As of now, Mizzou has nine players scheduled to be back next year. That includes Christian Jones, but does not include Aidan Shaw, Javon Pickett or Trevon Brazile right now. Here's how I'd prioritize things if I were Dennis Gates:
1) Keep Brazile here. This is the most important thing. Above all else. Realistically, it may only be another year or two, but he's the most promising player you have who has more than one year left (maybe the only one)
2) Re-recruit Shaw. He's a top 60 player, which this program hasn't had many of, and he's a similar type player Florida State has done really well with
3) Cut some of the extra weight. That means Jordan Wilmore goes. It means you have decisions to make on Yaya Keita and Christian Jones. Some will say you shouldn't give up on those guys yet and that's fine, but Yaya is an inexperienced player and a raw prospect who has now had two ACL tears. Jones is a point guard who didn't really have any other options we know of. If Gates keeps them fine, but you can only have so many projects and this roster has had too many recently.
4) If you can keep Shaw and Brazile, then Wilmore and either Keita or Jones is out, you're at nine players. That gives you four spots. I think most people are going to say you wave goodbye to Boogie Coleman, Amari Davis and DaJuan Gordon. I probably wouldn't. Here's my reasoning: Unless Gates has multiple difference makers lined up he already knows he can get in the portal, you're not going to find seven guys this spring that are going to make you an NCAA Tournament team. I'm almost advocating sacrificing a little bit this year understanding this program isn't in a place to have realistic tournament talks anyway. If any of those guys voluntarily wants to leave and find another spot, I wouldn't fight them on it by any means, but I also wouldn't go out of my way to make waves and tell them they've got to leave and force them to go through a waiver process to regain a year of eligibility. I'd hang on to them, get a couple of other transfers and make the best of it, understanding it's a year where you're not going to win 24 games or anything. Realistically, this roster isn't good but there's no way it should have been 12-win bad. That's almost impossible. Gordon can be a useful 3 and D player. Coleman had moments where he looked like a good player. You just can't let either one of them dribble. Davis can hit a midrange jumper. He can't do a whole lot else. But I think you can find some minutes for at least two of them and just live with what happens. By just adding a competent point guard and scheduling the right way, there's no reason you can't be like a 17-14 NIT team. And for year one, I'd live with that rather than flipping the ENTIRE roster right away. Just my opinion.
5) I haven't addressed the Brown brothers yet. Most will put keeping Kobe up as No. 2 or 3 on this list. I just don't feel that strongly about it. He's a solid player. He's shown he can be the fourth option on an NCAA Tournament team. He's also shown what you get if he's your go-to guy. It's not that Kobe isn't a good player. He is. But he's got one year left and I've already told you my opinion is that you go into next year kind of knowing the absolute ceiling is a bubble team. Personally, I'd rather start the rebuild sooner. If that means Kobe and Kaleb want to leave, so be it. And if Kobe leaves, I'm not keeping Kaleb.
Just my opinion. I'm sure everyone will have theirs and I'm sure most people will disagree with me basically punting on a year. But it's what I'd do unless you can just go strike gold in the portal multiple times.
1) Keep Brazile here. This is the most important thing. Above all else. Realistically, it may only be another year or two, but he's the most promising player you have who has more than one year left (maybe the only one)
2) Re-recruit Shaw. He's a top 60 player, which this program hasn't had many of, and he's a similar type player Florida State has done really well with
3) Cut some of the extra weight. That means Jordan Wilmore goes. It means you have decisions to make on Yaya Keita and Christian Jones. Some will say you shouldn't give up on those guys yet and that's fine, but Yaya is an inexperienced player and a raw prospect who has now had two ACL tears. Jones is a point guard who didn't really have any other options we know of. If Gates keeps them fine, but you can only have so many projects and this roster has had too many recently.
4) If you can keep Shaw and Brazile, then Wilmore and either Keita or Jones is out, you're at nine players. That gives you four spots. I think most people are going to say you wave goodbye to Boogie Coleman, Amari Davis and DaJuan Gordon. I probably wouldn't. Here's my reasoning: Unless Gates has multiple difference makers lined up he already knows he can get in the portal, you're not going to find seven guys this spring that are going to make you an NCAA Tournament team. I'm almost advocating sacrificing a little bit this year understanding this program isn't in a place to have realistic tournament talks anyway. If any of those guys voluntarily wants to leave and find another spot, I wouldn't fight them on it by any means, but I also wouldn't go out of my way to make waves and tell them they've got to leave and force them to go through a waiver process to regain a year of eligibility. I'd hang on to them, get a couple of other transfers and make the best of it, understanding it's a year where you're not going to win 24 games or anything. Realistically, this roster isn't good but there's no way it should have been 12-win bad. That's almost impossible. Gordon can be a useful 3 and D player. Coleman had moments where he looked like a good player. You just can't let either one of them dribble. Davis can hit a midrange jumper. He can't do a whole lot else. But I think you can find some minutes for at least two of them and just live with what happens. By just adding a competent point guard and scheduling the right way, there's no reason you can't be like a 17-14 NIT team. And for year one, I'd live with that rather than flipping the ENTIRE roster right away. Just my opinion.
5) I haven't addressed the Brown brothers yet. Most will put keeping Kobe up as No. 2 or 3 on this list. I just don't feel that strongly about it. He's a solid player. He's shown he can be the fourth option on an NCAA Tournament team. He's also shown what you get if he's your go-to guy. It's not that Kobe isn't a good player. He is. But he's got one year left and I've already told you my opinion is that you go into next year kind of knowing the absolute ceiling is a bubble team. Personally, I'd rather start the rebuild sooner. If that means Kobe and Kaleb want to leave, so be it. And if Kobe leaves, I'm not keeping Kaleb.
Just my opinion. I'm sure everyone will have theirs and I'm sure most people will disagree with me basically punting on a year. But it's what I'd do unless you can just go strike gold in the portal multiple times.
