Mizzou hoops set to open up highly-anticipated season against Cleveland State

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

One of the most highly-anticipated Mizzou men's basketball seasons in quite some time will tip off on Tuesday, when the Tigers host Cleveland State.

The meeting with the Vikings is always an emotional one for head coach Dennis Gates, as that was the program he coached before coming to Columbia in 2022. And there's no shortage of familiarity between these two programs, to this day. Gates' former assistant, Rob Summers, is the head coach at Cleveland State and former player Tre Gomillion is on that staff as an assistant, as well.

"I take pride in building a tree, but also looking at the success of its branches," Gates said. "So, for me it's emotional to say, but also it's one that I look at with a smile versus tears of emotion. It's being proud of what Rob summers is able to do, but also what Missouri and what Cleveland State has able to do for his dreams and aspirations."

You can watch the full press conference with Coach Gates in the video player below.

That familiarity with Coach Summers and that program is something that Tigers are leaning on, ahead of Tuesday's season opening match-up.

"We're familiar with their offensive and defensive game plan and so just understanding where we should attack them. Last year, they like to shoot threes, but their personnel this year they're really downhill. So, just being able to understand as a team like kind of being the gaps, don't let them just get to the basket easily or get to the foul line. So, just being solid defensively," forward Trent Pierce said.

You can watch the full press conference with Pierce in the video player below.

Tuesday's game will be the first chance that Tiger fans get to see Coach Gates' new-look roster in action. Of course, that roster features a trio of exciting freshmen, including a pair of McDonald's All-Americans in guard Jason Crowe Jr. and forward Toni Bryant.

Crowe Jr., who was named to the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Watch List on Monday, scored 20 points in each of the Tigers' preseason exhibition games. It was a good start, but Coach Gates emphasizes there's still a lot of room for the rookie to grow.

"I think Jason will continue to get better. Obviously, when you have a young man getting the accolades that he's been able to garner in this preseason as a member of that Bob Cousy watch list, but also the Naismith list, only three freshmen in the country started on that list, so for me, we have a special kid. I never want to take him away from his strengths of scoring the basketball, but also the gravity that he presents on the court for any opposing defenses," Gates said. "What he'll continue to learn is the schemes of college basketball, and how he has to use his teammates to execute the schemes, more so than he did in the past. In high school, the gaps are different, the second line, third line are different. The second side and the third side is a little bit weaker, defensively. So, what I'm proud about is the way he's been playing defense. He's doing a great job communicating, great job leading and oftentimes he and I got to have our one-on-ones. And we do it often. A level of intellect in that conversation is a little bit of suggestion on back and forth, but not just me talking to him. It's him talking and communicating based off his lens, because he has a special lens that he sees the game in."

Gates is also expecting big things from his other freshmen: Bryant and forward Aidan Chronister.

"They're talented. And regardless of Toni Bryant and Jason Crowe Jr. being a McDonald's All-American, Aidan Chronister, you know, let's just put him right right there at that same level of impact that I think he can have on our team," Gates said. "Great exhibition season for [Aidan] and I'm looking forward to him continuing to show everyone else, including his teammates, how good he is. I think he's going to do that."

Outside of the trio freshmen and bevy of new transfers that the MU coaching staff brought to Columbia, fans will also gets to see a familiar face in Tuesday night's game against Cleveland State.

Forward Mark Mitchell returned to Columbia this offseason for his fifth year of eligibility, which is still up in the air with the court system. As of now, he has a temporary injunction against the NCAA, which was granted by a circuit court judge in Kentucky.

However, Gates emphasized he has to be ready for things to change on a dime.

"I have to be careful with that," he said. "I have to still build the program while thinking of the risk, right? At any point in time, Mark's situation can be turned back off. So, how do I keep the integrity of the team? I have to figure out if I'm going to start him or not, and I have not made a decision. So, those things play a role because you don't want interruption and growth taken away from the guys that long-term can benefit from that, like a freshman in Toni Bryant or even a sophomore Bryson Tiller. I want guys to be able, in their first year, to operate in a way that they're not interrupted. Mark has done a great job, the team has done a great job, but me as a head coach, that's the risk that I have to look into and figure out what I'm going to do."

Coach Gates said that he does still expect Mitchell to be a contributor for the Tigers, this season.

As far as preparation goes, for if Mitchell's situation does change, he said that his team is the same team whether the forward is on the court, or not. Gates is approaching this unique situation the same way that he would if Mitchell fouled out during a game.

"We still got to play our style. Bryson Tiller can do that and ultimately we have a different team than what you guys have seen in years past. Mark Mitchell had to uncomfortably be the leading scorer. Uncomfortably. But, that impacted his rebound per minute. I want him to get to what's going to allow him to be successful. His rebound per minute will allow him to be successful, but also his ability to put the ball in the basket and facilitate. He led the conference and assisted turnover ratio and that's not going to change," the leader of Tiger hoops said.

Although the team emphasized that this year's group is different than anything fans have seen in the past, Coach Gates said that the standards haven't changed. He wants to compete for championships...plain and simple.

On Tuesday, Pierce was asked why this year's squad is a championship-caliber group.

"The connectivity that we have as a team, on top of the talent level that we have. Just, if we can get all the pieces together and just get us going and rolling throughout the season, I believe once we get to the tournament, nobody can stop us," he said.

Mizzou will tip off the season against Cleveland State at 7 p.m. at Mizzou Arena on Tuesday.