This is how we know Norm lost it.

Posted on: March 19, 2019 at 07:19:31 CT

Monte Hardge
Kendrick Moore
Dustin Reeve
Scott Combs
Troy Hudson
Desmond Ferguson
LD Murdock
Danny Allouche
Jeff Hafer
Tyron Lee
Dibi Ray
Tate Decker
Billy Taylor
Mark Wampler
George Mazyck
Steve Weaver
Brian Grawer
Keyon Dooling
Clarence Gilbert
Johnnie Parker
Mark Rowan
Pat Schumacher
Kenge Stevenson

That is 23 high school recruits that Norm brought in after the 1994 championship. 23 kids, not counting transfers/juco, in 5 classes. Others add 5-6 more players, for a total of about 28 players in 5 years when the number should have been 15-20. Admittedly, some of these guys were so bad that I hardly remember them, so there could be a couple that were transfers that I just don't remember where they came from.

Of the 24, 7 were legit Big 12 caliber players.
Moore, Hudson, Hafer, Grawer, Dooling, Gilbert, Parker
That ratio is atrocious and on it's own merit shows that Norm had lost the ability to relate to and recruit the kids of his era. But let's look at those 7.

Hudson was a legit player and while it's amazing that Norm was able to sign him in that era of shltty recruiting, Norm was completely unable to see and/or manage his potential. He chose Moore over Hudson and Hudson left because he knew he was better and getting shafted.

Moore was a respectable player, he left as well claiming homesick. Maybe he was, maybe he was sick of Norm, but either way Norm chose wrong in the Hudson/Moore debate and he doubled down on the mistake.

Grawer was a solid player, but just like some of the guys that get debated today, was probably relied on too heavily. Would have been a nice rotation guy, but he wasn't really what who we needed to start so many games. And his recruiting was not so much of a victory as it was a probability. I mean fans loved Grawer and a lot of them don't like Geist, but Geist is probably a better player.

Parker was considered a high quality recruit and people were excited that Norm got him. Turns out he wasn't very good and is probably the most disappointing MU recruit in the last 25 years with the possible exception of Quin's class of Dandridge, Brown, and Horton.

Hafer was a legitimate Big 12 player, but again, was overcast and should have been a rotation guy and not one we relied on.

Now we get to the two real players. Dooling and Gilbert. Most fans refuse to admit or remember one simple fact these days, but the ONLY reason Norm landed Keyon Dooling was because he was the only major program willing to sign his best friend Clarence Gilbert too. Clarence had a couple of good offers, but it was highly publicized at the time that Mizzou was highest level program willing to take both of them. As we know, Dooling was a star...but he was going to leave after his freshman year, and for those who believe Norm was truly pushed out, is probably part of the reason why. Dooling couldn't stand Norm. The best player he had recruited in at least 7-8 years (and if you count pro success, arguably the best player recruited since Peeler) and Norm could not relate to him.

As for Clarence, he turned out to be a star...under Quin's coaching/system. And again, Norm didn't so much identify the talent (to his credit, not many did) as he did luck into Gilbert just to get Dooling.

So...7/23 recruits were legit Big 12 recuits. Norm drove off 2 and almost 3, and 2 were overcast because Norm couldn't properly recruit around them.

Now, many of you will argue that this was the era that kids started getting softer and needed to be handled with "kids gloves" and Norm was just not that kind of guy. I would certainly agree, and it proves the point. The game had changed and Norm was NOT going to adapt.
I wouldn't put up with the bs and the brown nosing that it takes in today's college basketball either. And guess what, I'm not a college coach.

Now, you can go ahead and rant about how I hate Norm and I'm not a real fan because I've laid out fundamental facts in this discussion, but the fact remains that I like Norm. I don't love him. I do like him. I am just one who is willing to acknowledge that he had shortcomings even during the prime of his career, and that the game did pass him by and he stayed at MU 5 years too long. If Norm had rode off into the sunset after 1994, we would have been in place to hire any coach in the country aside from 5 or so guys, and I can't help but wonder what Mizzou basketball would have been like the last 20 years if he/we had.