Mizzou decided to move on from Cuonzo Martin this offseason, and now the men’s basketball program has a new leader.

On Tuesday, the school officially announced former Cleveland State head coach Dennis Gates as the new coach of the Tigers.

Gates issued a statement thanking Mizzou for the opportunity to lead the Tigers into the future:

“I have been so fortunate throughout my career to work at some outstanding institutions with incredible people, and after doing my research and speaking with (AD) Desiree (Reed-Francois) and President Choi, it is clear that Missouri is a tremendous opportunity with unlimited potential,” said Gates. “We will build a program that all Mizzou fans will be proud of, for how we play, how our student-athletes represent the University of Missouri and how our togetherness and work ethic will lead to on-court victories. I want to thank President Choi, the Board of Curators and Desiree for an outstanding opportunity.”

Mizzou’s press release breaks down Gates’ experience in the coaching ranks, specifically under Leonard Hamilton at Florida State:

Gates, who has 17 years of Division I coaching experience, came to Cleveland State after eight seasons on Leonard Hamilton’s staff at Florida State. Gates’ tenure at Florida State mirrored the Seminoles rise to national prominence. With Gates on the staff, the Seminoles played in four NCAA Tournaments, advanced to the Elite Eight of the 2018 NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16 in both 2012 and 2019.

He was instrumental in recruiting four straight Top-15 classes at Florida State, which produced five NBA Draft picks over four years, including one lottery pick. He helped recruit seven Top-100 players to the Seminoles during his tenure in Tallahassee.

Can Gates turn Mizzou into a team that consistently gets to the NCAA Tournament? That will be the standard moving forward, particularly as basketball in the SEC continues to grow more competitive every year.