UPDATE: Missouri coach Mike Anderson says he's staying
COLUMBIA — Missouri men's basketball coach Mike Anderson is staying with the Tigers.
Anderson released a statement Saturday night confirming that he will be staying at Missouri and did not accept the offer from the University of Oregon.
Anderson said that he decided to listen to the offer from former Oregon athletic director Pat Kilkenny for family reasons. However, he said after talking it over with his family it confirmed that he would stay in Missouri.
"It's certainly flattering anytime another university notices what your program is accomplishing and when I was approached by Oregon I decided to listen," Anderson said. "All that quick conversation did was reaffirm that Missouri is home to us."
Missouri media spokesman Dave Reiter could not confirm what the details were of the offer Oregon pitched to Anderson.
Anderson is expected to returned to Columbia on Saturday night from El Paso, Texas, where he was participating in a golf tournament sponsored by his coaching mentor Nolan Richardson, to attend Sunday’s banquet. A report by the Oregonian said that Anderson had made phone calls to the parents of his players Saturday to confirm that he will be staying at Missouri.
The confirmation came after two days of uncertainty. Kilkenny met with Anderson on Thurday in El Paso, Texas to speak about the Oregon coaching vacancy. However after the meeting Anderson declined to comment one way or another about his situation.
The Kansas City Star’s Mike DeArmond spoke to Missouri Athletic Director Mike Alden on Saturday before Missouri’s Black and Gold spring football game. DeArmond reported that Alden has had at least three phone conversations with Anderson in the past 24 hours but that Anderson gave Missouri no assurance he will turn down Oregon’s offer, reported to be worth around $3 million per year (Anderson’s contract at Missouri pays him $1.55 million annually).
“Mizzou is the place we want him to be,” Alden told The Star. “We want him here. We made that clear.”
This is the second-straight year another school has pursued Anderson. After Missouri’s Elite Eight appearance and 31-win season last year, Georgia reportedly offered Anderson a contract worth around $2 million per year. But Anderson signed a 7-year extension with Missouri, nearly doubling his salary to $1.55 million.