Matter article on ISU game victory" No Porter No Problem"

Posted on: November 11, 2017 at 07:54:21 CT

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/mizzou/no-porter-no-problem-mizzou-wins-easily/article_55115c56-e098-5096-b0ff-32386074bf2e.html


COLUMBIA, MO. • The first capacity crowd at Mizzou Arena in more than four years erupted when full-throated public address announcer Aric Bremer first shouted the words MICHAEL … PORTER … JUNIOR during pregame introductions Friday night.

One basket later and Porter’s official college debut was over.

The preseason All-American suffered a “tweaked hip” during pregame warmups before taking the floor against Iowa State and came out just a minute and 40 seconds into the first game of the season — never to return.

Porter, who finished with two points and two rebounds in his abbreviated debut, slipped back into his sleeveless warm-up shirt, held an icepack against his hip and watched his teammates demolish the Cyclones 74-59.

Porter’s supporting cast barely blinked.

In the most anticipated Missouri home game since the last time Kansas visited Boone County five years ago, a sold-out crowd of 15,061 watched coach Cuonzo Martin win his first game on Norm Stewart Court — the floor’s namesake was in the house, too — while using a mix of newcomers and holdovers.

The Tigers (1-0) led by as many as 22 points, never trailed and held a traditionally potent Iowa State team to 39.3-percent shooting.

And they did it with their five-star spectator watching from the bench.

“I would say, honestly, we have a complete team,” said junior forward Kevin Puryear, who came off the bench for the first time in his career and led the Tigers with 17 points and eight rebounds. “Of course Michael is definitely one of our marquee players. He’s the number one player in the country, an extremely talented freshman. But we have a lot of guys who can play. Sometimes we don’t get enough credit for that, but this team is always ready to play. We have a lot of talented guys who are willing to share the ball. You guys saw that tonight.”



With all the attention on the newcomers Martin added to the roster during the offseason, the Tigers’ returning players proved they can play significant roles for this team, accounting for 40 points, 16 of 38 the team’s rebounds and nine of 17 assists.

“To start the season like that in front of a packed house and to get a win like that … and without Mike playing very much shows a lot about this team,” added senior guard Jordan Barnett, who scored 15 points, “that we have tremendous potential to be a really good team when it’s all said and done.”

While Porter barely factored into the box score, it was another freshman, East St. Louis’ own Jeremiah Tilmon, who scored the first basket of the Martin era with a strong post move 1:39 into the game. Tilmon struggled with fouls during MU’s exhibition games — Martin told him to pretend he had three fouls when the game began — but the 6-10 rookie played poised on both ends and finished with 14 points and snagged seven rebounds.

“He was an absolute beast down low,” Puryear said.

After Tilmon’s game-opening score, Porter added his first and only points on Mizzou’s next trip down the floor, a putback off Kassius Roberton’s missed 3-pointer.

Martin later said Porter told him before the game that his leg was bothering him. At halftime a team spokesman described Porter's condition as a "tweaked hip."

“He was in the scorer’s book ready to go and he just said, ‘Coach, my leg isn’t feeling right.’ That’s pretty much it,” Martin said. “I haven’t talked to the doctors, trainers, Mike, anything. But he was in the book, so that’s why he was on the floor. If we didn’t have him in the book I wouldn’t have had him on the floor.”

“His safety, his health is most important. It wouldn’t have mattered who we played. That’s all I have right now.”


With Porter already entered in the official score book, the Tigers would have started the game with a technical foul if he wasn’t on the floor to begin the game. Instead, he came out at the game’s first stoppage of play.

It’s uncertain if Porter will be available for Mizzou’s next game Monday night against Wagner. If not, the Tigers signaled Friday they can manage without the decorated freshman.


“The thing I tell our guys is we’re a good basketball team,” Martin said. “Mike’s a talented player, but we’re a good team. We’re trying to be a good program. As a staff we position practices if Mike’s not out there, how do we score the ball? Kevin Puryear’s a good basketball player. In my mind, Kevin Puryear’s a starter in this league. He just happened to come off the bench for us.”

