18d ago basketball Edit

Gates discusses changes taking place for Mizzou's roster

Drew King • PowerMizzou

Basketball Writer

Dennis Gates doesn’t want to dwell much on the past.

Speaking to media members in a press conference over Zoom on Friday, Missouri’s head coach didn’t want to get into too much detail when asked what went wrong in one of the Tigers’ historically worst seasons in 2023-24. The reason, he said, was because looking back too much can distract from where he wants the future of the program to go.

“I don't look at it as as things going wrong. I look at next year, to be honest with you … There was some circumstances we could not control last year that I know you guys know full and you guys are aware of. So that's where I am with it,” Gates said.

Mizzou’s seen a handful of changes to its roster in the weeks since the season ended. Senior forwards Jesus Carralero Martin and Mabor Majak and redshirt junior guard Curt Lewis all exited through the transfer portal.

Gates said that Majak’s departure was always a part of the plan. The walk-on big man played for the head coach dating back to their time together at Cleveland State. After Majak graduated, he left to seek out a place he could earn more playing time, ending up at Coastal Carolina.

“There's not a time that he didn't consult with us during the recruiting process,” Gates said. “But we're excited of his future success.”

Gates said he has “no clue” if those will be the last of the Tigers to transfer.

PowerMizzou.com reported that junior and freshman guards Tamar Bates and Anthony Robinson II, respectively, are likely to return. Gates said the team’s put in the paperwork for senior guards Caleb Grill and John Tonje to receive their medical hardship waivers. When asked about what new assistant coach Rob Summers will bring to MU’s staff, Gates said that he was excited for Summers to develop the teams posts, mentioning Jordan Butler and Aidan Shaw by name.

But Gates also described the process of transferring as a two-way street — some players invite themselves into the portal and others get invited in by coaches. The only thing he knew for sure was that the deadline for underclassmen to enter their names was May 1 and that rosters across the country likely wouldn’t be finalized until the start of September when the fall semester starts for most universities.

Anything between now and then can and likely will change.

“You look at that part and you have to understand we're just in a change,” Gates said. “It’s normalized, but more so, we always want to see young people that we develop successful, and that's what we're able to see.”

Some of the changes taking place are already known, with the No. 5 freshman class in the country set to join the team along with Tennessee Martin transfer forward Jacob Crews. Gates touched on what he likes about each of the newcomers during Friday’s presser.

Gates believed four-star guard Annor Boateng was the first player to represent Missouri on the World Team in the Nike Elite Hoop Summit. He called four-star forward Marcus Allen “one of the best two-way players” the staff has signed out of high school. Gates said that Allen’s defense is ahead of his offense at the moment, but plays with a high level of intensity and that he’s excited to see him compete in the Iverson Classic next month. The head coach has enjoyed seeing the development of four-star big man Trent Burns over the course of the year. Four-star center Peyton Marshall played in the Capital Hoops all-star game this weekend — Gates said Marshall has a “great” personality” and that his physical transformation has been impressive. And three-star guard Antonio “T.O.” Barrett is just coming off a semifinal appearance in the Chipotle Nationals with Link Academy.

“I'm excited about this class simply because it's a very versatile class,” Gats said. “But they're great kids, great people, and they want to be here and I'm excited about them — possibly, some will come earlier for some voluntary status in May when their school is over. And some will have to wait until June 1, June 2 until they can start up. So that's the plan of them getting here so we can acclimate them.”

Crews was somebody Gates targeted early on in the transfer cycle because of his ability to shoot from beyond in the arc. The 6-foot-8 forward made 41.5% of his 3-pointers this season, which ranks 19th in the country.

“Having him already in the program, adding him to the guys that will return, I'm excited,” Gates said.

There’s a long offseason ahead. The moves Mizzou is making appear to just be starting.