Gilbert stole the ball from Chris Williams, dribbled down the court and pulled up for a 3-point shot.

[ 02/04/02 ]

Punch-drunk MU, Virginia get back in ring
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
The Missouri basketball team has had six days to stew about its 32-point loss to Kansas. All week, the Tigers have heard and read the predictions from doomsayers who think the rest of their season amounts to nothing more than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.[ 02/03/02 ]

One of the guys
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
The football team his father owns is going for its second Super Bowl championship tomorrow night.[ 02/02/02 ]

Criticism doesn’t faze Snyder
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Quin Snyder is not oblivious to the criticism leveled at him from fans and media in the aftermath of Missouri’s debacle Monday night at Kansas.  [ 02/01/02 ]

Echols out with injury
By the Tribune’s staff
The Missouri basketball team’s already thin frontcourt took another hit yesterday when it was revealed that forward Najeeb Echols will miss three to four weeks with a stress fracture in his right foot. [ 02/01/02 ]

Down from the mountain
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Rickey Paulding isn’t sure what went wrong. One minute, he and his Missouri teammates were in position to pull a major upset of Kansas, and the next, they wilted in an atrocious 105-73 loss Monday night in Lawrence. [ 01/30/02 ]

Gooden plenty
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
LAWRENCE, Kan. - Maybe Missouri Coach Quin Snyder was right when he playfully referred to Kansas as the drama club before its Midnight Madness in October. The Jayhawks sure know how to entertain. [ 01/29/02 ]

MU snoozes at Kansas
By JOE WALLJASPER
LAWRENCE, Kan. - After the Missouri basketball team suffered its second nationally televised pantsing in as many Mondays, Clarence Gilbert questioned everything about the crew he left behind in the locker room. [ 01/29/02 ]

Hostile reception expected for MU
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri’s Kareem Rush will never forget his first trip to Allen Fieldhouse, nor will he forget his last. [ 01/28/02 ]

Tale of two halves for Rush
By NICK MATHEWS of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri Coach Quin Snyder appeared annoyed with the drastic difference in Kareem Rush’s two halves yesterday in the Tigers’ 86-74 victory over Kansas State. [ 01/27/02 ]

Drifting to a win
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Kansas State had a hard time keeping Missouri’s attention for 40 minutes. [ 01/27/02 ]

Coach upset with effort of big men
By NICK MATHEWS and BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri’s Travon Bryant is ready to play No. 2 Kansas. Now, not tomorrow. [ 01/27/02 ]

Snyder thinks MU still on right path
Missouri hopes to get well in rematch with Kansas State.
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
If Missouri Coach Quin Snyder has a little more zest these days, it’s because he believes his players are getting closer with every practice and game. [ 01/26/02 ]

Tigers get ultimate test in OSU
By BEN McCLANAHAN Special to the Tribune
A year ago, the idea of the Missouri wrestling team beating Oklahoma State in a dual would have seemed as ridiculous as Gary Coleman rejecting Shaq in a pickup basketball game. [ 01/25/02 ]

Paulding’s production key for MU
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
At times this season, particularly against good defensive teams, Missouri’s offense has become predictable when the shot clock runs down. [ 01/25/02 ]

Time to toughen up 
MU has ample opportunity to shed soft image.
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
One of the worst things that any basketball player can be called is soft. [ 01/25/02 ]

House of pain
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
NORMAN, Okla. - Missouri senior Clarence Gilbert had that feeling that the law of averages was about to catch up with Oklahoma, which hadn’t lost to the Tigers since he was a recruit. [ 01/22/02 ]

Circling over the same fate
By JOE WALLJASPER
NORMAN, Okla. - If you were looking for an epiphany, this wasn’t it. [ 01/22/02 ]

Rabid Sooners await MU
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Three weeks ago, the thought of taking his team into the Lloyd Noble Center for a nationally televised game against Oklahoma would’ve caused Coach Quin Snyder to age 10 years. [ 01/21/02 ]

Hot start ignites Tigers
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
After weeks of mostly dreary basketball, Missouri finally showed how good it could be. [ 01/20/02 ]

Big men better when bad
By JOE WALLJASPER
After spending the off-season trimming the fat and adding muscle, Missouri’s Arthur Johnson and Travon Bryant look like two guys you wouldn’t want to cross. [ 01/20/02 ]

