Mizzou Head Coach Dennis Gates Named National Coach of the Year Semifinalist

After going 0-18 last season in conference play, Gates has completely revitalized the Missouri basketball program. He has his team sitting at a 22-10 record in the second round of the SEC tournament, sitting in a completely different position compared to one year ago at this time.

At one point, it looked like the Tigers had a sneaky chance to be one of the best teams in the country. Until a recent slide at the end of conference play, the Tigers had a legitimate chance to slide into the top four of the conference. It also set up Gates for a run at the SEC Coach of the Year, but Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl ended up earning that award.

Gates holds onto a 55-44 record while with Missouri, with a 103-80 record overall as a head coach. He spent his first three seasons as a head coach with the Cleveland State Vikings and was an assistant with the Florida State Seminoles under head coach Leonard Hamilton prior to starting his head coaching venture.

The Tigers tip off against the No. 2 seeded Florida Gators in the SEC tournament at 8:00 p.m. CST on Friday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee to continue his surge up the ranks as one of the SEC's best.

Naismith Coach of the Year Semifinalists

Dennis Gates, Missouri
Todd Golden, Florida
Tom Izzo, Michigan State
Pat Kelsey, Louisville
Grant McCasland, Texas Tech
Ben McCollum, Drake
Bruce Pearl, Auburn
Rick Pitino, St. John's
Kelvin Sampson, Houston
Jon Scheyer, Duke