1. Kim Anderson is a true son.
A Mizzou alumnus, a former star player for the Tigers and an assistant under legendary coach Norm Stewart, Kim Anderson is as Mizzou as it gets. “This is my dream job,″ Anderson says. “You all probably figured that out a long time ago. I'm Mizzou through and through.″
2. He has always been a successful team-first man.
Anderson played for Stewart in the 1970s and was part of one of the best teams in Mizzou history. The 1975-76 Tigers won Stewart's first Big Eight Conference title and advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.
3. The timing was right to bring him home.
“Maybe the stars lined up,” Anderson says about landing the job this time after interviewing for previous openings. “It's not that I didn't think I could do it or thought I got slighted. I just felt like I wouldn't get that chance.”
4. Anderson stood out on the court.
Anderson was the Big Eight Conference Player of the Year in 1977, averaging 18.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game as a senior. His 1,289 career points are 24th all-time in school history.
5. He also stood out in the classroom.
Anderson graduated twice from MU, earning a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in education in '79 and '81, respectively. He was an Academic All-Big Eight selection in '75 and '77.
6. Missouri means more to him.
Kim Anderson was born and raised in Sedalia, Missouri, less than 70 miles from Mizzou’s campus. He and his wife of 37 years, Melissa, have two sons, named Ryan and Brett. Brett (pictured with his mother and grandfather) will graduate from Mizzou this spring.
7. Anderson played basketball professionally.
Anderson was a second-round pick by the Portland Trailblazers in the 1977 NBA draft. He played 21 games and played abroad in Italy and France before returning to MU as an assistant coach.
8. His work as an assistant coach turned heads.
Anderson coached under Stewart twice: once 1982-85 and again 1991-99. He worked with the 1983 team that won Mizzou's fourth-consecutive Big Eight title. He also helped coach the team considered to be one of the best Tigers teams of all time: the 1993-94 team. Mizzou went undefeated in conference play, earned a No. 1 seed in the tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight.
9. He's strengthening bonds with fans.
When asked about a perceived divide between the Norm Stewart-era fans and more recent fans, Anderson said: “If there was one, there's not anymore.” Charlie Gibbens (pictured) says he looks forward to being a Mizzou season ticket holder again.
10. Anderson wins everywhere he goes.
With Anderson as head coach, the University of Central Missouri basketball team won 75 percent of the games they played. The Mules went 274-94, made three Final Four trips and won the NCAA Division II National Championship last month.
11. He was the winner Athletic Director Mike Alden wanted.
Anderson has received many accolades over decades of working in basketball. He was inducted to the University of Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame as a student-athlete in 2005. In 2012, he was inducted again as a coach. In a fan vote, Anderson was named to the Mizzou basketball All-Century Team.
12. Players are excited to work for one of their own.
“He’s real passionate,” says Mizzou basketball player Keanau Post, who first met Anderson on Monday.
13. Anderson has a sense of humor.
“Apparently I'm old. I didn't realize that until yesterday. It devastated me,” the 58-year-old said, laughing about some of the criticisms he's heard. “I work out every day. Hey, I'm not playing, guys. I'm coaching.”
14. He wants to give Missouri basketball an identity again.
Anderson meets football coach Gary Pinkel, who has established a strong Mizzou brand of football over the past decade. “I think what we’re searching for is an identity, so that when people think of Missouri basketball, they think of hard-nosed, good kids, who graduate, go to class and are good in the community,” he says. “Missouri people. That’s what we are, and that’s the way I want our basketball team to be.”
15. Anderson's home is now where his heart is.
“There's no place on Earth I'd rather be than Columbia, Missouri,” Anderson says. “Thanks for bringing me home.”
