A bounce in her step
Healthy Hanneman gives MU women an offensive boost.
Missouri’s Shakara Jones shoots over Central Missouri’s Rebecca Roberts during the Tigers’ 80-59 victory in an exhibition game at Mizzou Arena.
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Amanda Hanneman counts every pain-free step these days as a blessing after a ceaseless string of setbacks and surgeries hung over her first three seasons on the Missouri women’s basketball team.
Hanneman
“Words can’t describe it,” she said. “This is the chance I’ve been waiting for now for three years. I’m just taking it all in.”
But don’t let her joy fool you. The senior from Blue Springs, who last season averaged less than two points a game, proved yesterday she is here to play.
Healthy for the first time in black and gold, Hanneman carried the Tigers for much of an 80-59 exhibition victory over Division II Central Missouri at Mizzou Arena.
Displaying outside shooting the Tigers will need without departed guard Alyssa Hollins, Hanneman hit two of her first three 3-pointers and went into halftime with 18 points. She finished with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
“Amanda’s going to have a great opportunity to show why we recruited her,” Coach Cindy Stein said, “and I think she did show that, especially in the first half.”
For Stein, the performance was the brightest note in a solid first effort for the Tigers.
Among the positives: Missouri’s play inside. The Tigers shot 55 percent as junior Shakara Jones and sophomores BreAnna Brock and Kendra Frazier toyed with an undersized Jennies front. Jones finished with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while Brock and Frazier, both displaying a soft touch in the paint, added 10 and 12 points.
“I thought it was a great first showing for us,” Stein said.
The afternoon was not without an expected share of preseason struggles. Without senior forward Jessra Johnson, who sat out for precautionary reasons with a mild ankle sprain, the offense staggered early. The Tigers committed 12 turnovers in the first half and allowed Central Missouri to hang surprisingly close.
In one sequence, consecutive MU misplays — an overthrown lob into the post, and senior guard Toy Richbow stumbling over a teammate as she brought the ball up the floor — led to a five-point swing that evened the game at 17.
But Missouri responded with a 23-6 run to close the half and rolled from there. Besides, little could curb the Tigers’ excitement after a feel-good day from a team favorite.
For three years, Hanneman had struggled with injuries. She suffered a bulging disc her freshman year and, over the last two seasons, endured a stress fracture and two foot surgeries.
“Having my feet not right was just one big head game,” she said.
After a second foot surgery in the spring, Hanneman is finally healthy, and the difference has been clear. Yesterday, she started and was the top all-around player on the floor. She took a charge, had two steals and, during the first half, became the Tigers’ main offensive threat.
Hanneman beat Central Missouri from every direction. She hit a catch-and-shoot 3 from the wing, nailed a pull-up 18-footer, finished a layup off a backdoor cut and even darted into the Jennies’ passing lane to start a breakaway score.
“There were times when we probably could have gotten her the ball a little more,” Stein said. “That’s the great thing about her 20 points — we really didn’t set her up for anything. That was all Amanda right there creating her own opportunities.”
For the Tigers’ remade senior, it was a comeback game to remember.
Reach David Briggs at dbriggs@columbiatribune.com.
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