According to sources, Dennis Gates is the target in Missouri's men's basketball search.
There are still administrative steps to be taken, but sources said there was clear mutual interest between both parties.
Gates won back-to-back regular-season titles at Cleveland State and took his team to the NCAA tournament. He established himself as one of the country's top assistant coaches under Leonard Hamilton at Florida State.
He was 50-40 overall and 38-21 in league play in three seasons at Cleveland State.
Gates' experience at Florida State and three successful seasons at Cleveland State made him one of the most sought-after coaches in the current coaching carousel, as he drew interest from Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, LSU and a majority of the open major conference jobs.
Cuonzo Martin went 78-77 in his five seasons at Missouri. He is the first marquee hire in a revenue sport for the first-year athletic director at Missouri.
The school hasn't won a game in the NCAA tournament since 2010 and Gates takes over a proud program that has faded from relevancy in recent years. Frank Haith, Kim Anderson and Martin have all failed to win an NCAA tournament game. The school has never made it to the Final Four.
Gates was a three-time captain at Cal and started 34 games for the Golden Bears. He starred at Whitney Young High in Chicago before heading west for college.
He joined Hamilton's staff after a stint with the LA Clippers as a skill development coach.
At Florida State, Gates' reputation grew because of his success as a recruiter. He helped recruit high-end recruits like M.J. Walker and Terance Mann. He was a key staff member as Hamilton built Florida State into an annual NCAA tournament team.
Gates took over at Cleveland State on July 26, which was a late time in the coaching cycle. The program lost eight straight conference games to start the season.
Gates immediately injected a shot into the program, upgrading the roster and altering the trajectory of the program.
Cleveland State earned the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament after going 16-4 in the league. The Gates team won the league and finished with a 15/6 conference record.
At Ohio State, Gates' wife is a senior associate athletic director.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
