Gates to hold DeGray out for the 'next week,' Gomillion likely the same for Mizzou basketball
As Missouri men's basketball navigates the latter portion of its season, it's also finding out how to navigate the deeper parts of its bench.
MU head coach Dennis Gates said he's going to hold forward Ronnie DeGray out for the next week to get some doctor's opinions on his knee sprain, and Tre Gomillion is the same way with his injured groin.
Gates said he's made these decisions before this year, much like holding Kobe Brown out against Alabama and allowing Isiaih Mosley to ready himself for this season after the first semester.
"When you build a team, you have to build with these things in mind," Gates said. "The depth allows you to make decisions I've made in the past."
Losing DeGray and Gomillion hurts the depth, but it hurts the defensive rotation a bit. Both are solid defenders that complement Mosley and D'Moi Hodge's on offense, as well as MU's SEC-leading offense as a whole.
Gates preached patience, just as he did last week. The Tigers still have enough depth even down two players to compete on a nightly basis.
When it comes to the health of his players, Gates will always take the cautious road.
"It just takes patience, man," Gates said. "I'll always err on that side of it."
Mizzou travels to Starkville
Mississippi State at a glance: 14-8, 2-7 in SEC play, 11th in SEC standings
For the second time this week, Gates and MU will face off against a fellow first-year head coach.
Chris Jans, who moved to Starkville after creating a perennial WAC champion and NCAA Tournament team in New Mexico State, now leads the Bulldogs who have put together an impressive first season.
Now at the 14-win threshold, MSU needs four more wins to equal its 18 wins last year.
"Chris Jans is someone I respect," Gates said. "They've done a tremendous job of building the infant stages of their program."
Jans has earned respect at the mid-major level, and he did so with handfuls of 20-win seasons and three NCAA Tournament berths in his time in Las Cruses.
The only time NMSU didn't win 20 games or more came in the COVID-19-hampered 2020-21 season.
Jans leads a defense-first-oriented scheme with the Bulldogs. MSU might not blitz teams on offense, ranking 326th among 363 teams in NCAA Division I in average points scored per game, but the Bulldogs rank 8th of 363 Division I teams in points allowed per game.
MSU will try and force Missouri to play its style of game, led by Tolu Smith. The Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, native averages 14.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
"He's an all-conference guy, there's no doubt about it," Gates said. "He can put the ball in the basket and he does a great job of staying out of foul trouble."
A week after MU blitzed Iowa State, a team that also likes to play at a slower pace and force teams to slow their style of play, the Tigers will face a similar challenge in Mississippi State.
Even down two players, the emergence of Mohamed Darra and Mosley will help give MU a rounded game-day roster. A win would be Missouri's sixth SEC win of the year, which would equalize the Tigers with Kentucky and Florida in the SEC standings.
"They have some great talent," Gates said of Mississippi State. "They have a lot of versatility as well."
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: DeGray to miss time with knee injury, Gomillion remains day-to-day for Mizzou
