Two of Missouri Basketball’s biggest stars from last season’s 30-win campaign will begin their professional careers this summer in the National Basketball Association as Kim English (No. 44 to Detroit) and Marcus Denmon (No. 59 to San Antonio) were each selected in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft on Thursday.

It’s the first time since 1989 that two Tigers have gone in the same draft. Byron Irvin went No. 22 overall to Portland that year and Gary Leonard went No. 34 to Minnesota.

A native of Baltimore, Md., English is the 41st Tiger drafted all-time. He is coming off a spectacular season which saw him win Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors, averaging 23.0 points in the three championship victories, while also shooting 78.8 percent (26-of-33) from the floor. A 6-foot-6 shooting guard that played in the paint last season due to a shorthanded bench, English averaged a career high 14.5 points and 4.2 rebounds, while shooting 52 percent from the floor and 46 percent from beyond the arc.

English is tied with his former teammate, Denmon, as the MU career record holder for games played (141) and he made 107 starts over his four seasons. In addition, he was a pivotal part of a senior class that won a school record 107 games since the 2008-09 season, including 31 victories in 2008-09 and 30 in 2011-12.

English finished his career ranked among Missouri’s all-time leaders in several statistical categories. He is No. 13 all-time in career scoring (1,570), No. 4 in three-point makes (239) and No. 3 in three-pointers attempted (606).

“I’m so happy for Kim and his family,” Head Coach Frank Haith said. “I said it earlier in the week, but I have never been around a better leader on the court and in the locker room than Kim English. He works so hard at his craft and he is always working to make himself and the teammates around him better. I also want to congratulate Detroit on the great draft selection. Obviously they are bringing in a great talent on the basketball court, but they are also bringing in someone with great character and the appropriate drive to succeed in this league.”

Named Second Team all-league by CBS Sports last season, English led the conference in three-point percentage (.459), ranked seventh in three-point makes (2.2), 10th in steals (1.3) and eighth overall in scoring (14.5). He topped double figures 26 times in 35 total games, including a career high 29 points in a win against Binghamton where he hit 7-of-10 treys. English also topped 20 points in wins against Oklahoma (23), Texas Tech (22), Texas A&M (21), at Texas Tech (20), Oklahoma State (27) and against Texas (23).

In addition to playing in the paint as a senior, English also contributed 56 assists and 45 steals. The 45 steals equaled a career high and his 4.2 rebounds per game last season were the highest of his career.

Denmon, drafted No. 59 by San Antonio, comes off a spectacular collegiate career where he finished his tenure as a Second Team All-American after averaging 17.7 points and 5.0 rebounds. The Kansas City, Mo., native ranked among the league’s Top 10 in seven different statistical categories last year, including scoring (No. 3), three-pointers (No. 2) and steals (No. 3) and he finished his Missouri tenure ranked among the school’s all-time greats for scoring and games played.

A product of Hogan Prep High School, Denmon scored 1,775 points (No. 5 in school history) over the course of four seasons. He also ranks among Mizzou’s career leaders in three-point makes (No. 2 – 283), steals (No. 5 – 178), free throw percentage (No. 6 – .800) and field goals made (No. 8 – 587). He is also tied with English as the school record holder for career games played (141).

Few players in college basketball were as consistent and explosive as Denmon last year. He reached double figures in scoring in 30-of-35 games, which included 12 20-point outbursts. He scored a career high 31 points in a win against Northwestern State and poured in 28 points at Madison Square Garden against Villanova, 29 in a home victory against Kansas and 28 at Kansas on 10-of-15 shooting.

“What an incredible moment for Marcus, his family and all of us here at Mizzou,” Haith said. “Marcus worked tremendously hard for this opportunity and San Antonio is getting a tough, gritty player to add to their roster. Marcus is a warrior. He plays so hard and does whatever it takes to win, and as a head coach, you can’t ask for anything more. You can’t have enough players like Marcus Denmon on your team.”

Denmon burst onto the national scene as a junior when he led the club with 16.9 points per game. He shot 50 percent from the floor and led the club with 82 treys and 45 percent shooting from bonus distance. Over his last two seasons Denmon hit 181 three-point field goals, connecting on 42.5 percent of his treys during that remarkable 69-game stretch.

Denmon joins his uncle, Martinez Denmon, as NBA draftees. The elder Denmon was drafted out of Iowa State in 1973 by the Boston Celtics. He was selected in the third round (No. 52 overall).