David the Goliath
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Ricardo Patton’s biggest victory during his six seasons as Colorado’s coach didn’t come on the hardwood, but in the living room, when he won a fierce recruiting battle for highly coveted 7-foot center David Harrison last year.
[ 01/19/02 ]

Stoked up
By JOE WALLJASPER of the Tribune’s staff
A demotion from the starting lineup has brought out the best in Wesley Stokes. [ 01/17/02 ]

Tigers perk up to whip A&M
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Texas A&M had done just enough to hang around and annoy Missouri midway through the second half of last night’s game. Eventually, the Tigers got tired of messing around with the struggling Aggies and won 74-50 at the Hearnes Center last night. [ 01/17/02 ]

Glass reunion at Hearnes
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Every night for the past week or so, Missouri center Arthur Johnson has made a call to College Station, Texas, to provoke the Texas A&M Aggies. [ 01/16/02 ]

Gilbert’s Tigers show signs of fight
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri basketball Coach Quin Snyder promised a shake-up after his team’s loss last week at Iowa State. [ 01/14/02 ]

Missouri has a ball
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
MANHATTAN, Kan. - The last month and a half has been a drag for the Missouri basketball team. In losing four out of their last six games, the Tigers have strayed from what Coach Quin Snyder calls "the path of we."  [ 01/13/02 ]

Johnson’s career day leads Tigers
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
MANHATTAN, Kan. - When the starting lineups were introduced for yesterday’s Missouri-Kansas State game, the Wildcats’ public-address announcer made an error when he announced the Tigers’ 6-foot-9 center from Detroit as Arthur Bryant. [ 01/13/02 ]

Manhattan memories
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
When the Missouri Tigers went to Kansas State last year, they were feeling good about themselves after a quadruple-overtime victory over Iowa State. [ 01/12/02 ]

Flying in wait
By RUS BAER of the Tribune’s staff
As a starter on the Vashon boys basketball team the past three years, traveling to Columbia to play in the Hearnes Center has become an annual event for Jimmy McKinney. [ 01/11/02 ]

Flat-liners
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
AMES, Iowa - Things have gotten so bad for the Missouri basketball team that even its staunchest supporter has run out of patience. [ 01/10/02 ]

Pearson toys with Tigers in low post
By DAVE MATTER of the Tribune’s staff
AMES, Iowa - Tyray Pearson has been one of the Big 12’s best-kept secrets. Not for long if he keeps this up. [ 01/10/02 ]

Rush on target; MU isn’t
By BOB THOMPSON and DAVE MATTER of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri junior Kareem Rush tried to sneak out of the locker room without speaking to the media after his team’s 71-67 loss to Iowa State last night. [ 01/10/02 ]

Tigers expect a battle in Ames
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Iowa State’s Hilton Coliseum is one of the most feared places to play in college basketball, but Missouri senior Clarence Gilbert isn’t intimidated. [ 01/09/02 ]

Committee rules against MU’s Okafor
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Uche Okafor’s NCAA basketball career is officially over.

[ 01/09/02 ]

Unlocking Kareem
By JOE WALLJASPER Tribune sports editor
After Saturday’s 60-53 victory over Nebraska, Missouri Coach Quin Snyder and star forward Kareem Rush agreed that Rush’s recent struggles were the product of defenses designed to stop him and officials who don’t give him the benefit of the doubt. [ 01/08/02 ]

Tiger victory is a grind
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Given the recent offensive struggles of Missouri and Nebraska, it wasn’t surprising that an unsightly defensive battle broke out yesterday in the Big 12 Conference opener for both. [ 01/06/02 ]

Last chance
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri will get the final word on the eligibility of junior-college transfer Uche Okafor as early as Tuesday afternoon. [ 01/06/02 ]

Rush frustrated by slump
By JOE WALLJASPER
Midway through the second half of yesterday’s game against Nebraska, Kareem Rush elevated for a 15-foot jumper and shot the ball 13 feet. Rush and Missouri Coach Quin Snyder protested in vain for a foul call. [ 01/06/02 ]

Nice to meet you
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Following Missouri’s victory over Coppin State Wednesday night, forward Kareem Rush was asked about his team’s Big 12 Conference-opening game against Nebraska. [ 01/05/02 ]

Rooting for better chemistry
By JOE WALLJASPER
When a basketball coach describes his team’s collective psyche in plumbing terms, it’s a good sign that all is not well. [ 01/03/02 ]

Tigers see the light
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
The Missouri basketball team came into last night’s game against Coppin State determined to snap a three-game losing streak and revive a dormant offense. [ 01/03/02 ]

