Mizzou Basketball signee Jakeenan Gant was among 21 of the nation’s top 18-and-unders who accepted invitations to participate in the 2014 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team training camp, USA Basketball announced on Monday.

The training camp, scheduled to be held June 10-19 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo., will be used to select the 12-member team that will compete in the USA Basketball-hosted 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championship at the USOTC from June 20-24.

The 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championship will feature eight national teams from North, South and Central America and the Caribbean, including: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, United States and Uruguay. The top four finishing teams will qualify for the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship for Men. Players eligible for this competition must have been born on or after Jan. 1, 1996.

Invitations were issued by the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee, chaired by Syracuse University Hall of Famer head coach Jim Boeheim.

Gant is coming off a spectacular senior season (2013-14) in which he was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Georgia by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. The 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward averaged 21.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and 2.8 assists for the Rebels as a senior, helping Effingham County to a 20-10 overall record and an appearance in the Georgia Class 5A state playoffs.

Last season as a junior, Gant was named the Georgia Class 5A Player of the Year, averaging 17.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and nearly four blocked shots per game. Effingham County finished the 2013 season with a 27-5 record and Gant burst onto the national scene with his all-state performance.

— MU Sports Information —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — New Missouri Kim Anderson is retaining Tim Fuller, the associate head coach under Frank Haith.

Anderson moved quickly on his first staff hire Wednesday, two days after getting a five-year contract.

Fuller will enter his fourth season with the program. He earned the first five wins last season as acting head coach while Haith was suspended.

Anderson praised Fuller’s work in practices and recruiting the last few weeks while the school was looking for a replacement. In a statement, Anderson said Fuller has shown “incredible character and loyalty.”

After meeting with Anderson, Fuller said he was excited to take the offer.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri chose a familiar face as its new men’s basketball coach Monday.

Kim Anderson is a former star player and longtime aide to former Missouri coach Norm Stewart. He won a Division II championship at Central Missouri this season and replaces Frank Haith, who left for Tulsa earlier this month. A news conference to introduce Anderson was set for Tuesday morning.

“He’s a man of great character, integrity and respect,” athletic director Mike Alden said. “The fact that he’s a Missouri Tiger at heart is important.”

The 58-year-old Anderson was the NABC national coach of the year this season after going 30-5, molding a roster that had just one returning player who averaged more than 4.7 points per game. He takes over a program that settled for the NIT this season after losing seven of its last eight to end the regular season, and with several key players likely not coming back.

Anderson compared the situation to the one he faced when he was hired at Central Missouri 12 years ago and “the program had lost its identity.”

“I see that same opportunity here at Missouri,” Anderson said. “We have a lot of work ahead of us and that work starts today, but as a Missourian I embrace this challenge and look forward to bringing championship basketball back to Norm Stewart Court and Mizzou Arena.”

Former UCLA coach Ben Howland also had been believed to be a finalist for the job to replace Haith, who departed after three seasons.

Anderson’s top priority will be persuading two prominent recruits, JaKeenan Gant and Namon Wright, to stay put. The 6-foot-8 Gant was Georgia’s Mr. Basketball after averaging 21 points and 10.5. rebounds, and the 6-foot-4 Wright was one of the top players in California, averaging 24.2 points, 9.4 rebounds. 3.0 assists and 1.4 steals.

Guard Kevin Punter, a standout JUCO player at State Fair Community College, also has the option to transfer without sitting out a season due to the coaching change.

The top returning scorer is freshman forward Johnathan Williams III, who averaged 5.8 points. The other returning starter, sophomore forward Ryan Rosburg, averaged 4.8 points and 4.1 rebounds.

The hire was announced not long after the school’s board of curators met for about 1½ hours. School Chancellor Bowen Loftin said Anderson was a “tremendous teacher” with a track record of success and integrity.

Anderson interviewed for the Missouri job in 1999 but the school chose Quin Snyder. Stints by Mike Anderson and Haith followed before he got his shot.

The Tigers were 23-12 last season, lost in the second round of the NIT and might need to replace three starters. Juniors Jabari Brown and Jordan Clarkson have declared for the NBA draft and Earnest Ross was a senior. Louisville transfer Zach Price was kicked off the team after a pair of arrests.

Anderson was 274-94 at Central Missouri, a .743 winning percentage, and is among the top 10 in career winning percentage in Division II. He had the first three 30-win seasons in school history, won six Mid-American Intercollege Athletics Association titles and went to three Division II Final Fours.

Anderson was a graduate assistant at Missouri from 1982-85 and was Stewart’s top assistant from 1991-99. Anderson helped Missouri win the Big Eight in 1976 and was conference player of the year in 1977, averaging 18.3 points and 7.9 rebounds as a senior. He was a second round NBA draft pick of the Portland Trailblazers and played briefly in the NBA, along with professional stints in Italy and France.

