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Dennis Gates facts for kids

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Dennis Gates
Current position
Title Head Coach
Team Missouri
Conference SEC
Record 48–38 (.558)
Biographical details
Born (1980-01-14) January 14, 1980 (age 45)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Playing career
1998–2002 California
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2003–2004 Marquette (GA)
2004–2005 Florida State (GA)
2005–2007 California (assistant)
2007–2009 Northern Illinois (assistant)
2009–2011 Nevada (assistant)
2011–2019 Florida State (assistant)
2019–2022 Cleveland State
2022–present Missouri
Head coaching record
Overall 98–78 (.557)
Tournaments 1–2 (NCAA Division I)
0–1 (NIT)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Horizon League tournament (2021)
2 Horizon League regular season (2021, 2022)
Awards
Horizon League Coach of the Year (2020, 2021)

Dennis Gates (born January 14, 1980) is an American college basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the Missouri Tigers men's basketball team.

Playing Career

Dennis Gates played college basketball at the University of California. He was a very good student, earning "All-Academic" honors twice. He even finished his degree in just three years! In his final year, he played while studying for his master's degree. He was also part of Cal's team that played in the big NCAA tournament in 2002.

Coaching Journey

After college, Dennis Gates started his coaching career. He worked as an intern for the Los Angeles Clippers, a professional basketball team. Then, he became a graduate assistant coach at Marquette and Florida State.

In 2005, he returned to his old college, California, as a full assistant coach. He also worked as an assistant coach at Northern Illinois and Nevada.

Success at Florida State

In 2011, Gates went back to Florida State as an assistant coach. He helped the team win the ACC Tournament championship in the 2011–12 season. During his time there, Florida State made it to the NCAA Tournament seven times. They even reached the "Sweet 16" twice and the "Elite Eight" once.

Leading Cleveland State

First Season (2019–20)

On July 26, 2019, Dennis Gates became the head coach for Cleveland State. This was his first time as a head coach. He won his very first game on November 9, 2019, against Edinboro.

In his first year, Cleveland State won seven games in their league, the Horizon League. This was the most wins for the school in five years. Because of his great work, Gates was named a co-winner of the Horizon League Coach of the Year award. He was only the second coach in Cleveland State history to win this award.

Second Season (2020–21)

In his second season, Cleveland State started strong in their conference games. They won their first two Horizon League games for the first time since 2014–15. A player named D’Moi Hodge set a school record by making 10 three-pointers in one game!

After a win in January, Cleveland State had their best start ever in the Horizon League, with a 9–0 record. Gates quickly matched the total number of wins his predecessor had at Cleveland State, but in much fewer games.

Third Season (2021–22)

In May 2021, Dennis Gates signed a new six-year contract with Cleveland State. This new deal was worth about $3.2 million, making him the highest-paid coach in the Horizon League.

Coaching the Missouri Tigers

First Season (2022–23)

On March 22, 2022, the University of Missouri announced that Dennis Gates would be their new men's basketball coach. He is the 20th head coach for the Missouri Tigers. On March 10, 2023, the University of Missouri extended Gates’ contract. His new deal goes through the 2028-2029 season, and his pay increased to $4 million per year.

Second Season (2023–24)

The Tigers finished the 2023–24 season with an 8–24 overall record. They did not win any games in their conference, the SEC. This was the first time the team had not won a conference game since the 1907–08 season.

Head Coaching Record

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Cleveland State Vikings (Horizon League) (2019–2022)
2019–20 Cleveland State 11–21 7–11 T–7th
2020–21 Cleveland State 19–8 16–4 T–1st NCAA Division I Round of 64
2021–22 Cleveland State 20–11 15–6 T–1st NIT First Round
Cleveland State: 50–40 (.556) 38–21 (.644)
Missouri Tigers (Southeastern Conference) (2022–present)
2022–23 Missouri 25–10 11–7 T–4th NCAA Division I Round of 32
2023–24 Missouri 8–24 0–18 14th
2024–25 Missouri 15–4 4–2
Missouri: 48–38 (.558) 15–27 (.357)
Total: 98–78 (.557)

      National champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference tournament champion
      Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference division champion

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