Mizzou's Come Home Tour stays put, as Drinkwitz, Gates and Pingeton update on their teams

Missouri athletics' Come Home Tour stayed put in Columbia on Sunday.

The department hosted a rally outside of the Hearnes Center, the seventh of 22 total stops around the state and country.

The next stop is in Dallas on Wednesday, with a stop in Chicago on Thursday.

On Sunday, football coach Eli Drinkwitz, men's basketball coach Dennis Gates and women's basketball coach Robin Pingeton each had a chance to discuss where their programs stand right now and heading into the summer.

"Norm Stewart told me that in order for us to win, we've got to win with them," Drinkwitz said. "We've got to win within a hundred-mile radius for our fans, so it's important for us to make sure that we're accessible."

After the visit to Chicago, Missouri will have 13 more stops to make across Missouri, including in Sedalia, Springfield and Lake of the Ozarks.

The stop in Columbia gave the coaches and administrators a chance to slow down.

"Being able to reset the week here in Columbia and going to Dallas, going to Chicago, my hometown, those are exciting things that we have to continue," Gates said. "Not just build basketball or football, it's to talk about athletics and Tiger Scholarship Fund and those contributors out there who've been supporting us all along."

Drinkwitz interacts with fans while hosting transfer recruit

The day after the NFL Draft ended, Drinkwitz beamed with pride for the two Missouri players chosen and the others with pro opportunities as free agents.

"My message to all the guys was it's not about where you get drafted," Drinkwitz said. "It's about what you do with the opportunity."

Drinkwitz will also have an opportunity of his own in the coming months.

Missouri added a seventh home game against Louisiana Tech to open the season, which was moved to Thursday.

That game puts the Tigers on national TV on ESPNU.

"Love the fact that our administration was aggressive in trying to get us the seventh home game, and then trying to do what was best for the fans," Drinkwitz said. "Call in sick or whatever they want to call it on Friday."

Drinkwitz, who earned kudos by buying gas for fans in St. Louis in late April, was appealing to fans while also recruiting a player Sunday.

Former Baylor quarterback and transfer portal player Gerry Bohanon was at the Mizzou Softball Stadium on Sunday on a visit to campus. Bohanon would bring immediate competition to the Tigers' quarterback position.

The quarterback competition is currently between Brady Cook and Tyler Macon. Four-star freshman Sam Horn is coming in the fall.

Still, Drinkwitz never closed the door on adding another quarterback.

"We're very excited about Tyler and Brady, and both those guys have done an excellent job," Drinkwitz said. "Look forward to Sam coming in here and competing."

Gates 'leaving no stone unturned'

With the transfers of Amari Davis and Boogie Coleman out of Columbia, Missouri men's basketball now has two open spots it can use to finalize its roster.

Gates said MU is looking to fill those spots with the best options available, whether via the transfer portal, where he has made the most headway, or an incoming freshman.

"We are actively participating in the portal," Gates said. "We're participating in high school recruiting, junior college recruiting. We're leaving no stone unturned."

More: Who Mizzou basketball is recruiting, losing and keeping so far in the 2022 offseason

Gates' most recent addition was Clemson transfer guard Nick Honor, which puts a stamp on what will be a completely new look to Missouri's guard rotation. Next could be a defensive-minded player in the post.

Western Kentucky center Jamarion Sharp, a 7-foot-6 rim protector who averaged 4.6 blocks per game last season, entered the portal last week.

Sharp played for Kyle Smithpeters at John A. Logan College, connecting Sharp to Missouri's current staff.

Gates has three assistant coaches to work with now. He is also working to add a video coordinator, someone who will have more of a director of scouting and director of analytics type of position.

"You've got to have that on the staff," Gates said. "You've got to have the camaraderie, you've got to have the togetherness and the support, and you've got to be able to challenge each other and continue to get better each day."

Pingeton eyes roster rebuild, hires assistant coach

Missouri women's basketball has its work cut out this offseason with four players transferring out of the program, including star Aijha Blackwell.

Pingeton has her eye on the transfer portal.

With a recruiting dead period coming up, Pingeton said she has visits lined up for a handful of transfer recruits.

"We've been pretty busy in the portal talking to kids," Pingeton said. "Just trying to vet 'em out and see who might be a good fit for us."

Pingeton hasn't just been recruiting players, either.

Assistant coach Ashleen Bracey recently took the head coaching job at Illinois-Chicago, leaving Missouri with an opening on its bench. That job has been filled, Pingeton said. Missouri has hired but not announced the new assistant coach, she said.

That coach will bring WNBA and other professional playing experience to Missouri, as well as the desire to mentor players at the college level, Pingeton said.

"We should be having an announcement here soon, but feel like we found a phenomenal fit," Pingeton said. "I'm really excited about who we've been able to pick up."

Chris Kwiecinski is the sports editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune, overseeing University of Missouri and Boone County sports coverage. Follow him on Twitter @OchoK_ and contact him at CKwiecinsk@gannett.com or 573-815-1857.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou's Come Home Tour stops in Columbia with team updates