KU-Missouri rivalry already heating up

By Mark Fagan     Dec 15, 2001

Winston Churchill used the term “gathering storm” regarding a pending conflict of note. That’s not a bad term for the promising 2002 Kansas-Missouri basketball showdowns. If you listen just a little, you already can hear thunder rumbling as the tornado builds.

Fans of both schools are all a-twitter about what their Jayhawks and Tigers are up to right now, which ain’t too bad. But boy, are they pointing toward the Jan. 28 confrontation here and the March 3 battle at Columbia. Net-talk, chat-rooms and such are ablaze with rhetoric; it’s easy to catch the fever.

But a disturbing aspect to me is that too many loyalists are hoping something untoward happens to the major players in this scintillating drama.

Missouri-lovers are suggesting that injuries to Jayhawks like Wayne Simien, Keith Langford, Jeff Boschee or the Triplets Terrific will lessen the thrust of the Crimson and Blue. Kansas-hustlers are saying guard Clarence Gilbert’s big mouth and undisciplined shooting will sour the other guys, that Kareem Rush will go hot-dog, that there will be cracks in the unity.

Don’t want any of that to happen. I’m hoping both clubs keep everyone hale, hearty and improving so that when they face off, each team will face the other at its very best.

It could be twice in the regular season, once in the postseason tournament, then in the NCAA run to glory why not a title game?

Missouri knocked off KU at Columbia last season and then fell here. Rush was injured and far from peak form. Nice to win, but MU fans whined that we didn’t get the Tigers at their best.

When you beat a bitter rival, you want it to be a scenario where you were your best and the foe was his best and you find out who really deserves bragging rights.

Missouri’s depth scares the bejesus out of me.

The Kansas frontline quartet of Drew Gooden, Nick Collison, Simien and Jeff Carey can play with just about anyone. The KU three-guard crew of Kirk Hinrich, Boschee and Aaron Miles measures up to about anybody and can be far better. The plucky Brett Ballard could help more than anyone ever thought.

But with Keith Langford’s foot problems, the inexperience of Michael Lee and the non-emergence so far of Bryant Nash, the KU-MU matchup is challenging.

Everything at MU starts with the silky-smooth Rush. KU’s Gooden and Collison have major skills, and probably do more on defense. Neither right now is in a class with Rush. He, like the pesky Gilbert, seems to find some way to win.

In the post, Mizzou’s Arthur Johnson is less porky, more active and has a good bag of tricks. Nigerian Uche Okafor, at 6-11, offers promise as a backup but has to get eligible first.

In a point-guard clash, MU lefty Wesley Stokes with his Chia Pet hair will give Jayhawk Miles a stern test. I’ll take Hinrich over Gilbert because he’s more under control and thinks first of the team. But both Stokes and Gilbert can kill you.

If Boschee stays healthy and continues to step up as he has to date, he’ll be a weapon MU will have a tough time blunting. Jeff may finally have hit the stride he’s capable of; that’s doggone good.

It’s MU’s reserve power that unsettles me. There is size and talent in the form of 6-9 Travon Bryant, 6-7 Najeeb Echols and 6-5 Ricky Paulding.

Who’ll back up Stokes? Last year, he and the heady Brian Grawer were nifty quarterbacks with firepower. Is soph Michael Griffin good enough to caddy for Stokes?

You can wangle far into the night about who will do what and with which and to whom when Kansas and Missouri get together on the court this season. And there aren’t many wrong answers because they’re both so doggone good.

But let’s not hope for anything bad to happen to anyone on either team so that whoever emerges the victor will know he beat the best the other had to offer.

l Call me whatever you will for pulling for Hawaii to beat Brigham Old (alias Young) in football last week, but it was delicious to me to see the Rainbows run up 72 points and sully BYU’s unbeaten record. Let Rick Reilly, the superb Sports Illustrated columnist, explain:

“Brigham Old signs its recruits at 17 or 18 . . . Then most of the signees take a redshirt year. Now they’re 18 or 19. Then comes the two-year (Mormon) mission to parts near and far. From ages 19 to 21, the male body blows up like Hans and Franz. When the BYU kids return to school, they hit the weight room, the training table and the roster as freshmen! That means by the time they’re seniors, they’re mature, disciplined and 24 to 25, or six years older than many NFL rookies.

