Bring your Tigers football, basketball and recruiting questions, and talk to Eli Hoff in a live chat at 11 a.m. Thursday.
Transcript
Eli ±ل´ا´ع´ع:جGood morning, all, and thanks coming by our weekly Mizzou chat. We've got basketball, the impending start of spring football and the wide world of college sports to discuss, which always makes for plenty to about about. Drop your questions or takes here! Now onto your thoughts...
Larry M:جEntertaining game last night. Re Drinks portal pickups - can we assume all are on campus for spring workouts. Also the incoming freshman QB who was injured for his final high school year. When do workouts start and when is black/gold game. Thanks
±ل´ا´ع´ع:جYes, all of the transfers are on campus for spring workouts — as are a good chunk of the freshman. Matt Zollers is among those early enrollees. There are workouts going now, but spring practices will likely start in a couple of weeks. Mizzou has not announced its spring schedule yet, so I'm not sure when the spring "game" will be. Last year, it was basically a game of two-hand touch. Given that many programs around the country are scrapping their spring games, I'd be surprised if the Tigers do much to make that event interesting/indicative of what you'll see in the fall.ج
Larry M:جBB roster shows Freshmen 07 Burns 7'5", 15 Stephens with no minutes, 17 Brown w 3 minutes. Too green, injured or what. Can you shed some light. Thanks
±ل´ا´ع´ع:جTrent Burns is recovering from a foot injury. He's progressing well, Dennis Gates has said, and hasn't been officially ruled out for the season. But is a true freshman going to get his first career minutes at the most high-stakes moments of the season after not playing for quite some time? I'd be extremely surprised if we see Burns debut this year. Stephens and Brown are both walk-ons and play (which is to say don't play) as such.ج
Larry M:جOne of the entertaining things about the BB team is that you are never sure who will lead in scoring on a particular day. Loved Tony Perkins pull up jumper from about 12 feet late in the game. To me when it is open, that makes more sense than charging into the trees at the rim.
±ل´ا´ع´ع:جThat's part of what makes Mizzou so hard to scout/prep for. If you prioritize guarding the shooters, as Oklahoma did last night, you leave Mark Mitchell to go to work down low. If you prioritize clogging up the paint, as other SEC teams have done, Caleb Grill and Tamar Bates go to work from beyond the arc. This team can beat you with multiple players in multiple ways.
I'm also a fan of a good midrange look. That shot gets knocked a lot because of forced/contested midranges, and I understand the analytics of it. But there are enough players who get convert from the middle part of the floor when open, and in those instances, it's a good shot in my eyes.ج
Larry M:جI'm also a fan of a good midrange look. That shot gets knocked a lot because of forced/contested midranges, and I understand the analytics of it. But there are enough players who get convert from the middle part of the floor when open, and in those instances, it's a good shot in my eyes.ج
±ل´ا´ع´ع:جI'm sure there will be. I asked OU coach Porter Moser about it after the game and he said they leaned into the inbounds pressure just to try to get the ball back at times as the Sooners' offense struggled to create on its own. Mizzou seemed to figure out how to break that pressure as it went (see that long pass from Grill to Mitchell that created a big dunk) but it still caused more of a headache than it ideally would. One of the themes this season as been the Tigers struggling with full-court pressure against different opponents. If I were a coach playing against Missouri, that's what I'm dialing up.ج
Larry M:جI think I noticed Tre Gomillion on the floor at the MU bench. Is he a coach now? I don't see him listed on the MU coaches list.
±ل´ا´ع´ع:جYour eyes do not deceive you! Tre Gomillion is back with Mizzou as a graduate assistant this season. He's not a full-blown assistant coach, but he is part of the staff and clearly well-liked by the players (only one of whom, Aidan Shaw, actually played with him at MU).ج
µ´ا²ُ³ظ´ا²ش.²ر¾±³ْ³ْ´ا³ـ:جDo you think this men’s bball team can make a postseason run?
±ل´ا´ع´ع:جYes. They've shown they can compete with anyone and beat most. They can win multiple ways and with multiple players. They can pour in points or lean on defense. Success becomes pretty random once you get into a single-elimination tournament, and the better team doesn't always win. But Mizzou certainly has the recipe to be able to make a run.
µ´ا²ُ³ظ´ا²ش.²ر¾±³ْ³ْ´ا³ـ:جi get frustrated seeing the men’s bball team waiting until the last few seconds to shoot a contested shot. I wish they attacked more
±ل´ا´ع´ع:جLate offense can often look dicey. But it would be unfair to paint Mizzou as a slow-moving team. In conference play, they've completed 220 possessions in 0-10 seconds, 283 in 10-20 seconds and 192 in 20-30 seconds. That means only about a quarter of Mizzou's possessions get into the final 10 seconds of the shot clock. I think that's loosely a pretty good bit of attacking offense.
µ´ا²ُ³ظ´ا²ش.²ر¾±³ْ³ْ´ا³ـ:جwho do you see stepping up next season for football to all-sec caliber
±ل´ا´ع´ع:جOff the top of my head and without any regard/research for other SEC rosters: C Connor Tollison, RB Ahmad Hardy, STAR Daylan Carnell, S Jalen Catalon come to mind.
