Missouri is hiring wildly successful Cleveland State coach Dennis Gates to help rebuild a long-foundering program that has churned through seven head and interim coaches since Norm Stewart prowled the sideline in Columbia.
Gates, 42, took over Cleveland State’s program in 2019 and, after winning just 11 games in his first season, engineered one of the biggest turnarounds in Division I basketball. The Vikings went 19-8 and made the NCAA tournament last season, then went 20-11 and lost in the first round of the NIT this season.
Gates replaces Cuonzo Martin, who was fired after his third losing season in five years at Missouri.
Meet your new SEC men’s basketball coaches.
Florida: Todd Golden (San Francisco)
LSU: Matt McMahon (Murray State)
Mississippi State: Chris Jans (New Mexico State)
Missouri: Dennis Gates (Cleveland State)
South Carolina: Lamont Paris (Chattanooga)— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) March 22, 2022
Sources: Cleveland State’s Dennis Gates has emerged as the target in Missouri’s search. A deal isn’t done, and there’s still administrative steps to take. But there’s clear mutual interest between both parties.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 19, 2022
