Missouri is going to make a substantial investment in its men’s basketball program during the coming weeks.
First-year Tigers athletic director Jim Sterk made that clear Wednesday before outgoing coach Kim Anderson’s squad played Auburn on the opening day of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena.
Anderson made $1.1 million per season on a five-year contract agreed to in April 2014, but Sterk indicated that figure may well double — perhaps even going beyond that — if that’s what it takes to land the preferred candidate for the next Mizzou basketball coach.
“I don’t really have a ceiling per se, but I have been working with Phil Snowden and the (University of Missouri System Board of) Curators and (MU System general counsel) Steve Owens to make sure that we have a plan in place to hire the best coach that we can,” Sterk said.