µ´ا²ُ³ظ´ا²ش.²ر¾±³ْ³ْ´ا³ـ:جhow is the Faurot field Reno going
±ل´ا´ع´ع:جTo the un-construction-trained eye, it looks like it's in the excavation phase now. Every time I drive by on Stadium Boulevard, I can see more and more of the field visible as they dig into the hill. I don't know what the timeline for the excavation looks like and wouldn't be able to grade it if I did, but there's certainly work being done and it's a very active construction site.
µ´ا²ُ³ظ´ا²ش.²ر¾±³ْ³ْ´ا³ـ:جdoes gates go to FSU after this season ?
±ل´ا´ع´ع:جAlmost certainly no. Florida State would be a step down in conference and basketball investment. Gates said multiple times this week that he wants to be at Missouri for 20-plus years. He has a pretty hefty contract buyout, too.ج
µ´ا²ُ³ظ´ا²ش.²ر¾±³ْ³ْ´ا³ـ:جdoes mark mitchell go to the nba after this season ?
±ل´ا´ع´ع:جI would be surprised. While he's had some great games, last night included, he has not been a good finisher around the rim (especially against players of NBA size) and his shot has regressed, even from not really being there in the first place. I don't mean to sound harsh, but look at what it took for Kobe Brown to get a shot in the NBA. Mitchell is not at that level right now. Maybe another year of development changes that.جI imagine the NBA is the goal/focus behind what coaches will work with him on this offseason.
µ´ا²ُ³ظ´ا²ش.²ر¾±³ْ³ْ´ا³ـ:جWould Kellie Harper be a good fit for women’s bball?
Hoff:جSure. She's a great coach. But would a school that wouldn't invest half a million in its women's basketball program to make a coaching change a year ago be a fit for her? Given that she's at one of the more prestigious women's hoops schools (Tennessee) now, I don't think so.ج
µ´ا²ُ³ظ´ا²ش.²ر¾±³ْ³ْ´ا³ـ:جAny other potential incoming football transfers? I saw ND had an OL leave
±ل´ا´ع´ع:جBarring something coming out of left field, not until the spring transfer window. And even then, probably on a one-out, one-in basis. The offensive line would be where I'd think an addition is most likely, but I'll have to see how the depth chart is shaping up in the spring to feel confident about needs.ج
´³´ا³َ²ش³¢:جGood morning, Ant Robinson's contribution margin has regressed in league play. Lots of mistakes. Warick's play is mixed, especially on D. Is it time to insert Theo or go big with Tony at the point with Crews/Allen at the 3? Turnovers kill you in league play. Please advise.
±ل´ا´ع´ع:جLast night was Ant's best night in a while, but even then, not at the level of what he was doing in noncon. Gates has publicly challenged him to stop fouling but also said this is part of the maturing process for both Ant and Trent Pierce, who I see there's another question in the queue about. Nobody, including Ant, thinks he's been good enough lately. They're working on it.ج
Warrick can get shaken on the defensive end a bit. I still don't think he's the guy you want on Wade Taylor IV in that last possession against A&M. By Theo, do you mean T.O. Barrett? He's looked decent as a freshman but still makes some freshman miscues.ج
The analytics say Mizzou's best regularly appearing lineup in conference play has been Ant-Grill-Bates-Pierce-Mitchell. That group turns the ball over on just 9% of possessions, which is stellar. But really, the only lineups I think are worth digging into are closing lineups — and those are often determined based on who has played well in the 36ish minutes leading up to the time they're on the floor.ج
Fly Man:جMorning Eli! I give Coach Gates high marks for recruiting/ portal work, player development, PR and generally as "CEO" of tge program.جSorry, hit send. To continue- one area fir improvement would be game management. What say you on grading Ciach Gates?
Hoff:جI agree on those high marks for the elements you mentioned. He apologized to the team for his game management against Texas A&M and not calling a timeout to reset that final offensive possession. I don't think it's necessarily a game management blunder in that case: It's that Gates really, really trusts his players. He said afterward that he didn't call the timeout because he thought they could get to something. That doesn't strike me as stupid or even naive. He just trusts his players and their skillsets. If that Bates midrange had dropped or the Tigers had gotten a better shot, his decision would look different — and neither of those outcomes would have had anything to do with his game management abilities. As we've talked about in these chats, I'm not one who takes issue with his rotations or strategies there. I question the defensive assignments on the Taylor 3, but that's one possession. Given what Gates has accomplished at Mizzou and some of the wins they've snagged/held onto this season, I still think he gets high marks in that category too.
²رآل³َ³ظ¾±²µ±ً°ù:جEli: a couple of MBB roster questions: I noticed Pierce only played a couple minutes last nite. Is he injured or just in the dog house? Not that it bothers me because I see Crews and Allen as way more aggressive and deserving of more time. Also, what’s the deal with Boateng? He seems to only get mop up time. Seems like he’ll be gone next year??? Lastly, I love what Gray brings to the table, but, do any of the coaches work on his free throw technique? It reminds me of Charles Barkley’s golf swing!
