From on-campus demonstrations protesting racism at the University of Missouri, to replacing the most successful football coach in school history, and suffering through a second-consecutive struggling season with men’s basketball, the first year on the job for University of Missouri Athletic Director Mack Rhoades has not been without its challenges.
Rhoades spoke of those challenges, and his hope for a more positive future for Mizzou Athletics, while speaking at a university caravan visit to Northwestern High School in Mendon on Thursday night.
Concerning the on-campus protests, and the surge of negative publicity that followed, Rhoades admitted that topic is being addressed on the recruiting trail, many times by the Mizzou coaches themselves:
Two other major topics of conversation are the future of Kim Anderson as Mizzou’s men’s basketball coach, and the hiring of Mizzou alum Barry Odom as head football coach:
A large push, with Mizzou’s move into the Southeastern Conference, continues with facility improvements, including a new softball stadium, currently under construction east of the Hearnes Center:
Rhoades was asked about the decision process involved in keeping Trenton native, and longtime MU assistant Andy Hill, on the Tiger coaching staff:
That is University of Missouri Athletic Director Mack Rhoades.
