Hodge and Gates received zero nominations in the SEC men’s basketball awards, sparking disapproval among Missouri fans and players.
Missouri men’s basketball star forward Kobe Brown was selected to the SEC first-team and earned the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.
Awards are determined by the votes of the 14 SEC head coaches, including Missouri coach Dennis Gates.
Brown’s 2022-2023 season was nothing short of spectacular, averaging 15.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. In his fourth season at Missouri, Brown was able to put together scoring, defense and leadership to have a career year, leading his teammates to a 23-8 record and fourth in the SEC.
Brown also kept a 3.594 GPA to achieve Scholar-Athlete of the Year, including a 4.0 average in the fall. He made the Dean’s list for the fifth time in his college career.
Brown was the only Tiger represented in the SEC awards, and controversy arose among Missouri fans when Gates did not receive Coach of the Year and graduate guard D’Moi Hodge was not recognized for the all-defensive team.
Hodge averaged an SEC-best 2.6 steals per game with half a block a game at the guard position, causing his absence from the all-defensive team to raise eyebrows. Hodge’s defensive statistics were stronger than those of Tennessee sophomore guard Zakai Zeigler and Arkansas junior guard Davonte Davis, who averaged 2 and 1.4 steals respectively and each made the all-defensive team.
While Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse and Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams proved they were deserving candidates for SEC Coach of the Year, Gates also had a strong case.
The first-year Missouri coach took his team — which finished 12-21 and 12th place in the SEC in 2022 — and led them to a 23-8 record and fourth place conference position, an incredible turnaround for the program. Gates also saw a lot of transfers from his previous Cleveland State team in the Horizon League, while facing the challenge of fitting them into a new system.
Despite a season to remember for Missouri, which has not been to the NCAA tournament since 2019, the team saw its sideline leader left out of the coach of the year discussion.
Senior guard Nick Honor voiced his opinion on Twitter, calling the omission of Gates “robbery.”
Even with some disappointing omissions, Missouri men’s basketball success has reenergized the program. Thanks to an incredible season from Brown and Hodge, Gates having an impressive first year as head coach and other great contributions from players, the Tigers earned a double-bye in the SEC Tournament and an all-but-guaranteed spot in the NCAA tournament.
Edited by Matt Guzman
Copy Edited by Grace Knight and Lauren Courtney