Missouri Basketball: Are the Tigers a new recruiting power in college hoops?

Dennis Gates and Missouri Basketball is on a roll on the recruiting trail. Will they establish themselves as a national power?

The number one recruiting class in the class of 2024, according to 24/7 Sports, lies in Columbia, Missouri — not Durham, Lexington, Chapel Hill or Lawrence, thanks to Missouri Basketball’s recent commitment of a 4-star center Trent Burns out of Houston, Texas.

A number one recruiting class for the Missouri Tigers may come as a surprise to many, but given Dennis Gates’ recruiting prowess over the past five months and throughout his entire coaching career, this is not a complete surprise, but rather a pleasant surprise.

Gates, who was an assistant under Leonard Hamilton at Florida State from 2011-2019, helped spearhead a Florida State Seminoles program into a recruiting power that featured the likes of Dwayne Bacon, Malik Beasley, Jonathan Isaac and Terance Mann throughout Gates’ tenure in Tallahassee, to name a few.

After eight years as an assistant under Hamilton, Gates landed his first head-coaching gig at Cleveland State and would end up taking the Vikings to the 2021 NCAA Tournament in just his second year at the helm.

After three years leading the Vikings, Gates would take over a Missouri program that has struggled to stay consistent under former coaches Cuonzo Martin and Kim Anderson. In just his first year leading the Tigers, Gates would give Missouri their first NCAA Tournament win since 2010 thanks to his recruiting abilities in the transfer portal.

Because Gates didn’t have much time to build his first recruiting class, the Tigers would land six commits from the transfer portal. That would prove dividends in his first year in Columbia — leading the Tigers to a 25-10 (11-7) overall record.

Is Missouri a new recruiting power?

First, take a look at Missouri’s star-studded top ranked 2024 recruiting class, per 24/7 Sports.

Small Forward, Annor Boateng (#41)

Center, Peyton Marshall (#57)

Small forward, Marcus Allen (#63)

Point Guard, T.O. Barnett (#88)

Center, Trent Burns (#100)

Gates’ ability to not only recruit in the portal, but to recruit and develop freshmen in future classes gives Missouri a sky-high ceiling in the future and in the present as well. Gate’s has meticulously constructed a program that will have a blend of returnees, experienced transfers, and high-ceiling freshman that will help the Tigers win games come March and elevate their brand as a program moving forward.

Will Missouri ever reach the recruiting powers of Duke, Kentucky, or North Carolina? Probably not. Will they start to compete for five-star recruits and develop NBA-caliber talent shortly? One could only assume that yes, they most certainly will. Given their recent recruiting success — both in the portal and through high school recruits — and Dennis Gates’ strong recruiting resume, the Tigers have established themselves as a new recruiting power for years to come.

The Missouri Tigers start the 2023-2024 season against Arkansas Pine Bluff on Monday, Nov. 6 followed by a daunting outing versus Penny Hardaway’s Memphis Tigers on Friday, Nov. 10.