Dennis Gates Previews Mizzou vs. Mississippi Valley State, Discusses Start of Season

The Tigers will take on the Delta Devils on Thursday night, seeking their third-consecutive win.

Mar 9, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates looks on against the LSU Tigers during the first half at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Since losing its season opener against Memphis, the Missouri TIgers have taken care of their last two non-conference opponents at home.

Missouri got its first win since Dec. 30, 2023, on Friday in a 77-62 victory over Howard, and followed it up with a 84-77 win over Eastern Washington on Monday. In that win, Caleb Grill dropped a career-high of 33 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field and 8-of-10 from 3-point range.

It took 11 months for the Tigers to see themselves on top again after an 0-18 finish in the SEC last season, but they've officially gotten back in the win column. That's what they should be doing at this point in the schedule, but regardless, it's a good sign they're handling the teams they should.

Next on the calendar is Mississippi Valley State (1-1) at 7 p.m. Friday. Here's some of what coach Dennis Gates touched on ahead of the game:

Completing Both Halves

For the past year, second halves have been a constant struggle issue for Missouri. It accumulated strong first halves throughout last season, but more times than not, it would fall apart and lose by the end of the game.

Despite the Tigers beating Eastern Washington, problems once again came up in the second half. They led 45-33 at halftime, but the Eagles outscored them 44 to 39 in final 20 minutes to make it a closer game than they might've expected.

Gates puts himself as the No.1 person in charge to help his team have a better chance at succeeding in the second half.

"I have to continue to prepare our team the best way I can," Gates said. "It starts with me and doing that, giving them better organization, giving them better assignments, I think can help. And it can help settle whatever is going on internally."

Of course Gates can't control everything, and it's the job of the players to execute their individual jobs as well. But, it's his job to make sure they are as prepared as possible, which ideally will help them prevent continued struggles after halftime breaks.

How Grill Can Establish Himself

Grill scored just six points on 2-of-10 shooting in his first two appearances this season, but everything changed after his 33-point perfromance on Monday night.

After going nearly a year before suiting up for a regulated game, it took the senior some time to get comfortable in game settings again. He was explosive in Missouri's exhibition matchup against Lincoln, but once the competition got serious, he lost some confidence in his shot.

A career-making performance certainly puts Grill in better standing in Gates' rotation, but he's not absent from making improvements.

"I think Caleb wants to make and become a big hero, but it doesn't happen in every single possession," Gates said. "It's a length of a game."

Instead of putting pressure or getting down on himself when it's not his night, Gates wants Grill to stay focused and impact the game in other ways — primarily on defense. He concentrated on that side of the game against Eastern Washington by grabbing nine rebounds and two steals, making just as much of an impact on the outcome there than on offense.

It's unclear if Grill will be placed back in the starting lineup or not, but regardless, keeping the same motivation should allow him to make an impact in any capacity.

Trust is Key

Since Gates took the head coach job at Missouri three seasons ago, it's always been clear that he's a player-first coach.

Gates has fostered a culture that emphasizes being together, opening up and learning from each other, which has helped not only him grow stronger connections with his players, but their own relationships with each other.

Beyond everything, however, is trust. Gates has been the coach his players can trust, and that can be no better demonstrated than his decision to bench Grill ahead of the Eastern Washington matchup.

"You got to have a relationship, because where that relationship lies is where trust is built," Gates said. "(Grill) trusted me enough to do it."

Without their strong relationship, it would've been a lot tougher for Gates to sit Grill down, coach him and place him on the bench to concentrate on the small things he was forgetting. But through over a year of getting to know each other, both sides had trust that the conversations would take the team in a better direction.

As simple as it sounds, Gates just knowing and understanding his players helps grow team chemistry as much as anything.

"I take pride in meeting with our guys regularly. I have an open door policy, not only for their parents, but their coaches, their NIL agents or their agents," Gates said. "That is the new era of today. I want ot be able to be accessible, and you can only manage if you have information — the correct information — but also if you have the relationship."