Stokes suffers growing pains
By BOB THOMPSON Of the Tribune’s staff
Nobody felt worse than Wesley Stokes after Missouri’s loss to DePaul on Saturday. [ 01/02/02 ]

On the Beat
The Missouri men’s basketball team fell eight positions in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll, which was released yesterday. [ 12/31/01 ]

Tigers in a tailspin
By BOB THOMPSON Of the Tribune’s staff
CHICAGO - When Missouri Coach Quin Snyder finally emerged from the locker room and faced the media, he was asked how a good team could have looked so bad against DePaul. [ 12/30/01 ]

DePaul brings out the best in A.J.
By PETE BLAND of the Tribune’s staff
CHICAGO - There’s something about playing against DePaul that wakes up the demon in Arthur Johnson. [ 12/30/01 ]

Chilly in Chicago
By BOB THOMPSON and PETE BLAND of the Tribune’s staff
CHICAGO - Clarence Gilbert is not the only Missouri player struggling offensively. But the senior co-captain was quick to claim responsibility for the 10th-ranked Tigers’ 63-62 loss to DePaul yesterday at the United Center. [ 12/30/01 ]

Sweet home, Chicago
By JOE WALLJASPER Tribune Sports Editor
Missouri freshman forward Najeeb Echols had not been back to his hometown since August. So when he arrived in Chicago on Sunday, there was one favorite haunt he was dying to visit. [ 12/29/01 ]

Holiday depression for Tigers
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
It wasn’t the week the Missouri basketball team envisioned - two games against ranked Big Ten opponents in front of national television audiences, two disappointing flops. [ 12/24/01 ]

Off the mark
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
ST. LOUIS - Missouri basketball coach Quin Snyder wrote one word on the board in the locker room before last night’s game against Illinois - "patience." [ 12/23/01 ]

Grawer makes switch from player to coach
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
ST. LOUIS - Former Missouri captain Brian Grawer may have moved on, but he wouldn’t miss a Braggin’ Rights game. [ 12/23/01 ]

Eyes on the prize
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
It was almost exactly a year ago. Missouri forward Travon Bryant had been on campus only a few days. He wasn’t sure he was even going to suit up, let alone play, in the Braggin’ Rights game against Illinois. [ 12/22/01 ]

Illini’s Archibald very familiar with Tigers
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Illinois senior Robert Archibald knows all about the passion surrounding the annual Missouri-Illinois Braggin’ Rights game. [ 12/22/01 ]

Rivalry’s popularity at an all-time high.
By JOE WALLJASPER Tribune Sports Editor
Three years ago, if you lived outside the borders of Missouri and Illinois and wanted to see the Tigers and Illini play each other, you needed a satellite dish and detailed instructions. [ 12/22/01 ]

Doing the right thing
By JOE WALLJASPER
One quote from Bill Laurie sums up what I’m feeling after a disheartening week. [ 12/21/01 ]

Along for the ride
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
There will be plenty of time for Justin Gage to worry about his future when his life will revolve around football. [ 12/21/01 ]

NCAA’s ruling on Okafor leaves MU angry
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Last night the NCAA ruled that Missouri basketball player Uche Okafor is suspended indefinitely. When asked today for his take on the situation, MU coach Quin Snyder said he needed time to compose his thoughts before commenting.[ 12/20/01 ]

Arena will give Tigers a boost
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
In an era when most athletic directors are struggling simply to meet the bottom line, Missouri AD Mike Alden might be the envy of his colleagues.[ 12/19/01 ]

That sinking feeling
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
In the waning minutes of last night’s game between Iowa and Missouri at the Hearnes Center, a small pocket of Hawkeye fans packed into the upper corner of the upper deck rained a steady, clapping chant of "Overrated" down at the MU basketball team and its fans. [ 12/17/01 ]

Packed house at Hearnes Center causes concern
By JOE WALLJASPER Tribune sports editor
Many fans at Missouri’s 83-65 loss to Iowa on Saturday night spent the game on their feet - out of necessity rather than excitement about the Tigers. [ 12/17/01 ]

An eye for an eye
By BOB THOMPSON Of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri basketball coach Quin Snyder has said for weeks that his team wasn’t playing great basketball and hadn’t really earned its lofty ranking. People didn’t seem to buy it. [ 12/16/01 ]

