Dennis Gates throws out first pitch at Busch Stadium, lays out vision for Missouri men's basketball
Dennis Gates was front and center at Busch Stadium on Thursday for Mizzou Night at the St. Louis Cardinals game.
The new men’s basketball coach threw out the first pitch, and then had a chance to lay out his vision for the program.
“Let’s do it together, it takes team work,” he said on Bally Sports Midwest. “It takes an environment that allows other teams a disadvantage, and I truly believe our fan base, our enthusiasm, our excitement is there. We’re going to build our program on 8 core values: Friendship, love, accountability, trust, discipline, unselfishness, enthusiasm and toughness, and I just hope our fan base continues to adopt those principles, as well as our program, and you’ll see an unbelievable environment with some results.”
#Mizzou men’s basketball coach Dennis Gates is here to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. He’s wearing No. 2. He’s throwing from the stretch, from the rubber, rocks back, and throws a pitch low, maybe off the edge.
Now he’s getting Packy Naughton’s autograph.
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) August 4, 2022
Coach Dennis Gates is in the house for @Mizzou Night at Busch 🐯
His message for Mizzou fans: “Let’s do it together. … I truly believe our fan base, our enthusiasm, our excitement is there. … You’ll see an unbelievable environment with some results.” @MizzouHoops pic.twitter.com/y7neA2nKYb
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) August 4, 2022
I really believe one of the things that made Mizzou attractive to the SEC was the men’s bball program. Up until Kim Anderson we were consistently ranked and always competitive.In fact, we won the Big 12 tournament the last year we were there. It’s taken a while to recover and maybe Gates is the answer. I sure hope so.
Spot on. Mike Anderson was one of my favorite coaches. I loved it when he came to Arkansas but probably shouldn’t have. I think he would’ve still had things rolling at Mizzou if he hadn’t left.
Right on, Mike Anderson had our basketball program going great and had he stayed we would have got Otto Porter and I could see him eventually having a statue at Mizzou Arena. The fans loved his style of play and seemed like a great fit. Mizzou Arena was one of the best atmospheres in college basketball during Anderson’s era.
Coach Anderson stopped recruiting once he knew he was lined up to get the Arkansas job and it never clicked.
I wonder if asked if Coach Anderson would say looking back he wished he would have stayed at Mizzou?
I hope Coach Gates can get the Program rebuilt and I hope he stays when he does. I want him to be like Norm Stewart. Coach Anderson I think had that opportunity but passed it up for Arky…that didn’t go the way he thought.
MIZ!!!
I believe he wishes he would have never left. Mizzou is far better than St. John’s and like you said the basketball atmosphere there was very good if not elite.