It Couldn't Be Said Better

I read the best newspaper article I have read in the Missourian all year. Drew Bruno wrote a story about the Missouri basketball team, and mostly their star player Thomas Gardner. He illustrated perfectly what has happened in a frustrating basketball season. He put into words exactly what Tiger fans have seen all year. A team that did want to win games. A team that tried their hardest. A team that had some success. A team that has suffered through a lot of recent failure. And now a team without its head coach. I feel for the players on the Missouri basketball team. The reason they came to Mizzou was because they liked Quin Snyder and what he had to offer as a person and as a basketball coach, with him now gone, it is easy to understand the players disappointment, and frustration. Nobody was predicting this sort of turmoil at the beginning of the season. Nobody expected Snyder to resign (or be forced out, whether inadvertently or not) while the season was still going on.
I know what a lot of fans say. They think that the players should perform regardless of what is happening with the coach. It isn't that simple. They are human beings, not basketball-playing machines. They have feelings. They have wants. They have needs. I think most players on the team want the season to end. They need for this debacle to be behind them. They need it to be over. They need for a new coach to come in so they can make their decision on whether or not they will be playing basketball at Missouri for the rest of their college careers. They need to move on, and in a few short games it looks like that will all be possible.

Publish Date: February 21 in the Missourian.