Gates, simply, needs to establish more consistency with his program

[Shady]

From season to season and game to game.

[zuck698]

From season to season and game to game.

So deep!

[Rvrartst]

Consistency year to year has become difficult for a LOT of programs. Witness the whole SEC this year. After being terrific and getting 14 teams in the tournament last year, this year nobody is terrific and many are mediocre for a major conference programs. It's another product of the portal. If you can't retain all your pieces that you think are coming back, and either can't afford or misevaluate, you're toast the next year.

Gates has always had hits and misses on portal players; either they weren't as good as he needed them to be, or they suffered nagging or season-ending injuries. What if Mosley had been fine, and played as advertised? Or Tonje? What if Pierce and Stone had been healthy all season this year? Gates's biggest actual misses have been at the five. He had to settle for Diarra, Vanover, Gray, and now Phillips; each year he went after bigger fish. Probably partly because proven good bigs are expensive.

Maybe it will take a high school recruit that Gates can develop, keep for two or three years. And better luck on injuries. But I suspect that once he breaks through and gets to the Sweet 16 a couple years in a row, success begats success.

[acco40]

We had consistency with Kim Anderson. Be careful what you wish for.

[knttiger]

We had consistency with Kim Anderson. Be careful what you wish for.

[icon]

From season to season and game to game.

So deep!

Shady and shallow will go hand in hand.

[hdhntr148]

good point about how inconsistant SEC teams have been. AU destroyed the most talented team in conference AR at home then came up and looked bad against MU. MU whipped upon FL and then they go win 3 straight. One of most expensive teams KY is not good at all.

It's going to be a bumpy up and down year for the conference and definitely not the dominant teams you saw last year.

Stone and Pierce have been huge pieces since they came back and are contributing. TO has given you more offense than many of us thought he would. Crews has been best 3 point shooter but staff is playing him as much. Boating has had some pt but hasn't shown much offense. Mack has been not much so far.

[California Cardinal Fan]

We'll find out Saturday if the Tigers can build some consistency. LSU is 0-4 in conference, but they haven't exactly been pushovers. They almost beat Kentucky on Wednesday. The return of Stone and Pierce, and the ascension of Barrett, has given Mizzou a team well beyond what it had been. I think Barrett and Pierce might qualify to be called revelations. Now if only Mitchell can manage somehow to hit free throws and Phillips can up his game, primarily by not dropping the ball all over the lane, I dare to say this MU team can be genuinely and consistently dangerous, able to beat anyone in the conference.

Just to be safe, though, I took a screen shot of the SEC standings today just to hold onto as proof that for at least a few games, Mizzou was tied for first.

[Armchair QB]

From season to season and game to game.

Gates’ teams aren’t perfect and he’s young and has a lot to learn. But, he had 1 really bad season. Other than that, we’ve been competitive. Now that we’re healthy, we could (dare I say should) finish in the upper half of the SEC and probably make the tournament. And we have an excellent recruiting class coming in next year. I’d say he’s consistently putting us in position to have a good season.

Game to game? These are teenagers and some early 20 year old boys. Good luck.

[TheMajicMan]

I agree....

Jason Crowe Sr., father of top recruit Jason Crowe Jr., praised Coach Dennis Gates for his "synergy" and genuine care for players, noting how Gates' staff maximizes talent through a fast-paced, system-oriented approach that fits Crowe Jr.'s playstyle, despite sometimes dealing with roster turnover, emphasizing Gates' ability to get the most out of players by developing them within a strong team culture, not just relying on high-star talent.

System & Synergy: He highlighted the coaching staff's excellent synergy and ability to teach the game, creating a strong system.
Player Development: He sees Gates as someone who gets the most out of players, fostering a competitive environment where players thrive within the system.
Fast-Paced Style: Missouri's high-tempo offense aligns perfectly with Crowe Jr.'s game, allowing him to control the offense and facilitate, making him a threat on every possession.

[LCA1951]

The game has changed but our eyes have not. Continually looking at the past when watching Now Game. It is different

[dhsux]

We'll find out Saturday if the Tigers can build some consistency. LSU is 0-4 in conference, but they haven't exactly been pushovers. They almost beat Kentucky on Wednesday. The return of Stone and Pierce, and the ascension of Barrett, has given Mizzou a team well beyond what it had been. I think Barrett and Pierce might qualify to be called revelations. Now if only Mitchell can manage somehow to hit free throws and Phillips can up his game, primarily by not dropping the ball all over the lane, I dare to say this MU team can be genuinely and consistently dangerous, able to beat anyone in the conference.

