Sources: Corey Tate will be hired as Missouri's new assistant basketball coach

Multiple sources tell @PowerMizzoucom that #Mizzou is set to hire former Tiger Corey Tate as assistant hoops coach: https://t.co/rzh2efg1cH

— Gabe DeArmond (@GabeDeArmond) April 27, 2015

In the category of news that should surprise no one at this point, PowerMizzou.com is reporting that Mizzou is set to hire Corey Tate to replace Tim Fuller as Assistant Coach.

You may remember Corey Tate from the Mizzou teams of the 1990s, or you may be too young to remember him at all. Either way, it is very likely that he's coming back to Columbia as an assistant coach. We originally floated the idea out that Tate may be the guy back at the end of March in our Commence the Search post, though he wasn't exactly unfamiliar with the Mizzou bench: Word was that he was next in line to be hired when Kim Anderson pulled the trigger (at Tim Fuller's urging) on Rob Fulford.

From the Commence the Search piece:

Tate is a pretty strong candidate for a variety of reasons, but I worry about the timing. He has obvious Mizzou ties and will be coaching and around some of the best players in the east side of the state and SW Illinois. Those kinds of relationships could give Mizzou unprecedented access to St. Louis basketball in a way it has really never had. Tate has the highest likelihood of the coaches on this list I think. The one downside of Tate is a lack of Division 1 coaching experience.

This still rings true today. Tate has no Division I experience, and this staff could have used more of that.

The benefit of Tate is that he might be able to break the barrier that apparently still exists between Mizzou and St. Louis. No matter where Mizzou stood with Tyler Cook and Xavier Sneed before they hired Corey Tate, this hire has to put them in a very good position with those two players going forward. And that's not nothing. Losing out on Jayson Tatum stings, but that sting can be alleviated with two top-100 players from the same town.

There are also a couple guys this might help with in 2017. The big one is Jeremiah Tilmon, a 6'9 (and still growing) center from East St. Louis who plays for the St. Louis Eagles. And, of course, Michael Porter, Jr.

One other potential benefit: I've been told that hiring Tate actually could lead to an expansion of the Missouri basketball staff since it's very unlikely that they'll pay him the $300K-plus that Fuller was making. Expanding the basketball staff would mean that Mizzou could potentially bring back a former player in a role that would be more of the Special Assistant or Assistant for Basketball Operations type, which would help get a foot in the coaching door. Somebody like Kim English or Laurence Bowers would fit the bill in this kind of role. This is strictly hypothetical as this position has not been created.

PowerMizzou had a "Where are they Now" article a few years back that took a look at Tate's career post-Mizzou:

He was never a star at Missouri, but his college career carries a lot of credibility with his players- especially that shot he hit against top-ranked and undefeated Kansas in double-overtime as a senior. It was one of those "where were you" moments, a shot so important and so famous it defined Tate's career as a player. Grawer, then a senior in high school, said he distinctly remembers gluing himself to the television as Tate picked up that loose ball and heaved it into the hoop to send the Hearnes Center crowd into a frenzy.

From a 2012 Columbia Daily Tribune piece:

Theo Franks averaged 7.5 points in three varsity seasons. Corey Tate was a junior college transfer who, as he recalled, heeded endgame instructions from Coach Norm Stewart to "get the hell out of the way." And Zaire Taylor was best known for defense in two seasons at Missouri.

They are remembered for The Shot.

In three different Columbia settings, each hit the winning basket in the final seconds of victories over Kansas, earning a spot in the lore of a Border War that could split ears here for the final time tonight.

If nothing else, we can continue thinking of this when we hear his name:

Tate's bio from MineralArea.edu:

Corey Tate is in his eleventh season at the helm of the Mineral Area College basketball program. Corey just won his 3rd Region 16 Championship since becoming the head coach here. This years team was 27-4 overall that ended in an appearance in the NJCAA National Tournament. Corey has won 6 conference titles as well as three Region 16 titles in his tenure here. Two seasons ago the Cardinals won their second Region 16 Title as well as clinching the MCCAC Conference title under Coach Tate. During the 2012-2013 season, MAC went 26-8, won the district playoff game against Region 4 winner Malcolm X, and advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas.

The Cardinals completed the 2009-10 season with a 20-12 record against one of the toughest schedules in the nation. In the 2008-2009 season the Cardinals advanced to the Region 16 Championship game before falling to Three Rivers. Mineral Area won a share of the MCCAC Conference title for the third time in four season's under his leadership in 2007-2008. The Cardinals finished the 2006-07 season with a 23-10 record, playing in the Regional Championship for the second straight season. MAC was a basket short of advancing to the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. Tate earned his second straight MCCAC Conference "Coach of the Year" Award in 2007. The amazing 2005-06 season ended with a 28-5 record, a NJCAA Region 16 Championship, an undefeated regular season Region XVI run, an undefeated MCCAC Championship season, and finished #13 in the final NJCAA National poll. The Cardinals were undefeated at home in the 2005-06 season, and won their final 19 games of the season before dropping a District Play-off game to end the incredible run. Corey Tate was named the Region 16 "Coach of the Year," and the MCCAC Conference "Coach of the Year" in 2006.

His first season at MAC was very successful, as well. The Cardinals finished the 2004-05 season with a 21-10 record, and earned a MCCAC Conference Championship with a 5-1 record. The Cards finished in a second place tie in the Region XVI standings behind National Runner-Up Moberly Area College. "We look forward to building on the past two seasons and continuing the success associated with the MAC program," said Tate.

Corey is also the head coach of the highly regarded St. Louis Eagles AAU 16 and under basketball team. This past season the Eagles participated in the Peach Jam in Kansas City, MO as a part of the highly competive EYBL Nike circuit and were lead by Chaminade standout Jayson Tatum. Tatum is currently the #1 ranked player in the ESPN 2016 class rankings.

Corey Tate is one of the two Pattonville High School (St. Louis, MO) basketball players to have his jersey retired. He began his college playing career at Mineral Area College in 1994, where he was an All-Conference and All-Region player. Tate was touted as a a pre-season All-American in 1995, but missed the season due to a leg injury. He transferred to the University of Missouri and had three successful seasons playing under legendary coach Norm Stewart. Tate graduated with a Bachelor's in Economics and spent a season on the coaching staff as a Graduate Assistant at Mizzou. Corey returned to coaching and spent three seasons as an Assistant Coach at Mineral Area, and he is only the third head coach in the program's history.

Tate's wife, Nicole, sons Matthew and Sebastian, and daughter Alexis and Helen can be found on the sidelines of the MAC games cheering on the Cardinals.