Jerry Brewer of the Washington Post wrote a glowing profile of Dennis Gates.
See https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/03/17/dennis-gates-missouri-basketball/
For those who are unable to access the article, here is a key quote:
"In a sport grudgingly changing with the times, he is emerging as a leader in a new wave of men's college basketball coaches who have fresh ideas about how to motivate and teach younger generations of players. More than that, he has an innate feel for building community through basketball."
The article praises Gates for being "genuine." It notes that Ben Braun and many of his former Cal teammates came to his NCAA tournament first round game. After the game, Gates invited Braun to the locker room and introduced him to the players as "someone who changed my life." Gate and Braun then openly wept in the locker room in front of the players.
I view Gates as the ONE WHO GOT AWAY. One of Knowlton's many mistakes was deciding last year that Fox could turn things around and not making a serious run at hiring Gates before Missouri snapped him up. Now Gates is a hot commodity and far beyond Cal's salary range. Nevertheless, I continue to cheer for him because he demonstrated so much class at Cal and got half way through a master's degree in four years. He was a model student athlete and has become a model alum by applying his intensity to the strategic and psychological aspects of basketball coaching. The sport needs more coaches like Gates.
See https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/03/17/dennis-gates-missouri-basketball/
For those who are unable to access the article, here is a key quote:
"In a sport grudgingly changing with the times, he is emerging as a leader in a new wave of men's college basketball coaches who have fresh ideas about how to motivate and teach younger generations of players. More than that, he has an innate feel for building community through basketball."
The article praises Gates for being "genuine." It notes that Ben Braun and many of his former Cal teammates came to his NCAA tournament first round game. After the game, Gates invited Braun to the locker room and introduced him to the players as "someone who changed my life." Gate and Braun then openly wept in the locker room in front of the players.
I view Gates as the ONE WHO GOT AWAY. One of Knowlton's many mistakes was deciding last year that Fox could turn things around and not making a serious run at hiring Gates before Missouri snapped him up. Now Gates is a hot commodity and far beyond Cal's salary range. Nevertheless, I continue to cheer for him because he demonstrated so much class at Cal and got half way through a master's degree in four years. He was a model student athlete and has become a model alum by applying his intensity to the strategic and psychological aspects of basketball coaching. The sport needs more coaches like Gates.