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| Mike Anderson |
"I think it is safe to say that we are all big fans of Mike Anderson," interim MU president Steve Owens in a conference call. "We appreciate very much what he does on the court and particularly off the court. But any hypothetical contract negotiations, we don't confirm either their existence or their status."
Asked why he couldn't elaborate if a vote had in fact been taken, Owens said, "That would confirm or deny whether a vote had been taken on it, wouldn't it?"
Asked why he couldn't do that, Owens playfully said, "I could if I wanted to." He declined to answer further when asked if that suggested the board was not bound by that policy.
Multiple sources have told the Post-Dispatch that MU has prepared an extension, pending curator approval, that would bump Anderson's salary from about $1.5 million to around $2 million and add two years to his contract to have it run through 2018.
Those sources have said they believe that will be enough to keep Anderson at MU.
By logic, MU athletics would not have presented it to the board - as the sources said it would be - if it didn't have reason to believe it was the right deal to keep Anderson.
Anderson also is believed to be a prime target of Arkansas, which despite an avalanche of rumor has not yet been substantiated as making an offer to Anderson, who was an assistant coach there for 17 years.
Anderson by all appearances has gone about business as usual at MU since the Tigers were ousted from the NCAA Tournament last week.
He has been seen recruiting for the Tigers and participating in his usual Monday lunch-time routine of playing pickup ball at the student rec center. Mizzou players through their social media accounts have indicated no unrest as of late Tuesday morning.
None of which means Anderson and his agent aren't also entertaining an offer from Arkansas, though it certainly suggests an effort to make it appear he is staying at MU.
Many aspects of the situation remain unclear and seemingly fluid. Repeated requests for an interview with athletics director Mike Alden have been unsuccessful, and MU has not responded to a request to speak with Anderson.
Sources: http://www.stltoday.com
