Missouri basketball coach Dennis Gates expected to find strength in his numbers this season.
His program had 18 players with a mix of incumbents, seasoned transfers, highly touted freshmen and some preferred walk-ons for good measure.
“Having pieces of a puzzle allows you to play in a different way,” Gates said at the team’s preseason media day. “When you have that versatility, it causes a problem with scouting, with in-game adjustments, it causes matchup issues.”
That was true at Minnesota, when the Tigers rallied to a 70-68 victory with catalysts coming off the bench to save the day. Freshmen Anthony Robinson II, Trent Pierce and Jordan Butler stepped up, as did junior college transfer Curt Lewis.
But Missouri’s disastrous 73-72 loss at home to previously winless Jackson State raised a big question:
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Can a team have too many capable players?
Excess can be problematic. We are reminded of this at Thanksgiving, when some of us cram a two pounds of gravy-smothered dressing down our pieholes before experiencing tremendous regret.
Missouri was rather gluttonous in its recruiting ahead of this season, stacking player on top of player while recruiting the grassroots/high school level and the transfer portal.
“What I want to continue to do is grow in our depth,” Gates said before the season. “It does not matter how many minutes our guys play, it’s what they do in those minutes. That’s the mentality I want.”
Ah, but that is difficult to achieve. There’s a reason coaches typically settle on a playing rotation of eight or nine.
Regular minutes allow players to settle into roles, develop chemistry with teammates and work through the inevitable ups and downs. Continuity is critical to developing offensive flow.
Gates expected forward Noah Carter and guards Sean East II and Nick Honor to play the lead roles. He expected to build a larger-than-usual rotation around them, and he knew that would take time.
So far, 14 players have received meaningful work this season, and a 15th, Mabor Majak, got a few cameo appearances.
Yes, depth is necessary because stuff happens during the season. Kaleb Brown was shut down with a shin injury after playing two games, center Connor Vanover served a three-game NCAA suspension, John Tonje had to overcome a preseason injury and Caleb Grill got ejected from a game.
Brown’s medical redshirt reduces some of the crowding, but he was probably 14th on the depth chart despite earning praise for his offseason work.
Gates still has 13 players capable of playing regular minutes. Sunday’s shocking loss illustrated the downside of trying so many combinations.
Missouri meandered through what should have been a lopsided victory over an overmatched foe from a low-major league.
Jackson State came to Boone County as a road-weary team with an 0-5 record. Coach Mo Williams played his top six players 27 or more minutes, and he used just eight players overall.
Gates used 13 players, with 10 playing nine minutes or more. Yet Jackson State had more energy and better execution throughout the game.
When forward Jesus Carralero Martin played Sunday, Missouri’s offense ran fairly well. He earned six assists and committed zero turnovers in his 18 minutes. The other Tigers combined for just 13 assists and 18 turnovers.
They did too much dribbling and not enough passing. Time after time, they drove into traffic and lost the ball. They shot OK from 3-point range (11 for 29), but they got to the free throw line just 11 times.
Most of the player combinations couldn’t stay in sync. The Tigers scored in spurts but failed to produce long surges.
Vanover started at center and played just three minutes. He grabbed a couple of rebounds, dropped in a hook shot, shot an air ball with a transition 3-point shot — and spent the bulk of the game as a spectator.
Tonje got his third start of the season, but he played just seven minutes. In his four games, he has played just 39 minutes and scored 16 points.
Pierce got a just fleeting look Sunday after excelling at Minnesota with five points, two rebounds and an assist in nine important minutes.
Butler provided some rim protection with his quickness, length and leaping ability in 11 minutes. He didn’t score, though — and he passed up a late dunk shot after the Tigers broke the Jackson State press.
He waited to get fouled instead, then missed his two free throws.
Another potential press break died when Grill failed to connect with Carter on what should have been a lob pass for a dunk. And a game Missouri simply couldn’t lose slipped away.
Gates has put a lot on his plate. His promising freshmen need playing time to develop at this level and remain committed to the program.
Yet Gates is focused on reaching the NCAA Tournament again and making a deep run. So he must deploy his a cadre of talented transfers like Tamar Bates to help his veteran core group win games.
Having too many players is better than having too few, but that dynamic presents a challenge just the same. Gates needs to get a handle on that within the next week because much tougher games are on the horizon.
Here are 5 things to know about Mizzou basketball head coach Dennis Gates
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