Everything Dennis Gates Said to Preview Season Opener

Missouri men's basketball will open its season on the road Monday, traveling to the nation's capital to take on Howard.

The Tigers opened their season last year by hosting Howard, a game that Missouri escaped with a 77-62 victory.

Ahead of the team's debut for the season, head coach Dennis Gates met with the media via Zoom on Friday. Here's a full transcript of what Gates had to say.

Opening statement

"For me, I'm very excited about this year's team, excited about the work that we've put in from June 1 till now. Reflecting from our Kansas State game, it's one that you have to see how you can get better. And from that, we were able to watch film as a group and continue to get better. We're facing a tough Howard program, coached by Kenny Blakeney, coach that I respect so greatly. It's his sixth year, but he's someone with a well versed background at different programs, from Seton Hall to Harvard, definitely a good coach in his own right, one of the best in the mid-major level. They return a player of the year in Bryce Harris, who unfortunately had an injury last season and couldn't compete. But more importantly, he's back now, looking to return from their success, being able to go to two NCAA Tournaments, during that time of his healthiness, and last year he wasn't able to. So I'm excited about this game, the venture, the challenge, and it's not going to be easy."

On his takeaways from the exhibition against Kansas State

"We did a great job taking care of the basketball in the second half. I thought to be able to end that game with 11 or 12 turnovers, less than that was a great accomplishment. Being able to play multiple guys on our team and our program double digit minutes, that meant a lot. That's what I wanted to do, especially with our freshmen, Aaron Rowe and Nicholas Randall, and then when our with our newcomers, we have a great class of portal guys that I think can help us, and mesh that with the returners. So I was happy about being able to distribute the minutes and get guys reps and kind of give them an opportunity to show who they are to a tee. So I'm excited about that. Kansas State is a great program. Jerome Tang is a great coach. Being able to compete against an old Big 8, Big 12 rival is definitely a great thing."

On what center Shawn Phillips Jr. can add to the team

"Well, vertical threats. I think that's important in having a presence in the paint of his disposition. I think when you guys see him play, you're probably looking at man, we hadn't had that in some years here at Missouri, no matter what season it's been. And to have an athletic seven footer who shows potential, and not just potential, but if you look at his last 10 games, being able to average near double double, and flirt around with that, in addition to shot blocking, it's something that's needed in college basketball, it's something that gives you a edge, and it's a different threat offensively and defensively. He's quick off the ground. He has a high basketball IQ. His teammates love him. He's a great teammate. If I had to look at it, and to a tee, he's probably one of those guys, along with Ant(hony) Robinson (II) and Mark Mitchell, that has been a vocal leader for us behind the scenes and also in huddles."

On why they chose to play this game on the road instead of at home

"Well, twofold — It's very important for a couple reasons. We're given a budget for scheduling, and I have to, as the head men's basketball coach, to operate within my budget and use creative ways to do that. I inherited some games during my transition and some tournaments that I didn't think was conducive for our program. And to be able to buy out of contracts, be able to change contracts and things like that, that allowed us to spend more money in that area versus concentrating on single game. So as we got into last season, in addition to a home opener, Howard became a team that stood out because they were playing at Kansas. So therefore, I was able to look at it from a different perspective and innovation and go for a two-for-one. Simply because of budget, in addition to location of that game, we opened our season against Howard. They were at Kansas, so I called Kenny immediately and tried to figure out if we can get them to make that stop for our home opener last season. They committed to that, but also it gives us an opportunity to return the game, and contract says we paid a certain amount less than what you would normally pay a team. And it's not about always pay. It's about who that program is. They were coming off of a NCAA tournament, two to be exact. So it gave us a strength of schedule. It gives us a look based off of some SEC foes that we play.

He's a great coach, one of the best mid major coaches out there. I believe no one has done a complete job how he has, complete turnaround and a rebuild. So for me, I wanted to take the opportunity from a budget standpoint, in addition to who and what the program was about. It stood out that they were the best to do that with. From an educational standpoint, no matter what's going on in our country, we're still Americans, and we have a Capital, and I wanted our guys, no different than I did at Cleveland State, to have an experience at the nation's Capital. And at some point, big picture, our players are going to appreciate and look back that they were able to play at Howard. In addition to that, next season, they return a game, and instead of paying $120,000 we're paying them only a fraction of that. So, several things goes into it. The hostile environment will allow us to train a certain way leading into that point, no different than we did last season leading into the Memphis game, and then now being able to go in a hostile environment and give our very best, and that's what our guys are going to do."

On what he wants to see from the team in the first few games of the season

"It's about how guys mesh and team building and player development, and what we've done in our pursuit of excellence since June 1. Those those things come to fruition. And from an execution standpoint, we saw things show up, and I'm excited about it. Mark Mitchell, Ant Robinson, Sebastian Mack are probably three of the best college players at drawing fouls. They're all downhill guys, you look at their consistent stats in those areas, they've done a great job, so to speak, in that area of execution. In addition to that, you're able to see the growth of a T.O. Barrett, Annor Boateng, you get to see Ant Robinson's development, Mark Mitchell's development, all the work behind the scenes. You get to see the leadership of our returners, how they put their hands and arms around the new guys. And when I say the new guys, I mean our freshmen and those that transferred from other programs. No matter what research I've done during the recruiting process, Shawn Phillips Jr. has gotten better, Sebastian Mack has gotten better, Jayden stone has gotten better, Luke Northweather has definitely gotten better, and Jevon Porter has gotten better, so I'm excited about those guys out of the portal getting better, but also what they're able to give us as a program."