“Put it this way: On a routine Brigham Young play, quarterback Brandon Doman (25) drops back behind guard Aaron McCubbins (26) and zips a spiral to wide receiver Andrew Ord (24). Meanwhile, on a given Dallas Cowboys play, quarterback Clint Stoerner (23) drops back behind guard Kelvin Garmon (25) and zips a spiral to Ken-Yon Rambo (23). . . . If you root for a school that doesn’t happen to have freshmen who drive minivans with baby seats, playing these guys can give you a rash. . . . “

Barbs Reilly: “That stuff just isn’t Christian.”

KU-Missouri rivalry already heating up

By Mark Fagan     Dec 15, 2001

Winston Churchill used the term “gathering storm” regarding a pending conflict of note. That’s not a bad term for the promising 2002 Kansas-Missouri basketball showdowns. If you listen just a little, you already can hear thunder rumbling as the tornado builds.

Fans of both schools are all a-twitter about what their Jayhawks and Tigers are up to right now, which ain’t too bad. But boy, are they pointing toward the Jan. 28 confrontation here and the March 3 battle at Columbia. Net-talk, chat-rooms and such are ablaze with rhetoric; it’s easy to catch the fever.

But a disturbing aspect to me is that too many loyalists are hoping something untoward happens to the major players in this scintillating drama.

Missouri-lovers are suggesting that injuries to Jayhawks like Wayne Simien, Keith Langford, Jeff Boschee or the Triplets Terrific will lessen the thrust of the Crimson and Blue. Kansas-hustlers are saying guard Clarence Gilbert’s big mouth and undisciplined shooting will sour the other guys, that Kareem Rush will go hot-dog, that there will be cracks in the unity.

Don’t want any of that to happen. I’m hoping both clubs keep everyone hale, hearty and improving so that when they face off, each team will face the other at its very best.

It could be twice in the regular season, once in the postseason tournament, then in the NCAA run to glory why not a title game?

Missouri knocked off KU at Columbia last season and then fell here. Rush was injured and far from peak form. Nice to win, but MU fans whined that we didn’t get the Tigers at their best.

When you beat a bitter rival, you want it to be a scenario where you were your best and the foe was his best and you find out who really deserves bragging rights.

Missouri’s depth scares the bejesus out of me.

The Kansas frontline quartet of Drew Gooden, Nick Collison, Simien and Jeff Carey can play with just about anyone. The KU three-guard crew of Kirk Hinrich, Boschee and Aaron Miles measures up to about anybody and can be far better. The plucky Brett Ballard could help more than anyone ever thought.

But with Keith Langford’s foot problems, the inexperience of Michael Lee and the non-emergence so far of Bryant Nash, the KU-MU matchup is challenging.

Everything at MU starts with the silky-smooth Rush. KU’s Gooden and Collison have major skills, and probably do more on defense. Neither right now is in a class with Rush. He, like the pesky Gilbert, seems to find some way to win.

In the post, Mizzou’s Arthur Johnson is less porky, more active and has a good bag of tricks. Nigerian Uche Okafor, at 6-11, offers promise as a backup but has to get eligible first.

In a point-guard clash, MU lefty Wesley Stokes with his Chia Pet hair will give Jayhawk Miles a stern test. I’ll take Hinrich over Gilbert because he’s more under control and thinks first of the team. But both Stokes and Gilbert can kill you.

If Boschee stays healthy and continues to step up as he has to date, he’ll be a weapon MU will have a tough time blunting. Jeff may finally have hit the stride he’s capable of; that’s doggone good.

