COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football junior Damarea Crockett (Little Rock, Ark.) has been named to the Doak Walk Award Preseason Watch List, announced Wednesday (July 18). The initial watch list for the Doak Walk Award, which honors the nation’s top running back at the end of the season, features 64 of the nation’s elite, including Crockett.

Crockett is one of the SEC’s most dynamic running backs and he will return to Mizzou’s backfield after missing the second half of his sophomore campaign in 2017 with a shoulder injury. His blend of speed, size and power make him a candidate to break off big run after big run as he will have 1,000-yard potential moving into the year. In 2016, Crockett set Mizzou freshman records for rushing yards in a season (1,062), rushing yards in a single game (225), rushing touchdowns in a season (10) and tied the school record with four rushing TDs in a single game vs. Middle Tennessee (10/22). He finished the regular season ranked sixth in the SEC in rushing yards per game (105.8), tops among SEC freshmen. His 7.3 yards per carry ranked third among all qualified rushers in SEC games and again tops among freshmen.
Crockett ended the regular season ranked first in the nation among freshmen in rushing (96.5 yards per game) and that year he was the first SEC true freshman to rush for more than 1,000 yards since Georgia’s Nick Chubb and LSU’s Leonard Fournette did so in 2014. He was also Mizzou’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Russell Hansbrough in 2014.

Mizzou Football will open the 2018 season on Sept. 1, 2018, against UT Martin at Memorial Stadium.

— Mizzou Atheltics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football senior QB Drew Lock (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) was named to the Davey O’Brien Award Preseason Watch List, announced Tuesday (July 17) by the Davey O’Brien Foundation. Lock is one of 26 quarterbacks on the preseason watch list for the award, which is given annually to college football’s top quarterback. This is the second major award that Lock is up for this preseason after earning a place on the Maxwell Award Watch List Monday, which is given to the top offensive player in college football.

Lock led the SEC in 10 offensive categories a year ago, including passing TDs (44), yards per attempts (10.0), yards per game (304.9), total offense (313.5) and passing efficiency (169.4). He is the SEC and Mizzou single season record holder for passing TDs with 44 in 2017. He also set Mizzou’s single season passing efficiency mark a year ago at 165.67. He was the All-SEC First Team selection at quarterback by both the AP and league’s coaches.

Mizzou Football will open the 2018 season on Sept. 1, 2018, against UT Martin at Memorial Stadium.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball rounded out its 2018-19 coaching staff Tuesday, as head coach Robin Pingeton announced the addition of Chris Bracey as assistant coach. Bracey, the brother of current assistant coach Ashleen Bracey, spent eight seasons playing professional basketball in Europe before returning to his hometown of Chicago to coach high school basketball for the past five years.

“We are extremely excited about Chris’ decision to join our staff,” said Pingeton. “We wanted the perfect fit and I believe we are getting just that. Chris has a great mind for the game and has had great success as a player and coach. I wanted to bring in someone that was truly passionate about the game, was a tireless worker and someone who aligned with our values as a program. In addition, I am very confident that Chris is going to be a great recruiter and skill development coach. He will be a fantastic addition to our program.”

“The game of basketball has always been my passion,” said Bracey. “Joining the Mizzou Women’s Basketball program provides me with a tremendous opportunity to teach life lessons through basketball, and basketball through life lessons. I am so excited to become part of the culture that Coach Pingeton and her staff have created in Columbia. The Tiger fans are extremely passionate, and the program is filled with exceptional people who share a common set of goals, values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Go Tigers!”

Bracey returned to stateside in 2012 and began coaching high school basketball in Chicago, serving as the Boy’s Varsity Head Coach at Chicago International Charter School Larry Hawkins Campus (2012-13), Chicago International Charter School Longwood Campus (2013-14) and Oak Park and River Forest High School (2014-18). At his last stop, Bracey led his alma mater to a top-15 ranking and IHSA Regional Championship in 2016-17. This past season, Bracey led the Huskies to a top-10 ranking and 12-0 mark in West Suburban Conference play, the first time in school history Oak Park and River Forest recorded an undefeated conference record.

Prior to entering the coaching ranks, Bracey spent eight seasons playing professional basketball in Europe, with stops in Ireland, Switzerland, France, Greece and Cyprus. In Ireland, Bracey led his team, Tralee, to the Irish National Championship while being named the Bosman Player of the Year in 2004, and played as a member of the Irish National Team for four seasons from 2004-08. In Switzerland, Bracey earned Player of the Year honors once again and was selected to the First-Team All-Swiss Team. Bracey also experienced many successful seasons in France with ALM Everux and SPO Rouen, in Greece with Egaleo and Pagrati and in Cyprus with Achilleas Kaimakliou.

Before his stint overseas, Bracey played collegiately at San Jose City College (2000-01) and West Texas A&M (2001-03). At San Jose, Bracey led his squad to a 10-0 season in conference play, a No. 5 ranking among junior college schools in California and a runner-up finish in the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA). At West Texas A&M, Bracey led the Buffs to a Lone Star Conference Tournament Championship in 2002-03 and was selected to the LSC All-Conference team.

Bracey graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from West Texas A&M University and Master of Arts in Teaching from National Louis University. He and his wife, Julie, have two daughters, Niyah and Ava, and a son, Nathan.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – For the fifth-consecutive year, the burgeoning football rivalry game between Mizzou and Arkansas will be played on the Friday of Thanksgiving Week. As announced today by the Southeastern Conference, the Shelter Insurance Battle Line Rivalry will kick off at 1:30 p.m. central time on Friday, Nov. 23rd from Mizzou’s Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field, with the game being televised on CBS. The contest was initially listed as a Nov. 24th date.

Since the two schools were designated as permanent cross-division rivals in 2014, each game between Mizzou and Arkansas has been played on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Mizzou has come out on top in three of the previous four such meetings, including 21-14 and 28-24 wins in Columbia in 2014 and 2016, respectively. The 2014 win clinched MU’s second-consecutive SEC Eastern Division championship. A year ago in Fayetteville, the Tigers twice overcame a 14-point first-half deficit to post a thrilling 48-45 win that capped a six-game win streak to close the 2017 regular season.

The 2018 season under third-year Head Coach Barry Odom gets underway on Sept. 1st with a home game against UT-Martin (3 p.m.). The home schedule features an exciting seven-game slate that also includes matchups with Wyoming (Sept. 8 – 6 p.m.), Georgia (Sept. 22), Memphis (Oct. 20), Kentucky (Oct. 27) and the regular-season finale against Arkansas (Nov. 23).

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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Men’s Basketball’s Michael Porter Jr. was selected by the Denver Nuggets in the 2018 NBA Draft on Thursday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Porter Jr. is Mizzou’s 45th all-time draft pick and the program’s first since Jordan Clarkson in 2014.

The Nuggets made Porter Jr. the 14th overall selection, Mizzou’s highest draft pick since Keyon Dooling was selected 10th overall by the Orlando Magic. Mizzou now has 15 First Round NBA Draft selections in program history.

Porter Jr. is the first Tiger ever drafted by the Nuggets. Former standout Linas Kleiza was selected by the Portland Trailblazers in 2005 and immediately traded to Denver on draft night. Porter Jr. is Mizzou’s ninth player drafted since 2000.

Mizzou head coach Cuonzo Martin is on an impressive run of developing NBA players. In his 10-year head coaching career, Martin has now coached eight NBA draft picks, including three at Tennessee, four at California-Berkeley and one at Mizzou. All eight selections have come in the past five years.

Porter Jr. is the second NBA lottery pick to play for Martin, joining Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown.

— Mizzou Athletics —