Todor Pandov enters his second season as Missouri Basketball's Director of Athletic Performance. Pandov comes to Mizzou after serving as the Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Miami under head coach Frank Haith.
A native of Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Pandov brings six seasons of assisting at the collegiate level and three years of NCAA Division I collegiate basketball playing experience to Mizzou. Pandov earned three letters at Western Kentucky as a standout forward for the Hilltoppers. He had a breakout sophomore season in 2001-02, averaging 8.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. The Hilltoppers finished the year 28-4 overall and claimed Sun Belt Conference regular season and tournament crowns with an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The forward was slated to be a starter entering his junior season in 2002-03, but after scoring 12 points and grabbing five rebounds in 23 minutes at top-ranked Arizona in the season-opener, he went down with a season-ending knee injury.
It was actually that injury which fueled Pandov's passion for strength and conditioning.
"I wanted to know if there was anything I could have done to prevent the injury," Pandov said. "Could I have trained a different way? Could I have lifted specific areas more? I really became interested and studied it. That's why I am here. I want to help our athletes get the most out of their careers."
Prior to his time at Miami, Pandov spent two seasons at his alma mater, Western Kentucky, as the team's strength and conditioning coach (2008-10). He was part of a Hilltoppers program that advanced to the NCAA Tournament and won the Sun Belt Tournament crown.
"I'm excited to have Todor join us at Missouri," Head Coach Frank Haith said. "He has a tremendous grasp of what it takes to be successful at this level and will give our players a unique perspective with his collegiate playing experience. It's great to have Todor, his wife Kimberly and son, Mason, join us in Columbia."
Pandov actually spent two stints with Haith at Miami. He served as a graduate assistant on the Hurricanes' 2007-08 NCAA Tournament team. He also has familiarity with the Big 12 Conference, serving as a volunteer assistant strength and conditioning coach at Texas in 2005-06.
"I want to thank Coach Haith for giving me and my family this opportunity to join him at Missouri," Pandov said. "It's great being back in this area of the country. The passion for college basketball here (Midwest) is unlike any other place in America. Being a strength and conditioning coach, this is my favorite time of the year. We are going to get these guys physically prepared to play in the Big 12 Conference and that preparation starts immediately."
Pandov opened his U.S. playing career at Washington College Academy signing with WKU. He finished his career at Western Kentucky as a three-year letterwinner, while posting numbers of 480 points, 203 rebounds, 61 assists, and 28 blocked shots. He also played professionally in 2004-05 for Eiffel Towers in Holland, earning All-Star honors.
A 2003 graduate of Western Kentucky, Pandov and his wife, Kimberly, have one son, Mason, who was born in Miami on Feb. 6, 2008.
