Mizzou men’s basketball coach Dennis Gates speaks at a news conference introducing him in the Albrecht Family Practice Facility in Columbia on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. Gates is the 20th head coach in program history, coming to Missouri from Cleveland State University. Photo by Colter Peterson, cpeterson@post-dispatch.com
Mizzou men’s basketball head coach Dennis Gates answers a question during a press conference introducing him in the Albrecht Family Practice Facility in Columbia on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. Gates is the 20th head coach in program history, coming to Missouri from Cleveland State University. Photo by Colter Peterson, cpeterson@post-dispatch.com
Missouri’s Kobe Brown, right, knocks the ball away from Kansas City’s Marvin Nesbitt Jr. during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Less than two weeks on the job, new Missouri men’s basketball coach Dennis Gates faces a lengthy and critical to-do list if he plans to put a more competitive team on the floor next season.
First, though, he’ll coach in Friday’s NABC Reese’s Division I College All-Star Game in New Orleans, as part of the weekend’s Final Four festivities. Gates is coaching the West Team — Liberty’s Ritchie McKay will coach the East — and coincidentally, one of his players is former Mizzou guard and Edwardsville native Mark Smith, who played last season at Kansas State.
After Friday’s game, Gates will quickly resume the job that’s paying him $16.5 million over the next six years. Here’s a closer look at five challenges that lie ahead for Gates as he takes over a Mizzou program coming off a 12-21 season, just the sixth 20-loss season in team history:
There’s no apparent rush to construct his coaching staff, but Gates could be closer to finalizing his crew of assistants after the Final Four, which is typically the sport’s biggest networking event.
Gates has $915,000 to spend on his three assistants and has said he’s been flooded with calls from interested coaches from around the country. A few of Gates’ Cleveland State assistants could be in line to succeed him — or could follow him to Mizzou.
Gates figures to have some staffers hired by April 7, which marks the start of the NCAA recruiting period when coaches can make in-person, off-campus contact with prospects.
Four Missouri players who finished the season on the roster are in the transfer portal and uncommitted as of Thursday. On Wednesday, freshman forward Trevon Brazile, the most promising underclassman on this past season’s team, committed to Arkansas. Among the other MU players in the portal, Javon Pickett, the senior leader of the 2021-22 team, could be a valuable asset on any roster. He’s not a superstar but a capable scorer and defender who’s coming off his most prolific season. Freshman point guard Anton Brookshire, sophomore center Jordan Wilmore and junior guard DaJuan Gordon have also entered the portal.
Senior-to-be Kobe Brown, the team’s top scorer and rebounder this season, would draw significant attention in the portal should he consider exploring the market, but as of Thursday, he’s one of six players still on the roster. Brown was an inconsistent offensive player as a junior and fought through bouts of foul trouble but ended the year averaging a career-best 12.5 points and 7.6 rebounds, good for second-team All-SEC honors.
Others still on the roster and yet to dive into the portal: Brown’s younger brother, freshman guard Kaleb Brown, freshman forward Yaya Keita, sophomore forward Ronnie DeGray III and junior guards Boogie Coleman and Amari Davis.
No matter who returns from this past season’s team, the Tigers have obvious needs on the perimeter. Mizzou shot just 28.1% from 3-point range, the worst in team history and 354th out of 358 Division I teams. The Tigers have one recruit signed from November: East St. Louis guard Christian Jones. Four-star forward Aidan Shaw asked out of his letter of intent when Mizzou fired Cuonzo Martin but has been in touch with Gates about possibly re-signing.
Othwerise, Gates will knock on all doors from one coast to another and beyond to collect talent. He’s already landed two transfers in Garden City Community College forward Mohamed Diarra and Milwaukee transfer guard DeAndre Gholston. At Cleveland State, Gates relied heavily on junior college recruiting. This past year’s CSU team featured eight players who arrived via junior colleges, from Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and one by way of South Sudan.
As for targeting specific positions, whether Coleman and Kaleb Brown return next season, the Tigers absolutely need more competent play at point guard — and might need more than one ball-handler to get that done. Gates has already been connected to several of the top point guards in the portal per multiple reports and recruiting outlets. Gates has already hosted junior college standout Sean East from John A. Logan College. Another compelling target is Bradley’s Terry Roberts, a first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference pick this year.
There’s a potential wild card in the market, too: former Mizzou guard Xavier Pinson, who left the program after the 2021 NCAA Tournament and spent last season at Louisiana State. Pinson had well-documented issues with MU’s last coaching staff, but he’s hinted on Instagram he’d consider coming back for another run at Mizzou.
There are prominent Mizzou donors pooling together resources to form what’s called a name, image and likeness collective to launch endorsement deals for MU athletes. Coaches can’t directly arrange for NIL deals or negotiate contracts for their players or recruits, but until the NCAA or the conferences construct stronger guardrails, the savviest coaches will orchestrate NIL opportunities into recruiting advantages. Gates is on board.
NIL, he said, “has equalized the college game.”
Dave Matter brings you the latest updates from the Mizzou sports scene.
Dave Matter is the Mizzou beat writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
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Mizzou men’s basketball coach Dennis Gates speaks at a news conference introducing him in the Albrecht Family Practice Facility in Columbia on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. Gates is the 20th head coach in program history, coming to Missouri from Cleveland State University. Photo by Colter Peterson, cpeterson@post-dispatch.com
Mizzou men’s basketball head coach Dennis Gates answers a question during a press conference introducing him in the Albrecht Family Practice Facility in Columbia on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. Gates is the 20th head coach in program history, coming to Missouri from Cleveland State University. Photo by Colter Peterson, cpeterson@post-dispatch.com
Missouri’s Kobe Brown, right, knocks the ball away from Kansas City’s Marvin Nesbitt Jr. during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)
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