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Kim Anderson Steps Down As Missouri’s Head Basketball Coach
Kim Anderson is leaving Missouri. The head basketball coach is stepping down as the face of the Tigers program.
March 5, 2017
Kim Anderson is leaving Missouri. The head basketball coach is stepping down as the face of the Tigers program.
Kim Anderson is leaving the Missouri basketball program.
Tigers athletic director Jim Sterk announced on Sunday that he’s asked Anderson to step down as men’s head coach at the end of the season.
The Tigers are 7-23 this season and 26-67 overall under Anderson over the last three years and will play Auburn on Wednesday in the SEC tournament in Nashville.
“This decision has been very difficult for me personally because of the tremendous respect I have for Kim,” Sterk said in a statement. “I know how hard he and his staff have worked to turn the program around over the last three years. However, the lack of on-court success has resulted in a significant drop in interest surrounding our program, and we could not afford for that to continue another year.
“Kim has represented our program with character, integrity and class while dedicating himself to developing our student-athletes on and off the basketball court, and we are appreciative of his efforts and dedication to Mizzou and the Columbia community. Kim will always be a Tiger, and all of us are grateful for his contributions to our University as a student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach.”
Sterk, who took over AD duties in Columbia last September, will work with a search firm in an effort to hire Missouri’s fifth head coach since 1999.
“Missouri has a rich men’s basketball tradition and the resources necessary to compete at the highest level,” Sterk said. “We expect to compete for Southeastern Conference championships, consistently play in the postseason and continue to represent Mizzou the right way on and off the court.
“A national search will begin immediately to identify and recruit the very best person to lead Mizzou Basketball into the future and we will utilize the services of a search consultant to assist in the identification and evaluation of candidates who are capable of returning our program to national prominence. In order to protect the integrity of the search, I will have no further public comments regarding the process or the status of any candidates until the announcement of our next head basketball coach is made.”
Anderson’s final regular-season game was on Saturday, an 89-78 loss at Auburn. Mizzou finished in last place in the league for the third straight season, going 2-16 in 2016-17. The Tigers were 3-15 in the SEC each of the two previous seasons.
“Missouri is a special institution to my family and I, and I am grateful for having had the opportunity to serve as the head coach at my alma mater,” Anderson said. “While we have faced significant challenges over the last three years and been unable to achieve the on-court results everyone would have liked, I do believe we have been able to stabilize the program while watching our players become responsible young men on and off the court.
“I would especially like to thank my staff and players who have worked so hard to turn this program around. I’m proud of the growth I’ve seen in our players academically, athletically and socially since their arrival on campus, and feel very good about our efforts to serve Columbia, the University and the State of Missouri through impactful events and organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club, Tigers on the Prowl, Rally for Rhyan and the University of Missouri Children’s Hospital.”
