Thousands honor Kim Anderson and Central Missouri

Those last 48 hours have been a whirlwind for Kim Anderson. On Monday, it was capped off with a rally in Warrensburg. More than 3,000 supporters showing up for their national champs.

“Been overwhelmed the last 48 hours but it’s a happy day in Warrensburg,” said Anderson, a former Mizzou assistant and Sedalia native.

“(they are) the best fans in the world and this show us why,” said Paris native Jon Gilliam when addressing the crowd.

This is the 12th season at UCM for Anderson. The former Missouri assistant added a third Final Four to his name. But after a tough journey through the tournament, the title is even sweeter.

“We beat 3 ranked teams how they hung together and fought was tremendous,” Anderson said.

Coach Anderson received kind messages from many people he came across. But one person’s praise stands out more than others—Norm Stewart, Anderson’s former coach.

“Coach sent me a text message congratulating me. I hope he’s proud. I learned a lot from him he always told me to win a national championship and we were able to do that”