Just to be safe, though, I took a screen shot of the SEC standings today just to hold onto as proof that for at least a few games, Mizzou was tied for first.

Pre season....this is where I thought this team would be, honestly. Maybe plus 1 more signature win?

This team SHOULD be right where they are.

[straight out of st louis robert ave]

Consistency year to year has become difficult for a LOT of programs. Witness the whole SEC this year. After being terrific and getting 14 teams in the tournament last year, this year nobody is terrific and many are mediocre for a major conference programs. It's another product of the portal. If you can't retain all your pieces that you think are coming back, and either can't afford or misevaluate, you're toast the next year.

Gates has always had hits and misses on portal players; either they weren't as good as he needed them to be, or they suffered nagging or season-ending injuries. What if Mosley had been fine, and played as advertised? Or Tonje? What if Pierce and Stone had been healthy all season this year? Gates's biggest actual misses have been at the five. He had to settle for Diarra, Vanover, Gray, and now Phillips; each year he went after bigger fish. Probably partly because proven good bigs are expensive.

Maybe it will take a high school recruit that Gates can develop, keep for two or three years. And better luck on injuries. But I suspect that once he breaks through and gets to the Sweet 16 a couple years in a row, success begats success.

Next man up is Trent Burns. Gates has developed TO so next player to develop and get PT is Trent Burns.
From what I have seen so far, Gates has his work cut out to get Burns up to speed! Burns can shoot "Threes" but that is about it! Burns needs to put on weight and gain more strength. Unfortunately, it is too late for this season.

[Rvrartst]

Consistency year to year has become difficult for a LOT of programs. Witness the whole SEC this year. After being terrific and getting 14 teams in the tournament last year, this year nobody is terrific and many are mediocre for a major conference programs. It's another product of the portal. If you can't retain all your pieces that you think are coming back, and either can't afford or misevaluate, you're toast the next year.

Gates has always had hits and misses on portal players; either they weren't as good as he needed them to be, or they suffered nagging or season-ending injuries. What if Mosley had been fine, and played as advertised? Or Tonje? What if Pierce and Stone had been healthy all season this year? Gates's biggest actual misses have been at the five. He had to settle for Diarra, Vanover, Gray, and now Phillips; each year he went after bigger fish. Probably partly because proven good bigs are expensive.

Maybe it will take a high school recruit that Gates can develop, keep for two or three years. And better luck on injuries. But I suspect that once he breaks through and gets to the Sweet 16 a couple years in a row, success begats success.

Next man up is Trent Burns. Gates has developed TO so next player to develop and get PT is Trent Burns.
From what I have seen so far, Gates has his work cut out to get Burns up to speed! Burns can shoot "Threes" but that is about it! Burns needs to put on weight and gain more strength. Unfortunately, it is too late for this season.

Burns is another one where Gates has had bad luck with injuries that never seem to heal. Had he been in good condition at the beginning of the year, the buy-in games could have showcased what he could do. What he lacks, at this point, is any kind of game experience, and the middle of the conference season is not the time to throw him into the fire. I think he moves well, he only needs to get his timing down to be a menace as a shot blocker, and yes, he can hit from the outside. Who knows if he stays for next year, but a year of being healthy and working on his game could pay off big dividends.

[Shady]

The LSU game is another example of an inconsistent Gates' team. This time, poor box out cost them a winnable conference game. Actually, the box out wasn't too bad early. But then the inconsistency cost them. Especially, early in the second half.

[Armchair QB]

I agree....

Jason Crowe Sr., father of top recruit Jason Crowe Jr., praised Coach Dennis Gates for his "synergy" and genuine care for players, noting how Gates' staff maximizes talent through a fast-paced, system-oriented approach that fits Crowe Jr.'s playstyle, despite sometimes dealing with roster turnover, emphasizing Gates' ability to get the most out of players by developing them within a strong team culture, not just relying on high-star talent.

System & Synergy: He highlighted the coaching staff's excellent synergy and ability to teach the game, creating a strong system.
Player Development: He sees Gates as someone who gets the most out of players, fostering a competitive environment where players thrive within the system.
Fast-Paced Style: Missouri's high-tempo offense aligns perfectly with Crowe Jr.'s game, allowing him to control the offense and facilitate, making him a threat on every possession.

I agree with that except for the player development part.

The examples of players who came here and left better are few and far between. Pierce is tracking in that direction, he’s definitely better now than he was as a freshman. Robinson improved a bit (really just played more) his sophomore year, but might have regressed now. Most of his best players are transfers who came here “who they are”.

If Gates could improve the player development aspect, he’d really be on to something.