Sunday Sit-down with Mizzou men’s basketball coach Dennis Gates

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

ABC 17 Sports Director Nathalie Jones brought on Mizzou men's basketball coach Dennis Gates to preview the 2026-27 season in this week's edition of Sunday Sit-down.

You can watch their full conversation in the video player above and find a full transcript of the interview below.

Nathalie Jones: "Welcome back everyone. It is Sunday Sit-down time. We are joined by the leader of Tiger basketball, Dennis Gates. Dennis, how's your school year going? How's everyone been?"

Dennis Gates: "Well, it's exciting. I am excited about another season here at Mizzou. New team, new identity, great coaching staff, so I'm excited about where we are."

Nathalie: "Well, it's funny because last time me and you were sitting down, boy has a lot changed since that's happened. I mean, Mark Mitchell, we were talking about him going to the draft now, obviously. What's been the challenges of trying to get Mark Mitchell back to Columbia?"

Dennis: "Well, I don't look at it as challenges first of all, it's just a moment where we're in transition as an overall NCAA and not just conference, so. You know when it comes down to it it's not just a Mark Mitchell situation, there's a lot of student athletes including CJ Gunn, who is just trying to figure out another way in terms of what the rules are to get another year. You know, they're one of many student athletes in this situation and it's not just basketball isolated. It's football, it's track, it's tennis, it's a whole lot of sports, every sport and I just hope these kids, as they pursue their legal rights, get the opportunity that they deserve."

Nathalie: "How do you navigate all these changes as a head coach? I mean, being a head coach nowadays, it seems like things change on a week-to-week basis. How do you navigate that?"

Dennis: "Well, my first season as a head coach at Cleveland State, that was the first year of the portal. So, for me, it's been this rebuild every single year, where before you could predict with the restrictions, the national letter of intent and the obvious other things that tied a student athlete to the institution. You know, you could predict the next four years of your career. Now, it just gives you the opportunity to build individually each year as student athletes who rightfully has a transfer opportunity, you know, in their futures, as they pursue excellence on the court and in the classroom."

Nathalie: "What could a Mark Mitchell being back on this team mean for this group?"

Dennis: "Well, Mark Mitchell is a kid that came to us when we were 0-19. And when you have a young man that believes in your institution and believes in you as a coach, that's very special and we saw him grow up over the years, the last two seasons. In addition to that, CJ Gunn gives us, you know, experience. They both are great players, so, it does help. Now, we did build this team a certain way and I would not take, either one of these kids if I did not think that they would help. But, also if it would jeopardize someone else. We didn't have to cut anyone we didn't have to, you know, take anyone's scholarship or anything else. So, it's a positive and we had the two opportunities open and we just wasn't gonna just bring anybody in. It would have to be a kid like Mark, a kid like CJ."

Nathalie: "What excites you about this year's team? I mean, there's so much buzz around this group, but what do you love about this group?"

Dennis: "I love the identity. I love where we are, I love our path, I love our experiences prior to this season and I love the puzzle that it allows us to piece together. In addition to that, I love how they have connected with each other. I love the growth that has taken place from June 1st until now. We're on a path, I think, that allows us to continue to get better. In addition to that, I love how the staff has reacted and how they have reacted to our coaching staff as well."

Nathalie: "To bring in the freshman that you were able to bring this year, obviously that's a lot of part of this excitement. A kid like Jason Crowe Jr., how do you see his role, I guess, evolving throughout the year, and how do you balance a kid being so young coming into the SEC?"

Dennis: "Well, yes, we have two McDonald's All-Americans for the first time, five in our school history prior, too. But, it just doesn't stop with Jason. I think when you look at his talent, it's unbelievable talent. Now, look at also Toni Bryant and his talent, look at Aidan Chronister and his talent. You know, although Aidan Chronister isn't a McDonald's All-American, he does give us an unbelievable player, a great shooter, a guy with a high basketball IQ. But Jason Crowe, when I say the talents there, also the talent at the high school level has done things that people hadn't seen in a while. I do think, you know, there will be ups and downs, but more importantly there will be more ups than downs. There will be more positives than negatives. He is a great young man, as humble as they come. He has done a great job leading. He's done a great job, you know, showing the players that he's just more than just a score and showing coaching staff. I've known this about him great passer, great scorer, but also great facilitator and, and I'm looking forward to the season as he continues to get better."

Nathalie: "Well, you balance that young talent with some experience, for sure, with a guy like Jamier Jones and Bryson Tiller and others. What do those guys, that you've seen from these practices, what do they bring to this group that's so unique?"

