COLUMBIA, Mo. 鈥 For Missouri men鈥檚 basketball, the keyword starts with the same letter as roster-building.
It鈥檚 fitting, because retention is at the core of coach Dennis Gates鈥 program, heading into his fourth season at MU. Even in the age of constant player movement, it鈥檚 becoming clearer that Gates鈥 emphasis is going to be on players who stay more than players who arrive.
It was evident, immediately, to Tim Fuller, Mizzou鈥檚 first men鈥檚 basketball general manager.
鈥淩etention, for Coach Gates and his culture and what he wants to build moving forward, is checkmark No. 1,鈥 Fuller said. 鈥淎nd then evaluating the transfer portal and filling in the gaps through elite high school recruiting is checkmark No. 2.鈥
Fuller, as the GM, will play a key role in helping Gates shape future rosters, so that understanding of the program鈥檚 priorities is notable. It鈥檚 also unsurprising, given how the Tigers operated in the transfer portal this offseason.
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There were acquisitions, naturally, as every team needs to make. Guard Sebastian Mack transferred from UCLA to become an immediate contributor in the backcourt. Arizona State transfer Shawn Phillips Jr. is on track to be the primary traditional center, for however much that role is used. Jayden Stone has been out of the game for close to a year, but he could be a bench scorer if he avoids rust. Jevon Porter could be a 3-point and rebounding threat if he can adjust to the Southeastern Conference. Luke Northweather will provide depth upside and some local flavor.
But with all due respect to those incoming transfers and Missouri鈥檚 two-player freshman class, there weren鈥檛 any groundbreaking additions. Contributors and valuable options, yes, yet the Tigers鈥 two biggest wins of the transfer portal cycle never entered it.
That鈥檚 power forward Mark Mitchell and point guard Anthony Robinson II, both of whom turned down the likely lucrative offers they would鈥檝e received in the portal to stick around as stars for Mizzou.
Mitchell is one of the best returning players in the SEC, particularly when it comes to scoring. Robinson is already one of the league鈥檚 premier defenders.
Combine them with a returning core of Trent Pierce, Jacob Crews and T.O. Barrett 鈥 plus relative unknowns Annor Boateng and Trent Burns 鈥 and Gates鈥 vision becomes clearer. All of these present returners were, of course, newcomers at some point. Funneling them into positions where they become the necessary bridges between teams and seasons is where MU鈥檚 philosophy shows.
鈥淐oach Gates, when he first came to the University of Missouri, brought several players from Cleveland State with him,鈥 Fuller said. 鈥淭hey knew his system, they knew the culture, they knew him. You saw what that team was able to do: some phenomenal things. Obviously, we all know the injury bug hit (in 2023-24), but then Coach was able to retain the guys that he needed to retain.鈥
That included players like Tamar Bates, Caleb Grill and Robinson.
The next season, this past one, 鈥渨e saw what that team was able to do,鈥 Fuller said.
Will it work? Summer practices have only just begun, and the season is still more than four months away, so that鈥檚 a question for later on. What鈥檚 apparent now is how retention will inform the shaping of Fuller鈥檚 new role.
As a former Mizzou assistant himself a decade ago, Fuller has underscored how he wants the GM position to be one that makes life easier for Gates and MU鈥檚 assistant coaches. At the moment, Fuller is connecting them with the agents they鈥檒l need to know come portal season. And at that point, Fuller鈥檚 ability to focus on the portal while coaches focus on the postseason will theoretically be the time a GM becomes a major asset.
By looking for the new 鈥 鈥渃heckmark No. 2,鈥 as he called it 鈥 Fuller gives the coaching staff more bandwidth for retention, the top priority.
鈥淭he assistant coaches鈥 main responsibilities and their day-to-day is about building the proper relationships with the current players and the retention of those players,鈥 Fuller said. 鈥淏ecause the first players that you have to recruit, when it comes to the transfer portal, are your own 鈥 making sure that you鈥檙e retaining the guys that you want to keep.鈥