Anderson was inducted into the University of Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield in 2005 as a player, and in 2012 as a coach. In 2006, he was named to Missouri’s all-century team in a fan vote.

One of Anderson’s two sons, Brett, will graduate from Missouri next month.

— Associated Press —

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Tulsa hired Frank Haith of Missouri as its men’s basketball coach Friday, landing a major-conference coach to lead the Golden Hurricane’s transition from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference this summer.

The 48-year-old Haith said the move came quickly: He was contacted Thursday and was particularly interested by Tulsa’s upcoming move to the home of national champion UConn and teams like Memphis and Cincinnati.

“It’s truly a blessing,” Haith said. “There’s no question that Tulsa’s move into the American Athletic Conference was a big part of making the decision to come here. The strength of this league is phenomenal. It’s a basketball league.”

Haith was 76-28 at Missouri, which plays in the SEC. He replaces Danny Manning, who left for Wake Forest after two seasons in Tulsa.

University President Steadman Upham pointed to Haith’s record (205-129 over 10 years at Miami and Missouri, including eight postseason trips) and his experience leading transitions as major factors in the hire. Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC and Miami moved from the Big East to the ACC.

“We talked to many head coaches, we had serious conversations with some, but there was only one coach that met all of these criteria,” he said.

Haith was suspended for the first five games of last season by the NCAA after it was found that he inadequately monitored his former assistants’ interactions with disgraced Miami booster Nevin Shapiro and then tried to cover up a five-figure hush money payment to keep potential violations hidden.

The Committee on Infractions report also found that Haith provided inconsistent answers during multiple interviews with investigators, including conflicting accounts of when he reported the shakedown attempt by Shapiro to Hurricanes athletic director Paul Dee.

Haith has said he “strongly” disagreed with the report but did not appeal the findings. He told reporters he planned to donate 18 days’ worth of his salary from his suspension to the Boys and Girls Club of Columbia. His base annual salary was $450,000, though he earned a guaranteed $1.6 million each year with the Tigers.

As successful as he was at Missouri, Haith was plagued by postseason stumbles, as the second-seeded Tigers lost in the NCAA tournament’s first round to 15th-seeded Norfolk State following a 30-5 season in 2011-12. They lost again in the first round in 2013. This past season, Mizzou went 7-8 down the stretch and failed to qualify for the tournament.

Haith had only positive things to say about Missouri, and athletic director Mike Alden in particular.

“During my time there, he was absolutely incredible to me,” Haith said. “I want to thank the student athletes at Missouri. That was the toughest thing for me, to leave those young men. I did have a chance to visit with the guys before I got on the plane yesterday, and I talked about the decisions I had to make. I thought it was important to let them know. It was really tough for me to leave Missouri.”

Missouri forward Ryan Rosburg said the team was stunned by Haith’s departure.

“Everyone was just shocked, everyone doesn’t really know what to expect,” he said. “This is the last thing I thought would happen today, I mean I was expecting some assistant coaches maybe to leave, everyone has new opportunities, I just wasn’t expecting that.”

Alden said he granted Haith permission to talk with Tulsa and the coach indicated in a text message Friday that he was leaving. He said he was disappointed, but noted that Haith had left the program in better shape than it was three years ago.

“We are appreciative, very much so, of Frank and the job he did for Mizzou,” Alden said. “I know that I was very pleased with the job Frank was doing. I know he had three years left on his contract. I know that it’s important that we had a sense of urgency going forward.”

Haith takes over a young Tulsa team that went 17-16 last season, peaking toward the end of the year to win the Conference USA championship and earn an NCAA tournament berth.

“I think we’ve got a chance to have an outstanding ballclub, with a great nucleus, a lot of sophomores that are going to be juniors next year that were a big part of the success of this team,” said Haith, who met with the players late Thursday. “From a personnel standpoint, I like what I see. I was very impressed with their disposition, how they carried themselves, how they spoke, and it’s exciting because I think they all really want to win, want to do things the right way.”

— Associated Press —

Mizzou senior forward Bri Kulas was selected by the San Antonio Stars in the third round of the WNBA Draft on Monday. Kulas was the 28th overall pick, making her the seventh Tiger in program history to be chosen in the draft and first since Christine Flores in 2012.

“I am absolutely thrilled for Bri,” head coach Robin Pingeton said. “This is a great honor for both her and our program. Bri has worked extremely hard for this opportunity and she has proven all season long that she has the ability to play at this level. It has been remarkable to watch her grow both as a player and as a leader and I am confident she is more than ready for this next phase of her playing career. She has a true passion for the game and it will be fun for all of us to continue watching her play.”

