Hannah puts priority on team success

Stefhon Hannah at least had the look of a satisfied person on Wednesday.

Slouching comfortably on a platform usually used by TV cameras in the Mizzou Arena interview room, Hannah easily answered questions about Missouri’s season. Many of the questions were about the disappointment of missing the postseason, and what the Tigers could have done to keep playing. Most of his answers were generic, reflecting what his coach and teammates said. There were games Missouri should have won, wins that could have at least put the Tigers into the National Invitation Tournament, and so forth.

But when asked about his own season, Hannah’s answers were slightly more surprising, especially for a player who had been named the Big 12’s Newcomer of the Year.

“I can’t accept what I’ve done,” Hannah said. “I mean, I haven’t done anything. I did get an award, but what’s that? I mean, I’m trying to do something better than that, you know.”

You would think that Hannah, one of Missouri’s more brash on-court personalities, would allow himself some satisfaction. Less than a week earlier, Hannah had finished a season in which he averaged 15.4 points, 4.6 assists and 2.4 steals per game, leading the Tigers in all three categories. His presence added something to the Tigers hadn’t had in years, an extra swagger and attitude that is necessary for a successful starting point guard.

Even in November, Hannah’s influence on the Tigers was obvious. After the Tigers routed Arkansas 86-64 on Nov. 30, Razorbacks coach Stan Heath predicted Hannah would have a successful career. And that was after Hannah had played only eight games.

“Some guys can either shoot real good, or they’re good penetrators or good passers,” Heath said. “He’s got the whole game. He shoots it. He handles it. He drives it on you. He makes passes.

That was a great pickup. That kid is going to be very, very successful.”

Statistically, Hannah probably would agree. But it seems like Hannah’s interest lies more with how his team does, not how well he accumulates steals and assists.

When asked Wednesday about what he expected out of himself this season, Hannah didn’t get into specifics. But, fromhis response, it was clear that he didn’t meet his own expectations.

However, it didn’t sound as if Hannah really even cared that much about his own production or statistics. He said his expectations weren’t centered around himself, but the team. And whether or not his team succeeded was the only way to determine whether he succeeded. Hannah said he didn’t succeed.

“I expected more, I expected to be playing right now,” Hannah said. “I’m talking about playing right now. That’s what I expected.

For example, Coach (Mike) Anderson installed in my head that I’m trying to win a national championship, that was my expectation before the season. It didn’t happen, we’re not even playing right now.

“I have to get into the gym and get better.”

Hannah’s statistical production hadn’t been matched by a Tiger point guard since Clarence Gilbert averaged 17 points and 3.2 assists per game in 2002. But in that season, Gilbert, a former shooting guard, played with Kareem Rush, Arthur Johnson and Rickey Paulding, three players who were probably capable of carrying the team to victory by themselves.

This season, Hannah didn’t always have that luxury. But as a point guard, it is his job to try to get other players to contribute. Conversely, Hannah’s nature is that of an aggressive scorer, one who wants the ball in his hands when his team needs a basket.

It was a balance that Hannah sometime had trouble attaining.

“He plays to win. But sometimes that can get you in trouble,” Missouri coach Mike Anderson said in January. “I’m trying to get him to understand. You don’t have to do everything. You have to trust your teammates. Sometimes some guys will make mistakes and he’ll try to make up for it.”

But it became apparent early in the season that Hannah was Missouri’s best player, the player the Tigers were going to need for success. And Hannah, named a captain before his first season in Columbia, seemed to take the end of this season personally, as if he didn’t do enough to get his team to where it wanted to go.

“We got to work, man,” Hannah said. “I got to do more pushing.

Like my teammates, more pushing me, I got to push more of other people to go in the right direction, be more of a leader.”

If Hannah does become more of a leader, you’ll probably have to hear it from some of his teammates.