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Gates setting high expectations for himself, Tigers

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Dennis Gates got to share the stage with some of the best coaches in the country at the SEC men’s basketball Media Day.

Though he was one of six first-year head coaches at the Grand Bohemian Hotel on Wednesday, he seemed comfortable. Wearing a dark grey suit jacket and pants, a white micro-plaid shirt, a shiny gold necktie, a lapel pin of the Mizzou logo and a relaxing grin, he looked like he belonged.

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“To have the opportunity to compete while leading a program, impacting young men on the court, off the court, it's a dream come true,” Gates said. “I stand on the shoulders of my mentors, (Florida State head coach) Leonard Hamilton, (former USC head coach) George Raveling. They've instilled in me a lot of things. I've worked, I've played for some great coaches. (Former California head coach) Ben Braun, (former Colorado and Northern Illinois head coach) Ricardo Patton. I've been there, I've seen sort of how they've done things. And I'm excited to lead my program here — our program.”

Gates emphasized often that the team does not belong to him alone and that it’ll take more than just his own efforts to restore the program back to its previous heights. The connections between the players, coaches, administrators and fans are all important to him.

He realizes those connections won’t form overnight. But the challenge of bringing each party together and the ambition of sharing in each other’s successes is something that motivates him.

“I'm excited about bringing a group of guys who come from different places, no different than you have that idea of recruiting, and putting them all on the same page under one culture, under one community,” Gates said. “What I appreciate the most is the adults who have done their job in terms of getting our guys acclimated to the new city, pushing them in the realm of academics, training room, campus community, keeping them involved. It takes a village, man.”

Gates is fully confident he can turn around the fortunes of a program that’s fallen on hard times, but he doesn’t come off as bold or arrogant. It’s more self-assured — he’s done it before as an assistant and he’s done it before as a head coach.

“(Hamilton) would tell you that I thought I was the head coach when I was his assistant. He gave me opportunities to make decisions in-game, he allowed the role of me to be who I am, he allowed me to have that confidence that I have,” Gates said. “The confidence, the leadership, the guidance that he gave me to go out and run my own program for those three years at Cleveland State, it's come full circle. And it will always. I'm not where I want to be in life, I'm always going to continue to get better. And that's where I want my players to continue to get better each and every day. And with that mentality, you're able to have some great things happen.”

Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams went up against the Seminoles multiple times while Williams was at the helm for Virginia Tech and Gates was on staff at Florida State. Williams and Desiree Reed-Francois, then-deputy athletic director for the Hokies and current Director of Athletics for Mizzou, watched from afar as Gates helped Hamilton in building up his program into one of the nation’s most dangerous teams.

Williams expected Gates to eventually get his shot with a high-major school. And as someone who’s recently been charged with getting an accomplished SEC program back on track, Williams thinks Gates is capable.

“He's a star. He's an absolute star,” Williams said. “(I've) known him for a long time, known him since he was a player. I think he and his brother are elite human beings. I think he works at his craft incredibly hard. I think he's been preparing for this moment for a long, long time. Obviously, I know Desiree very well and have known Gates for a long time, and I have sung his praises from early in his tenure at Florida State.

“What he did at Cleveland State was not a surprise to me. The ability that he has to lead as a person speaks for itself, and I think what he's been able to do in a brief head coaching career says that he can lead an organization. I think he'll do great at Missouri. I think he's deserving of the opportunity. He's earned it. I think he works at it very hard. I think he's an absolute star. I always have.”

Gates’ debut on the Mizzou Arena sideline won’t come for another few weeks. The Tigers will hold an open practice on Saturday from 12:45 to 1:30 p.m. and host Washington University (St. Louis) for an exhibition game on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. before officially opening the season against Southern Indiana at home on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.

But the Tigers’ new head coach is eager to put his mark on the program.

“My focus is not on where the league will be next year or the year after or the year after that,” Gates said. “I have to put all my energy and time right here right now and in our conference where my feet are.

“My expectations is simple, and that's to get better every day, continue to challenge our staff, but also our student-athletes, and making sure that we're prepared by April. When I say April, obviously, the championship game is April 1, April 3 in Houston, Texas. And that's obviously a goal of every team across the country and obviously in our conference. That's what we focus on. It's just winning each day.”

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