Mizzou Basketball Season Preview: The Returners

Get reacquainted with Missouri basketball's five returning players.

Feb 17, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Tamar Bates (2) and guard Anthony Robinson II (14) react during the second half against the Mississippi Rebels at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

A majority of the 2024-25 Missouri men's basketball roster is full of new players through the transfer portal and recruiting class, but the Tigers maintained some key pieces from last year's team that will make a return.

It was a demoralizing 0-18 season in the SEC for Missouri, but still, coach Dennis Gates was able to retain talent and keep them bought into the plan the program has laid out. It'll be a crucial year of development, and some of the upperclassmen that sticked around will be able to help steer its future towards the right direction.

A total of five players who received playing time least season are back — Anthony Robinson II, Caleb Grill, Tamar Bates, Trent Pierce and Aidan Shaw.

"We have resilient guys, guys that have been through things, guys that have transferered, but they weren't born with a silver spoon," Gates said on the returners. "These guys (are) just ready to lace them up, ready to build on what this summer brought. That's the focus, being able to move forward in positive way."

The Tigers endured a worst-case scenario a year ago, but that hasn't stopped them from moving on and working to get back to contending in the SEC again.

Tamar Bates

Senior, guard, 6'5, 195 lbs

Missouri's second-leading scorer from last season is once again expected to be a driving force behind its offense this year.

It took some time for Bates to fully get comfortable in Gates' offense, but once he did, he became an explosive scorer that created a strong backcourt with Sean East II. By the end of the year, he averaged 13.5 points per game on 50/39/93% shooting splits, utilizing his shot-creating ability to give the Tigers' one of their only effective sources of offense.

Those numbers should theoretically go up this season, as Bates settles into a role as a leader for Missouri. However, with the influx of freshman and transfers needed to be worked in the rotation, he might not receive too many more minutes per game than the 27 he had last year.

Regardless on if Bates has a significant tick in his offensive production or not, he'll be one of the Tigers' key pieces throughout the season by making an impact both in the present and on the future players leading the program.

Caleb Grill

Graduate, guard, 6'3, 205 lbs

Grill was expected to play his final season last year, but due to a wrist injury that kept him out for all but nine games, he was given a medical hardship waiver to continue his time in Missouri.

Before the injury arised, Grill's 2023-24 campaign was already disappointing. The guard averaged 8.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, but on an underwhelming 36% shooting from the field and 29% from behind the arc. Once ruled out for the rest of the season, his chance at finding a rhythm was cut-off.

Despite rocking shooting splits in the time he did play last year, Grill is expected to be one of the top 3-point shooters on the roster this time around. He's certainly streaky, but once he starts finding the net, it's hard for defenses to prevent his shot from falling. On defense he's physical, and has the capability to out-rebound centers.

Grill feels like he had unfinished business to attend to as a Tiger, which is part of the reason he decided to come back to the program for one last ride.

"I felt like only playing nine games wasn't what they brought me in here for, so I wanted to have a full season to be with the team and coach Gates ... and to fulfill what I ended up coming here for," Grill told Missouri on SI.

Trent Pierce

Sophomore, forward, 6'10, 220 lbs

As a true freshman, Pierce was unable to find a comfortable spot in the rotation throughout last season.

By the end of the year, the forward suited up for a total of 23 games, but only averaged 1.8 points and 1.2 rebounds in 6.5 minutes per game. Despite the growing opportunity for playing time with the Tigers' downward spiral to the bottom of the SEC, Gates continued to use him sparingly.

Still, Pierce decided to stick around in Missouri and avoid the transfer portal, hoping to have a much more impactful season as a sophomore. Having the potential to knock down the 3-pointer and defend on the perimeter as a nearly 7-foot wing sounds like the makings of a great player, it just hasn't come together as a full package yet.

If he can find his way into the rotation on a more consistent basis, Pierce could easily make a second-year jump for the Tigers.

Anthony Robinson II

Sophomore, guard, 6'3, 180 lbs

Out of the freshman class Missouri had last season, Robinson was likely the most encouraging.

Although his four points and 1.7 rebounds per game on 37% shooting from the field and 20.5% from 3-point range don't jump off the page, Robinson remained a consistent option in the lineup for most of the year. Out of anyone on the roster, few matched his hustle and defensive prowess.

Robinson was able to earn heavy minutes from his defense alone, which the Tigers sometimes lacked on the floor. He locked down opposing guards on the perimeter espeically on-ball, finishing with a team-high 38 steals. With a year under his belt, that should only continue to develop.

The sophomore will ideally be able to improve his offense this season, especially if he wants to get a spot in the starting lineup. Under an offensive system that prioritizes the 3-point shot, Robinson will have to start adapting and become some sort of threat outside of the paint.

Aidan Shaw

Junior, forward, 6'9, 210 lbs

Through two years as a Tiger, Shaw's career has gone through some ups and downs.

Inconsistency was a problem for Shaw last year, whether it be on the offensive or defensive end. Used as more of a big man rather than a forward, he wasn't able to produce enough through scoring or rebounding to maintain a big role in the rotation, averaging 3.6 points and nearly four rebounds per game.

To make an impact for Missouri, the junior will have to develop a semblance of a 3-point shot and stand his own ground against some of the bigger centers in the SEC. The Tigers have other centers to thrown in that would allow Shaw to slide to the power forward, but if his offense doesn't come around, it could create even more problems.

Shaw has a lot to prove to Gates in order to boost his role within Missouri's lineup, especially with the additions of Mark Mitchell and Josh Gray to the fold.

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Mizzou Basketball Associate Head Coach C.Y. Young Previews the 2024-'25 Season