I could give flip about Mizzou basketball, but this is why people know Wright Thompson’s name: Truman the Tiger sat in a darkened hallway, mascot head by his side. A small crowd had gathered inside Mizzou Arena, some to see Mike Anderson be named head basketball coach, others for the circus.
There was certainly going to be a news conference Sunday afternoon. Everyone knew that. But as the appointed hour approached, no one was sure what would happen. A hiring? A firing? Both? Forty-five days after Quin Snyder had been shown the door, 45 days of increasingly weirder news coming from Columbia, the strangest was saved for last.
The day began with word of a new coach and of an emergency Board of Curators meeting, called to discuss the future of Missouri Director of Athletics Mike Alden. It was a meeting Alden himself didn’t learn of until he arrived home Sunday morning from walking his dogs. The smart money said he was gone.
Inside the arena, a stage was erected. Every so often, the PA announcer would make an announcement to the small crowd, which let people know that Alden’s fate was unknown. “We’re waiting for the end of that meeting,” he said.
Cheerleaders took their places again and again, returning to their seats after each false alarm. Women’s basketball coach Cindy Stein walked into the building, smiled and shook her head. Athletic department employees joked about hitting Shiloh, a local bar, for a round.
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