'He's Trying to Fight his Way': Mizzou Freshman Guard is Ready for Tough Coaching

Aaron Rowe is entering a very unique situation as he embarks on his freshman year journey with the Missouri Tigers.

Rowe is a local kid, having graduated from Tolton Catholic High School in Columbia. From the outside, that appears as the most difficult thing standing in his way. That's not the hardest thing about starting off college that he's facing, however.

Missouri head coach Dennis Gates has a reputation for challenging his young point guards. That trend started with Anthony Robinson II and continued with T.O. Barrett last year. Now, it's Rowe's turn to take that tough guidance and coaching.

"He's just trying to fight his way every day. That's what I was doing," Robinson told MissouriOnSi. "So just him being here every day and fighting, I'm proud of that. I'm pushing him to be better every day. He's pushing me as well."

Robinson himself experienced the tough practices that come with being a young point guard under Gates. He was able to give that guidance to Barrett and now, with an extra year of maturity under his belt, can do the same for Rowe.

"Coach Gates is real hard on the freshman point guards and he's on him every day," Robinson said. "So his just ability to take that and still play with that is really good. I was proud to see that. He's very mature."

Gates is aware of the toughness he enforces on his young guards. In fact, it appears to be something he prides himself on when it comes to his individual coaching ability.

At the same time, Gates has proof that the way he coaches his point guards leads to results. Even if Robinson is still looking for his big jump, it's clear that he's got better year-to-year and is set up to do the same in 2025-26.

"Aaron Rowe is going to take a little bit of that this year, and he has been, and his job is to smile when coach Gates gets on him, and his job is to not want or need affirmation or a pat on the back," Gates said at Missouri's media day. "His job is to develop, and on the other side of that development, you see a guy like Ant Robinson, who's not done growing, who's not done producing, his best days is ahead of him."

Unsurprisingly, Rowe and Robinson have grown close in their time together. Time off the court is a key reason for that, but their time on the practice court has also helped.

Rowe has also had enough time to pick up on the leadership style of Robinson in that time. Robinson is an important player on the court for the Tigers, but has slowly found himself in an important leadership role entering his junior season.

"He'll get on you if he has to. But he's usually more on the goofy side, more happy, more like your friend," Rowe said. "[He'll] bring you up, tell you you're good, and just tell you how to do it in a polite way."

Off the court, a relationship between Rowe and Robinson has developed and helps with communication and leadership on the court. The two now live together, which has allowed Robinson to take the freshman under his wing.

"Me and Aaron are roommates, so we're in the same house together. So, just talking about little stuff and me just being here for him, walking [him] through it," Robinson said. "I know being a freshman is not easy, especially him being a hometown kid, just trying to ignore the noise and just being there for him is what I'm doing."

Rowe is fortunate to have plenty of veterans surrounding him on the team, something that's helped him early on. Outside of Robinson, he has guards like Sebastian Mack, Jayden Stone, Barrett and others to help him out, along with other veterans like Mark Mitchell and Jacob Crews to chip in.

That's been huge for Rowe to start his collegiate career when it comes to growing more confident and comfortable.

"It's been really good, really exciting, getting to learn from the older guards and the older players," Rowe said. "All the older players and the coaches, they've really been helping me out on and off the court."

Missouri's freshman guard is receiving guidance from more than just Robinson. Mack, an offseason transfer portal addition from UCLA, has been one of those players specifically to guide Rowe through his freshman season.

"I talk to Aaron a lot. That's my guy," Mack said. "I know he's a freshman, but we try to hold him to hold a bigger standard so just so he can be ready for life when it comes on as he gets older. But from a maturity level, it's been skyrocketing."

Even if Rowe doesn't receive a ton of playing time this season, he knows what he has to do. It starts with his general intensity on defense, something he's picked up from Robinson in his early months with him and the team.

"I'll just be a fast guard, just a pest," Rowe said. "I'll play defense 94 feet, control the ball, try to get my teammates in the best spots, and do whatever coach needs me to do."

Rowe and the Tigers start their 2025-26 season at 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 3 on the road against the Howard Bison.