Dennis Gates honors trailblazers like John McLendon and Leonard Hamilton, vows to uplift the next generation of Black coaches

Coach Dennis Gates is all set to begin his third year with the Missouri Tigers. After a disappointing season where the Tigers finished 0-18 in the SEC and 8-24 overall, Gates is looking to bring better results with the team.

During the SEC media day on Tuesday, Gates spoke about his plans for the upcoming season. He was also asked about the lack of representation of Black coaches in the SEC, to which he said that young coaches across all backgrounds needed more opportunities.

Gates looked back at his coaching journey and thanked his previous coaches for taking a chance with him.

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"I just wish they had opportunities and the lens was a little bit wider," he said. "Give them the same shot that I’ve gotten as an assistant under Leonard Hamilton, head coach at Cleveland State University and now here at Missouri. So, I’m thankful for my path. My door is always open to these same coaches to share what was shared to me by those coaches that came before me.

"I stand on the shoulders of great people. I chose to go from Florida State to Cleveland State because John McLendon was the first Black coach in college basketball, got an opportunity at Cleveland State University.

"I heard those stories from Leonard Hamilton who I chose to work for by way of just people, networking and obviously one of my mentors was George Raveling, as well."

Dennis Gates' coaching career began with a graduate assistant coaching at Marquette. He then worked with California, Northern Illinois, Nevada and Florida State as an assistant coach before taking his first head coach position at Cleveland State in 2019.

McLendon is widely recognized as the first African American to head coach a professional sports team.

Dennis Gates shares his goals for the new season

For the 2024-25 season, Dennis Gates has five incoming freshmen and six transfers on the roster. This could help boost his chances of coaching the Tigers toward more victories. About his goals for the new season, Gates said:

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“Life happens in seasons, and in real life, you can’t start back at zero. That’s a unique part about basketball, or college sports: We’re 0-0, just like everyone else. ... I’m also thankful for what it teaches us.

"Most of our teachings, and you guys included, comes from not when you’ve stood on top but when your back was against the wall. So I’m excited to see where we are this season — not saying that it’ll be easy, but it’s a new season.”

The Tigers begin their 2024-25 season on the road against Memphis on Monday, Nov. 4.

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