Mizzou hoops has two new weapons. Here’s how coach Cuonzo Martin intends to use them
Mizzou basketball fans got used to seeing three Smiths grace the roster last season: Dru Smith, Mark Smith and Mitchell Smith, none of whom are related.
Which brings us to an interesting wrinkle: the addition of graduate transfer guard Drew Buggs. Obviously, he’s not another Smith, but his first name — phonetically at least — is the same as, well, Dru Smith’s.
So what will MU coach Cuonzo Martin and his staff do to keep straight all these similar names?
“I don’t know if it’s ‘D1,’ ‘D2’ ... who knows?” Martin said with a chuckle. “We’ll figure something out. I’m glad to have all those guys on board. They exude what we want in this program.”
Martin recently joined The Star’s daily SportsBeat KC podcast to discuss a number of topics, including the new NCAA name, image and likeness rules, what he’s reading during the pandemic and more.
He also shared his enthusiasm for Buggs and fellow incoming transfer forward Ed Chang.
After playing three seasons at Hawaii, the 6-foot-3 Buggs emerged from the islands with the school’s career assists record. He averaged 9.4 points, 5.4 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game last season in doing a little bit of everything for the Rainbow Warriors.
“He chose to come here because he felt like there was a great opportunity,” Martin said. “It also speaks volumes as him as a person to want to come be a part of this type of environment.”
Mizzou’s sell to Buggs was simple: playing alongside quality players, namely fellow point guards Xavier Pinson and Dru Smith. Martin said he won’t shy away from having all three ball-handlers on the floor — especially given how well the trio could mesh on the court.
Martin said he envisions Buggs becoming a scorer instead of just a distributor. That would shift some previous roles on the team, potentially moving Dru Smith into more of a do-it-all-role where he’s not always asked to score. Buggs’ presence should also open up the court for Pinson to continue attacking the rim.
“He’s a guy who can get to the rim,” Martin said of Buggs. “He’s really strong. Body is very similar to Dru Smith’s body. But he’s a guy that loves to pass the ball, to distribute. Now X and Dru Smith, guys who can score the ball ... we have him on the floor along with the other guys that we have.”
Chang returns to Division I basketball after a year at Salt Lake Community College, where he averaged 8.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Before that, Chang spent his freshman season with San Diego State. Mizzou has had an eye on him for a long time: Martin recruited Chang when he was in high school in Papillion, Nebraska.
Chang will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Tigers. Fans will like his three-point acumen — he shot it at a 41.2% clip last season. At 6-foot-8, he can slot in at Mizzou’s power forward position — one that plays on the wing often and hoists a lot of threes. He will likely battle Mitchell Smith and Kobe Brown for playing time, though with his three-point accuracy he could slot up to the small forward position, too.
“He’s one of those guys who’s going to be able to do a lot of things,” Martin said. “He’s going to stretch the floor wherever he is, and that’s a great asset to have.”
Whatever Chang brings on offense, the Tigers will still be a Martin-coached team — meaning Chang will have to earn his minutes on the defensive end.
Martin said he can bring aspects of what he learned with the Aztecs to Columbia.
“In high school, it was more offense for him,” Martin said. “Being at San Diego State helped him from a defensive mindset. He went off to Salt Lake junior college (and) he did a great job with his defense, running down guys, blocking shots, moving his feet.”