Everything Dennis Gates Said at Mizzou's Preseason Pro Day

Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates hosted a preseason pro day for his team on Saturday, giving them an opportunity to show a summer's worth of work before the season starts, including a scrimmage and other drills.

Gates also spoke to the media once the pro day was done to discuss a variety of topics. Here's everything Gates had to say following Missouri's preseason pro day.

Opening statement

“Always a great day when you can come out and get better, or at least feel like your team has gotten better or improved. Our guys have worked hard tremendously from this point on. We got here June 1st through probably September 22nd, and we were more importantly worried about the assimilation, getting guys together, making sure they fall into the culture and everything else. Right now, we're in the phase of fight and focus, trying to galvanize everything that we're doing, making sure we’re getting on the same page. Obviously, game preparation. I'm just thankful for all our content creators, the media, the scouts from several NBA teams for at least coming out, looking under the hood to see what we have, versus waiting for the games. I owe these players a responsibility, and that's to protect their pro careers, but also push them and I think that's what today is about.“

On why a pro day is important for the program

“The pro day is important for a program because during the recruiting process, we sit here, I sit here and talk about development. So these guys have a file that the NBA keeps and the file represents their growth. Whether they’re with me or another coach, they're now a part of my program forever, and I want to make sure I build onto their files, making sure they have an opportunity to not only get a job, but keep a job and that comes down to personality characteristics, character, as well as skill development.”

On organizing the pro day

“So the one thing I want to credit is this: I tasked our GM Tim Fuller, Assistant GM NAME, with the task of growing this thing compared to what I was able to do on my own. When you have a staff to be able to concentrate on, you know, small tasks like this, they can put more time into it, whereas I can now just concentrate hands-on on the thing, so I credit our staff, especially our GM Tim Fuller, for today’s outpouring and obviously, today’s work.

I thought our players also have done a great job at preparing themselves, and it's one of those things where all hands on deck. So, specifically, sitting back [and] organizing it, given the task and seeing that come to fruition is very important.”

On knowing what he has on his roster right now

“I have an idea based off the recruiting, right? We go from the roster, on paper, when we were able to put together before June 1st, and then, obviously, once these guys are on campus and you have your team, you get behind closed doors, team building with Dr. Joe Carr, and we get to see what we need and what I need to improve on as a leader and as a head coach.. I'm thankful these guys allow me to push them, but I'm also thankful they allow each other some space to push and pull each other in the right direction, and that's always good.

We're in a phase now where we have to produce our execution, our playing style, offensively and defensively and that's where our staff, I'm impressed with what they've been doing so far. And it's just being able to put everything on one page and making sure each guy is going in the right direction.

On what has impressed him the most with how the team has come together

“You have first-year guys, not only answering our program as freshmen, but also sophomores juniors and seniors, and to see our returning nucleus to be able to lead in a way that eliminates a coach from having to direct these guys into every form of their transition. So, what I see is leadership, the growth of Ant Robinson and Mark Mitchell, but also, you look at T. O. Barrett, you look at Annor Boateng, you look at Trent Burns. Those guys are freshmen becoming sophomores; they have wisdom that they can give a first-year guy based off their experience. Now you look at our other guys that's returning Trent Pierce, you look at Jacob Crews, Those guys are elite at what they do and we want them to continue to move our program in the right direction.”

On the next steps of Ant Robinson’s development

“Ant Robinson, I truly believe, has been playing basketball in a desperate space, trying to cut out time for himself, trying to earn minutes, although he was not on one practice first team, he was still a starter last season. Now that leadership that I put him in has allowed him to be in this space now. I want to see him take more shots. That'll come by the minute increase. He and Mark Mitchell have to lead this team and min is played per game. And if they do their jobs, I believe our nucleus will be able, meaning the leadership, will be able to move the body, and our body needs to follow singles.

On Robinson’s three-point shooting development in the offseason

“The most important thing is trusting himself, trusting what he's been able to do. He's been a freshman, and we know that that transition was a big jump from freshman to sophomore year. If he can make another jump like that, I believe that's what these pro Scouts are wanting to see and he'll end up being a professional basketball player. But before that, his team could win a lot of games, and we need him to be able to take away from Caleb Brill and Tamar Bates' graduation.

He'll be able to now get a volume of three-point shots and attempts, but also the minutes. That is the most important part. He has to stay out of foul trouble, which I think he'll do. But he'll be able to play a volume of minutes that will allow us to go in the right direction.”

On Trent Burns’ injury progress

“Trent Burns, is the same statement that came out. His return to play protocol, he's already in it. It's great to see him do his rehab, where there's jogging, light running, things like that; he's on the treadmill. I trust our trainers, I trust our strength and conditioning coach, but also trust Trent. The only person who knows how they feel is Trent Burns/ And ultimately, he's still targeted to play in that first game or at least around the area.

