Published on Show Me Mizzou Dec. 17, 2025
Story by Tony Rehagen, BA, BJ ’01
Just after 11 a.m. on an October Monday, players start to trickle out of the Mizzou Arena locker-rooms onto the court. Members of the Tiger men’s basketball team, some still sweating from morning practice, spread out, each drifting to one of the folding chairs scattered across the hardwood. In what looks like an exercise in social distancing, the young men sit adrift from one another in the otherwise empty venue.
Today is Media Day, the annual ritual of making the entire team available to members of the local press looking for quotes and color to preview the upcoming season. Reporters can approach any player they choose for a brief interview. Naturally, role players and less-heralded newcomers tend to sit scarcely disturbed, shifting in their chairs and exchanging awkward glances as they wait for the hour to run out.
Returning starters and star recruits and transfers draw a constant stream of attention. No one is wading a stronger, steadier current of sportswriters than junior Anthony “Ant” Robinson II. The tide is so relentless that a trainer must come out and ice Robinson’s right knee in the middle of an interview.
At the previous two Mizzou Media Days, Robinson was one of the lonely ones, drawing sparse inquiries befitting a 3-star prospect and underclassman point guard slotted behind more experienced and celebrated guards such as Caleb Grill, Tamar Bates, Nick Honor, Sean East II and Mark Mitchell. But Robinson broke out in his sophomore campaign. He worked his way onto the court for tip-off of the season-opener against Memphis and would go on to start 31 of the team’s 33 games. He’d eventually lead the team in assists (3.5) and steals (2.03) per game, and he finished fourth in scoring with an average of 9 points per game. He became just the second Tiger in school history to be named to the SEC All-Defensive Team, the only underclassman in the conference so honored.
Of course, today is not about looking back; it’s about the months and games to come. And no one, least of all Robinson, will be satisfied with a mere encore in his junior year. With the departure of Grill and Bates, Coach Dennis Gates named Robinson and senior Mitchell Tiger co-captains for the 2025–26 season. Each reporter that shoves a recorder or smartphone in Robinson’s face or broadcaster that pins a lapel mic to his gray practice jersey asks at least one question containing the word “lead,” “leader” or “leadership.”
Robinson feels that responsibility. He understands all too well that if this program is to return to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years, he will have to blaze the way. As a result, he stands to garner a co-captain’s share of the credit for any success. He also knows that if the team falls short, he’ll likely shoulder much of the blame.
“This year is different,” Robinson tells me when it’s my turn to ask questions. “Before, I was a younger guy just moving up the charts and earning my spot. Now, I’m an upperclassman. It’s my job to bring guys along with me. When you’re a point guard, everything is somewhat your fault.”
Tough Coaching
Last year, everything was Robinson’s fault — and Coach Gates made sure he and everyone else on the practice floor knew it.
An errant pass: Ant!
A forced shot: Ant!
A teammate not being where he’s supposed to be: Ant!
Gates’ scapegoating of Robinson in practice was so blatant that the “tough coaching” garnered headlines in the local press.
“Coach was on him heavy. I was like ‘Damn, why is he on him like that?’” says Mitchell, who had just transferred to Mizzou from Duke. “He was riding him hard. Everything was his fault. He couldn’t do anything right. But now I understand that he was prepping him for something big.”
If Robinson bristled under the relentless scrutiny, he couldn’t show it on the court. And he certainly couldn’t vent his protest or frustration to his parents, Anicia and Anthony Robinson Sr., both former collegiate athletes who had signed on for Coach Gates’ unorthodox plan when he recruited their son from Florida State University High School.
“Mr. and Mrs. Robinson allowed me to coach their son hard,” says Gates. “Every time Ant tried to complain about Coach Gates, Mom and Dad would cut him off and tell him to go listen to Coach. It’s easy to run away from being blamed every single practice for what he’s done wrong. These kids have to be prepared to be pushed and not run away. It’s the journey that’s going to prepare them.”
Robinson didn’t run. He understood his coach wanted the best for him and the best from him. And the sophomore responded. He recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, along with 7 assists, in a November 24 route of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and scored a career-high 29 points nine days later in a nonconference win over California. But it was after Robinson’s 15-point, 8-assist effort to topple Vanderbilt in the third SEC game of the year that Gates finally challenged his point guard publicly. Following an uncharacteristic 5-for-9 day at the free-throw line, Gates thought Robinson was letting his team down not just by leaving those free points on the table, but also by showing his annoyance in his body language.
“This is a public challenge to Ant Robinson,” Gates told the media in the postgame press conference. “Because I’m gonna call his mom after this and tell her the same thing. Ant’s next stage of growth is ignoring his mistakes, his missed free throws, because he makes it so visible, and then that distracts him from executing the next game plan.”
“The team feeds off my energy,” Robinson says today. “If they see me down or not energetic, it can carry over to them. It’s my job to come in with positive vibes every day to help carry our team.”
Making the jump
After about 50 minutes of media inquiries, the players gradually recede into the locker-room. Robinson is the last man, fielding questions even as he rises from his seat when Coach Gates corrals the reporters for an impromptu press conference at center court. When asked about the upcoming season, one the first names he mentions is Ant Robinson.” He’d like to see the latter shoot more often, Gates says, especially from 3-point range, but he seems satisfied with the point guard he’s molded.
“I’m excited with what I’ve seen with their leadership,” he says, referring to Robinson and co-captain Mitchell. “You have a group of guys that could pull a group forward.”
One of the ensuing questions is about incoming freshman point guard Aaron Rowe being a new focus of Gates’ “rough coaching” at practice.
“He is going to take a little bit of that this year, and he has been,” says Gates of Rowe. “It’s his job to smile when Coach Gates gets on him, and it’s his job not to want or need affirmation or a pat on the back.” Noting the improvement such an approach produces, Gates added. “Ant Robinson is a product of that — you guys saw the jump.”
Trial by SEC
After nonconference tilts against Notre Dame and rivals Kansas and Illinois, the Tigers enter the gantlet of the Southeastern Conference, again among the country’s toughest leagues. No opponent, home or away, will be a pushover, but the conference stretch will be the real test of the team’s mettle. Here are a few key matchups to circle on the 2026 calendar:
Jan. 3 vs. Florida: A huge Tiger turning point last year was a one-point mid-January win over the eventual national champion Gators in Gainesville. Mizzou will get another chance to set the tone when the returning champs come to Columbia.
Jan. 7 at Kentucky: There’s no rest in the SEC, and four days after trying to fend off the returning champ Gators, Mizzou heads to Lexington for their first conference road test against another pre-season ranked team, the vaunted Kentucky Wildcats.
Feb. 14 vs. Texas: One of the more disappointing losses last year was on the road against the Longhorns who, uncharacteristically, weren’t very good (6-12 in SEC play). The rebuilding Texas squad, complete with a new head coach, has a Valentine’s Day date at Mizzou Arena, where the Tigers would love to get some revenge.
March 3 vs. Oklahoma: Road games in the SEC are tough wins, no matter the opponent. Mizzou hosts an overlooked Sooner squad on Jan. 24, then heads to Norman looking to steal a victory — and potentially impress the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.
March 7 vs. Arkansas: The only other team the Tigers will face twice in a home-and-home series this year is Arkansas. The Battle Line rivals come into this year with heightened expectations, ranked No. 17 in the AP poll at press time. Mizzou might need this one, the regular season finale, if they are on the bubble for an NCAA Tournament bid.
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