It’s MU’s reserve power that unsettles me. There is size and talent in the form of 6-9 Travon Bryant, 6-7 Najeeb Echols and 6-5 Ricky Paulding.

Who’ll back up Stokes? Last year, he and the heady Brian Grawer were nifty quarterbacks with firepower. Is soph Michael Griffin good enough to caddy for Stokes?

You can wangle far into the night about who will do what and with which and to whom when Kansas and Missouri get together on the court this season. And there aren’t many wrong answers because they’re both so doggone good.

But let’s not hope for anything bad to happen to anyone on either team so that whoever emerges the victor will know he beat the best the other had to offer.

l Call me whatever you will for pulling for Hawaii to beat Brigham Old (alias Young) in football last week, but it was delicious to me to see the Rainbows run up 72 points and sully BYU’s unbeaten record. Let Rick Reilly, the superb Sports Illustrated columnist, explain:

“Brigham Old signs its recruits at 17 or 18 . . . Then most of the signees take a redshirt year. Now they’re 18 or 19. Then comes the two-year (Mormon) mission to parts near and far. From ages 19 to 21, the male body blows up like Hans and Franz. When the BYU kids return to school, they hit the weight room, the training table and the roster as freshmen! That means by the time they’re seniors, they’re mature, disciplined and 24 to 25, or six years older than many NFL rookies.

“Put it this way: On a routine Brigham Young play, quarterback Brandon Doman (25) drops back behind guard Aaron McCubbins (26) and zips a spiral to wide receiver Andrew Ord (24). Meanwhile, on a given Dallas Cowboys play, quarterback Clint Stoerner (23) drops back behind guard Kelvin Garmon (25) and zips a spiral to Ken-Yon Rambo (23). . . . If you root for a school that doesn’t happen to have freshmen who drive minivans with baby seats, playing these guys can give you a rash. . . . “

Barbs Reilly: “That stuff just isn’t Christian.”

KU-Missouri rivalry already heating up

By Mark Fagan     Dec 15, 2001

Winston Churchill used the term “gathering storm” regarding a pending conflict of note. That’s not a bad term for the promising 2002 Kansas-Missouri basketball showdowns. If you listen just a little, you already can hear thunder rumbling as the tornado builds.

Fans of both schools are all a-twitter about what their Jayhawks and Tigers are up to right now, which ain’t too bad. But boy, are they pointing toward the Jan. 28 confrontation here and the March 3 battle at Columbia. Net-talk, chat-rooms and such are ablaze with rhetoric; it’s easy to catch the fever.

But a disturbing aspect to me is that too many loyalists are hoping something untoward happens to the major players in this scintillating drama.

Missouri-lovers are suggesting that injuries to Jayhawks like Wayne Simien, Keith Langford, Jeff Boschee or the Triplets Terrific will lessen the thrust of the Crimson and Blue. Kansas-hustlers are saying guard Clarence Gilbert’s big mouth and undisciplined shooting will sour the other guys, that Kareem Rush will go hot-dog, that there will be cracks in the unity.

Don’t want any of that to happen. I’m hoping both clubs keep everyone hale, hearty and improving so that when they face off, each team will face the other at its very best.

It could be twice in the regular season, once in the postseason tournament, then in the NCAA run to glory why not a title game?

Missouri knocked off KU at Columbia last season and then fell here. Rush was injured and far from peak form. Nice to win, but MU fans whined that we didn’t get the Tigers at their best.

When you beat a bitter rival, you want it to be a scenario where you were your best and the foe was his best and you find out who really deserves bragging rights.

Missouri’s depth scares the bejesus out of me.

The Kansas frontline quartet of Drew Gooden, Nick Collison, Simien and Jeff Carey can play with just about anyone. The KU three-guard crew of Kirk Hinrich, Boschee and Aaron Miles measures up to about anybody and can be far better. The plucky Brett Ballard could help more than anyone ever thought.

