Mike Anderson's apparent decision to leave Missouri basketball to rejoin the Arkansas Razorbacks as head coach leaves Mizzou fans in a bit of a quandary, but not just because their coach—who had multiple years remaining on a contract that the Tigers and the university were willing to extend to seven years, $2 million a year—is gone for good (allegedly.) It's because he had been so vocal in his no-comments-except-I'm-staying-forever Mizzou-boostery. Here, for your seething information, are some choice Mike Anderson quotes:
On March 17, he said he was—"bottom line"—"[planning] on being at Missouri", and "excited about what's taking place" there.
On March 13, just after Missouri was seeded 11th in the NCAA Tournament, he said, "I'm a Missouri Tiger." Which is the name, you'll recall, of Missouri's basketball team, and not Arkansas's basketball team. (They're the Razorbacks. The Arkansas Razorbacks. Which is one of a number of things that Mike Anderson didn't say he was.)
On March 4 he was a little cagier, telling the Columbia Daily Tribune that, to paraphrase, he was there, he was talking about Kansas. He was getting ready for Kansas. That's what he wants to talk about. He's got a big game coming up, so that's... his kids are excited. Kansas, Kansas, Kansas Kansas. (Kansas, you'll remember, was a team that Missouri was about to play, and not Arkansas.)
Except for the other thing he said: "I plan on being at Missouri for a long time, retire here," he said. Which is exciting.
So godspeed, Mike Anderson. A Missouri Tiger until the very end, which came startlingly fast.