No way was bad weather going to keep the University of Missouri Tiger Caravan from making its appointed rounds in Cape Girardeau Monday evening.

Last year, the scheduled stop in Cape of MU athletic department personnel was canceled when weather problems kept the MU entourage from flying out of Columbia.

There were no such problems Monday -- although it was far from a sure thing after a severe thunderstorm whipped across much of the state and caused considerable damage in Cape and the surroundings areas.

"We planned to fly here again," said a smiling MU head football coach Larry Smith. "We were supposed to leave about 3 but we got a call about 12:30 and we were told we better drive."

So Smith, new head basketball coach Quin Snyder, athletic director Mike Alden, broadcaster Mike Kelly and various other support personnel were able to spend a couple of hours mingling with and speaking to more than 100 MU supporters at the Drury Lodge.

Not even the fact there was no power in the banquet room where the reception was held -- light from a few windows helped out a bit -- deterred the gathering.

Smith and Snyder are in charge of MU's marquee programs -- and ones that seem to have MU backers all over the state extremely excited.

For Smith, the excitement stems from his dramatic rebuilding of the once-storied MU football program that had fallen on extremely hard times when he took over five years ago.

Smith has led an MU gridiron resurgence that has seen the Tigers make consecutive bowl appearances, including a bowl victory last season.

"We've had a good time at all of these," said Smith of the Tiger Caravan, which has made numerous stops across the state in the past couple of weeks. "People are genuinely excited about the program and it's very important to get around the state like this."

Especially because the ability of Smith and his staff to secure many of the state's top recruits over the past few years has helped the Tigers turn things around.

"Recruiting in the state is so important," Smith said. "The last four years, 70 or 80 percent of the players on our two-deep were from the state. This year we signed 15 players from the state out of about 21 or 22 who were Division I players."

The football Tigers lost quite a few key players from last season's team, particularly on offense, including quarterback Corby Jones, tailback Devin West and several offensive linemen. But Smith believes others will pick up the slack -- and a stout returning defense will make for a smooth transition.

"You lose players every year. We lost some great players, but I think we have some good talent," he said. "Now it's their turn to take over."

Two local products will be in the program next year. Lineman J.P. Hall of Jackson, who attended Monday's affair, will be a redshirt freshman while wide receiver/defensive back Brandon Barnes of Sikeston will be an incoming freshman.

"J.P. was on defense last year when we redshirted him. He moved to offense this spring and I think that's where he'll play in the future. He's a backup now but we're really excited about his future," Smith said. "Brandon is a heck of an athlete. We think he's got a great future with us."

While Smith has now established himself at MU, the youthful Snyder -- he's 32 -- only recently was hired to replace the legendary Norm Stewart. Like Smith, he said the reception the Tiger Caravan has received has been tremendous.

"It's been terrific everywhere we've gone. People have voiced support about our program," he said. "It's important to get around the state where people can get a feel for our program. And we want to be able to recruit well across the state."

Snyder acknowledged that he's got some big shoes to fill in replacing Stewart. But he's ready for the challenge.

"It's an honor to have the opportunity to build on the tradition he built over the years," Snyder said. "The important thing for me is not to try and become him. He was a great coach and I hope to continue the success he had."

The basketball Tigers will return many of their key players from last season's NCAA Tournament team. So Snyder, who wants to turn his athletes loose with a fast-break style of play, figures good things can be expected.

"We've got a good group for next year and I'm excited about the team," he said. "We have some really talented kids who have some experience. I think we can be good."