When the Missouri basketball team took the court Wednesday for its exhibition game, absent from action was the team’s top returning rebounder.
Redshirt senior Keith Shamburger, junior Ryan Rosburg, sophomore Wes Clark, and freshmen Jakeenan Gant and Montaque Gill-Caesar were announced as the starters.
Junior forward Johnathan Williams III sat on the bench recovering from a partial meniscus tear in his right knee during Missouri’s 72-31 exhibition win over the William Jewell Cardinals on Wednesday at the Hearnes Center.
Williams III, who has been battling the preseason injury since early October, practiced for the first time this preseason Sunday.
“He’s getting better,” said Missouri coach Kim Anderson, who coached his first game as Mizzou’s head coach Wednesday. “We’re just kind of taking it slow because we have time, but I’m encouraged from what I’ve seen at practice.”
After Anderson said this, he turned around, looked back at two of his players behind him and said, “Right?” They nodded in agreement.
Anderson said he hopes to have Williams III ready for their first regular season game Nov. 14 against UMKC at the Hearnes Center.
“‘J-Three’ brings a lot more rebounds,” Clark said. “He also brings a lot more leadership as well. ‘J-Three’ just means a lot to the team, so when we get him back we will definitely be in better shape.”
Williams III averaged 5.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last season as a freshman starter at power forward. Anderson expects big things from Williams III this season once he returns to action.
“There’s nobody that works harder on his game than (Williams),” Anderson said. “Nobody. I don’t know how long he’s in that gym at night because I go home. But he’s got access to that gym 24/7, and I’m sure he’s in there a ton. His game has really improved.”
But even without their top rebounder, the Tigers still outrebounded the Cardinals 27-20 on the game. Mizzou scored 19 points on second chances and held the Cardinals to three points — all on one three-pointer — in the first eight minutes of the game.
“We talk about that every day, trying to get offensive rebounds, get extra possessions,” Rosburg said. “I felt that today, since we were a little bigger than them, it was important to get more possessions and get more shots. That’s going to be a big thing for us this year.”