Kulas joins former Tigers Christine Flores (Phoenix Mercury, 2012), LaToya Bond (Charlotte Sting, 2006), Christelle N’Garsanet (New York Liberty, 2006), Evan Unrau (Washington Mystics, 2004), Amanda Lassiter (Houston Comets, 2001; currently with the Chicago Sky), and Marlena Williams (Indiana Fever, 2001), among Mizzou’s seven all-time WNBA draft selections.

An All-SEC First Team selection, Kulas averaged a team-leading 18.3 points per game her senior season on 43.5-percent shooting. In just two years as a Tiger, Kulas surpassed 1,000 points, becoming the 32nd Tiger to reach the millennium mark. Kulas started in 62 of her 63 games as a Tiger, averaging more than 29 minutes on the court per game. She was a 78.6-percent career free throw shooter and also averaged 6.6 rebounds per game throughout her career.

The Stars begin their regular season at home against Tulsa on Saturday, May 17. The team will also face the Shock twice in preseason play on May 2nd and May 6th.

— MU Sports Information —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, once heralded as the No. 1 recruit in the nation out of high school, has been kicked off the team.

The move was announced Friday, a day after police in Columbia, Mo., said no charges would be filed in a suspected burglary because of reluctant witnesses fearing retaliation.

Green-Beckham was suspended indefinitely from the team on Monday for unspecified violation of team rules.

Coach Gary Pinkel said in a statement that Green-Beckham needs to be focused on getting help, and that the school would do all it could to help the player.

Green-Beckham led Missouri with 59 receptions as a sophomore last season and scored 12 touchdowns, including a school single-game record of four scores against Kentucky.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – Missouri basketball coach Frank Haith kicked Zach Price off the team Thursday, ending the forward’s career with the Tigers before it began.

Price, a transfer from Louisville who wasn’t eligible to play until next season, was arrested twice last week on four counts of suspicion of assault. Another Missouri player, Earnest Ross, filed a petition in Boone County Circuit Court on April 2 that sought a protection order against Price.

Haith suspended Price indefinitely after his arrest.

“Last week’s situation was unacceptable and after a review, I have decided that Zach will no longer be a part of our program,” Haith said in a statement. “The off-the-court incidents involving our program over the past few months will not be tolerated. Our program represents the entire university and needs to be an asset. That’s my responsibility as our head coach at Mizzou and we’ll get it fixed.”

The Columbia Daily Tribune reported Wednesday that Price was arrested twice the day after Ross sought the protection order. In the arrest, Ross was accused of ramming his car into another vehicle and later having another encounter with the couple in the car. Police said he hit his male roommate in the face then pushed the woman to the ground.

The victims were not identified by police, but the restraining order request identifies Ross as the roommate and his girlfriend as the other victim.

Price, a 6-foot-10 junior, sat out last season after transferring from Louisville, where he was a member of the Cardinals’ 2013 NCAA championship team. No charges have been filed in the case.

Ross, a senior, asked the court to keep Price at least 100 feet away and to not communicate with him. The petition claims Price “performed illegal traffic violations in order to harm me and my vehicle” and that he “followed me while I was going to police station. My girlfriend was also in the vehicle.”

Missouri is coming off a disappointing season in which it failed to earn a trip to the NCAA tournament. In addition to losing Price, two of last season’s top scorers, Jabari Brown and Jordan Clarkson, have announced they will enter the NBA draft.

— Associated Press —

Future Missouri Tiger Namon Wright (Los Angeles/Pacific Hills) was named a 2014 All-American by BallisLife.com Thursday and will compete in the publication’s annual All-Star game on May 3 at Long Beach City College.

One of California’s top players and a Top 100 recruit nationally, Wright filled up the stat sheet as a senior at Pacific Hills, averaging 24.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

The 6-foot-4 guard saw his shooting numbers elevate as a senior as well, shooting 51 percent from the floor, 41 percent from three-point range and 72 percent from the foul line to earn the All-America accolades. Wright helped lead Pacific Hills to the 2013 state title as a junior and was named his league’s MVP in 2014.

Highlighting Wright’s play as a senior was a 42-point outburst against Compton and 40 points against Long Beach Millikan. The Bruins finished the season 19-10 overall and 11-1 in league play.

— MU Sports Information —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Police say they won’t make any arrests in a suspected burglary involving Missouri wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, in part because of reluctant witnesses who fear retaliation and harassment for bringing a criminal complaint.

Coach Gary Pinkel announced the junior receiver’s indefinite suspension Monday for an unspecified violation of team rules. On Thursday, police said they had closed an investigation that began when an 18-year-old woman said Green-Beckham forced open an apartment door at 2:30 a.m. while trying to see his girlfriend.