COLUMBIA, Mo. • As I approached the nondescript door in the back of Mizzou Arena where the media enters, I had this feeling like Gene Hackman in “Hoosiers” — when he opened that door and walked onto the Hickory High court for the first time.
“Welcome,” the old coach famously said to himself, knowing this was just going to be different, “to Indiana basketball.”
Welcome to Missouri basketball.
This is just different.
Inside, there’s the top recruit in the country. His 6-foot-11 brother. A new coach. Two more top-100 recruits. And there’s this bizarre feeling of relevance and resplendence and maybe also a little guilt, as if Mizzou skipped like seven steps along this meteoric rise.