According to Webster’s, gullible can be defined as “easily duped or cheated.” The next version of Webster’s dictionary will add the following example as a definition, “A Missouri Tiger basketball fan.”
Missouri basketball has been run through the ringer over the last month. Tiger fans had convinced themselves that they weren’t losing their coach to Arkansas, and once that proved to be wishful thinking, they convinced themselves that they were going to steal the coach from Purdue.
And now, I have some oceanfront property in Northwest Arkansas I want to sell to any gullible Missouri Tiger fan.
Exactly what do Missouri fans expect? How good do they believe their program truly is? One Kansas City Star newspaper blogger wrote that he believed Missouri was a top 20 type of program. I’m not sure exactly what criteria he was using, but the fairytale he and other Missouri fans have been believing suddenly crashed into what the rest of college basketball fans like to call “reality.”
Mike Anderson’s departure from Missouri to Arkansas should have been the first slap to the cheek to wake Tiger fans back into the real world. The idea that Anderson would turn down a program with the history and resources of the Razorbacks- not to mention a chance to go back “home”- in order to stay at Missouri was a little farfetched. Reports surfaced a year ago that Anderson would be very interested in the Arkansas position should it ever come open. Turning down Oregon and Georgia, which Anderson has done the two years previous, is not the same as turning down Arkansas.
Missouri fans somehow had talked themselves into believing that it was. Never mind that Arkansas has a national championship to go along with six Final Fours. Never mind that you can count Missouri’s Final Fours on exactly zero hands. The fans of the University of Missouri can talk themselves into believing anything.
Today, Missouri fans showed their shock and surprise that Matt Painter, the head coach at Purdue, turned down a Missouri offer to stay as the Boilermaker head coach. Keep in mind that this is not a shock to anyone outside of Missouri.
Everyone not in the “Show-Me State” knew exactly what was happening. Painter was playing “Show me the money” with Purdue for a raise with extra perks, and Missouri was the bait. Painter wanted his girlfriend to get a little jealous and give him some extra lovin’. So, he picked a slightly uglier girl and hugged up with her just enough to get what he really wanted from who he really wanted it from.
While ignorant bliss is certainly excusable from the Missouri fan base, their athletic director, Mike Alden, really should have known better. Painter’s name was rumored to be involved with both the Arkansas search and the North Carolina State search. Athletic directors from both schools were smart enough to stay away. The writing was on the wall. Purdue is already an established basketball program that continues to rise in a major conference. Purdue is in a state that loves basketball. On top of all that, Painter is already coaching at his alma mater. Arkansas and North Carolina State would be considered lateral moves or slight upgrades for Painter. It’s doubtful that either would have been enough to pull Painter away from Purdue.
Where does that leave Missouri? Missouri would have been a visible step down the professional ladder. Well, it’s visible to those outside of Missouri. Even Missouri journalists were reporting this deal as done as late as Wednesday morning. The St. Louis Dispatch reported that Matt Painter called Alden to accept the Missouri position. At least one Missouri television outlet tweeted the same.
Now that Missouri asked out the hot girl to the prom and got rejected in a very public and humiliating manner, it’s time to ask someone more to their social standing. There are some decent coaches out there still that would consider Missouri a positive step for their careers. Scott Sutton’s Golden Eagles at Oral Roberts have finished no lower than third in the Summit League in the past eight seasons. Gregg Marshall of Wichita State would be an excellent choice for either Missouri or Oklahoma. Gregg Marshall has drastically improved two programs, first at Winthrop and currently at Wichita State. In fact, Marshall’s Shockers are set to play Alabama for the NIT championship.
Reasonable, quality options are out there for Missouri. But more likely than not, it won’t be the splash hire that many Missouri fans have talked themselves into believing they deserve.
