When Dennis Gates was named the University of Missouri men’s basketball program’s new head coach last year, he had a daunting task before him:
Revive a once-proud program that had gone a decade-plus without an NCAA Tournament victory, earned apathy from the fan base and most recently was coming off a 12-21 season.
Oh, and do it while recruiting and roster-building in the churning middle of the still-fluid new world order of the transfer portal and Name, Image and Likeness ramifications in college athletics.