Dennis Gates and new Missouri associate coach Charlton Young have a long history together, and they talked about it during Young’s introduction to the media on Friday.

Young was previously an assistant head coach at Florida State under Leonard Hamilton, where he overlapped with Gates from 2013 to 2019.

About being an associate coach to Gates, Young said, “He’s Michael Jackson. I’m Tito Jackson. I’m OK with that. He sold a lot of hit records, too. We feel really good about what we can do to get this program to the next level. … Mizzou is a national brand. I feel strong we’ll be able to recruit nationally.”

Young also outlined the program’s vision for recruiting players, and said the Tigers would target players in the transfer portal who have 2-3 years left.

“Some programs have sold out to the portal,” he said. “We’ll use it, but we’re still going to recruit high school players.”

One of the early recruiting wins for Gates came when prized recruit Aidan Shaw re-committed to the Tigers after first backing off amid the coaching transition.

“My hat’s off the last staff for bringing in a young man like that,” Gates said. “That’s what it’s about, identifying a guy like Aidan Shaw who has the potential to be an all-conference player.”

As for his next hires, Gates said he’s not in a hurry, and added that “This place is so special I don’t want to twist anyone’s arms.”

H/T Dave Matter.