Fellow Coaches Recognize Dennis Gates as Regional Coach of the Year

The NABC named the head coach of the Missouri Tigers' the Coach of the Year for the Central Region.

Feb 5, 2025; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

The National Association of Basketball Coaches named Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates as the Central Region Coach of the Year, the NABC announced Tuesday morning.

In the Central Region, Gates was in the running with Kansas' Bill Self, Kentucky's Mark Pope and Iowa State's T.J. Otzelberger, amongst others. The region includes all programs in the states of Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska and Tennessee.

This adds to the growing list of recognition for Gates' job guiding Missouri to a 22-11, 10-8 Southeastern Conference record. On March 14, the third-year head coach was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Coach of the Year award.

The impressive season for the Tigers comes after a year where Missouri failed to win a single SEC game. The turnaround was in large part thanks to Gates and his staff recruiting a top-15 ranked transfer class, and the development of multiple returning players.

The planning for the 2024-2025 season started for Gates immediately after the previous one ended in the first round of the SEC Tournament.

"I sat here last year, and at that moment, I started building for this year," Gates said in a press conference after being eliminated from this year's SEC Tournament. "And we had that in mind, that in the forefront, making sure that we sat in Mizzou Arena on Selection Sunday, watching our name being called."

Missouri is set to compete in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years under Gates. The No. 6 seed Tigers will take on No. 11 seed Drake in the first round of the Tournament on Thursday at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan. The game is set to tip off at 6:35 p.m. and be broadcast on TruTV.