I can already see some chiming in with smart ass remarks (like a clever one I saw the other day referencing the DRAFT DAY movie line that none of Bo Callahan's teammates attended his birthday party)...but I really don't think either of these stories below are totally insignificant.
That being said...these two stories don't guarantee either HC's success either...they just show that both of these guys are cut from a different cloth.
#1) Eli Drinkwitz as a junior in high school volunteered to be manager for his region for a senior All-Star game. At the end of the practices the coaches had the team vote for their pick as Most Valuable. Drink won the vote...as the team manager.
Why is this significant? Maybe it's not...but who ever heard of a MANAGER winning his team's MVP voting?
Whether you like Drink or not...the nerdy looking guy does have a lot of personality and charisma and this has to help in recruiting...whether you're talking about recruiting new players...holding on to his current ones in this age of the portal...and the same for recruiting and holding on to assistant coaches, NIL donors, and prominent boosters.
Drink definitely needs to win this year...but I feel like he has positioned his team pretty well to do so. I especially like the growth he has shown by admitting he needed to hire an OC and QB coach...and admitting his own past mistakes and addressing them.
I also like the way he toned down his pre-season remarks and seemingly both he and his team have embraced the STP motto.
I have been privately critical of many things about Drink over these last two seasons...but I like the way he self-evaluates and addresses change when needed.
In short ...my perception is that not only is Drink very personable...he's also extremely smart. I like what he has done this off-season and I think it will show on the field with great improvement in many areas.
#2 Small story on Dennis Gates. During his recruitment out of HS he asked the various HC's who were recruiting him...IF THEY HAD A RULE against Freshmen being a Team Captain...who else does that?
The man is a natural born leader...and it's this point that makes it much easier for most of us to buy-in to him because we haven't seen him fail as much as Drink...he's still sort of in the honeymoon phase.
But he too is very personable and charismatic...and it's easy to see why he is having so much success in recruiting and managing a roster of new players.
I have been very impressed with nearly everything he has done at Mizzou thus far...but I also know that those two halfcourt buzzer-beater threes by Gholston certainly helped a lot with his first-year perception...much as did Drink's first year dramatic home win over defending National Champion LSU.
TLDR version: There is a lot to prove yet...but there is also a lot to like about both Coach Drink and Coach Gates...Just Win, Baby!
That being said...these two stories don't guarantee either HC's success either...they just show that both of these guys are cut from a different cloth.
#1) Eli Drinkwitz as a junior in high school volunteered to be manager for his region for a senior All-Star game. At the end of the practices the coaches had the team vote for their pick as Most Valuable. Drink won the vote...as the team manager.
Why is this significant? Maybe it's not...but who ever heard of a MANAGER winning his team's MVP voting?
Whether you like Drink or not...the nerdy looking guy does have a lot of personality and charisma and this has to help in recruiting...whether you're talking about recruiting new players...holding on to his current ones in this age of the portal...and the same for recruiting and holding on to assistant coaches, NIL donors, and prominent boosters.
Drink definitely needs to win this year...but I feel like he has positioned his team pretty well to do so. I especially like the growth he has shown by admitting he needed to hire an OC and QB coach...and admitting his own past mistakes and addressing them.
I also like the way he toned down his pre-season remarks and seemingly both he and his team have embraced the STP motto.
I have been privately critical of many things about Drink over these last two seasons...but I like the way he self-evaluates and addresses change when needed.
In short ...my perception is that not only is Drink very personable...he's also extremely smart. I like what he has done this off-season and I think it will show on the field with great improvement in many areas.
#2 Small story on Dennis Gates. During his recruitment out of HS he asked the various HC's who were recruiting him...IF THEY HAD A RULE against Freshmen being a Team Captain...who else does that?
The man is a natural born leader...and it's this point that makes it much easier for most of us to buy-in to him because we haven't seen him fail as much as Drink...he's still sort of in the honeymoon phase.
But he too is very personable and charismatic...and it's easy to see why he is having so much success in recruiting and managing a roster of new players.
I have been very impressed with nearly everything he has done at Mizzou thus far...but I also know that those two halfcourt buzzer-beater threes by Gholston certainly helped a lot with his first-year perception...much as did Drink's first year dramatic home win over defending National Champion LSU.
TLDR version: There is a lot to prove yet...but there is also a lot to like about both Coach Drink and Coach Gates...Just Win, Baby!
