BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Missouri coach Dennis Gates moved up his appearance at the SEC Tipoff event Tuesday so he can support Mark Mitchell in court Wednesday as the two-time All-SEC selection seeks a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the NCAA to gain a fifth season of eligibility.
Mitchell, who went undrafted by the NBA but signed an Exhibit 10 contract, has sued the NCAA to become eligible this season. An appellate court dissolved a preliminary injunction that would have allowed him to play.
He isn't the only player in Gates' locker room with eligibility questions. CJ Gunn, who led DePaul in scoring last season, is also suing the NCAA for another year of eligibility.
"I am used to it. I don't look at it like a problem," Gates said of the roster uncertainty with an exhibition game looming against Kansas State on Friday. "I've never been given a silver spoon. I've always had to do more with less. I've always had to make decisions at the last minute, last second, but also it allows me to show that I'm talented in what I'm doing.
"I'm a CEO, not just a basketball coach. I know how to manage people, manage egos, but also manage a locker room."
Gates said his players approved of trying to add Mitchell and Gunn to the Tigers' roster.
"I don't want to sign or would sign anybody that distracts or would distract our locker room," Gates said. "So there was no cutting [players to add Mitchell and Gunn]. There was no manipulation. There was no issues I had, and [I] was going to enter this season with two [roster] opportunities that I could use signing kids."
He added: "My players voted on these guys being here. I didn't have to make the decision. So when you're that transparent with your team, you're not going to have problems."
Gates went on to say that college sports is in the midst of a "watershed moment."
"There's nothing to be afraid of," Gates said. "No one's walking around here looking for Blockbuster Video. You guys got Netflix. Everybody got streaming, right? So, we're in a watershed moment. We're changing. It's our responsibility to make sure the narrative is right but also support our student-athletes."
Missouri, which was picked to finish eighth in the conference in a poll of SEC and national media members, begins the regular season against Cleveland State on Nov. 3.