Noah Carter gets emotional speaking about impact of assistant coach Dickey Nutt

On Feb. 1, Missouri assistant coach Dickey Nutt announced on social media he had been diagnosed with cancer. After Mizzou’s 68-61 loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday, forward Noah Carter revealed how Nutt has impacted him.

“I just want to say thanks to my lord and savior Jesus Christ for allowing me to play the game that I love, because every day it’s a blessing,” Carter said. “Honestly the only thing I can really think about right now is coach Dickey Nutt.

“[I] really wanted to get this win for him today. [It] definitely hurts, but I’m just thankful for his guidance and for everything he does for us. He brightens our day and, yeah, that’s all I can think about.”

Carter led the way for the Tigers, tallying a team-high 20 points and six rebounds while shooting 7-16 from the field. Nutt was not on the sidelines. After receiving his diagnosis, Nutt shared his plans for the rest of the season.

“After a recent checkup, I was diagnosed with cancer and will begin chemotherapy treatment in Columbia early next week,” Nutt wrote in a statement. “I have a great team of family, friends, colleagues, student-athletes and doctors surrounding me and since it is believed to be found very early. We are optimistic that I will have a full recovery. 

“I want to encourage everyone to get regular screenings for early detection and to get educated on potential risks and warning signs. I look forward to returning to Mizzou basketball and will be cheering the team on and scouting opponents until then. Miz!”

Nutt joined Missouri as an assistant ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. Nutt helped lead a turnaround in Columbia that accumulated in the program’s top season in years. The Tigers improved their record by 12 games in 2022-23, the seventh-best mark in the nation and the highest by a power-conference team.

Mizzou claimed its most wins in 11 years and recorded its best conference finish since joining the SEC in 2012. The Tigers also finished the season ranked in the Top 25 of the AP poll and earned their first NCAA Tournament win in 13 years.

Missouri hasn’t been able to find similar success yet this season. The team is 8-14 and 0-9 in conference play. On Saturday, Vanderbilt picked up its first SEC win of the season over the Tigers, leaving them as the only team without a conference win.