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Fansided

Tim Fuller: Why It Didn’t Work

By Derek Franks

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We can call 2014-2015 for the Missouri Tigers the “Tim Fuller” experiment.

Why?

Because Fuller wasn’t expected to return to the basketball program after the departure of Frank Haith. Many even thought Haith might take Fuller with him to Tulsa.

When that didn’t happen, it was thought that Fuller would begin exploring other options. He field phone calls no doubt. But never was there any indication that he would bounce from Columbia, despite everyone predicting that he would.

As the Tigers continued there coaching search, there were a number of names tossed around. When they finally landed on Kim Anderson, analysts began asking what the fate of Fuller would be almost immediately.

Would Fuller want to coach beside someone who’s coaching styles and recruiting styles were dramatically different?

Would Anderson want to keep him on board?

These were both tossed out there, but both were answered. Fuller stayed, much to many fans surprise—but also pleasure. The fan base was in Fuller’s corner. They knew what kind of an asset he was.

Fuller’s goal was to set out and help ease the pains of such a radical transition from one coach and staff to another. He wanted to find the right medium between flipping the script completely on his players, and gradually growing into a new system.

But these things didn’t happen. For some reason, the personalities and coaching styles simply didn’t mesh.

For Fuller, he saw a once promising program get swallowed by sinking sand, and with no rope near by to fix it. While we are too early into things to know whether or not that is the case, to Fuller, it’s a lost cause. His job no longer matters at the school.

It’s unfortunate, but Fuller sees it as it is. Hopefully all parties involved find greener pastures on the other side.

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