NCAA Basketball: Top 10 impact head coaching hires from 2006

By Joey Loose | Jun 7, 2021

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 01: Head coach Mick Cronin of the Cincinnati Bearcats gestures to his players during their game against the UNLV Rebels at the Thomas & Mack Center on December 01, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bearcats defeated the Rebels 65-61. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

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NCAA Basketball Mike Anderson Missouri Tigers (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

2. Mike Anderson (Missouri)

Legendary head coach Norm Stewart brought a lot of good times to Missouri. The Tigers program was functioning at a high capacity until he retired just before the turn of the century. By 2006, the program was a shell of its former self and wasn’t really competing in the Big 12 anymore.

Enter Mike Anderson, a relatively young coach looking to make his mark on college basketball. After playing his college ball at Tulsa, he spent two decades on the staffs of his mentor Nolan Richardson, including winning the national title at Arkansas in 1994. Anderson was fresh off a four-year stint as head coach at UAB, leading the Blazers to three Tourney bids, including a Sweet Sixteen.

The expectations were higher at Missouri, but Anderson still faced the challenge. After two rebuilding seasons, Anderson had the Tigers in the Elite Eight in 2009, an impressive 31-win season. Two more NCAA Tournament bids followed as he rebuilt this Tigers program. He departed for Arkansas in 2011, but the Missouri team that he recruited did fantastic things even after his exit.

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