Hannah's absence affects Tigers

MU will play five more games before the Big 12 Championship tournament.

By Lenny Goldman
Feb. 22, 2008

Senior guard Stefhon Hannah drives to the basket past Fordham sophomore guard Herb Tanner in November at Mizzou Arena. Since Hannah’s dismissal, other players have spent more time on the court to make up for the loss of their leading scorer.

Photo/Nick Jewell

DeMarre Carroll takes the ball upcourt against Kansas on Feb. 4 in Lawrence, Kan. Carroll said Hannah’s dismissal from the basketball program has resonated with the team on and off the court.

As the winter cold sweeps through Columbia, students walk around campus with runny noses and sore throats, but neither compares to the basketball team’s bug.

“Losing a guy like (Stefhon Hannah) hurt for a little bit,” forward DeMarre Carroll said. “We’re probably just a little sick right now, but we ain’t dead yet.”

The Tigers’ most critical symptom has been inconsistency.

With five games remaining until the Big 12 Championship tournament and senior guard Hannah officially dismissed from the program, coach Mike Anderson said he must find a quick fix in order to salvage a postseason life.

“I think that it’s almost become a habit to start over again,” Anderson said. “But I think one of the good things about it is that we’ve played a lot of guys, and they were able to step in and do a good job. Hopefully they can get a bit more comfortable.”

Sophomore guard Keon Lawrence is one of those players whose role has expanded as he becomes more of a go-to guy in the Tiger’s offense.

“Teams are keying on me now,” Lawrence said. “I got to do a better job when they’re keying on me to not go away and still be aggressive getting the ball. That’s one thing Stefhon did. He used to still come get the ball knowing he had to score.”

Carroll said Hannah’s dismissal has resonated both on and off the court.

“It’s tough when you lose somebody,” Carroll said. “You’re as close with your team as you are with your family. Everybody’s got to step up. Not one guy can just replace Stefhon. He’s a great player. He did a lot of great things for us.”

Hannah has spent about two weeks at home in Chicago. Because of his vacancy from Columbia, Hannah has not attended classes.

He was dismissed because he did not meet the team’s academic expectations.

“We’ve been playing with each other since back in the summer, and Coach does a great job of rotating the lineup, so we should all be familiar,” junior guard Matt Lawrence said. “It’s just like a guy getting hurt. He’s out for a little bit, and guys just need to pick up the slack for him and step up.”

Despite losing to Kansas State by 37 points on Saturday, Keon Lawrence said he learned a lesson from playing against star freshman Michael Beasley.

“Beasley, he don’t care who he plays — he tries to kill everybody,” Keon said. “That’s the mentality I had coming in here. When I got hurt I kind of lost that mentality, but that’s the mentality I’m trying to get back to. Like no matter who I play, play like I’m on the next level.”

While Anderson acknowledges that the team has a lot of work ahead of it, he knows now is the time to lay it all out on the line.

“I think at this time and point of the year you just want to see your team continue to go out and leave it on the floor and just get better,” Anderson said. “You’ve got to overcome a lot when you talk about losing one of your leading scorers, assist guys and steals guys. It takes time. I think that’s what you’re seeing.”

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Hannah's absence affects Tigers

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