'Participants in Our Own Rescue': Dennis Gates Demands More From Missouri After Arkansas Loss
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Dennis Gates is rarely fiery. Following Missouri's 91-84 loss to Arkansas though, the second-year head coach strayed away from his usual calm demeanor, providing a honest reading of the state of his team.
"We have to be participants in our own rescue," Gates said. "No one's gonna feel sorry for us or have empathy because we hadn't won a conference game. We got to go out there and put 40 minutes of basketball together consistently."
Gates emphasized the need for his team to rise occasion in the high, unforgiving stakes of the SEC.
"There's a responsibility when you put on the jersey to go out there against the very best and fight," Gates said. "No matter whose playing, we have a responsibility to go out there and produce and do the things that we know can give us a win and do it for 40 minutes."
Wednesday against Arkansas, Missouri failed to put up much of a fight against the Razorbacks. The Tigers trailed by 10 after the first ten minutes of the game and would never pull back within striking distance. Gates was blunt in his assessment of the team's performance.
"We came out flat," Gates said. "I definitely apologize for our performance, especially in that first 10 minutes of the game."
The remainder of the season looks bleak for the Tigers as they are yet to show much evidence that they can consistently execute. Gates has often praised his team's effort in practice and their attention to each game plan but Gates feels that there's a lack of confidence once the team hits the court.
"But when the game comes, we got to just play that free and I don't think we are giving ourselves that opportunity," Gates said. "We have to take the risks."
The lack of consistent production has led to tough decisions for Gates to make on the sideline, unsure of what any lineup will truly deliver each night.
"We don't know going into the game, what stats we can really count on and what department we can get it from," Gates said. "So it's sort of like on the sideline, you're trying to figure out what you want, which guys are ready to play ready to produce at that moment."
Missouri's treacherous search for their first conference win of the season will continue this Saturday when they travel to take on Vanderbilt.
