When Frank Haith was introduced as coach of the Missouri men’s basketball team, few had belief in his abilities and many scoffed at his lack of reputation. Some students even protested his hiring on the quad.
When the U.S. Basketball Writers Association announced Haith as its national coach of the year Monday, the entire campus gave a unanimous, acknowledging nod at the recognition for the coach who has led our team far beyond expectations. And as Haith said Monday, the loss to Norfolk State does not define such a spectacular season.
A coach plays such a huge role in the success of a team. Without direction and organization, wins are much harder to come by. Athletics Director Mike Alden said Haith’s character was integral to his hiring, and we’re glad Alden stuck to his guy, because Haith’s character was also integral to the Tigers’ success.
Haith had to deal with a multitude of issues when he accepted the offer to transition “The Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball” into his own style of play, an investigation into Miami players accepting benefits under his reign, players considering the NBA draft and multiple transfers.
Yet Haith prevailed and led our team to its second-ever Big 12 Conference Tournament championship, setting program records along the way. He had faith in our team, and so our team developed faith in him. He used team-building strategies to fine-tune each player’s talent and combine them into one collective, dominating force. He turned the “fastest minutes” from individual players sprinting up and down the court to a team effort that was nearly impossible for opponents to slow down.
Players have talked all year about how much happier they are as a team, and it has shown in their game. Without Haith’s leadership, perhaps senior guard Kim English wouldn’t have switched positions after all-Big 12 senior forward Laurence Bowers was lost for the year and junior guard Michael Dixon wouldn’t have been so willing to give up a starting position. English said he would never have decided to come back for any other coach.
Amid all the doubts, amid Tiger fans judging him based on his record, Haith kept a low profile and worked on building a competitive team. We as Tiger fans owe Haith our loyalty and confidence.
We cannot cast a shadow of doubt on the program he has built because of one tournament loss. When Haith first started out, had we been told the Missouri Tigers would be Big 12 Tournament champions, we would have been to grateful to speak up on his behalf.
You have to give someone a chance before counting them out. Haith never counted our team out, and Missouri basketball achieved enormous success out of it. Haith had faith, and now, so must we.