eA fan’s perspective

Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday

It’s okay if you laugh

Recruiting for the Class of 2027 high school talent has begun in earnest for a time now. Dennis Gates and Mizzou basketball is in rarefied air, the program is in a place that never existed previously. I have detailed all spring and summer about the incoming Class of 2026 and their ranking. I have stuck my feet on that precarious tree limb and claim the 2026-27 Mizzou men’s basketball team will reach heights never before experienced.

The foundation is in place and will continue into the future. If we check out the recruiting class of 2027 Mizzou is right in the mix, 247Sports places them number 2 in the nation. As for others ESPN ranks them number 5 while Rivals has Mizzou at 6. Yes, I’ve set my expectations extremely high for this version of Mizzou basketball. Naturally, there are variables I am unable to see as this is written in late October….limited injuries being key. Someone mentions to me “The preseason Top 25 fails to list Mizzou basketball.” While true my guess Mizzou on the low end ranking is probably 26, on the high end maybe 30 or 31.

Fans, I just shake my head

It’s amazing the response of sports fans and those who follow the NBA in naming their offspring. Over time we’ve witnessed a number of sons who play basketball named Kobe, then we’ve seen the name   spelled in a variety of different manners. We’ve seen it spelled with a C., we’ve also seen the name end in an E or C as follows, Cobe, Cobi, we must also include Kobi spelled in this manner as well. Of course this was all done due to the on court success of the late Kobe Bryant. It doesn’t end there, we have a number of Shaquille’s and the NBC Network has Shaq Brewster covering the news for the network.

But wait there is more, the success of the Knicks saw a number of babies given a Knick tag in various forms or another. According to ESPN “Between March (2026) and October this year 32 babies were born named Jalen, this was double the number for the same period (15) in 2025.” Of course this was a connection to Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson. This one….this child must bear this the rest of their life. As you are aware the NBA championship was won by the Knicks in five games, somewhere in New York City there is a boy named “Knickson Fyve” who will forever hate his parents for the name they gave him.

Rivalries

I’m unsure who compiled the list however I saw it on one of my social media feeds. It was named the Top 20 Sports Rivalries but it only contained three of the basketball teams. Number 4 on their list was Los Angeles Lakers versus Boston Celtics, number 5 Duke and North Carolina, 13 was New York Knicks and Miami Heat. What I found interesting at 20 they listed USC versus UCLA in football but failed to include their basketball rivalry. Around these parts, especially in basketball, there is Kansas-Mizzou along with Kansas-Kansas State. I included Kansas and Kansas State despite the fact K-State has not done a great deal of winning in recent years.

Also missing from their list was Michigan-Michigan State one of the oldest in the nation, I’m adding Kentucky-Louisville to the count. We could consider Oklahoma against Oklahoma State as well. Although these two New Jersey schools, Rutgers and Seton Hall are in different conferences they still play during the non-con. These rivals have played one another every season since 1916. If we look at the NBA again we could include the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers as rivals since their addresses are in the same city. Speaking of same city or borough in this instance. Once the Nets moved to Brooklyn the former owner wanted to establish a rivalry with the Knicks but it’s never seemed to develop. Rest assured I’ve omitted a number of rivals, which one’s did I miss in your view.

I’m coming to the rescue

Weeks ago a dot com basketball website listed the top men’s basketball coaches in the nation in order. At number 17 they placed the name of Bill Self longtime men’s Kansas basketball coach, in my view they did a total disservice to this very successful coach. Where do I begin, how about the two NCAA championships his Kansas teams have won. The only active coach with a similar number Dan Hurley at UConn. His coaching resume speaks for itself, 109 wins at Oral Roberts, 101 at Tulsa and 102 while serving at Illinois.

During his time at Kansas his Jayhawk team’s won 648 games losing but 167 for a sparkling .795 percentage. In 23 years at the helm Kansas has never failed to earn an NCAA invite to the tournament. Self has been enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame, the Collegiate Hall only awaits his retirement. Coming to the defense of Self might seem strange for a Mizzou fan however there is a basis, I must acknowledge the path he’s laid out for the future. I believe whoever replaces him will be inheriting some mighty big shoes. That coach will be in the same position that first coach at UCLA felt like taking over for John Wooden. Yes, this Mizzou fan can acknowledge the outstanding contributions of Bill Self.