But with Keith Langford’s foot problems, the inexperience of Michael Lee and the non-emergence so far of Bryant Nash, the KU-MU matchup is challenging.

Everything at MU starts with the silky-smooth Rush. KU’s Gooden and Collison have major skills, and probably do more on defense. Neither right now is in a class with Rush. He, like the pesky Gilbert, seems to find some way to win.

In the post, Mizzou’s Arthur Johnson is less porky, more active and has a good bag of tricks. Nigerian Uche Okafor, at 6-11, offers promise as a backup but has to get eligible first.

In a point-guard clash, MU lefty Wesley Stokes with his Chia Pet hair will give Jayhawk Miles a stern test. I’ll take Hinrich over Gilbert because he’s more under control and thinks first of the team. But both Stokes and Gilbert can kill you.

If Boschee stays healthy and continues to step up as he has to date, he’ll be a weapon MU will have a tough time blunting. Jeff may finally have hit the stride he’s capable of; that’s doggone good.

It’s MU’s reserve power that unsettles me. There is size and talent in the form of 6-9 Travon Bryant, 6-7 Najeeb Echols and 6-5 Ricky Paulding.

Who’ll back up Stokes? Last year, he and the heady Brian Grawer were nifty quarterbacks with firepower. Is soph Michael Griffin good enough to caddy for Stokes?

You can wangle far into the night about who will do what and with which and to whom when Kansas and Missouri get together on the court this season. And there aren’t many wrong answers because they’re both so doggone good.

But let’s not hope for anything bad to happen to anyone on either team so that whoever emerges the victor will know he beat the best the other had to offer.

l Call me whatever you will for pulling for Hawaii to beat Brigham Old (alias Young) in football last week, but it was delicious to me to see the Rainbows run up 72 points and sully BYU’s unbeaten record. Let Rick Reilly, the superb Sports Illustrated columnist, explain:

“Brigham Old signs its recruits at 17 or 18 . . . Then most of the signees take a redshirt year. Now they’re 18 or 19. Then comes the two-year (Mormon) mission to parts near and far. From ages 19 to 21, the male body blows up like Hans and Franz. When the BYU kids return to school, they hit the weight room, the training table and the roster as freshmen! That means by the time they’re seniors, they’re mature, disciplined and 24 to 25, or six years older than many NFL rookies.

“Put it this way: On a routine Brigham Young play, quarterback Brandon Doman (25) drops back behind guard Aaron McCubbins (26) and zips a spiral to wide receiver Andrew Ord (24). Meanwhile, on a given Dallas Cowboys play, quarterback Clint Stoerner (23) drops back behind guard Kelvin Garmon (25) and zips a spiral to Ken-Yon Rambo (23). . . . If you root for a school that doesn’t happen to have freshmen who drive minivans with baby seats, playing these guys can give you a rash. . . . “

Barbs Reilly: “That stuff just isn’t Christian.”

KU-Missouri rivalry already heating up

By Mark Fagan     Dec 15, 2001

Winston Churchill used the term “gathering storm” regarding a pending conflict of note. That’s not a bad term for the promising 2002 Kansas-Missouri basketball showdowns. If you listen just a little, you already can hear thunder rumbling as the tornado builds.

Fans of both schools are all a-twitter about what their Jayhawks and Tigers are up to right now, which ain’t too bad. But boy, are they pointing toward the Jan. 28 confrontation here and the March 3 battle at Columbia. Net-talk, chat-rooms and such are ablaze with rhetoric; it’s easy to catch the fever.

But a disturbing aspect to me is that too many loyalists are hoping something untoward happens to the major players in this scintillating drama.

Missouri-lovers are suggesting that injuries to Jayhawks like Wayne Simien, Keith Langford, Jeff Boschee or the Triplets Terrific will lessen the thrust of the Crimson and Blue. Kansas-hustlers are saying guard Clarence Gilbert’s big mouth and undisciplined shooting will sour the other guys, that Kareem Rush will go hot-dog, that there will be cracks in the unity.

