The brief tenure for Dennis Gates at Missouri has been an up, then down, then up affair in Columbia. Year two saw a devastating result with an 8-24 record and losses in all of the Tigers’ SEC games. Fortunately they sandwiched that season with a pair of trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a surprise run in 2023 and a return to prominence this past season.
Continuing that success is never an easy task, though getting leading scorer Mark Mitchell back in this frontcourt is a great sign. He should provide Missouri more outstanding play at power forward with some new faces sprinkled around him. The Tigers sadly lose great scoring guards in Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill but this staff wasn’t exactly sitting by, with new transfers and recruits to fill in the holes.
We don’t know what role the freshmen will play, but five transfers make up an underrated new class for the Tigers. The highlight is size, as Missouri adds three big men all standing 6-11 or taller, including Arizona State’s Shawn Phillips, Jevon Porter from Loyola Marymount, and former Oklahoma center Luke Northweather. The depth in the frontcourt has certainly been strengthened while former West Virginia guard Jayden Stone adds a warm body in the backcourt.
He is one of two new shooting guards entering the fold for Missouri and we’re a little more excited about what Sebastian Mack can bring to Columbia. A former Top 75 recruit, Mack is a 6-3 guard out of Chicago who headed west to UCLA and put up double digit points per game as a true freshman for the Bruins. His role shrank this past season, averaging just 9.6 points per game with a single start and it’s not a surprise to see him leaving UCLA.
Mack adds a reliable scorer into the fold, something the Tigers certainly need after losing Bates and Grill. Now an upperclassman, Mack will be looked on to take on a major role for this team and replace part of that lost production. He took a step backwards as a sophomore, but his shooting numbers and efficiency didn’t relapse. If he can put it all together, he could become a reliable SEC weapon.
There are a plethora of bodies in this frontcourt while rising junior Anthony Robinson II will take on extra responsibility at the point next season. What may make the difference here is how Mack adjusts to these new surroundings and if he can recapture that flair that made him a top recruit and a double-digit scorer with the Bruins. Regardless of his junior season, surely the Tigers have enough talent to avoid another major pitfall?