To call the past three seasons of Mizzou basketball ‘forgettable’ would be remarkably kind – and fairly inaccurate. For Tigers fans, the Kim Anderson era was a nightmare. Sure, Anderson is a nice guy and all, but the basketball program sunk to historic lows under his watch. Anderson’s 27 wins over three seasons represents the worst stretch for Tigers basketball since Bob Vanatta earned just 16 wins from 1965-68.
With enthusiasm for Mizzou basketball approaching an all-time low, incoming coach Cuonzo Martin and all-world recruit Michael Porter Jr. have done the unthinkable. They’ve given the Tigers hope. I’m not talking about the type of automatic hope that comes whenever a team brings in a new coach. This is a tangible, justifiable hope. The Tigers could go from really bad, to really good in the blink of an eye.
With the signing of Porter, the 9-win Tigers team added the top recruit in the nation. Porter helped to reel-in two four-star (ESPN-rated) guards in C.J. Roberts (an Anderson recruit who renewed his commitment to Mizzou after speaking with Martin and Porter) and Blake Harris (a former Washington commit with Porter). With those three on board, Mizzou already has the 9th-rated recruiting class in the nation. However, with the transfers of K.J. Walton and Frankie Hughes, the Tigers still have two scholarships remaining and four prep studs in the mix to fill those spots.
Wednesday night, Coach Martin was hosted by the family of five-star prospect and McDonald’s All-American Kevin Knox II for an in-home visit. Knox’s family also met with the coaches from Florida State, North Carolina, Duke and Kentucky. By all accounts, Mizzou has a legitimate chance to land Knox’s services due to his friendship with Porter Jr. If Martin can outpitch the likes of Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams and John Calipari and convince Knox to play in Columbia, he’ll already have earned every cent of his seven-year, $21M contract.
The Tigers shouldn’t have to wait too much longer for Knox’s decision. He was originally set to make his decision in mid-April, but pushed back his timeline after taking an official visit to Mizzou with Porter and Harris. Now his decision is expected sometime within the next two weeks.
East St. Louis’ Jeremiah Tilmon is another big name on the Tigers’ wish list. Tilmon asked for a release from his commitment to the University of Illinois after the Fightin’ Illini fired John Groce. Many insiders expect Tilmon to land at Mizzou due to Martin’s close ties to East St. Louis. However, there hasn’t been much news regarding Tilmon since he was granted his LOI release from Illinois.
The Tigers desperately need someone with the size and skills of the 6-foot-10 post player. The Tigers finished ninth in the SEC in rebounding and 14th (aka dead last) in blocked shots during the 2016-17 season. Kansas is expected to be the Tigers’ primary challenger for the services of the #43 recruit in the nation. Hopefully, Martin’s ESL roots will give him a recruiting advantage over Bill Self and the Jayhawks.
Edwardsville’s Mark Smith was late to the big-time hoops recruiting party, but he is sure making up for lost time. Martin is currently jousting with Calipari (Kentucky), Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Shaka Smart (Texas) and Thad Matta (Ohio State) and others for the services of the 6-foot-5 point guard who was named Illinois Mr. Basketball after a stellar senior season. Smith previous committed to Missouri as a baseball recruit until an elbow injury forced him to switch sports and dedicate all his energy towards the hardwood.
The hard work paid off as Smith dominated all season long to vault onto the wish list of the bluest of the NCAA blue bloods. If the Tigers managed to add Smith, the team would boast one of the deepest backcourts in the SEC, with Harris, Roberts and (soon-to-be) junior point guard Terrence Phillips.
The final big-time recruit in the mix for Mizzou is Jontay Porter. The 6-foot-9 power forward is technically a member of the 2018 recruiting class, but he is still contemplating whether to skip his senior season and reclassify into the 2017 recruiting class (by taking summer school classes in order to graduate early) in order to play with his older brother Michael.
The younger Porter’s decision may very well depend on what happens with Knox, Tilmon and Smith. If two of the three commit, it does not appear that the Tigers would have another scholarship to offer the younger Porter.
Jontay also must decide whether it’s more important for him to play with his brother (who is widely expected to be a one-and-done at Mizzou, or whether he wants to true experience of his senior season as a five-star recruit. That could include another run at a state championship at Father Tolton in Columbia, where the Porter boys earned a 3A title in 2016. It could also include a trip to the McDonald’s All-American game, where Michael was recently named MVP after his outstanding senior season.
By all accounts, the decision will be left up to Jontay. He is expected to make his official visit to Mizzou on April 24. He will then sit down with his family, including his father, Mizzou assistant coach Michael Porter Sr., and make a decision on his future.
Though nothing is certain, chances are very good that the Tigers will nab two of these four fantastic recruits. When they do, the buzz (and expectations) for Mizzou basketball will rise even higher. Regardless of what happens, Martin is doing the unthinkable. He’s helping Mizzou fans forget about one of the worst eras in Mizzou basketball. He’s giving hope to the hopeless. Missouri fans now have visions of sugar plumbs NCAA tournaments, postseason titles, stud recruits and #1 draft picks instead of just nightmares of more bad basketball.
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