Don’t want any of that to happen. I’m hoping both clubs keep everyone hale, hearty and improving so that when they face off, each team will face the other at its very best.

It could be twice in the regular season, once in the postseason tournament, then in the NCAA run to glory why not a title game?

Missouri knocked off KU at Columbia last season and then fell here. Rush was injured and far from peak form. Nice to win, but MU fans whined that we didn’t get the Tigers at their best.

When you beat a bitter rival, you want it to be a scenario where you were your best and the foe was his best and you find out who really deserves bragging rights.

Missouri’s depth scares the bejesus out of me.

The Kansas frontline quartet of Drew Gooden, Nick Collison, Simien and Jeff Carey can play with just about anyone. The KU three-guard crew of Kirk Hinrich, Boschee and Aaron Miles measures up to about anybody and can be far better. The plucky Brett Ballard could help more than anyone ever thought.

But with Keith Langford’s foot problems, the inexperience of Michael Lee and the non-emergence so far of Bryant Nash, the KU-MU matchup is challenging.

Everything at MU starts with the silky-smooth Rush. KU’s Gooden and Collison have major skills, and probably do more on defense. Neither right now is in a class with Rush. He, like the pesky Gilbert, seems to find some way to win.

In the post, Mizzou’s Arthur Johnson is less porky, more active and has a good bag of tricks. Nigerian Uche Okafor, at 6-11, offers promise as a backup but has to get eligible first.

In a point-guard clash, MU lefty Wesley Stokes with his Chia Pet hair will give Jayhawk Miles a stern test. I’ll take Hinrich over Gilbert because he’s more under control and thinks first of the team. But both Stokes and Gilbert can kill you.

If Boschee stays healthy and continues to step up as he has to date, he’ll be a weapon MU will have a tough time blunting. Jeff may finally have hit the stride he’s capable of; that’s doggone good.

It’s MU’s reserve power that unsettles me. There is size and talent in the form of 6-9 Travon Bryant, 6-7 Najeeb Echols and 6-5 Ricky Paulding.

Who’ll back up Stokes? Last year, he and the heady Brian Grawer were nifty quarterbacks with firepower. Is soph Michael Griffin good enough to caddy for Stokes?

You can wangle far into the night about who will do what and with which and to whom when Kansas and Missouri get together on the court this season. And there aren’t many wrong answers because they’re both so doggone good.

But let’s not hope for anything bad to happen to anyone on either team so that whoever emerges the victor will know he beat the best the other had to offer.

l Call me whatever you will for pulling for Hawaii to beat Brigham Old (alias Young) in football last week, but it was delicious to me to see the Rainbows run up 72 points and sully BYU’s unbeaten record. Let Rick Reilly, the superb Sports Illustrated columnist, explain:

“Brigham Old signs its recruits at 17 or 18 . . . Then most of the signees take a redshirt year. Now they’re 18 or 19. Then comes the two-year (Mormon) mission to parts near and far. From ages 19 to 21, the male body blows up like Hans and Franz. When the BYU kids return to school, they hit the weight room, the training table and the roster as freshmen! That means by the time they’re seniors, they’re mature, disciplined and 24 to 25, or six years older than many NFL rookies.

“Put it this way: On a routine Brigham Young play, quarterback Brandon Doman (25) drops back behind guard Aaron McCubbins (26) and zips a spiral to wide receiver Andrew Ord (24). Meanwhile, on a given Dallas Cowboys play, quarterback Clint Stoerner (23) drops back behind guard Kelvin Garmon (25) and zips a spiral to Ken-Yon Rambo (23). . . . If you root for a school that doesn’t happen to have freshmen who drive minivans with baby seats, playing these guys can give you a rash. . . . “

Barbs Reilly: “That stuff just isn’t Christian.”

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