Dennis Gates is doing the preseason rounds.
The Missouri men’s basketball coach, entering his third season with the Tigers, stopped by TV sets and the main press conference stage at Southeastern Conference media days in Birmingham, Alabama, on Tuesday, marking the closing stages of the preseason.
Gates fielded questions on a variety of topics, from specific first-year players to processing last year’s winless conference season to being a Black head coach.
Here are five takeaways from Gates’ conversation with the media:
New faces
Mizzou has 11 new faces this season, with five freshmen and six players who arrived via the transfer portal.