Ex-Cal Player Dennis Gates May Be in Minnesota, DePaul Coach Search

Speculation swirls around Gates as his Cleveland State team prepares for NCAA tournament game against Houston

Whether he likes it or not former Cal guard Dennis Gates will hear his name bandied about this week.

Now the head coach at Cleveland State, Gates’ focus is on Houston, the Vikings’ opponent in an NCAA tournament first-round game on Friday.

But because of his success at Cleveland State, a number of media outlets have speculated that Gates might be a candidate for the vacant head coaching jobs at DePaul and Minnesota. And if 15th-seeded Cleveland State should somehow upset second-seeded Houston, speculation about Gates’ future would grow and swirl around him for as long as the Vikings remain in the tournament.

Dennis Gates break down Cleveland State's game against Houston:

With the firing Dave Leitao at DePaul and Richard Pitino at Minnesota, two major Midwest head coaching jobs became available, and Gates seems to fit the profile of both after taking a Cleveland State team that had lost more than 20 games in each of the four seasons before Gates arrived to a 19-7 record in his second season this year.

Whether Gates would even be interested in those jobs is another issue entirely, but he deserves to be considered based on what he has done.

Gates, who played at Cal from 1998 through 2002, was known as a defensive stopper and team leader who acted like a coach while at Cal. Now Gates, immaculate in social graces and attire, is one of the few head coaches who still wears a suit, an issue Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer discussed with Gates. (Current Cal coach Mark Fox also wears a jacket and tie during games.)

Here are the reports that link Gates to the Minnesota job, followed by reports concerning DePaul speculation.

A report from KARE11, a television station in Minneapolis, said this:

One of the more popular names in coaching searches right now is Dennis Gates at Cleveland State.

Another priority at the Gopher programs is to have more diversity, while also hiring the best people for the job. Gates is now in his second year at Cleveland State and is the two-time Horizon League Coach of the Year. This year, his Vikings made the NCAA Tournament.

“You look at [athletic director Mark] Coyle’s hires,” says [St. Paul Pioneer Press Gophers beat writer Andy] Greder. “The demographics of the entire ‘U’ leadership and their head coaches and it’s a blind spot for them. It’s something that they have to correct. You want to hire the best candidate and, if also, they are a minority candidate, a person of color, that certainly helps.”

CBS Sports lists five head coaches who could figure in Minnesota search and Gates is one of them.

Gates just guided Cleveland State to its second NCAA Tournament appearance since 1986 in only his second year on the job. The program had endured four straight losing seasons before his arrival, but Gates has shown enough quick wizardry to warrant consideration for a big-time gig. Something to love about Gates is that he spent 2011 through 2019 as a Florida State assistant under Leonard Hamilton. If the goal is to build a sustained winner at a program that lacks the tradition of others in the league -- and that's what Minnesota's goal should be -- then the Florida State blueprint is a good one to follow.

The Daily Gopher also cites Gates as a possibility:

Dennis Gates - Cleveland St - Prior to earning his first head coaching job, Gates spent 2011-2019 as an assistant under Leonard Hamilton. But now, in just two seasons, he has lead the Vikings to their first regular season conference title since 2011. Gates is 41 years old and will get looks from many P5 schools with an opening.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports this:

Candidates to replace Pitino — based on early speculation — include San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher, Utah State coach Craig Smith, Arkansas coach Eric Musselman, Colorado State coach Niko Medved, Cleveland State coach Dennis Gates, Loyola (Ill.) coach Porter Moser and former Timberwolves coach Ryan Saunders.

Another CBS Sports story notes Gates could be a candidate at both Minnesota and DePaul.

Minnesota

: With Pitino off to New Mexico, names Minnesota should consider include these sitting head coaches: Arkansas' Eric Musselman, San Diego State's Brian Dutcher, Porter Moser, Craig Smith, Cleveland State's Dennis Gates, Colorado State's Niko Medved and Drake's Darian DeVries.

DePaul

: Dave Leitao is out, and athletic director DeWayne Peevy gets his first chance to make a hire that can transform a dormant program. Sources say the school will cast a decently wide net, but it feels like New York Knicks assistant Kenny Payne, along with Gates and Moser, are the top three options to consider here. You'll get a yes from at least one of those, and I'd lean that the next coach will come from this group.

The Athletic says it quite clearly with its headline: “DePaul basketball coaching candidates: Jon Scheyer, Dennis Gates, Porter Moser are names to watch.”

The photo atop the story is of Dennis Gates.

And finally, the Chicago Sun-Times has a rather long assessment of Gates as a potential DePaul head coach:

DePaul would be a step up for Gates in every level and in every way, including pay. But he has already been mentioned as a candidate for other open jobs in high-major conferences, including Penn State.

Gates has lengthy ties to Chicago and would be coming home. He’s a Chicago native who won a state championship at Young in 1998 with former DePaul great Quentin Richardson. While there isn’t a whole lot on the head coaching résumé, he’s done a terrific job in two short seasons at Cleveland State.

This comes after spending eight successful years and playing an instrumental role under coach Leonard Hamilton at Florida State. Gates was a part of four NCAA Tournament teams at FSU, including an Elite Eight team in 2018 and a Sweet Sixteen team in 2019.

He’s in just his second season as head coach at Cleveland State. But the one-year turnaround is impressive. Gates is already a two-time Horizon League Coach of the Year. His teams pressure you, play extremely hard and play for him, which is a credit to Gates immediately being able to implement his style and buy-in.

Gates took over a struggling program with virtually no players and went 11-21 a year ago. This past season was a complete reversal as Gates led the Vikings to a 19-7 mark and a regular season Horizon League championship and conference tournament title. Now Cleveland State is headed to the NCAA Tournament for just the third time in program history.

Cleveland State is considered a very tough job. The fact Gates has done what he’s done in a short period of time is even more stunning.

But is DePaul in position at this particular time to hire an up-and-coming coach who has won a total of two Division I games outside of Horizon League play in his two-year career?

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Cover photo of Dennis Gates courtesy of Cal Athletics

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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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