Men’s Basketball Announces 2026-27 Staff
5/19/2026 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Mizzou men's basketball team completed its 2026-27 staff on Tuesday, highlighted by the addition of four new assistant coaches, announced by Whitten Family Head Coach Dennis Gates.
Joining the Tigers for the 2026-27 campaign are Tavaras Hardy, Jimmie Foster, Jason Crowe Sr. and Zach Reynolds. The four bring a wide range of experience to Mizzou, excelling in player development at both the collegiate and high school levels. Hardy and Foster combined to coach 12 players that have been drafted or signed with NBA teams following their collegiate careers, while Crowe and Reynolds succeeded by mentoring players at the high school level into high-major prospects.
"We have assembled a winning roster for this season, both on the court with our student-athletes and on the sideline with our staff," Gates said. "We feature a lot of experience in our coaching staff that has won at every level of basketball – from high major to mid major and to high school. It is a very diverse staff that compliments each other well and brings proven track records to Mizzou. They have all shown the ability to develop players at a high level and set up their student-athletes to have success at both the college and professional levels.
"My relationships with our four new additions go back decades and I've been able to see first-hand how successful each coach is. Both Tavaras and Jimmie have had tremendous success building winning cultures at the collegiate level and turning student-athletes into NBA players. Tavaras brings a great offensive mindset to our program with a unique perspective as a former head coach in addition to his time as an assistant in the Big Ten, Big East and ACC. Jimmie coached at one of the top defensive teams in the Missouri Valley Conference for the past decade, helping build a program into a team that won three conference championships.
"Jason and Zach have proven to be successful coaches at the high school level, winning multiple state titles, while molding their players into Division I talent. As player development coaches at Mizzou, we look forward to their perspective and their ability to maximize our student-athlete's potential.
"Additionally, I want to congratulate Ryan Sharbaugh on his promotion to Associate Head Coach. He is the one coach that has been by my side all seven years and has played an instrumental part in building a winning program at Mizzou."
TAVARAS HARDY (FULL BIO)
In addition to his assistant coaching responsibilities, Hardy is set to serve as the team's offensive coordinator, while working directly with the team's post players. Hardy brings Division I head coaching experience at Loyola University Maryland to Mizzou in addition to stops as an assistant coach in three different power conferences.
Most recently, Hardy had a six-year run leading Loyola from 2018 to 2024. During his time with the Greyhounds, Hardy led the team to the Patriot League Championship Game for the first time in its history in 2021, while coaching numerous players to individual accolades. Under his guidance, Santi Aldama became the first player in school history – and just the third from a Patriot League school – to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft when he was picked No. 30 by Memphis in 2021. He also coached Cam Spencer from 2019 to 2022 before he was drafted in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft by Detroit.
Overall, Hardy mentored the Patriot League's leading scorer in four of his six seasons at Loyola, while coaching five all-conference honorees, including four first-team selections.
Prior to his time at Loyola, Hardy served as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech (2016-18), Georgetown (2013-16) and at his alma mater, Northwestern (2007-13), gaining experience in three different power conferences. In total, Hardy has coached seven future NBA players during his collegiate career.
JIMMIE FOSTER (FULL BIO)
Foster brings more than 15 years of success to the Tigers, most recently serving as an assistant coach at Colorado State. In his one season with the Rams, Foster helped CSU to 21 victories – only the third time the program eclipsed 20 wins under a first-year head coach – in addition to an invitation to the NIT.
Overall, Foster has enjoyed successful stints at as an associate head coach and assistant coach at Bradley (2015-25) plus tenures as an assistant coach at Green Bay (2010-15) and North Dakota (2009-10). Foster helped build the Braves into a perennial Missouri Valley Conference contender, winning three league titles in 2018, 2019 and 2023.
Foster has also worked closely with post players during his coaching career, while helping five players develop into NBA draft picks and signees in Alec Brown, Alfonzo McKinnie, Keifer Sykes, Malevy Leons and Jayson Kent.
JASON CROWE SR. (FULL BIO)
Crowe brings more than 25 years of experience – both as a player and as a coach – to the Tigers as an assistant coach for player development. He most recently led Inglewood High School from 2024 to 2026.
During his time with the Sentinels, Crowe led a program that hadn't posted 20 wins since 2015-16 to back-to-back campaigns with 25-plus victories. Overall, he totaled a combined 54 wins in two seasons with the program, winning the Ocean League Championship in consecutive campaigns with trips to the CIF-SS Division I Playoffs. Crowe earned Coach of the Year accolades following the 2025-26 season by the Daily Breeze.
Prior to his time at Inglewood, Crowe served as head coach at Lynwood High School from 2017 to 2024. A two-time Gateway League Coach of the Year, Crowe led the Knights to their first state title in school history during the 2023 tournament.
Crowe was also the President/Director of Paul Pierce's The Truth EYBL team in the Nike Youth Basketball league, coaching the U17 and U16 teams. During his time with the program, he helped develop three future NBA players in Jamie Jaquez Jr., Peyton Watson and Keshad Johnson.
ZACH REYNOLDS (FULL BIO)
Reynolds joins Mizzou as assistant coach for player development following five highly successful seasons as a head coach, building a pair of Florida high schools into nationally-recognized programs.
Most recently, Reynolds served as head coach at Zephyrhills Christian Academy during the 2024-25 season. He led the Warriors to an 18-4 overall record – including a 7-0 mark in the Grind Session Power Conference – with a top 25 ranking nationally by Sports Illustrated.
Prior to Zephyrhills Christian, Reynolds spent four seasons as head coach at North Tampa Christian Academy from 2020 to 2024, leading the Titans to a 91–23 overall record, two SSAA State Championships, two District Championships, one Regional Championship and a Final Four appearance.
Overall, Reynolds averaged nearly 22 wins in his five seasons as a high school coach, accumulating a record of 109-27 during his career. Additionally, 10 of his student-athletes signed to play college basketball after graduation, including seven at the Division I level.
RETURNING STAFF
The four newest Tigers join Gates' returning staff. Ryan Sharbaugh joins Kyle Smithpeters as the team's associate head coaches – both in their fifth seasons with the Tigers. Assistant coach Matt Cline is also in his fifth season, while Assistant Coach/General Manager Tim Fuller and Assistant Coach/Director of Basketball Operations Griffin McHone are in their second campaigns with the team.
Additional returning members of the coaching staff include Assistants to the Head Coach David "Dickey" Nutt and David Carter plus Director of Athletic Performance Sean Conaty.
RENEW YOUR SEASON TICKETS OR SIGN UP FOR REQUEST LIST
Fans can lock in their seats by renewing their season tickets through their Mizzou Tigers account. Interested fans looking to join the fun can also be added to the season ticket request form.
