Dennis Gates reveals unselfish decision made by Kobe Brown

Following Missouri‘s big road win over Georgia on Saturday, coach Dennis Gates spoke about an incredible game suggestion from Kobe Brown. Brown, a four-year starter for the Tigers, was willing to give up his own playing time to take advantage of their personnel against the Bulldogs. The decision impressed Gates and his teammates, and the Tigers rolled over Georgia with an 85-63 win for their 21st win of the season.

Brown finished the game with eight points and nine rebounds, and the team’s second-half performance pushed them to a 22-point win despite trailing by one at halftime.

Dennis Gates on Kobe Brown’s unselfishness

“What I’ll tell you is this, and you guys don’t hear the conversations, Kobe Brown suggested that we play other guys and not himself,” revealed Gates during his postgame press appearance. “How unselfish is that? So sometimes you set up an environment when you’re telling players what to do, but our environment is one that’s conducive and allows communication back and forth. And his suggestion was taken wisely. I thought he was able to help us.

“Kobe Brown played 19 strong minutes. 19 minutes and probably 20 seconds in the first half. So some of that is what he was able to put in to the game, but also some things that Georgia took away. Now what’s unselfish is the fact that his IQ was able to see ‘okay, what can help in this specific game?’ And he thought — at that moment he only played nine or ten minutes in the second half — and he wanted those minutes to be distributed amongst other guys. And guys were able to step up which I’m proud of.

“We’ve said all along we live in our eight core values: Friendship, love, accountability, trust, discipline, unselfishness, enthusiasm and toughness. And our guys were able to show glimpses of it, but that unselfish spirit is something that stood out to me.”

The win helps Missouri to stay as a likely NCAA Tournament team come March. The bond that Brown has with his teammates and the culture of Gates’s program was on full display over the weekend, and they’re looking to be a tough team for the SEC tournament and the Big Dance both.