Senior Keanau Post had possession of the ball, ready to finish and add to his point total. But as the 6-foot-11-inch Post went up with the ball, he was met by fellow big man Ryan Rosburg. Rosburg collected his third whistle in the first seven minutes of the the annual Black and Gold Scrimmage on Tuesday at Mizzou Arena.
Fouls have been familiar to the junior forward.
Rosburg picked up 109 fouls for the Tigers last season while averaging just 22.2 minutes per game. He had more fouls called against him last season than any other Tiger. Jonathan Williams III, now a sophomore, was second on the team with 97 personal fouls.
Mizzou coach Kim Anderson said that while fouls are inevitable, it’s important for Rosburg and Post to keep themselves in games this season.
“Obviously (Rosburg has) got to do a better job of moving his feet,” Anderson said. “We can’t afford to have those two guys get in foul trouble. Because after that, then we get thin; we’ve got to go ‘J-Three’ (Williams III) if he’s healthy, or (freshman) Jakeenan (Gant). Those guys have got to be careful.”
And Rosburg did keep himself in the scrimmage. After picking up his third foul seven minutes in, Rosburg had a clean sheet for the remaining 13 minutes of the scrimmage. He said he made an adjustment after the third foul and attributed his play early on to transitioning from practice to games.
“Coach (Anderson) in practice is all about playing physical and playing hard,” Rosburg said. “In practice we foul each other a lot. It’s kind of just adjusting and I got caught in some bad spots and had to foul some people.”
Missouri ranked 178th in Division I men’s basketball with 19.1 fouls per game last season under then-coach Frank Haith, right near the middle of 345 teams.
Rosburg said this year will be different.
“I think just because we play team defense this year, it’s going to help a lot,” Rosburg said. “Last year it seemed like I was helping other guys who’d get blown by or lose their man, so I’d have to come and help them out. I picked up a lot of fouls that way. I think this year since we play so solid defense — or we’re supposed to — that it’s going to help a lot.”
The Tigers have focused a lot on defense this preseason, Anderson said.
Rosburg said the keys to avoiding fouls are to avoid reaching and maintain fundamentals and footwork.
Assistant coach Rob Fulford said for big men like Rosburg, it is all about thinking and preparing before a defensive play.
“You get a lot of fouls in the post because you don’t get your work done early so you have to catch up with the ball,” Fulford said. “I think mainly it’s just understanding positioning and working hard a little earlier. The biggest thing is just getting them to think and not just react.”
Anderson’s expectations for his big man aren’t unrealistic, though. As a big man, meant to block shots and grab rebounds, the fouls can be inevitable for Rosburg.
“There’s nothing wrong with leading your team in fouls,” Anderson said. “If you go back and look in the history books, there have been a lot of good players who’ve fouled a lot.”
Anderson, who played for Missouri from 1973-77, led the team with 121 fouls his junior season, and 101 his senior season. Even as a sophomore in 1974, the 6-foot-7-inch forward from Sedalia ranked second on the team with 97 fouls.
Anderson has said he sees a little of himself in Rosburg. Both are Missouri natives, commit their share of fouls and have the “big and tall” frame essential to playing the post in Division I college basketball.
“I think I’m a physical player, so just being a big guy you want to try to take up space, try to block shots and get into positions where they can’t score,” Rosburg said. “Sometimes you’ve got to foul. It’s just part of it.”