— MU Sports Information —

The University of Missouri is just five days away from officially joining the Southeastern Conference – but Mizzou Athletics isn’t waiting for July 1st to show the nation it is eager to compete in the league that is known widely as the nation’s best.  As announced today, a $30 million private gift from the Kansas City Sports Trust will help jump-start a $200 million master plan resulting in facility improvements seen as vital to MU’s future success in the SEC.

The gift has been identified as the second-largest single donation in University of Missouri history, and it will play an integral role in getting a $200 million facilities master plan off and running.  The comprehensive plan, which will change the landscape of the MU Sports Park for years to come, was reviewed and approved this afternoon by the MU Board of Curators.

The initial focus will be on projects totaling an estimated $102 million, and facilities involved will include football’s Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field, baseball’s Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field, softball’s University Field, and tennis’ Mizzou Tennis Complex, as well as new team and practice facilities for the men’s and women’s golf teams at The Club at Old Hawthorne.  A new indoor football practice facility, an additional weight room to better support MU’s 500-plus student-athlete population, and other Olympic sport facility upgrades will also be part of future plans.

A capital campaign is underway to help raise funds for the master plan.  Called “Going for Gold: A Vision for Excellence,” the campaign will encourage donors and supporters to join the action and help Mizzou achieve its facilities vision.  Information will be forthcoming shortly detailing how people can get involved in the Going for Gold campaign through the Tiger Scholarship Fund.

“This is indeed an historic day for the University,” said MU Chancellor Dr. Brady J. Deaton.  “What a poignant and symbolic showing of the support we have as we move into the Southeastern Conference.   I’ve said many times that Athletics is the front porch of the institution, and that a strong program benefits Mizzou immeasurably.  These planned facility projects will go a long way toward helping guide the future success of our program which is already very strong, and they will help us attract the very best and brightest student-athletes in the nation,” he said.

“We are so very grateful to the Kansas City Sports Trust for their unwavering support of our mission,” said MU Director of Athletics Mike Alden.  “This historic gift is putting into motion a series of improvements that will impact Mizzou Athletics for generations to come.  We are moving into the nation’s best and most competitive conference, and by committing to this master plan, we feel this is a statement that Mizzou is going to be a factor on the conference and national levels,” he said.

— MU Sports Information —

Missouri has unveiled its long-promised plans to upgrade athletic facilities as it moves to the Southeastern Conference.

An athletics master plan released by the school on Monday calls for adding at least 6,000 seats at Memorial Stadium, which currently has a capacity of 71,004. The expansion would consist of 5,200 bleacher seats on the stadium’s east side and 800 to 900 premium seats, along with new restrooms, lounges and concession stands.

Even with the addition, Missouri would still rank ninth in stadium size among the 14 SEC schools. Eight of those schools have stadiums that hold at least 80,000, with Bryant-Denny Stadium at Alabama and Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium topping 100,000.

Missouri also wants to add more enclosed luxury suites on the stadium’s west side and expand a concourse at the stadium’s north entrance that would provide room for another possible seating increase in the future.

The school is also seeking to improve its tennis and golf facilities as well as its softball and baseball stadiums. The projects would cost $72 million in 30-year debt financing through revenue bonds, although a plan summary suggests Missouri would recoup its entire investment through the sale of additional premium seats and luxury boxes.

Missouri athletic director Mike Alden will present the proposal to university curators on Tuesday afternoon, with a vote expected Wednesday morning. He declined an Associated Press interview request Monday through a school spokesman.

Immediately after Tuesday’s curators’ session, Alden plans to announce what’s described as a “major private gift” to Missouri athletics. He has consistently spoken of the need for donors to “step up” from the moment Missouri’s move to the SEC from the Big 12

Conference was announced in November 2011.

Missouri ranks near the bottom of its new conference in terms of annual expenses on athletics, as well as athletics revenue and recruiting budgets.

The plan summary provided to curators suggests that the increased investment on athletics is also an SEC expectation.

“With the move to the Southeastern Conference, this planning effort evaluated all facilities and identified those requiring immediate attention to accommodate the expectations of the new conference home,” the master plan reads.

The timing of the debt financing request could prove awkward for the seven curators, who are political appointees selected by the governor and approved by Missouri legislators.

Supporters of the University of Missouri Press — which is slated to shut down this week after administrators said they can no longer afford the publishing house’s $400,000 annual subsidy — plan to protest the budget cut at the curators’ meeting on the Columbia campus.

They have criticized the move by new Missouri system president Tim Wolfe and compared the relatively modest budget cut to the millions spent on football and men’s basketball, although academic funds are separate from athletic budgets.

While the bulk of the proposed stadium expansion would come be paid for through revenue bonds, the plan also calls for the use of $500,000 from a campus facilities reserve fund that covers utility infrastructure improvements.

— Associated Press —