Missouri adds men's basketball assistant

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Steve Shields, a former head coach at Arkansas-Little Rock, was announced Thursday as the special assistant to the head coach for the Missouri men's basketball program.

"We are incredibly excited to add Steve to our Mizzou Men's Basketball family," Missouri head coach Kim Anderson said in a statement released by the athletic department. "I have known Steve since my days at Baylor University when his father was the golf coach. I have closely followed his career since then, and I was always impressed with the way his teams played at Arkansas-Little Rock."

The winningest coach in UALR history, Shields led the Trojans to the 2011 NCAA Tournament and helped the program win five Sun Belt Conference divisional titles during his 12 years as head coach.

Shields will assist with non-coaching duties that relate to the program's management. Among his duties, Shields will monitor and track Missouri's recruiting efforts, oversee the program's budget, help scout future Tiger opponents and assist in coordinating Missouri's academic advancement and community involvement.