March 14, 2018

COLUMBIA, Mo. --- What a long, strange trip it's been.

It's an odyssey that lasted two years and two days, the worst coming on Day 1, the best on Day 367.

From ghetto to glory, from the outhouse to the ... well, not exactly the penthouse, but it's certainly a nice floor with a view.

March 9, 2017, the final game in the Missouri Tigers basketball coaching career of Kim Anderson, who was told he was done when the season was. This was the day he was done.

In three years, Anderson's teams were dismal --- 27-68 --- but it was hardly all his fault.

^ First, he inherited a smelly pile of Haith from the previous administration, which included a postseason ban for one year, recruiting restrictions and two years of probation.

^ Second, you had the mess and unrest in the Fall of 2015, fueled by the racially-charged group Concerned Student 1950. It led to the resignations of both the university chancellor and president, and gave the school a crushing public relations blow.

I think we'd all agree those are two great selling points to potential recruits.

 John Wooden wouldn't have won in the same situation.

Still, 27-68 is still 27-68 and 8-24 --- Mizzou's record in Anderson's final season --- is still 8-24.

Ghetto.

Fast forward to March 11, 2018 ... the Tigers' name is called to play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years.

Glory.

This isn't exactly GLORY!!! --- the Tigers are a middle-of-the-road No. 8 seed and will open against Florida State in a first-round game at 8;50 p.m. Friday in Nashville --- but it's a lot more glorious than 8-24 and playing home games in a gym that's more than half empty during a season that was over in January.

In between the words You're fired and The No, 8 seed in the West is  ...

Day 6, Cuonzo Martin is named the next head coach. A fresh start --- time has helped heal the PR hit from 2015 and Martin is two coaches removed from Frank Haith.

Martin has been successful in previous stops at Missouri State, Tennessee and California. He hires Michael Porter Sr. to be his assistant and with him, Missouri gets 6-10 Michael Porter Jr. --- the best basketball player in the universe in the Class of 2017 --- and little brother, 6-11 Jontay Porter.

Tiger fans are drooling. Mizzou Arena sells out ... for the season.

Porter Jr. plays two minutes in the season-opener and is declared done for the season with a bad back that requires surgery.

Fans who shelled out big bucks drove off the car lot in a Rolls. After two minutes, it turned into a Chevy.

The season marches on. Top recruit Blake Harris leaves the team and so does Terrance Phillips --- but for Phillips, it wasn't by choice. A razor-thin bench becomes even thinner when Cullen VanLeer blows out his knee in the regular-season finale.

For the most part, Kassius Robinson was very good this season, and Jordan Barnett and Jontay Porter were pleasantly good. Others, like Kevin Puryear and Jeremy Geist, had their moments. But none of them were consistently good game-in, game-out.

They were as inconsistent as your wife's opinions. (Except for my wife, of course. :)

Still, the Tigers finished a solid season at 20-11 and earned the No. 5 seed in the SEC Tournament.

Well, that didn't go well or last long.

One and done.

Barnett celebrated by drinking and driving and getting caught, he's been suspended for Friday night's game, so the Tigers' tissue-thin depth just got wet.

Lo and behold, however, Porter Jr. was back for the SEC Tournament --- thankfully, and not just in a basketball sense. The Porter watch grew tiresome, because of the constant speculation about his possible return that bombarded us for more than a month.

In his a one-game tune-up for the NCAA Tournament, Porter was as sleek and smooth as ever, but he lacked his normal power and explosiveness. They said he was 100 percent, he looked closer to 75.

Now, Porter's next loss in a Mizzou uniform will be his last, as he's headed for much greener pa$ture$. You certainly can't blame him. But still --- and sadly --- the most decorated recruit in school history could have a career that lasts two games and two minutes.

Sad, long and strange, especially the long part. These 363 days seemed to take about 363 weeks years, all for these two hours Friday night.

Was it worth it?

You bet it was.

It's been a long, strange trip for
MU to get back to NCAA Tourney

Loeffler's Link

The career of Michael Porter Jr.as a Missouri Tiger may last only two games and two minutes.