Anderson works at restoring faith

~ The new Missouri coach meets with fans around the state.

MENDON, Mo. -- Past the sprawling Hampton Feedlot, downwind from the Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge, and down the hall from the alcohol-free prom posters at Northwestern R-1 School, the future of Missouri basketball wrestles with a gargantuan pork chop slab -- and lingering memories of a disastrous season that won't soon be forgotten by the Tiger faithful.

As with most sporting contests, the measure of new Missouri coach Mike Anderson ultimately will come down to wins and losses.

But after inheriting the public relations nightmare that was the Quin Snyder resignation, Anderson also has to win back disgruntled, disenchanted and disillusioned fans.

That means offseason trips to out-of-the-way places such as Mendon, population 208, where on Wednesday night at least that many people packed the Northwestern Eagles' matchbox gym to hear Anderson preach his message of renewed glory for Missouri basketball.

The former Alabama-Birmingham head coach and Arkansas assistant said all the right things. He promised a national championship. He paid homage -- again -- to legendary Tiger coach Norm Stewart, himself a country boy from nearby Shelbyville. He shook hands, cuddled babies and signed autographs in an after-dinner receiving line that would have done the governor proud.

Most of all, he connected with regular people, a sharp contrast to the sometimes erudite and often aloof Snyder, who quit with six games left in a season that likely would have ended with his firing anyway.

"I think Mike Anderson is really going to be something special," said John Byrd, 68, a retired mechanic at the Thomas Hill power plant. "He's got the attitude we need."

In an interview with The Associated Press before the Chariton County event, Anderson said he considered this aspect of the job just as important as preseason wind sprints and halftime pep talks.

"That's part of the makeup of your job," he said. "You've got to go out and visit with the people."

Anderson didn't get the evening's loudest cheers at the Missouri Spring Caravan, which earlier in the week visited Springfield and will be in St. Joseph on Tuesday. That honor went to wrestler Ben Askren, a national champion.

The new coach didn't crack the funniest jokes, not with sharp-tongued women's basketball coach Cindy Stein in attendance.

But make no mistake. Barely two weeks into the job, the spotlight clearly shines brightest on Anderson -- and he knows it.

"We're trying to build relationships with people and basketball coaches around the state," he said. "We are a part of the state of Missouri. I've been coaching for 23 years. I know the importance of that relationship."

There was nary a mention of Snyder, the Duke disciple of Mike Krzyzewski who took Missouri to four straight NCAA tournament appearances but also racked up 42 NCAA violations.

In Mendon, alumni, donors and a smattering of university curators past and present had only kind words for athletic director Mike Alden, who nearly lost his job over his handling of the Snyder affair, and Tiger broadcaster Gary Link, an Alden assistant who found himself caught in the middle thanks to an icy relationship between Snyder and Alden.

Snyder, who resigned in early February, said Link was dispatched by Alden to deliver an ultimatum: Resign now or be fired later.

Alden and Link denied that account and pair of university investigations stopped short of confirming it, but it still angered and embarrassed team supporters.

Anderson repeated his mantra of looking ahead, not behind.

"I'm looking to move forward with all the things that have taken place," he said.

Appearances such as the Mendon dinner will go a long way toward that effort, said Edwin Turner, a former university curator from Chillicothe.

"It's critical," he said. "It brings the university to the people."

Missouri coaches have traveled to Mendon, about 90 miles northwest of Columbia, since 1994, said event organizer Fred Carpenter, a Rothville bank president and a 1971 graduate of the University of Missouri.

"It gives the friends and alumni of the university a chance to visit with them face-to-face," said Carpenter, who was a football team manager while in college. "This is one of the few chances they get. They wouldn't be able to do that in Columbia."