If there’s one thing that always holds true about head coach Dennis Gates, it’s his appreciation for his assistants. He values having a deep coaching staff by his side throughout the season, and their contributions play a significant role in the team’s success.
Fans have already seen Gates bring back or add multiple coaches to his staff this offseason, and rounding out the coaching room by bringing back a familiar face is a welcome sight.
After beating cancer last year, Coach David "Dickey" Nutt returns to his assistant coaching role with the Tigers!
— Mizzou Hoops (@MizzouHoops) May 9, 2025
📰 https://t.co/xStxpmBgwc#MIZ 🐯 pic.twitter.com/chevv6VnHK
David "Dickey" Nutt has been with the Tigers’ program for several years, initially joining in April 2022.
However, after two years as an assistant coach, he was diagnosed with cancer in February 2024. After officially beating the disease in October of the same year, he remained with Mizzou in a new role, serving as a senior advisor this past season.
Nutt brings a wealth of experience, both as a player and a coach. He and Gates speak highly of one another and appear eager to continue working together for several more seasons as they look to build on an impressive 2024–25 campaign.
Nutt spent over a decade as an assistant coach at both the high school and college levels before being named head coach at Arkansas State in 1995, a position he held through 2008.
He then spent six seasons as the head coach at Southeast Missouri State before joining several other programs in various roles, eventually joining the Tigers three years ago.
Coaching runs in the Nutt family, as two of Dickey’s brothers, Houston and Dennis, have also led top-tier Division I football and basketball programs.
Nutt has found success wherever he’s been on the sideline, and it’s clear that Gates expects more of the same in the near future — a belief reflected in this hire.
The 2025–26 season will mark Nutt’s first year back as an assistant coach since his battle with cancer, and he’s sure to provide a significant boost to the program as a whole.
Though the coaching staff is starting to fill out, it’s likely that Gates will add more support to the program in the coming weeks.