Kim Anderson May Be Great Hire, but Process was a Waste

Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

The University of Missouri hired Kim Anderson as their new basketball coach on Monday, and in all honesty that was probably the best course of action for an SEC school that has not gotten what it wanted out of younger, flashier coaches like Mike Anderson and Frank Haith. While the 58-year-old Anderson probably isn’t going to be the face of many marketing campaigns—he’s already the oldest basketball coach in the SEC, yet is making his Division I coaching debut—he’s a traditionalist who is a good fit for a group of players that seemed to lack desire or motivation under Haith.

With that said, Mizzou did not conduct things efficiently. The athletic department spent $42,500 on a campaign led by coaching search firm Collegiate Sports Associates Executive Search and Consulting. As it turns out, though, the search ended up yielding a coach who was a Missouri alumni and longtime assistant at the school who was making a clear step up from Division II Central Missouri. It’s rather obvious that they thought they could make a more big-name hire than Anderson, but apparently that plan did not work.

If Anderson can bring the program back to the tournament next year, however, all the wasted search money will be worth it. In a conference that doesn’t have many intimidating programs outside of Florida and Kentucky, Mizzou is under more pressure than ever to be competitive, and it’s up to Anderson to make sure that happens.