On the advantages of opening the season on the road

"Just think about our schedule. We're fortunate enough to have Illinois every year. We're fortunate enough to have a six-year contract with Kansas, and we're on our last two years, I would love to have that renewed, because it does so much. We did a home-and-home, a home-and-home, and now it's two neutral sites. In that respect, being able to have a SEC-ACC challenge, that's another factor in our scheduling.

You try to put your team in situations that works for you. Everybody runs their own race, and on Selection Sunday, that resume comes to fruition. The SEC conference gives us a bulk of games where we can earn our net rankings and everything else. So that's there. You want to galvanize your team. There's no better way to do that than on the road so you get a sense of team building, you get a sense of camaraderie. You get to uproot them, and then you have a slew of games where they're comfortable, especially with the end of the semester going through — I know everybody's not talking about academics during this NIL world, but kids do have finals — and they have a schedule where you can't have games on certain days, so we're not disrupting their schedule. So I want to get that part out the way early so we can build from there and then go into our neutral site games right before the SEC.

But we have some great, great games on our schedule. Last year at Memphis, that was a return game home-and-home, and obviously Howard University, which is a three-game series, two for one, being able to get on that road just gives you a different focus and a different training regiment leading into your first game. We were able to do that comfortably with a home game against K State. So now can we go out on the road and continue the things we've been working on all summer? The identity is what I want to build, and being on the road allows us to build that."

On how he expects Howard to test his team

"Howard will test us, it's not a matter of 'think.' They've had this game circled as well. There's no doubt about it. Think of their schedule. They had a game against ranked Cincinnati, two straight, three straight years as well, and they took them to the wire, should have won that game at Howard University. They were able to go to Georgia Tech, and against Georgia Tech, they were leading plus 10. Should have won that game. They were able to beat Bradley at Bradley. They were able to do a ton of things. And even last year, it was a four-point game, I think, with three minutes to go here at Missouri. So it's not about just what we have circled. They're circling us. They're preparing for us. They're going into this season trying to protect home court.

So I know it's going to be a hostile environment. I know we're going to get their very best, both as a coaching staff and as a program, from individual players, regardless who's on that roster, they return Bryce Harris, who was the MEAC preseason player of the year last year, but he was that was a setback with an injury. And I, I believe, I truly believe, this team would have went to three straight NCAA Tournaments had he been healthy. Well, he's healthy now. Sure, he has different teammates, they have about 10 newcomers, but that kid will play NBA, G league at some point, there's no doubt about it. But they they play a team game, and I'm excited to put my team, our program, on the road against a great program and a great coach and great players no different than the SEC would present the same problems and pose the same situation. So it'll be tough. It'll be a very, very tough game, and it will require us to be at our very best."

On how coaching Robinson has changed over the years

"Well, I'll continue to coach Ant Robinson hard. There's no doubt about it. That's the amount of trust that his parents have put into me to do that, in addition to our entire staff. Whether it's Matt Klein on the offensive end, Ryan Sharbaugh on the defensive end, we all have something to pour into Ant Robinson, and we've been doing that over the years. What I'm excited about is Ant Robinson being an upperclassman the game, slowing down the jump that he made from freshman to sophomore year. Let's see what type of jump he makes from sophomore to junior year. Those things are what is valuable when you have a returning nucleus, but also a person in a point guard position that knows your system, that can pass the culture from newcomer to newcomer, and also also be sort of like a translator in what I have to deliver to the group. What I want him to become is more vocal off the court, in addition to in huddles, he's been doing that. That takes time. Those things don't happen overnight.

So part of Ant Robinson's journey is going from 20 minutes of last year's play per game to let's see him over 30 minutes, and let's see what those stats, not necessarily efforts or new things that he'll do, but let's look at the sample size growing up to 30 minutes. And that's what I'm I'm curious about, and we'll see in real time."

On how the development of a three-year player like Robinson speaks to program's ability to develop players

"Well, think about this — Ant Robinson was on a defensive team of five guys that existed, four of them were upperclassmen, and none of them returned other than Ant Robinson, who was the only sophomore on that list. That makes him preseason Defensive Player of the Year at the point guard spot. And I think he's a all-SEC type of player. He'll get there. He'll get the respect in due time.

You look at the nucleus and the culture of teams that that went to the Final Four, they had a nice group of guys returning, and that's an element that you have to have. Yes, it's portal. Yes, it's high school, but you gotta have a balance of guys being able to return in your program. Have the experience in SEC play. And I'm excited not only what he brings, but the minutes he returned, the minutes that Trent Pierce returns, the minutes that Mark Mitchell returns the minutes that Jacob Crews, T.O. Barrett, who won some games for us, Annor Boateng, and I'm excited about what Trent Burns can bring to the table. I think we have a good group of guys that can put their arms around what my expectations are and pass it seamlessly to the newcomers. And those newcomers have been receptive to the coaching, but also to the leadership and being led by former players and players that have been here, regardless of where they're coming from and what level."

On the injury status of Pierce, Burns and Mitchell

"I think the best thing about about that is we put out those (SEC Availability) reports. That's a new rule. Being able to put out those reports on who's available and who's not.

I'm excited about what I've seen with Trent Burns and his development. Obviously, we're going to pace that. We're going to see where that is.

As it relates to Trent Pierce, we'll find out the same way, it was great to see him practice today. There's no doubt about it, but I don't want to force guys.

I think what we have seen against Kansas State is our depth, and that's what I focus on the most. That's why it's important to always have it. I think we have capable guys coming off the bench who can start that doesn't put us in a position to lose anything compared to years past, when we've experienced an injury.

I was excited to see, you know, Mark Mitchell and Ant Robinson and all our guys practice. I mean, we've had great practices. So for me, those are my specifics, and I'll dive into making a decision on who's available after I talk and meet with our trainer, but also meet with individual kids on how they're feeling."

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