Gage will play basketball again
By the Tribune’s staff
All-Big 12 wide receiver Justin Gage will play basketball again this season, Missouri coach Quin Snyder announced yesterday. [ 12/16/01 ]

q and a with Tony Harvey
Bob Thompson: You have the reputation of being a great recruiter. Is that something you take a lot of pride in, or do you hate to be labeled like that? [ 12/16/01 ]

Two sides to every story
By JOE WALLJASPER
Two sides can look at the same event and come to radically different conclusions. [ 12/15/01 ]

Another classic?
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Sequels are rarely as good as the original, and quite often they stink - just see "Caddyshack 2" and "Blues Brothers 2000" for examples. [ 12/15/01 ]

Beast on the boards
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
No one on the Missouri basketball team has ever been to Pamplona, Spain, for the annual running of the bulls. But the Tigers probably know what that feels like. [ 12/14/01 ]

Watch and learn
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Every season a new class of basketball players arrives on campus, each of them with a big reputation and the desire to back it up. [ 12/13/01 ]

Gilbert gets Big 12 honor
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
So far, Missouri’s Clarence Gilbert has shown that the talk about his unselfishness and maturity is more than lip service. [ 12/11/01 ]

Higher standard
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri’s Kareem Rush is off to a good start this season. He ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring with 20.2 points per game, and he has helped his team to a 9-0 record and the No. 2 ranking. [ 12/9/01 ]

Highlight night
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Coming into last night’s game against Southern University, the Missouri basketball team was admittedly looking forward to its upcoming eight-day layoff. [ 12/7/01 ]

Unbeaten but not perfect
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
As Missouri looks to complete its three-game sweep of undermanned teams from the Southwestern Athletic Conference tonight against Southern University, head coach Quin Snyder is just looking for a complete performance out of his team. [ 12/6/01 ]

Some progress made on Okafor case
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
A decision on the eligibility of junior center Uche Okafor - for better or worse for Missouri - is a step closer to reality. The case has been immobilized by red tape for months. [ 12/6/01 ]

Snyder becoming more skeptical
By JOE WALLJASPER of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri’s cold war with the NCAA over the eligibility of junior center Uche Okafor proceeds with only vague hopes for resolution. [ 12/5/01 ]

Holy Stokes!
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
ST. LOUIS - The Missouri coaches call the play, "double." Maybe they need to call it "triple" now.

Gilbert takes over in second half
By DAVE MATTER of the Tribune’s staff
ST. LOUIS - When Saint Louis University coach Lorenzo Romar said hello to Missouri guard Clarence Gilbert before last night’s tip-off at the Savvis Center and Gilbert failed to reply, Romar knew MU’s lone senior was taking the night seriously.

Revenge on Romar
By DAVE MATTER AND BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
The sight was eerily familiar to Saint Louis University coach Lorenzo Romar: the smallest player on the court had 4.8 seconds on the clock and the length of the floor to be a hero.

Show-Me showdown
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri basketball coach Quin Snyder doesn’t need to preach to his players about the dangers of coming into tonight’s game against Saint Louis University with anything less than their best effort. [ 12/3/01 ]

Second-half outburst keys Tigers’ blowout
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Like many of his teammates, Missouri center Arthur Johnson’s halftime line in the box score of yesterday’s 100-76 victory over Grambling State was ugly. [ 12/2/01 ]

Missouri to focus on inside job
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri continues its foray of Southwestern Athletic Conference teams today with an afternoon game against Grambling State. [ 12/1/01 ]

Group effort
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
In the final seconds of Missouri’s game last night against Jackson State, Tiger guard Ryan Kiernan hustled the ball into the front court and quickly scanned to find Michael Griffin, who was open along the baseline in the far corner. [ 11/30/01 ]

Paulding flourishes as sixth man
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri coach Quin Snyder is the first to admit that his team isn’t as deep as advertised. Snyder only goes two players deep off the bench with any kind of regularity, particularly in close games. [ 11/29/01 ]

Tigers try to avoid complacency
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
It’s still early in a long season, so Missouri coach Quin Snyder certainly doesn’t want his team to get satisfied. [ 11/26/01 ]

Tigers rev engines in Indy
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
INDIANAPOLIS - Missouri basketball coach Quin Snyder knew that Xavier was a dangerous team, but he was confident his team would answer the challenge. [ 11/25/01 ]

Stokes lights up Xavier.
By JASON L. YOUNG Special to the Tribune
INDIANAPOLIS - Wesley Stokes stood at the top of the key, holding the ball, looking for his next option. [ 11/25/01 ]