Not long after Porter headed to the bench, his younger brother Jontay knocked down the team’s first 3-pointer of the season as the Tigers began to pull away behind crisp ball movement on one end and active hands on the other.

At one point midway through the opening half, players from last year’s eight-win team were outscoring the Cyclones 20-18 as Martin often had as many as four players from the Kim Anderson years on the floor together. By halftime the Mizzou lead grew to 39-25 behind a game-high 10 points from Puryear.

“Kevin Puryear’s a guy who has to bring the heat for us,” Martin said. “He’s been in this league. He’s battle-tested. He knows how to get to free throw line. He’s improved his shot. … He’s a guy we have to rely on.”

• BENFRED: What we learned about Mizzou

Earlier in the day, Mizzou’s past connected with its future when the school celebrated the first day of the season by unveiling a bronze statue of Stewart outside the north entrance of the arena. The ceremony was attended by more than 70 of Stewart’s players spanning five decades, including seven of the nine All-Americans he coached at Mizzou. At halftime, the players joined Stewart on the court that bears his name for one of the day’s countless thunderous ovations.

“We have the greatest fans,” Stewart told the crowd, including a genuflecting herd of Antlers in the student section. “You’ve been absent for a while, but you’re back.”

They were back for more in the second half as Puryear replaced Porter in the starting lineup and the Tigers continued the onslaught with a 10-0 run, fueled by three Tilmon baskets in the paint in the half’s opening four minutes. Robertson and Jordan Geist pushed the lead to 57-39 with consecutive 3s, followed by more back-to-back 3s by Puryear and Barnett.

Coming out of the final media timeout, Geist missed an off-balanced 3-pointer at the shot clock but Jontay Porter chased down the rebound and found Barnett alone on the wing for another 3-pointer, sparking the crowd’s final eruption on a night that unfolded differently than most expected but with a satisfying finish nonetheless.

• Cullen VanLeer started only 20 games his first two years in the program, but he was a surprise starter in Martin’s first game. The junior from Pacific, Mo., started at shooting guard alongside point guard Kassius Robertson. VanLeer, a career 30.6-percent 3-point shooter, missed his only shot attempt in 15 minutes but added two steals and an assist.

“Cullen is sound,” Martin said. “I didn’t realize he didn’t score a basket. But you can rely on him. … Cullen has to be shot-ready and move that ball.”

Robertson also struggled with his shot, missing nine of 12 shots in a team-high 34 minutes.

“I thought he did a good job,” Martin said. “I didn’t realize he was three for 12 until I looked at the stat sheet. As long as he keeps shooting the ball I’m fine with that.”

• A spot starter last season, Geist added five points, four rebounds and a team-best four assists in 24 minutes.

“I thought Geist came in and did some great things,” Martin said. “With his energy, Geist is a pest on defense. He gets underneath your skin. He makes you work. He’s stronger than he looks. He embraces those challenges.”

• Tilmon will forever be the answer to a Mizzou trivia question: Who scored the first basket of the Martin era? But he nearly missed his opportunity.

“Honestly the first two minutes of the game my adrenaline was rushing really hard so I had to tell Coach to take me out of the game,” Tilmon said. “I had to sit on the bench and get my breath. Then I was fine.”

• Not many people would have expected Jontay Porter to outscore his older brother, but in 18 minutes, the extra-young freshman who skipped his senior year in his high school finished with five points, four rebounds and three assists. He was active on the glass, handled the ball along the perimeter with aplomb for a 6-11 freshman and gave the Tigers energy on both ends.

“He’s a big guy, real strong,” Tilmon said. “And then he can pop. That’s one guy I know who can shoot really well. That’s why we have him popping more. His game opens up my game more. They down on me I can swing to him and I know he can make the shot.”

• Martin played 11 of his 13 scholarship players, everyone but sophomore forward Mitchell Smith and freshman guard C.J. Roberts. Martin has said he’d like to play around nine players in his usual rotation.

“We have a core of guys who will play the bulk of the minutes,” Martin said.