MU's English, Bowers happy with Haith, ready to heal
COLUMBIA | Kim English never dropped Mike Anderson’s name into the conversation. When asked directly about it, he refused.
But English left no doubt on Tuesday morning that — depending on who wound up as Missouri’s basketball coach — he might not have been willing to return for his senior season.
“I might not have been happy in some other situations,” English told The Star. “And that might have led to some things.
“I didn’t want to leave Missouri, but if someone would have been here, or if we would have got somebody that I didn’t like, I don’t think I would have finished my career here and that really would have hurt.”
Told that his words carried the implication that he was talking about Anderson, the coach who left for Arkansas on March 23 and opened the door for Frank Haith’s introduction as the Tigers’ new coach on Tuesday, English said he would not connect those dots.
“I’m really happy with who we got,” he said, “and I’m really pleased where this university is going to go.”
English and teammate Laurence Bowers have filed for consideration in the NBA Draft. Both are considered likely to withdraw their names by May 8 and, having not hired agents, be eligible to return to Missouri for their senior seasons.
Bowers said he was not just engaging in a flirtation with the draft, that he truly would make a decision based on his NBA evaluations.
But Bowers, too, said he liked what he heard in an early Tuesday morning meeting with Haith. And that the new coach seemed ready and able to help repair the emotional damage done by the manner of Anderson’s departure and the way MU’s season collapsed nearly short of a third straight NCAA Tournament invitation with 10 losses in its final 19 games.
“I was probably hurt the most,” said Bowers, who had known Anderson since age 2. “There’s still a little pain that Coach Anderson left. But I think that everyone’s going to open up to Coach Haith.”
Even Phil Pressey, Bowers said, referring to the freshman point guard who along with brother Matt, a junior, came to Missouri this season to play for Anderson, a close friend and college teammate of their father, Paul Pressey.
Bowers acknowledged that with Pressey there could be a gap between willing to meet Haith halfway and deciding not to follow Anderson to Arkansas.
“A big gap,” Bowers said. “I’m not saying that he is staying, or saying that he’s leaving. But we’re going to pray that he stays. Phil is a big part of what we do and I’ve really enjoyed playing with him.
“Hopefully, Coach Haith will get him to stay.”
Haith, during his formal news conference, said he did not anticipate losing Pressey.
And English said: “He loves it here. I think there’s a good chance he’ll stay.”
Neither Phil nor Matt Pressey were at Tuesday’s introduction for Haith at the Clinton Club, but MU officials said not to read anything into that, saying both brothers had class. Similarly, Steve Moore was not at the Clinton Club either.
Junior guard Marcus Denmon, MU’s first-team all-Big 12 selection, said his initial reaction to Haith’s hiring — Denmon heard the news on Sunday evening — was “kind of like everyone else’s, up in the air.”
“I was recruited by Miami to come out of high school,” Denmon said. So was MU’s Michael Dixon, and English. “But a lot of it was the assistants.
“I did my research like everyone else. After meeting him, and talking to him with the guys, and just kind of hearing some of the things about him, I’m really excited about it.”
Denmon described Tuesday morning’s player meeting with Haith as “a great meeting.”
“Everyone embraced Coach Haith. We talked to him. We all shared our open opinions about what we had coming up for the season.”
Haith said he assured those young men who are now his players that despite the immediate demands of filling three open scholarships for Missouri’s coming season, that he would spend valuable time establishing a bond with the players already on the team.
“I asked those guys to do this for me,” Haith said. “I asked them to investigate me. Ask people about me. Ask people about who I am and what kind of coach I am.
“I think if they’ll do that they’ll feel comfortable. I welcome that.
“Who you’re going to play for, what they’re going to do for you is so important. I would be disappointed if they didn’t do that.”
This story was originally published April 5, 2011 at 2:57 PM with the headline "MU's English, Bowers happy with Haith, ready to heal."