±ل´ا´ع´ع:جA couple of roster answers! Pierce sitting for that long is a challenge from the coaching staff — performance-related, not injury related. Selfishly, I hope he plays. I've spent the last couple weeks talking with Pierce, his parents, Gates and some folks around the program for a deep story about Pierce's last 18 months or so of life. He really opened up for this story, which is coming out next week — and I want y'all to read it when it does!ج
At this point, Boateng has not shown that he can play real minutes in the SEC. I'll never predict whether a player will or won't transfer because as the football window showed, I have no idea. But this year has certainly been underwhelming compared to what seemed possible for him.ج
Gray does seem to be drawing lane violations every time he goes to the stripe, so that will boost his percentage! But in all seriousness, I just don't know how much teams and players like to tweak that stuff midseason. Really tinkering with a shot tends to be more of an offseason project because it often has to get worse before it can get better, and now's not really the time for that.
Joe B:جWhat has happened to Aidan Shaw? Seems like he isn't getting much playing as he did last season.
±ل´ا´ع´ع:جSome of that is the context around him. Mizzou has far more viable bigs and forwards than it did a year ago. But Shaw still hasn't taken the leap needed for him to really play. He needs to be a more productive rebounder and bring more to the offense than his vertical to really see minutes. He still got some legit minutes last night, but without those gains, this is going to be his role.ج
²د³ـ±ً²ُ³ظ¾±´ا²ش²ُ:جA couple questions: Any chance in that advanced analytics service that Gates uses that there is data that measures basketball IQ based on in-game actions?
±ل´ا´ع´ع:جYou're getting a nerdy answer here, fair warning. I haven't seen something like that in the analytics I've seen from the team. They haven't showed me everything they have, of course, but I've at least seen examples of what they get in- and after games. I also don't really know if basketball analytics are there yet. Soccer has an analytic called "goals added," or G+, that measures how much an individual action (say, a 10-yard pass from a midfielder to a winger) increases the chance of that sequence leading to a goal. I don't think basketball really has something like that, and even then, it's not a measurement of basketball IQ. That's something that will mostly show up in film sessions/debriefs because it's more of a visual concept than a statistical one, I'd think.ج
²د³ـ±ً²ُ³ظ¾±´ا²ش²ُ:جSecond Question: Has Gates or the administration commented on the forceable rape charges against Keiner Asprilla? It seems like maybe they should keep closer tabs on what recruits are doing while on campus visits??
±ل´ا´ع´ع:جThey have not commented. I've been keeping an eye on this for the last few weeks and have yet to find any indication that a) charges have actually been filed in any Missouri court or b) the team/staff/program had any idea that an incident happened while he was visiting with his guardian. There are a handful of reasons why I haven't reported on this yet, with the primary one being that there isn't anything concrete to report beyond the story out of New Jersey. That's not me saying there isn't anything to this, but that I don't have information to report right now. To be candid and peel back the curtain a bit, I take stories like this one very seriously and won't report something that's speculative or that I can't verify.
´،²¹°ù´ا²ش:جMizzou's defense has certainly improved and they shut down OU last night. Was it a case of us being at home? Or is it something we can count against the top teams when our shots aren't falling?
±ل´ا´ع´ع:جMU's defensive rating of 105 points allowed per 100 possessions to SEC teams is fifth in the conference, so I'd say it is legit and transferrable from game to game. The only SEC teams to score 80+ on Mizzou are Auburn (who are still very, very good) and Tennessee (shot 66.7% from 3). Home floor seemed to help against the Sooners, since Jeremiah Fears has really struggled on the road for them, but the switchability of this Missouri defense really imposes itself on other teams.
±·²¹³ظ±ً:جGood morning. I think the last hurdle for a Gates coached team to get over is winning ugly or when points are hard to come by. His record in 3 years is 2-27 when scoring less than 70 points. Some of those are obviously last season when everything cratered, but it's still applicable in the other years. What do you think about that? Curious for your thoughts on this and if Coach Gates has ever talked about this.
±ل´ا´ع´ع:جI feel like this is mostly about being able to beat Texas A&M (against whom Gates is 0-5), isn't it? I'd also be curious what more teams' records are when scoring less than 70. It seems to me most would struggle to win in that situation.ج
The better stat, to me, is record in games when both teams score less than 70. Gates is 3-7 in those games since coming to Mizzou, based on my super-quick tally. Compare that to A&M, which is 19-6 in games with both teams under 70 in the last three years, and you certainly have a difference. But that's the Aggies' style. Mizzou's style tends to produce more scoring. So sure, the performance in rock fights could improve, but I don't think it's an end-all be-all for him and this program. It's not something I recall him bringing up.
²د³ـ±ً²ُ³ظ¾±´ا²ش²ُ:جMinor correction (because no one can report on all sports all the time): Kellie Harper was fired by Tennessee last year. She's currently doing on-camera work for the SEC Network I believe.
Hoff:جOops, thanks for that. Perhaps she's more open to the MU job, though it would still be a different level of investment than she had at Tennessee.
And with that banner bit of knowledge from me (ha!) we'll wrap up today's chat. Thanks for all of the questions! Same time next week.
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