Junior-college star Sean East ready to become Mizzou basketball's 'ultimate point guard'
From day one, Dennis Gates made it clear to Sean East.
Right after his introductory press conference, minutes after he walked off the stage promising glory and wins, Gates called East.
Gates made his message simple: He wanted East from the start.
"'I just want you to know, I want you to be my point guard,'" East said, recalling the conversation. "From the jump, he just showed the great interest and commitment and the dream that he has."
That's what landed East, perhaps the most important transfer portal addition Gates has made this offseason.
Gates now has a primary ball-handler to run his offense, which Missouri lacked last year.
East, a Louisville, Kentucky, native, also brings an experienced basketball mind, knowing what plays to make when situations call for them.
More: Why Tre Gomillion followed Dennis Gates to Mizzou: 'He didn’t have to sell me'
East forged that mind in his past stops at the Division I level at Massachusetts and Bradley, as well as a year at the junior-college level at John A. Logan College, where he was named the NJCAA player of the year.
East will have two seasons of eligibility remaining, choosing Missouri over the likes of Kentucky, Oregon, BYU, Clemson and South Florida.
East sees himself as a great fit in Gates' offense, he said. Gates brought East in for a visit in March and walked him through where he fits.
Gates will have a type of offense that asks guards to move all around the floor, cut to the basket and understand how to use a screen in a myriad of ways.
"He showed me on my visit, just everything," East said. "How I fit the offense, how he runs it and just everything."
More: Mizzou signee Christian Jones reopens recruitment, making room for Dennis Gates’ transfers
This fits in with what East has learned during his past stops at Bradley at UMass.
Those two stops taught him how important it is to get every player on the roster committed to the same goal, he said. The team can elevate itself when the players buy into what the coaches are selling, he added.
East is ready to be whatever Missouri and Gates need.
"If they need me to score, I can score; if they need me to pass, I can pass," East said. "Just being that ultimate point guard, man, and that's what teams need."
Missouri had an extreme need for a point guard after not having a natural point guard during the 2021-22 season.
Missouri recorded 399 assists compared to 476 turnovers during the season overall. Those 399 assists ranked 241st among all 350 Division I men's basketball teams.
Arizona recorded a mind-boggling 726 assists to lead the nation. Marist dished 261 assists, last in the country. Missouri was much closer to the bottom than the top.
More: Cleveland State's D'Moi Hodge commits to Mizzou basketball, reuniting with Dennis Gates
Last season at Logan, Eat's assist-to-turnover ratio was 2.8, meaning he would turn the ball over just once after dishing almost three assists. He averaged 5.7 assists per game.
"There's certain things that point guards have that you can't try to get out of a shooting guard," East said. "When you have a guard that it's just natural to him, it's easier on the coach and easier on everybody else just to do their role."
This works in line with players MU already has, and the players Gates has brought in.
D'Moi Hodge and Noah Carter both averaged 15 points per game at their previous schools. Mohamed Diarra was one of the best JUCO players as a post presence who averaged over 10 rebounds per game. Kobe Brown was an All-SEC player last season.
East described himself as a basketball person, through and through. When he's not playing, studying or working out, he's watching the game for fun, he said.
Having that type of personality is key for Gates and his point guard. Last year, without a true point, Missouri averaged 65.5 points per game. That ranked 303 out of 350 teams.
Gates has added defensive pieces in Diarra, Hodge, Tre Gomillion, Aidan Shaw and DeAndre Gholston.
His most important addition, however, could be East, whose eyes will see the court from an offensive point of view.
East's eyes are already seeing the team come together.
"We're adding the right pieces, the right type of guys," East said. "We're just going to get to work in the summer, see where it goes."
Chris Kwiecinski is the sports editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune, overseeing University of Missouri and Boone County sports coverage. Follow him on Twitter @OchoK_ and contact him at CKwiecinsk@gannett.com or 573-815-1857.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: What Dennis Gates and Mizzou basketball are getting in Sean East
