The Cleveland State men’s basketball team will have a completely different look this season after an offseason headlined by a brand new coaching staff and player turnaround. Dennis Gates became the 16th head coach in team history when he was hired by Athletic Director Scott Garrett on July 26.
Gates makes his way to Cleveland State University after spending the previous eight seasons serving as an assistant coach at Florida State University. Last season was a bit different down in Tallahassee, as head coach Leonard Hamilton gave Gates an expanded role with the team.
During that time, Gates learned more about what it takes to be in a head coaching position and it helped propel his coaching career.
“Coach Hamilton allowed us to do everything because he wanted me to run my own program one day,” Gates explained. “He put me in a position to do that on an everyday basis. I’m excited that I can use those things he directly instilled in me to prepare for this moment.”
Gates inherits a program that’s starting a completely new phase, returning just three players from last year’s 10-21 team. Gates plans to build the program back up by focusing on three areas with his players: the classroom, community and on the court.
“We have to continue to develop our young men,” he said. “We have to build a relationship with the players because they are trusting us with this portion of their lives being student-athletes.”
One of the many phone calls Gates made upon his hiring was to Cleveland State alumnus Norris Cole— a former NBA player and two-time NBA Champion with the Miami Heat. Cole has since been with the team frequently, supporting the culture change along with giving his perspective on some things to help move the program forward.
“Everybody is excited to see that he is coming back and entrenching himself as part of this building process,” Gates said.
‘“Our doors are always open to our former basketball players,” the new coach explained. “We want guys to stay connected because it is uniquely built from their hands. Coaches come and go, but the CSU degree and the jersey is something special and every person from this institution holds dearly.”
After taking over a program that hasn’t had a winning season since the 2014-15 season, Gates said he knows that the process to take the next step in performance on the court is now. He’s reiterated with his team that the goal right now is to build the championship effort that’s needed to help spark wins on the court. This is something Gates has instilled with his guys on a daily basis in the locker room.
“Whenever you’re building, you don’t want to skip steps,” Gates explained. “When you build something, you have to build it to sustainability and to do that, you have to have consistent championship quality effort every day.”
