Dennis Gates’ experienced team looks to turn loss into lesson
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Mizzou men's basketball team took the first loss of the Dennis Gates era last Saturday against Kansas, but Gates said his experienced team is doing exactly what is needed to move forward.
"Guys know that they did not play their very best," Gates said. "We know that we did not make the shots that we normally make or defend how we normally defended. We just have to go out there and see it, learn from it, and then apply it."
Watch the full interview with Gates below.
"Whenever you have guys that have played games you get to see not just by talk but by actions, and in our practice after our film session, I saw great things and some great responses," Gates said.
With Gates' team continuing to get familiar with playing together, he said the thing that separated them and Kansas was the ability to string runs together.
"Whenever we were able to muster about two great possessions, that third of fourth possession ended with either a foul on our end, not another stop or a turnover," Gates said. "We have to create runs within games to offset a great team like Kansas."
As one of the six graduate students on the team, Tre Gomillion says it's important that the group doesn't believe in losses.
"We believe that every time we come out of a game and we don't win, it's a lesson," Gomillion said. "Saturday just showed what we needed to work on and humbled us, but at the same time, we are 9-1, we're proud of what we're doing and we still have a lot to do."
For others like freshman Aidan Shaw, this was their first time playing in an environment like the Border Showdown. While he looks to the more experienced players in helping him progress, Shaw also came to a realization this offseason about who he needs to be on the court.
"I started yelling every time I came out on the court this summer just to try to create a new character for myself because I see myself as kind of a nicer guy and on the court, I can't do that," Shaw said.
Up next - Mizzou will travel to the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic in Sunrise, Florida to take on UCF Saturday at 11 a.m.
