11/3/2022 basketball Edit

Mizzou ready to learn in exhibition against Wash. U

Drew King • PowerMizzou

Basketball Writer

Less than a week away from Mizzou tipping off its season opener against Southern Indiana, there are still many unknowns for the Tigers.

That’s expected with a team that features a first-year head coach, a new staff and 12 new players. There are some things they won’t truly know until they step onto the hardwood and take on an opponent different from themselves.

That’s what makes Missouri’s exhibition against Wash. U on Thursday an important matchup.

“Having an exhibition game against a wonderful, wonderful Wash. U program gives us another opportunity to compete. This is a great program, great coach,” head coach Dennis Gates said. “Practice is very important as well. Every single day, we try to galvanize our personalities, our teamwork, our abilities to execute on both ends of the basketball.”

There are some things the Tigers have figured out on their own. Gates said Wednesday he’s learned the team can play in multiple ways. He’s got seven or eight players who are worthy of being in the starting lineup and expects to change up who the first five are based on matchups with their opponent.

At Florida State, Gates helped run a system that featured 11 or 12 players in the rotation. He ran the same system as head coach at Cleveland State. And now at the helm for Mizzou, Gates believes he’s got the talent to do the same.

Another thing the players have learned is how to form connections with their teammates, a quintessential task for a team with a high number of newcomers.

“The past three months have been great,” senior guard DeAndre Gholston said. “All the guys have been working with each other. You know, we try to embrace each other as family and we have. And the coaching staff has been great. Doing things to integrate us together and allow us to do things as a team. So it's been great, it's been fun.”

“Coach Gates is a really good coach,” senior guard Isiaih Mosley said. “So he makes us spend a lot of time together, off and on the court. So it's really good. You know, our bond in locker room is unbelievable. So I think that that's what helps us.”

The team doesn’t know how much of an advantage their versatility will actually be yet. They don’t know the ebbs and flows of playing with a rotation that’s constantly making substitutions. The chemistry they’ve been building hasn’t been tested.

Gates said he’s also still not sure how well the team will handle adversity when it hits, especially in the middle of a game, and who will rise to the occasion.

“I'm excited to know who will do that on the offensive end and the defensive end, because you have to get stops late in the game but you also have to be able to score and take care of the ball,” Gates said.

Missouri is now looking forward to playing in front its fans for the first time and dealing with the pressure that comes along with it. Gates is hoping his players will get to experience a sold-out crowd before Kansas comes to town on Dec. 10. He wants the team to feel comfortable in a packed house.

The Tigers will get their first taste of it against the Bears on Thursday at 7 p.m.

“It's really important,” senior forward Kobe Brown said. “We've all been talking about it since June, since we all came on campus, talking about how we couldn't wait to get in front of the fans. So it should be fun, it'll be a great learning experience and we're looking forward to it.”

PowerMizzou.com will have full coverage of the exhibition tonight. Parking and admission are general admission and free to fans.