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

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMIZ)

ABC 17 Sports Director Nathalie Jones caught up with Mizzou men's basketball coach Dennis Gates in this week's edition of Sunday Sit-Down.

You can watch ABC 17 Sports Director Nathalie Jones' full chat with Coach Gates in the video player above.

You can also find a full transcript of the interview below.

Nathalie Jones: "Welcome back everyone. It is Sunday Sit-down time. We are on location in St. Louis and joined by Mizzou men's basketball coach Dennis Gates. Dennis, how's your summer been?"

Dennis Gates: "Summer's been a normal summer, it hadn't taken place. Usually, as a coach, you had a break in between summer school and spring semester, but now that's no longer because we're here dealing with the portal and making sure we have a roster. So, I'm excited about our last couple signees and I'm looking forward to putting it all on paper."

Jones: "Well, busy, busy times. But, I want to talk about why we're here in St. Louis, obviously, doing an event with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Tell me why this event, doing this youth clinic, was so close to your heart."

Gates: "Well, this youth clinic is very important. Giving back to your community is one thing, but also giving back to organizations that gave to you. You know, I remember days where not only going to the local park district, but going to the local clubs, right? You got Big Brothers Big Sisters organization that impacts your life and not only as a mentee but also as a mentor. I was able to give back my time before I became a head coach, but the most important thing is making sure you share your life to your players in full transparency and now it's their turn. They can say they gave back or are giving with a clinic of some sort impacting the kids, the organization like Big Brothers Big Sisters."

Jones: "To see the smiles on all those kids' faces, how important is this for your players to see the impact that they can make?"

Gates: "Well, I think those smiles, obviously, are very reflective during a time of need. When these young people go through adversity, hopefully, they can look back and understand that their life was touched, or whatever words our guys are sharing with them now, that those words that they get and remember can get them to the other side of the difficult moments. It's not a matter of if it's coming in their life, it's when it comes in their life. Ultimately, at some point, these young kids when they become adults or young college students, they too can give back to an organization and a group of young kids and pay it forward."

Jones: "We're in St. Louis, you obviously have a neutral site game against the [Saint Louis] Billikens coming up this year. [It's the] first time in a while that you guys are facing each other. Just tell me how that game came about. Why was it important to schedule the Billikens?"

Gates: Well, I think it's the right time.I think, ultimately, my responsibility as the head coach is to put this university and put our program, put our student-athletes and put our current students in environments that become memorable, so that they can give back as alumni and remember these moments, especially one that that is going to take place on the first Friday of this basketball season. This is a game that hadn't been played for 25 years. It's a game that's been played three times in the last 48 years, that's ridiculous. I hope in the next 48 to 50 years this game does not leave the schedule. I think it's important for both institutions. It's important for us. It's important for our future students to be involved, as they become high school students deciding on what institution to attend, that this is the walkway, this is the escalator that pushes them and moves them right to Columbia, Missouri, which is right down I-70, so I'm excited about it. I'm excited about us being able to get it past the finish line. I think both athletic directors, both institutions presidents and then, obviously, each board member on both schools' boards wanted it to take place once they heard the initiation and the initial conversations between me and [Billikens head coach] Josh [Schertz]."

Jones: "These historic kind of games have always seemed pretty important to you in your career. Obviously, bringing back a game like Nebraska, you see Saint Louis and, obviously, playing Kansas year-in and year-out. Why are these kinds of games that fans may remember from when they were growing up so important to you?"

Gates: "It's important to me and it's always been important to me. It's been a vision that I'm able to now complete and get to the finish line, but I've always thought about adding Saint Louis to the schedule when I first became the head coach. But, also think about the rivalries of the Big 8 and the Big 12. Yeah, we've had Kansas, we played Iowa State a couple years ago. What is that environment against Nebraska gonna look like? What will the environment, which could be, you know, unfortunately this could be the last Kansas game in a long time. This is the last year on the contract, so it had not been renewed yet, so just think about that ticket, think about that importance of fans being able to get there and then also look at what we're doing in Saint Louis. We played Illinois, but now adding a game like Saint Louis University, which is an NCAA tournament team, to our schedule is important. But, the most important people isn't, you know, being fulfilled is that Selection Sunday committee. I think it gives the Atlantic 10 a Power-5 conference game. It gives us another NCAA tournament team and that's what it's about."

