Sources: Dennis Gates adding Duquesne assistant coach to staff
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Sources tell ABC 17 that Mizzou men's basketball coach Dennis Gates is set to fill the first of two open assistant coaching positions on his staff.
Duquesne assistant coach Steve Wright will be joining the Tiger men's hoops staff, following two years with the Dukes. He has made stops at the junior college, NAIA and Division I levels throughout his collegiate coaching career.
The news, which was first reported by college hoops insider Jeff Goodman, comes after former MU assistant coach Rob Summers and associate head coach Charlton 'C.Y.' Young moved on from their posts in Columbia.
It will actually not be the first time that Wright will work with Coach Gates, as he was the video coordinator at Cleveland State in the 2019-20 season. In addition to working with Gates, he also made a stop at his alma mater, Bowling Green, where he served as an assistant for three seasons before moving on to Duquesne.
In his first season with the Dukes, he helped lead the program to an overall 25-12 record, including a 10-8 mark in the Atlantic 10. In his debut season, Duquesne claimed its first-ever conference championship, which earned the team an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. It was their first appearance in the Big Dance since 1977.
Wright also has coaching experience at the high school and AAU levels. Prior to his time with Coach Gates at Cleveland State, he was the head coach at Princeton High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. He coached McDonald's All-American and current NBA player Darius Bazley. He was also named the Greater Miami Coach of the Year in 2018, while also bringing home district coach of the year honors.
You can find a complete look at all of the stops Wright has made throughout his coaching career below.
- Duquesne - assistant coach (2023-2025)
- Bowling Green - assistant coach (2020-2023)
- Cleveland State - video coordinator (2019-2020)
- Princeton High School - head coach (2017-2019)
- Under Armour's C2K AAU 16U - head coach/assistant director (2017-2019)
- 17U King James AAU - head coach (2014-2016)
- Columbus State Community College - assistant coach (2013-2016)
As a player, Wright played for Dan Dakich at Bowling Green from 2003 to 2006. Over the course of 78 games, he made 64 starts and averaged 9.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals as a Falcon. He led his team in assists in 2003-04, while he also led the group in steals during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 campaigns.
He spent his final season of college hoops playing at Northern Kentucky University, where he ended up as a Division II All-American in 2007. After that, he played professional basketball in both Germany and Finland.
