Mizzou Basketball Announces Four New Assistant Coaches

Missouri men's basketball announced its staff for the 2026-27 season on Tuesday, including four new hires.

The hires include Jason Crowe Sr., Zach Reynolds, Tavaras Hardy, and Jimmie Foster. Hardy will also carry the responsibility of being the team's offensive coordinator.

The group of new hires includes two assistants with close ties to Missouri's elite incoming freshman class, with Jason Crowe Sr. and Zach Reynolds. Crowe Sr. is the father and former coach to incoming five-star point guard Jason Crowe Jr., while Reynolds was the head coach for incoming five-star forward Toni Bryant at Zephyrhills Christian Academy.

Crowe Sr. was the head coach at Lynwood High School from 2017 to 2024, where Crowe Jr. played at for his freshman and sophomore seasons. Crowe Sr. earned Gateway League coach of the year accolades in two of those seasons. The two then played at Inglewood High School for the last two seasons of Crowe Jr.'s high school career, where Crowe Jr. became the state's all-time leading scorer.

Crowe Sr. also previously served as the president/director of Paul Pierce's The Truth EYBL teams, coaching the U16 and U17 teams.

Crowe Sr. had a professional career that lasted from 1999-2012, where he played with 14 total teams. He had stops in Ukraine, Bulgaria, Hungary, Australia and more during that time and earned the NZNBL MVP award in 2008, along with the most outstanding guard. He was a two-time all-star and three-time assist champion in the NZNBL, as well.

Reynolds spent the last season as the head coach Zephyrhills Christian Academy after spending four years in the same role at North Tampa Christian Academy, where he also coached Bryant. In those four seasons at North Tampa, Reynolds led the team to two state championships.

With Missouri recruiting Crowe Jr. and Bryant, both Crowe Sr. and Reynolds built relationships with the Missouri staff.

"Toni and the Missouri coaching staff have developed a great relationship the past few years," Reynolds said in a press release when the Tigers announced the signing of Bryant. "When Toni was in eighth grade, I reached out to (assistant) coach (Kyle) Smithpeters, visualizing how they play and how Toni could fit with their program. Since that time, (head) coach (Dennis) Gates has been in the gym the most recruiting Toni and developing a strong relationship off the court.

Both Crowe Sr. and Reynolds will also serve as player development coaches for the Tigers.

Hardy will join Missouri's staff after serving as the head coach at Loyola-Maryland from 2018-24. Prior to that stop, he had stints as an assistant at Georgia Tech (2016-18), Georgetown (2013-16) and Northwestern, his alma matter (2007-13). Hardy has coached seven future NBA players during his career. He went 66-110 in his tenure as head coach. In the 2020-21 season, he led the program on an impressive conference tournament run, with the team making it to its first Patriot League Championship Game after starting the tournament as the No. 9 seed.

Dec 11, 2018; College Park, MD, USA; Loyola (Md) Greyhounds head coach Tavaras Hardy reacts to pay in the court during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at XFINITY Center. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Foster also brings years of collegiate experience to the staff, serving as an assistant at Colorado State over the last season. Prior to that stop with the Rams, he had stints as an assistant at Bradley (2015-25), Green Bay (2010-15) and North Dakota (2009-10).

Missouri lost one assistant coach this offseason, with Steve Wright leaving the Tigers after one season to join the staff at Memphis.

Missouri returned other assistant coaches Ryan Sharbaugh, Kyle Smithpeters, Matt Cline, along with assistants to the head coach, David Nutt and David Carter.

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