Matt Painter seemed ready to become the next head coach at the University of Missouri. All signs were good.
The indicators, as late as this morning, pointed him toward Columbia. The school was about to make a home-run hire, replacing Mike Anderson with an even better coach.
Painter's success at Purdue had Tiger fans giddy. Who could have imagined he would leave?
But in the end he remained loyal to his alma mater. So Missouri athletic director Mike Alden will continue his quest while fans regroup.
Mizzou Nation is bummed out. But when fans are able to back away from the ledge, they will see that Alden has plenty to offer: a better situation than about 95 percent of the NCAA Division I basketball programs.
Mizzou is not an iconic program like Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky or Duke. It doesn’t have the crazy resources that Texas has; the wealthy Longhorns can operate by their own rules.
(There is no truth to the rumor that the UT athletic department runs the Big 12 Conference in its spare time. It just seems that way.)
But MU’s facilities are first rate, both for practices and games. Its boosters are very supportive, allowing the program to offer compensation packages ranking in the top 15 or so nationally.
Anderson left behind a solid nucleus of veteran players, with or without Phil and Matt Pressey. Also, some impressive recruits were considering Missouri before CMA's departure.
Unlike other major universities hiring new coaches this season, Missouri has a clean slate with the NCAA. No sanctions are looming.
Mizzou restored its high national profile with three NCAA Tournament trips in a row, including an Elite Eight finish, under Anderson. Quin Snyder’s unfortunate crash-and-burn has become a distant memory.
The Big 12 (Minus-2) figures to be an extremely high RPI conference with Colorado and Nebraska departing, Oklahoma ready to upgrade at coach and Billy Gillispie ready to revive Texas Tech.
Mizzou sits squarely between two large metropolitan areas, giving it a strong regional recruiting base. But Norm Stewart, Snyder and Anderson were also able to recruit nationally while coaching the Tigers.
As the highest-profile Division I program in the state, Missouri attracts extensive media coverage. Most of its games are on regional or national TV.
Although the university won’t admit every aspiring college student, it does offer enough jock-friendly degree programs to help its coaches. And Columbia is a classic college town.
Under Alden’s direction, the athletic department has made great strides across the board. Sport by spot, the school has upgraded facilities.
The football program goes to bowl games every year and the baseball and softball programs are nationally prominent. The overall athletic environment is very healthy.
Painter analyzed the situation extensively. He and his people explored all aspects of the job, the school, the community and the recruiting scene.
Given what he had going at his alma mater, he was in no mood to make a lateral move. To even think about leaving Purdue, he had to go where he could contend for national titles.
Stewart had Final Four-caliber teams but never quite got there. Snyder and Anderson reached the Elite Eight, then suffered slippage.
Now the next coach will try to complete that journey. Fans will remain anxious while Alden's search continues, but they should remember this:
There aren't many better jobs out there. There just aren't. Other coaches have seen what Anderson turned down and what Painter turned down.
Other coaches will be highly interested. Alden must shift his aim today, but he doesn't necessarily have to lower it.
Shaka Smart anybody? Brad Stevens? Dave Rose?
