June 30, 2010

PowerMizzou Summer Sessions: Kim English

Over the next couple of weeks, PowerMizzou.com will speak with every Tiger basketball player who is currently on campus. Today, we start our summer sessions with junior Kim English.

PowerMizzou.com: Coach Anderson always talks about senior leadership. You only have one this year and he's not full speed. So are the juniors taking on that role this summer?


Kimmie English: "Yeah, we've always wanted that, even coming in as freshmen. But coach does a good job of kind of letting the team police itself and the leaders emerging. I think we are stepping up as the leaders of the team vocally. We've been here, we won 54 games in our two years and we're kind of leaders by committee. We all listen to each other. There's no one guy on the team. We are definitely listening to what each other has to say and hopefully that carries on to the court."

PM: I know you didn't reach the heights last year that you did the year before, but how big was last year just to show people you weren't going anywhere, that this program is here to stay?


KE: "It was a disappointment. Second round, 23 wins, 11 losses. Disappointment. We lost to a team we should have beat with layups and free throws and rebounding. But we lost so we've got to move on. Tough to end the season like that, but you have something to look back to and it gets you up every single morning knowing how we lost and when we lost and knowing we still should have been playing Washington that next week. Any Syracuse."

PM: Getting back to what we first talked about. I know you don't want to put yourself above any of your teammates, but with your personality, are you fine with being the face of Missouri basketball the next couple of years?

KE: "If that's what's put on me, that's fine. I'll live up to it, I won't let anyone down, but it's definitely not something I'm hunting. If I'm a guy with no name, no number and just Mizzou on the front of my jersey and I can go out and give us ten points, five rebounds and a win every single night and never have to do a media interview, I'd be the happiest guy in the world. If we win a national championship and I average ten and five with no name, no number, just Mizzou on my chest, I would be happy with that. But since people do seem to like my personality for some reason, I mean, I don't mind if that's what's bestowed upon me. But it's not something I'm hunting."



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