Jones: "You mentioned to us this summer that you wanted the non-conference slate to be even more difficult, especially with the advent of the expanded NCAA tournament. Just, what's that looked like this summer kind of trying to piece that together?"

Gates: "Well, it's easy to piece it together. I've not attended an MTE. Usually, there's three or four games that you get. What I wanted to do is I wanted to add games. Marquette University is a great game in our base, which is a Chicago land at the United Center. Then, you look at Kansas City with Nebraska and Kansas. Now, look at Saint Louis here against Saint Louis University and the University of Illinois. I'm still looking for one more game and I'm gonna fight like hell to get it and it's gonna be possibly a high-major opponent and...I'm not just gonna settle and put our program in a disadvantage. I'm gonna continue to move forward, simply because, you know, we were at a disadvantage the last couple of years because we were under contracts and contracts that I inherited. So, I got out of a lot of Power-5 games that did not make sense and neutral sites that did not make sense and I wanted to make sure I started from scratch. Now, here we are three, four, five years later finally being able to start from scratch to build a non-conference schedule that makes sense."

Jones: "Well, your team's finally all together. I mean, what is it like to have the guys finally back in Colombia? What do you like about this year's team that you've assembled?"

Gates: "Well, I'm excited because you look at the growth of the first class, meaning Trent Pierce. I'm excited for him to have his senior year and, obviously, having the ability to be the starter that's returning, right? You also look at the portal class that we're returning, you look at the high school kids that we signed. I'm very excited about where they are, where they were, but also thankful that they chose me to be their head coach. We're doing something correct. We're doing something right. Ultimately, we'll continue to get better. What no coach ever predicts is what that team is going to be on the first day they get in the locker room together, so now I have to use my ingenuity and my influence to make sure we're heading in the right direction and that there's no distractions along the way. We want to stay injury free, but sometimes those bumps come in the road and we got to get through those tough times like we did last year. I'm excited with where we are and where we're going. I'm also excited about the staff."

Jones: "Yeah, I mean, to have where this program has gone, to have a Top-15 freshman class, to have a Top-15 transfer class, what does it say about how much this program has grown just in the years since you've been here ,that you were able to bring those kind of guys into Columbia?"

Gates: "This is year what for me now? It's almost like I'm starting to forget the number of years I've been a head coach at Mizzou. I'm excited about it, OK, but what we've been able to do, you know, it still hadn't accomplished my goals. I want to be in a national championship, I want to win a national championship trophy, right? That's the most important goal that I reset for every single year. Now, I do also want to win the SEC championship. I think a couple games here and there could get us that, but also we gotta, it's so delicate of a journey things gotta go right and, you know, I'm still excited about three NCAA tournaments in the last four years. I'm excited about that, no one can take that away, but there's still some meat left on the bones that I'm excited to be a part of that I'm going to continue to pursue, so to speak. Our players will be prepared to do so."

Jones: "I do want to ask about Mark Mitchell. Obviously, the [NBA] Draft is going to be coming up very soon here. I mean, what would a team get if they were to draft Mark Mitchell?"

Gates: "Well, first of all, Mark Mitchell can become a late first round pick, second round pick or not drafted. He can also, on draft night, sign a two-way contract. But, a team is getting one of the most versatile players in the country, great size, great strength, great ability, one of the top guys in the country at drawing fouls, but also a guy that can facilitate. We were able to put him in a natural position, ultimately a position where he facilitates, did a little bit of everything, brought the ball up the court. There's not a position he didn't play. He played the one through the five and I'm just thankful we had the right players around him and also his accolades and those things that he was able to do and that influenced a guy like Jason Crowe Jr., that influences a guy like Toni Bryant, [who are] McDonald's All-Americans. [They see] a McDonald's All-American who didn't make it at their first school, who then chose Mizzou as their final destination and these young kids wanted Mizzou to be their first and last destination. I'm excited about what we've been able to accomplish recruiting, but also putting that on the court."

Jones: "Dennis, we appreciate your time, we're looking forward to the season. Thanks for hanging out with us."

Gates: "Thank you, MIZ."

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