West grabs Missouri’s full attention.
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
INDIANAPOLIS - Xavier’s David West may not be the biggest name in college basketball, but Missouri coach Quin Snyder certainly knows who he is. [ 11/24/01 ]

Waiting to X-hale
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
INDIANAPOLIS - While Missouri was slugging it out with two of the nation’s best teams in a pair of thrillers this week in Kansas City, Xavier was waiting. [ 11/24/01 ]

Final minute leaves Alford miffed
By JOE WALLJASPER and BOB THOMPSON Of the Tribune’s staff
KANSAS CITY - Iowa coach Steve Alford thought Missouri got a fair amount of help in erasing an 11-point deficit in the final 2 minutes, 12 seconds of Wednesday’s Guardians Classic championship game. [ 11/23/01 ]

Different MU team left KC
By JOE WALLJASPER Of the Tribune’s staff
KANSAS CITY - You can find a fair number of people who now view the Guardians Classic as a Thanksgiving tradition that rivals salmonella. [ 11/23/01 ]

Gilbert ices Classic finish
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
KANSAS CITY - Missouri guard Clarence Gilbert gathered his things from the Kemper Arena locker room and made his way to the team bus Wednesday night. He walked down the hall with his Guardians Classic MVP trophy proudly in hand, passing MU coach Quin Snyder along the way. [ 11/23/01 ]

Rush questionable for title game
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
KANSAS CITY - A hush fell over the Kemper Arena crowd as Missouri junior Kareem Rush fell to the floor with 7:50 to play in last night’s Guardians Classic semifinal after an inadvertent collision with the elbow of Alabama guard Demetrius Smith. [ 11/21/01 ]

Stemming the Tide
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
KANSAS CITY - With Kareem Rush sitting in a daze on the bench with a giant knot over his left eye, Missouri decided to get tough with Alabama. [ 11/21/01 ]

Time for a test
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
The Missouri men’s basketball team is feeling pretty good about itself after a pair of easy victories in the first two rounds of the Guardians Classic. The Tigers got another boost yesterday when they learned they had moved up to No. 5 in the AP Top 25. [ 11/20/01 ]

Clarence’s awakening
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri guard Clarence Gilbert finally cracked. Gilbert had waited, sometimes not so patiently, for his spot in the limelight behind standout players such as Keyon Dooling and Kareem Rush. [ 11/19/01 ]

Magazine’s grade upsets Snyder
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Missouri head coach Quin Snyder was blindsided by a story in this week’s Sports Illustrated that ranked the country’s top programs from one to 65 and handed out report cards on the overall stability of each program. [ 11/18/01 ]

Having fun yet?
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Last night’s Guardians Classic regional final between Missouri and Air Force featured two teams with bright futures. The difference is that one has players with the potential to fly million-dollar planes someday. The other has players with the potential to make millions of dollars flying through lanes.  [ 11/15/01 ]

Grounded Skyhawks
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Effort and experience can go a long way in a college basketball game. Tennessee-Martin had plenty of both in its game against eighth-ranked Missouri in the first round of the Guardians Classic last night. [ 11/14/01 ]

Too early to gauge Tigers
By JOE WALLJASPER of the Tribune’s staff
I hate to brag, but my Guardians Classic bracket in the office pool is looking sweet. All my final four picks - Alabama, Iowa, Memphis and Missouri - won last night. They didn’t just win, either. They dominated. [ 11/14/01 ]

Missouri waits for letters to show up
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
When the Missouri men’s basketball coaching staff began eyeing potential recruits for the class of 2002 more than two years ago, there was one name at the top of its list - Jimmy McKinney. [ 11/14/01 ]

Enough said
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
The rehearsals are over. The big day is finally here. For the Missouri men’s basketball team, it’s finally time to live up to all of the lofty preseason expectations. [ 11/13/01 ]

Point taken
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Most of the time this preseason, the Missouri men’s basketball team has been focused, and its practices have been sharp and intense. [ 11/7/01 ]

MU will start season No. 8
The Missouri men’s basketball team will start the season with its highest preseason ranking in 14 years. [ 11/6/01 ]

EA Sports — it’s in the game vs. MU
By BOB THOMPSON of the Tribune’s staff
Exhibition games don’t usually give college basketball coaches an accurate read on what their teams can and can’t do. They’re usually over by halftime and the home team rarely has to break a sweat against the often over-the-hill traveling all-star teams. [ 11/4/01 ]

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