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Mizzou Basketball Coach Leaving For Tulsa

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Updated 2:29 p.m.:

The University of Tulsa officially tapped Frank Haith, men's basketball coach at the University of Missouri, as its new head basketball coach on Friday afternoon. See the full announcement.

The original story begins here: 

The University of Tulsa is expected to announce Friday that Frank Haith will be named as head basketball coach after three years at the University of Missouri.

Haith was named AP coach of the year after his first season as coach of the Missouri Tigers in 2012. 

But he received a lukewarm welcome when he was hired at Mizzou.

“Me landing in Columbia wasn’t treated with a lot of yay, congratulations and all that stuff, but I was really not disappointed by that,” Haith said in April 2012 in New Orleans, the site of the Final Four.

“I was encouraged by that because it showed me the passion that was there in Columbia.”

The passion among the fan base toward Haith faded this season, however.

The Tigers missed the NCAA tournament for the first Time since 2008.

Haith would take over at Tulsa after his predecessor, Danny Manning, moved on to become the head coach at Wake Forest.

Sports have an economic and social impact on our community and, as a sports reporter, I go beyond the scores and statistics. I also bring the human element to the sports figures who have a hand in shaping the future of not only their respective teams but our town. Reach me at gregechlin@aol.com.
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