On what has stood out about Shawn Phillips

“Shawn Phillips is a veteran in the SEC. You look at what he's done as a freshman, sophomore, junior, and this is his fourth year. He gives us a vertical threat around the rim, a shot blocker, but also a guy with elite athleticism, and rebounds per minute. He's planning a new system, so that'll take some adjustment, but I'm excited with what I see, but also how he's responding to his teammates.”

On what has stood out about Sebastian Mack

“Sebastian Mack is, along with Ant Robinson and Mark Mitchell, one of the top college players to draw fouls off the dribble. These are the elite free-throw attempts guys. Can get downhill, but he's a three-level scorer. What I do want him to do is get more comfortable, you saw him in his actions now, he has to learn to play with a little more pace, stop and go versus just one speed. And he's doing a tremendous job assimilating to our culture.

On attacking close outs on offense

“Being able to attack closeouts and get to the foul line, more importantly, we want to play with space, we have a five-out offense. I want these guys to be able to play with their instincts. But more importantly, play with our system. Our system is in place for a reason. It's the shell that which they can move and navigate. Now I want them to be able to read the defense, but allow them to do so with patience. And I think that's where a room or area that we have to grow in, whereas, you know, later in the season, I think our patience offensively is not where it needs to be.”

On pace on offense

“Fast, but patient. I want to continue to take care of basketball, which our guys are doing, and we play with elite pace, transition volume rate is something that we concentrate on, but we want shots before turnovers.

On the program’s momentum

“I sense the momentum of our crowd, our fans, our former players, our former alumni, and obviously current. What takes place is, you look at what we're doing across our athletics department. That logo carries in every sport, whether it's what gymnastics has done, whether it's what Dawn Sullivan is doing with volleyball. Eli Drinkwitz, football. I'm excited to be a part of this athletic department because when you can bring recruits on campus to watch a football game, when they start to talk about, hey, you're a gymnastics finished in the top, right of the country, or even your volleyball team is elite. That gives us an identity across the grid nationally and internationally, and I want that to always carry you.

I'm thankful for what our fans continue to do, whether it be on social media, the positivity that they bring whenever they post. It's not a negative, toxic environment. I want to credit them. I want to credit our fans who show up in the stands. Whether they're driving from North or even down from Blue Hills, from Kansas City to St. Louis, they're coming and sacrificing time to be in this arena, especially when you look at what we were able to do last season. And then our student body. They’re as electric as any student body in the country. They sleep outside overnight, and when they have allowed this environment to see what it is with their energy and enthusiasm, being able to have three top-five victories last season, two of them at home, is tremendous, and our momentum allows other programs in our department to reap. It allows them to take visits. And obviously host.

I'm thankful for our leadership, President Mun Choi, and obviously our athletic director, Laird Veatch, their wisdom and what they do and at that point, if you look at our curators, they've done great.”

On what Tim Fuller brings to the table

“It never gets easy. I still have to lead and manage and do so, but these guys lift the load off my shoulders, where I can fully concentrate in and invest in what I need to invest in when these details come out of need. What he has traditionally done when you look at his background, whether he's working with Nike, whether he's being a full-time assistant, whether it's being an interim head coach, whether it's being an executive at Overtime Elite, he's done this at a magnitude where branding meets, name, image, and likeness, name, image, and likeness and branding meets [our] current team, and that helps facilitate drive ticket sales, that drives fan engagement, that drives everything under the sun and having media here to narrate and tell the story not only with TV channels, but if you look at the local media and what they've been able to do, we have social media presence here. I think that is a new element in branding that you have to conduct and use and create. So I'm thankful of what Tim Fuller has brought to our program, to our team. I'm thankful with how our players have responded, but I'm thankful to be the head coach here at Mizzou.”

On the progression of Nicholas Randall and Aaron Rowe

“Both are running different races. Nicholas Randall, tremendous high school player, as well as Aaron Rowe, but they got two different paths, two different positions. So, the pressure that I'm putting on Aaron Rowe is elite to the pressure and similar to the pressure that I put on Ant Robinson as a freshman. He can do nothing right in practice. I am going to push him as a leader down the road, but not immediately. Nicholas Randall has to be ready to go. Whatever that is, whatever that means, on and off the court, but both of those guys come from great AAU programs. They're AAU programs have done a great job. Their high school programs have done a great job. They've had great players, and great coaches in their lives. So I'm very thankful of those guys choosing Missouri, choosing me to be their coach, but also trusting. These guys are trusting, and I'm excited to coach them and I'm excited to see where their future goes..

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