Texas A&M Head Coach Praises Mizzou's Dennis Gates After Road Win

After an impressive road win for the Texas A&M Aggies, head coach Buzz Williams took to the media table to answer his common flurry of questions. In that flurry, Williams ended up praising Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates for his recent success and put him in a category as one of the best coaches in the SEC.

“Coach Gates will be Coach of the Year two out of his first three years in the SEC,” Williams said. “You can probably research that as a sentence in your story. I don't think that that's ever happened.”

A lot of things could go into Gates winning the Coach of The Year award in the conference, especially the response Gates has forced on his team after Missouri's prior losing season. Not a lot went right for the Tigers last season and to see where they are now is impressive. That's drawn recognition from players and coaches across the SEC.

“It for sure hasn't happened, considering the adversity that they fought through last year with the injuries and all of those things,” Williams said.

There have been noticeable changes and areas of growth for Gates so far this season. His playcalling appears to be improved, as do his rotational decisions. He assembled a roster that plays well together and that's a reason for Missouri's success so far but Gates has shown growth himself.

That growth hasn't gone unnoticed. Whether it's a fellow SEC coach or a national media member, Gates is picking up more recognition for his coaching job this season as the game goes on. The more the Tigers continue to win, the more impressive it looks for Gates.

"He's very underrated as a tactician and you can tell throughout his career, not only as a head coach, but as an assistant coach, he was preparing for opportunities in specials,” Williams said.

His playcalling specifically, especially in special situations, stands out on paper. In scramble scenarios and particular, unpredictable moments of a game, Gates has plays designed and a script for those exact moments.

Gates is so good at coaching his team in those moments that Williams uses what he does as a guide. That's high praise from one of the best coaches in the SEC.

“Specials are as good as anybody in the country and I love studying them in the summer so I can steal a lot of it,” Williams said.

It could just be coaches speak, but the respect and admiration other coaches have for coach Gates is very clear. Last season when the Tigers couldn't stop losing, there was nothing but praise for Gates and his team, signalling that winning basketball was on the way.

That same message was reflected by what coach Williams had to say after his win. Though they won and picked up one of his team's best wins of the season, Williams took time out to talk about Gates. It says something about Willams as much as it says about Gates.

Gates and the Missouri Tigers will have another go at an SEC win at 8:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Feb. 12 against the currently unranked Oklahoma Sooners.

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