Freshman Stepping Up as Unlikely Leader for Mizzou Basketball

The freshman center has become an extension of the coaching staff for the Missouri Tigers, giving a strong message to the team after the loss to Texas.
Jan 14, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates talks with Missouri Tigers center Peyton Marshall (21) against the Florida Gators during the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
Jan 14, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates talks with Missouri Tigers center Peyton Marshall (21) against the Florida Gators during the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
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Peyton Marshall has a much larger shoe size than Dennis Gates.

But on a Tuesday in Austin, Texas, the 7-foot center fit perfectly in his coach's shoes.

After a loss to the Texas Longhorns on the road, Gates spent time before addressing his Missouri Tigers team, trying to think of the right words to say to the players.

Meanwhile, the freshman was delivering the perfect message.

"Peyton Marshall had the loudest voice in that locker room and he was pretty much talking as if it was me," Gates said of the Texas game in a press conference.

Marshall didn't touch the court for a single second during the Jan. 21 loss. The road performance was once of the worst and out of character performances from the Tigers of the season.

The duo of Caleb Grill and Tamar Bates, the team's two best shooters, made just one of their eight combined 3-point attempts. Overall, Missouri shot 31.3% from the field. The Tigers were out rebounded 31 to 39. The resiliency Missouri had shown just a week prior in an upset victory over No. 5 Florida was absent, falling in the final minutes to the Longhorns.

And even though the average age of the team's three captains is four years Marshall's senior, the message connected with the team.

Missouri Tigers center Peyton Marshall (right) in a huddle with teammates during a game against the California Golden Bears a
Dec. 3 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers center Peyton Marshall (right) in a huddle with teammates during a game against the California Golden Bears at Mizzou Arena. / Amber Winkler/Missouri On Si

"I credit our team for listening and empowering that young man who sees the game the way that he sees it," Gates said.

It's difficult enough for coaches themselves to know exactly what a team needs to hear. Let alone for a player who is still trying to find his voice in the locker room.

But Marshall clearly already has earned himself some respect.

"For him to have the prescription of what happened and how we can improve before I even got in there, and when I began to talk, he said, 'Coach, I already said what I have to say.' And these guys responded in a way and our practices after that resembled such. Our film sessions resembled such."

The response to Marshall's message is no different than the character Gates has often praised his team for this season of being able to move past struggles. The Tigers are yet to lose back to back games this season. The loss to Texas was followed up by a statement win over Ole Miss.

"I am impressed with our player's ability to recover from mistakes," Gates said in a press conference three days after the Texas loss. "But our ability to get lost in the details and debrief from games, I think that's an advantage."

Missouri has no shortage of leadership. That was to be expected for a roster with such a strong veteran presence. But Marshall is seemingly becoming an early bloomer when it comes to leadership, adding an unexpected voice to the locker room.

Read more Missouri Tigers news:

Where Mizzou Places in Bracketology, KenPom in Late January
3 Takeaways from Mizzou's Home Victory Over Ole Miss
Experienced Duo's 'A-Plus Performances' Were Driving Force in Mizzou Victory


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Joey Van Zummeren
JOEY VAN ZUMMEREN

Joey Van Zummeren is studying journalism at the University of Missouri. From Belleville, Ill., he joined Missouri Tigers On SI as an intern in 2023. His beats include football and basketball.