Missouri hires former player Corey Tate to round out men’s basketball staff

Missouri coach Kim Anderson rounded out his coaching staff Wednesday with the announcement that former Tigers player Corey Tate would return to the program.

Tate, who currently coaches at Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Mo., and also directs the St. Louis Eagles of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League ranks, checked every box Anderson was looking to fill in replacing former associate head coach Tim Fuller.

Anderson wanted an experienced coach with championship-level success, a good recruiter in the Midwest, a coach with a track record of player development and one who also could serve as a mentor

“In Corey, we found someone who has been successful in all of those areas, and he is a former player who knows the type of program we want to build at Mizzou,” Anderson said.

Tate, who played at Missouri from 1994-97 on teams with Anderson as an assistant coach, is best remember by Tigers fan for his jumper in the closing seconds of double overtime to deliver a 96-94 win Feb. 4, 1997, against No. 1 Kansas at the Hearnes Center.

“It’s good to be home,” Tate said. “Once a Tiger, always a Tiger. My immediate plan and my entire focus going forward is to help Coach Anderson restore that winning culture I played in during my time at Mizzou.”

Tate, who graduated from MU with a degree in economics, started his playing career at Mineral Area College before transferring to Missouri for his final three seasons.

Last season, he led the Cardinals to a 27-4 record and a National Junior College Athletic Association Region XVI championship, the third during his tenure.

Tate’s teams also won six Missouri Community College Athletic Conference championships and was the conference’s coach of the year twice in 2005-06 and 2006-07.

“I plan to extensively help with Coach Anderson’s plans for player development,” Tate said. “I’ve been blessed to be coaching for 15 years now. I trust my understanding of game situations and hope to help our program make immediate improvements. Lastly, working with the many great people involved in youth basketball around the Midwest will be a pleasure of mine. Keeping great future Mizzou student-athletes close to home is a priority.”

Tate and his wife, Nicole, have two sons, Matthew and Sebastian, and two daughters, Alexis and Helen. He officially joins Anderson’s staff on June 15.

This story was originally published May 6, 2015 at 1:05 PM with the headline "Missouri hires former player Corey Tate to round out men’s basketball staff."