榴莲视频

Time takes away a lot of things, particularly if you look at time as age (Father Time is undefeated), but time also gives us plenty. It gives wisdom. It gives clarity. It gives context and perspective. It gives you the ability to look back and reflect.

Missouri men鈥檚 basketball coach 鈥� words this week convey an appreciation for time, what it means, what it brings and what, hopefully, accompanies the passage of time for the program he helms.

The Tigers (18-6 overall, 7-4 SEC) entered this week . They鈥檙e in the top third of the SEC, a conference that boasts the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country and four of the top five.

The Tigers have continued their remarkable bounce back after an eight-win season (8-24) last year that included an 0-18 conference slate.

鈥淲e鈥檙e still in infant stages,鈥� Gates told reporters this week in Columbia, ahead of an 82-58 rout of Oklahoma at Mizzou Arena on Wednesday night.

What should be made of Gates鈥� declaration that the Missouri program still is in its infancy and that 鈥�20-plus years鈥� with the program is his aim?

If you鈥檝e got a naturally pessimistic view ingrained into your thinking, then you鈥檇 say it was a ploy about job security and/or greasing the wheels for future contract discussions.

Or you might simply attribute the statement to getting out in front of any potential speculation. After all, recruiting and the transfer portal are increasingly cutthroat competition these days. So anything that chips away at or appears to chip away at a program鈥檚 stability can only benefit its competitors.

One of Gates鈥� mentors, Leonard Hamilton, , where Gates previously served as an assistant.

If you鈥檙e Missouri, you want your coach to squash any potential rumor before it gets off the ground.

Now, if you鈥檙e taking Gates鈥� comments with an optimistic bend, you鈥檙e leaning into the fact that the third-year coach鈥檚 rhetoric conveys the notion he sees himself as building or growing something. His words tell you he鈥檚 taking a long-term view.

Gates referenced Hamilton having been at Florida State for 23 years as an example of what he wants to do at Missouri.

鈥淚 want to be at a place for 20-plus years too,鈥� Gates told reporters. 鈥淚 want to be here for 20-plus years, and when I say infant stages 鈥� look at the duration of just growth of an individual. You鈥檙e an infant for a while, and there鈥檚 a lot of future ahead. There鈥檚 a lot of bright things ahead.鈥�

You hear that and you鈥檙e optimistic because Gates is not shying away from big goals. Instead, he put them on the table in a public way and declared intentions to raise the program to an elite level.

鈥淥ur goal is to get to a place where this program has never gone. This year, it鈥檚 in San Antonio, Texas,鈥� Gates said, alluding to the NCAA Final Four and national championship game being played at the Alamodome in April. 鈥淲e鈥檝e never been as a program.鈥�

OK, big dog. That鈥檚 some full-throated barking.

Gates didn鈥檛 stop there. He set a bar that鈥檚 awful lofty and one that鈥檚 not for anyone easily made nauseous by heights.

鈥淚 want an SEC championship. Regular season,鈥� Gates said. 鈥淚 want a (conference) tournament championship banner. I want an NCAA banner. I want a Final Four banner, a national championship banner in Mizzou Arena. That鈥檚 what I want.鈥�

Gates even included wanting Missouri to hold the No. 1 ranking in the country at some point.

So if you鈥檙e someone who is always looking for a reason to break out the pom-poms, strike up the fight song and wave that Mizzou flag, Gates gave you your daily injection of rah, rah, sis, boom, bah.

If you鈥檙e looking for something deeper than that, Gates gave you that, too. He referenced interactions with , who long ago cemented his iconic stature as both a player and coach.

Gates referenced Stewart, the program鈥檚 winningest coach and one of the most successful coaches in NCAA Division I history, almost as if he were a fatherly figure. Gates said Stewart wrapped his arms around him at times and provided a foot to his backside at times.

That fatherly type connection with Stewart brings us back to the idea of Gates鈥� Missouri program being in its infancy.

If Gates accomplishes all the goals he laid out, from No. 1 ranking in the regular season and conference championships to a Final Four appearance and national championship, it won鈥檛 bother anyone if he does it within five years or 10 years as opposed to 20-plus.

However, that 鈥�20-plus years鈥� goes back to a different age in college basketball when coaches such as Dean Smith, John Thompson, Jim Calhoun, John Chaney, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim and Stewart were synonymous with their programs and their schools.

If you combine those ambitious goals with longevity, you鈥檇 solidify Missouri as a destination program on the national stage. You鈥檇 make it the type of program that makes other big-time programs look like steppingstones.

In that regard, Missouri fans and decision-makers should share Gates鈥� aim.

I guess 鈥�20-plus years鈥� should be the new rallying cry for alumni.

And time will afford us all the ability to evaluate how Gates and Missouri measured up.