Dennis: "Well, the returning guys like Trent Pierce, just think about his IQ and what he brings back to the table. But, now think of Kennard Davis, his defensive ability. I think it helps that we have a kid that played alongside of AJ Dybantsa at BYU, but also a young man that can pick and choose in between the lines his aggression offensively and defensively. Jamier Jones, unbelievable athlete, open floor, without the basketball in his hands, great defender, you know, those guys are great. Bryson Tiller, I'm looking forward to seeing his growth. I would like his growth to be along the lines of what we saw with Mark and what we saw with Kobe Brown. I think that path, that jump in his career is needed. You look at Jaylen Carey, one of the best rebounders in the SEC. It brings us some things that we have not always had in our program, but it's exciting to see it unfold in our system."

Nathalie: "What do you want the identity of this group when fans pack in Mizzou Arena and they see this group play on the court? What do you want them to see that this team does so well?"

Dennis: "Well, when it comes down to it, I think when you are pursuing a national championship, you have to be able to defend, you have to be able to rebound the basketball and you have to be able to take care of the basketball. So, a positive-assist-to-turnover ratio, being a team that can also score points, but also defend at a high level. Those things are needed, those things are wanted. I believe we have the pieces to do it we just have to go out night in night out and accept that challenge and I'm excited to see it."

Nathalie: "There's so much buzz around this team. I mean, the nation is talking about Mizzou basketball. Do you guys hear that noise? Do you kind of let them feed into it at all, or is it something you wanna keep on the exterior?"

Dennis: "No, at the end of the day you have to just look at what you can control. I can't control opinions. I can't control rankings, but what I can control is this team's growth and making sure we get better as a unit. You know, when it comes down to hype you can look at recruiting, you can look at preseason voting, you can look at the external AP polls. Those things mean nothing until you get to that end and the Selection Sunday committee is the committee that you really have to be worried about. So, we scheduled a certain way. We have to make sure our matrix when it comes down to our shooting percentage, defensive percentage, and our wins above bubble we have to make sure those things take place as we move forward this year to protect a postseason opportunity."

Nathalie: "Well, I ask you every year, I think I know what your answer is gonna be, but the goal where you want this team to be this season?"

Dennis: "National championship. It is national championship. Detroit, Michigan. That is our focus, that has always been our plan. That's what we talk about we converse about it. You know, ultimately, you have to understand to get there you still have to have some ups and you have to have downs, you have to have moments that you get through in the season that allows growth. I hadn't seen a team grow without stress, without adversity, and we have to be able to handle the adversity. That doesn't mean we're throwing in the towel, right? Last year we didn't throw in the towel. We continued to put our foot on the shovel, dig our way into a opportunity and we gotta make sure we do it together. So, I'm excited about the personality of this team, but I'm also excited to see what those hurdles are that come up that we have to overcome."

Nathalie: "You've gotten this program to a few NCAA tournaments now. What's the biggest lesson I guess you've taken away from those appearances in those games?"

Dennis: "Well, three out of four seasons in the NCAA tournament, you know, every team, there's only one team that has the best tournament that they're satisfied with, but I do wanna make sure we continue to approach it in a way that is special. I want us to understand, you know, you can't compete for a national championship if you don't get to the tournament, so that is a landmark. That is an opportunity where we see our program grow. Now, we wanna continue to make the steps necessary to go beyond not just one game but two, not just two, but another weekend, not just two weekends, but three or four weekends, and we wanna have a parade at the end of the season. You know, that's important to talk about. You gotta have a vision, you gotta have a voice. Words are powerful, but my players know they know where my destination is, but there's a journey that happens before getting there. I wanna make sure we apply every facet of the game, every possible experience we can to the journey."

Nathalie: "The SEC has gotten so dang tough over the past few years, I mean the past decade really. How do you see the SEC shaking out this year? Who are you looking at?"

Dennis: "Well I'll say this. Although there's hype externally, in the SEC internally, it is a bloodbath, it is a difficult and one of the most, you know, competitive conferences in the country. I want us to make sure we get through those moments because, you know, if there was a preseason coaches poll, I don't think that would reflect what the outside poll is I think ultimately we're voted a little bit higher externally because they're looking at recruiting they're looking at certain things. But, internally, our program isn't voted as high, but what I do know is that we're up for the challenge. We'll need our fans, we'll need our support, we'll need our players and myself to be consistent, but our entire program has to continue to grow in a direction that's allowing us to get the results that we want. That's the most positive thing that I can look at. From a negative standpoint, there's gonna be downs, you're not gonna go, you know, undefeated, although we would love to. But, that is a very difficult thing to do in the SEC conference. We have some great coaches, those that have won national championships, those that have gone to Final Fours, but we also have some great players that I'm excited to see play as well."

Nathalie: "Well, Dennis, we're looking forward to the season. Thanks so much for hanging out with us."

Dennis: "Thank you, MIZ."

Nathalie: "For the rest of you guys, we'll be right back after the break."