Forward Keanau Post shines in Missouri’s annual Black and Gold basketball scrimmage

Missouri senior Keanau Post has been heaped with praise for his growth on the court and as a leader since first-year coach Kim Anderson took over in April.

Post, a center from Canada by way of Southwestern Illinois Community College, showed the fruits of that labor Tuesday during the Tigers’ annual Black and Gold scrimmage at Mizzou Arena, which finished in a 35-35 tie.

“I feel kind of like Bud Selig in the All-Star Game,” Anderson said. “… There’s a lot of controversy back there. They wanted to finish the game.”

Playing for the gold team, Post led all players with 14 points on six-for-eight shooting, adding a game-best five rebounds in a 35-35 tie.

“I thought our big guys did a nice job,” Anderson said.

Junior forward Ryan Rosburg added a team-best nine points for the black team, giving Missouri’s post players a combined 23 points with eight rebounds and three assists in the 20-minute exhibition.

“My biggest fear was that we’d go out there tonight and everything that we’d practiced would just go up in smoke,” Anderson said. “We’d just run up and down and fire it, and we didn’t.”

Anderson was pleased with the Tigers’ aggressive defense and thought both sides played well for the first seven minutes before a lack of conditioning wore the guys down.

Missouri played without sophomore forward Johnathan Williams III, who remains limited with a meniscus tear.

There were too many turnovers — 17 combined in 20 minutes — and Anderson said Missouri needs to shoot better and defend better in transition, but the offensive execution wasn’t bad even if the teams combined to shoot 30 for 62, 48.4 percent.

Freshman Montaque Gill-Caesar finished with seven points and four rebounds in his Tigers debut.

“Definitely, I was nervous,” Gill-Caesar said. “I’m not going to lie.”

He also was excited along with fellow freshmen Namon Wright, who scored seven with three rebounds, and Jakeenan Gant, who also had seven points with a game-high five rebounds.

During the women’s game, Missouri’s best player, senior sharpshooter Morgan Eye, didn’t suit up.

“Morgan hurt her MCL in that clinic that we had, the coaches’ clinic,” Tigers coach Robin Pingeton said. “It’s just a sprain and she’s really working hard to rehab. She’ll be back this year.”

It was another Morgan, junior Morgan Stock, who took over the scoring load in a 39-31 victory by the black team.

Stock scored 11 to lead the gold squad, while sophomore Kayla McDowell chipped in nine points and freshman Carrie Shephard added seven for the victorious black team.

“I’m super excited for our team and what we have in store,” said senior Bree Fowler, a Staley graduate. “Our chemistry is off the charts and that’s going to push us.”

This story was originally published October 14, 2014 at 9:44 PM with the headline "Forward Keanau Post shines in Missouri’s annual Black and Gold basketball scrimmage."