Dennis Gates hires special assistant to the head coach; makes other title changes
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Mizzou men's basketball coach Dennis Gates brought a former Missouri Valley Conference coach to serve as the special assistant to the head coach, on Wednesday.
Matt Lottich was the head coach at Valparaiso for seven seasons, 2016-2023, where he put together 108 wins. Lottich and the Beacons won a regular-season conference championship and helped the program to its first-ever Missouri Valley Conference Championship game in any sport in 2020.
He will come to Columbia with 10 years of total experience as both a head coach and an assistant, winning 184 games on the sidelines with three regular-season titles, one conference tournament championship and five invitations to postseason tournaments.
"I couldn't be more excited to add Coach Lottich to our staff," Gates said in a press release. "I have known Matt for a number of years and his winning experience as a head coach will no doubt elevate Mizzou. He had success leading a program in both the Missouri Valley Conference and Horizon League and his extensive knowledge of the game will be a tremendous asset to our staff and team. He fits perfectly with what we're looking to achieve at Mizzou."
Lottich started his time at Valparaiso as an assistant coach in 2013. He got the head coaching job in 2016 and won 24 games in his first season at the helm and capped it off with a regular-season Horizon League Championship. He also helped the program transition to the Missouri Valley Conference in 2020. That transition season was highlighted by a run in the 2020 Arch Madness Championship game, in which Valparaiso became the first team in Valley history to win three games to advance to the title contest after playing the opening round of the championship.
"I've known Coach Gates most of my entire life and the one thing that I've always known about him is he is a man of high character," Lottich said in a press release. "As I was transitioning out of being a head coach, I wanted to work with someone with integrity and knowledge of the game. I think Coach Gates fits that mold perfectly. He is a fantastic coach, a fantastic recruiter and excels in every aspect that it takes to run a program. Again, I would put his character above all of those things. I'm excited to get to work with him and the entire staff and at a special place like Mizzou."
Lottich also played college basketball at Stanford from 2000-2004. He and the Cardinals went to four NCAA Tournaments, including two bids as the No. 1 seed.
Gatets also announced some title changes for his other staff memebers. Ryan Sharbaugh will serve as the team's defensive coordinator. Matt Cline is now the Tigers' offensive coordinator. Chase Goldstein is the new Chiefs of Staff / Director of Basketball Operations. Finally, Dalon King is the coordinator of scouting and analytics.
