How Mizzou’s AD landed on Dennis Gates as right coach to win trophies for Tigers
University of Missouri president Mun Choi stood on stage in front of a crowd of administrators and fans, all gathered in the practice gym of Mizzou Arena on Tuesday to welcome Dennis Gates as the school’s new men’s basketball coach.
Above him hung several banners. One for each time the program had reached the NCAA Tournament — something many teams opt not to do because it’s seen as an expectation, not an accomplishment. The most recent regular season conference championship display was from 1994, the last conference tournament title from 2012. And there were noticeably no Final Four displays.
But Choi, and each person that followed, stood there and spoke of winning championships. He, athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois and their administration, believe Gates is the man to lead Mizzou there.
“We have very high hopes,” Choi said, speaking directly to Gates, “but we know that you’re going to show all of us and the nation that Mizzou basketball is back and is gonna be in charge. So, welcome and let’s get to work.”
The administration moved on from Cuonzo Martin less than two weeks ago following a 2021-22 season in which the Tigers finished 12-21 with a 5-13 record in conference play. It was the sixth time in the past 10 years that the program had finished below .500.
Now Missouri looks to Gates to turn that around. He managed a program rebuild at the mid-major level at Cleveland State, taking a team that had gone 40-89 over four years and only had three players left on the roster into a Horizon League regular season and tournament champion complete with a ticket punched to the NCAA Tournament in less than two years.
That was one of many things that stood out to Reed-Francois during her national search for a new coach.
Reed-Francois was already plenty familiar with Gates, though. He came on her radar during her days as a deputy athletic director at Virginia Tech from 2014-17. Gates was also in the ACC at the time as an assistant and then associate under Leonard Hamilton at Florida State, a program which had caught her administration’s attention for its consistent success.
“We kept wondering how is Florida State turning it around so much?” Reed-Francois recalled. “So I started asking people. And they said, ‘Dennis Gates. He is an incredible recruiter and he’s the real deal.’”
Reed-Francois started following Gates more closely when she moved on to UNLV. She kept his name on a list, knowing one day she might need to make a basketball hire.
Fast forward to when the coaching search started for Mizzou. The process was centered around a candidate profile Reed-Francois envisioned.
So what did that entail?
“High character. I like selfless, smart, hard workers,” Reed-Francois said. “Someone who has turned a program around, someone who’s a proven winner, someone who has an edge, someone who has a competitive drive and just a relentless devotion to the game of basketball. Someone who is going to be so passionate to not only recruit, but to bring people together — I think that was really important.”
She wanted someone who could achieve Mizzou’s goals of cutting down nets, but also prioritize graduating student-athletes and set them on a path to meaningful careers. She wanted to be able to trust that coach as a parent — not just for her son, who is set to join the team as a walk-on next season, but for anyone coming through the program.
She also wanted someone who embraced analytics and innovation. Someone who coached a fun and exciting brand of basketball that could draw fans.
With that profile in mind, Reed-Francois and her staff created tiers of candidates. Gates was included among the top category. And as they spoke with those candidates, both in person and on video, he rose above the rest.
“In Dennis Gates, we found a passionate, prepared and values based leader,” Reed-Francois said. “He has and will continue to recruit the best and the brightest. He will develop their talents and he is going to connect, connect and engage with people in our community. … He is smart, he is hungry and he is focused on winning. He is an exceptional teacher of the game. And I’m just very excited.”
Gates, 42, said it was hard to leave the program he built at Cleveland State and the relationships he formed there. He certainly had plenty of options to choose from, with interest from numerous schools with openings. But he felt like he could do something special at Mizzou, that he could accomplish his career goals with this program.
Those aspirations align with those of the administration, both sides set on lofty aspirations of taking Mizzou to new heights.
“My dream is to become a national champion,” Gates said. “My dream is to become a Hall of Fame coach. Mizzou has everything in place for me to accomplish those goals, those dreams, those aspirations … One day, we will cut down nets, hold up trophies. We will raise banners.”
This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 5:12 PM.
