Kim Anderson takes a moment to reflect on a question at Thursday’s press conference at Mizzou Arena
What a rough first year for Missouri men’s basketball coach Kim Anderson. Forget the 1-10 SEC record. Nevermind the dismissals and player suspensions. Now the safest way to travel is even causing headaches for Anderson.
On his way to a watch a high school game in Illinois, his plane’s right side propeller quit “propelling,” as Anderson tried to joke Thursday afternoon at his press conference at Mizzou Arena.
He asked the pilots if they were just going to continue on one engine or turn around and head back to Columbia and they informed him they were going to land as soon as possible.
Anderson said he kept his eye on the left engine and when he landed was overwhelmed by the professionalism of the pilots and first responders who were waiting on the ground. Anderson became emotional.
Listen to Anderson’s full press conference
As far as the other notable topics. Wes Clark will need 6-8 weeks to recover from his dislocated elbow. Anderson does not expect him to need surgery, but Clark is done for the year.
Teki Gill-Caeser, Namon Wright and Tremaine Isabell will continue to meet with Anderson. All three will be game time decisions on whether or not their suspensions are lifted. The injury to Clark has no impact on those decisions.
Anderson said he’ll face all the criticism he needs to, but he’s not swaying from what he feels is the right thing to do.
In response to Frank Haith statements in the USA Today article, where Haith said he could win 20 games at Missouri, Anderson brushed it off as hypothetical talk.
“He left for Tulsa,” Anderson said. “That would be like me saying Central Missouri would win a national championship if I was still coaching there.”
Anderson handled that situation as well as you could expect any coach.