We’re getting basketball coverage underway with a second Said and Unsaid for this week after a long press conference with Missouri coach Dennis Gates.
Here’s a look at what Gates talked about as the season approaches and what he left unsaid.
From his opening statement:
What Gates said: “We had a great summer with our additions. Recruiting process closed down, everyone moved in. We worked on team building, that was one of the first things we kind of concentrated on. We got different guys, all walks of life. Wanted to get them on the same page.”
What was unsaid: There’s a lot of new faces on this team (keep a look out for some ‘New Faces’ stories coming soon) and it’s going to take some time for everyone to gel on the floor. Gates has brought in a lot of transfers each year, 10 his first season, six last year and six again this year. Add that to the five freshmen on this year’s roster and that’s a lot of people living in Columbia for the first time. It’s going to take a little time for this team to fully learn to play together, but multiple players I talked to mentioned the family atmosphere Gates’ brings to the program and how that has helped them build relationships with their teammates, so maybe not quite as long as you might think.
On returners shaking off last season:
What Gates said: “I think they’ve been taught to shake things off at an early age. We have resilient guys, guys that have been through things, guys that have transferred. They weren’t born with a silver spoon. Adversity has faced them in their life at some point.”
What was unsaid: Nobody wants to talk about or focus on last season. Why would they? It was awful. But there are only a few returners who were regulars in the lineup by the end of last season in Tamar Bates, Anthony Robinson and Aidan Shaw, though I’m sure Caleb Grill didn’t appreciate his seat to the action as he rehabbed his injury late in the season. As I already mentioned, there are a lot of freshmen and transfers, so the focus is going to be on this year. Not responding from last season or shaking it off, just on moving ahead with a new team.
On the highly-ranked freshman group:
What Gates said: “I love our freshmen, but their characteristics, we saw that ... when they were communicating with us last season, when they were excited about moving in, when they were committed to our institution, when they looked past and beyond, you know, the surface of things, they dug deep. … One of their goals, and this is those guys talking to me, their goal as a unit, as a class, is for all five of them to go to the NBA. That’s an unbelievable feat to accomplish if it does happen. But they know they are all going to take different paths.”
What was unsaid: This is a very talented group. Anyone who has followed recruiting coverage knows that. Gates was able to hold on to all of their commitments through last season, so they’re here to be part of the buildup of the program. If they will all be here for three or four years, who’s to say? Especially with the transfers coming in taking minutes in front of them, I don’t know how much to expect from this group as freshmen, I’m sure we’ll see them a lot, but how quickly do they join the normal rotation? How many minutes will the team get out of the group early in SEC play? Those are still to be determined. There’s a lot of work to do with young players, but it’s definitely an exciting group.
On the defensive identity he wants for this season:
What Gates said: “It’s important to have a defensive team as it relates to low field goal percentage, being able to defend the line, meaning the three-point line and the free-throw line. We have done a poor job, I have done a poor job as a head coach, getting results in a free-throw game. Meaning, we’ve been bottom of our conference the last two years … We have length, we have athleticism, this is a better-rebounding team by nature.”
What was unsaid: Gates made a point in recruiting in the portal to get physical players who can actually get rebounds and have some presence in the lane. It’s been a rough go the past couple of years in the paint. Not one player on the team last year had the rebounding success necessary to lead a team, now the Tigers have three seven-foot players, one of whom, in Josh Gray, who has experience playing against SEC competition and playing for rebounds down low. The offense will need to have more presence in the paint as well. It seemed pretty clear to me, more so last year, that the Tigers were behind in free throws every game because they rarely played in the paint. You’re not going to draw as many fouls if you’re shooting 3s all night. So put those seven-footers in the paint, get some experienced transfers driving to the basket and that total number of attempts from the line will go up and the differential in total rebounds will look much better for Missouri.
Head on over to the Tiger Walk to discuss this story and so much more.
