Kim Anderson’s time as head men’s basketball coach at his alma mater has come to a close.

Athletics director Jim Sterk has asked Anderson to step down from his job as coach of the Tigers men’s basketball team at the end of the season, per a release from Mizzou Athletics on Sunday.

The decision comes after a 7-23 regular season in 2016-17. If Missouri loses one more game — which will happen barring a deeply improbable national title run — it will mark the most losses in program history. The 7-23 record is also Anderson’s worst in his time as head coach.

Anderson did not win a road game in his three years as coach of the Tigers.

In the statement, Sterk said it was a difficult decision because of the “tremendous respect” he has for Anderson, who has coached Missouri to a 26-67 record in three seasons.

“I know how hard he and his staff have worked to turn the program around over the last three years, however, the lack of on-court success has resulted in a significant drop in interest surrounding our program, and we could not afford for that to continue another year,” Sterk said in the statement.

Anderson said he is grateful to have had the opportunity to coach the team he won Big Eight Player of the Year with in 1977.

“While we have faced significant challenges over the last three years and been unable to achieve the on-court results everyone would have liked, I do believe we have been able to stabilize the program while watching our players become responsible young men on and off the court,” Anderson said in the statement.

Anderson is the 18th men’s basketball coach in Missouri history. He spent time as a Missouri assistant coach under Norm Stewart twice, first from 1982-85 and later from 1991-99.

The head coach who will replace Anderson will be the fifth person to coach the Tigers since 1999.

“A national search will begin immediately to identify and recruit the very best person to lead Mizzou Basketball into the future and we will utilize the services of a search consultant to assist in the identification and evaluation of candidates who are capable of returning our program to national prominence,” Sterk said.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, the school has already decided to hire Dan Parker & Associates to handle the search.

_Edited by Eli Lederman | elederman@themaneater.com_