BASKETBALL RECRUITING
-- I caught up with three-star 2015 North Dakota State College of Science shooting guard Johnny Woodard the other day. He confirmed that he has been hearing pretty regularly from Mizzou at this point, but no offer yet. It sounds like, from talking to some different people around Mizzou basketball, that Woodard is slightly behind Mulder and Eubanks.
Woodard averaged 22 points per game and 6 rebounds per game while shooting 48.2% from the field, 40.8% from three and 71.9% from the free throw line. One thing to consider with those stats is that NDSCS isn't in the toughest JuCo region.
-- 2015 Mizzou targets Charles Foster are all playing in the NJCAA which starts on Monday. The first three are the priority for the Tigers. Competition for the three is expected to increase some during and after the tournament as more high major teams see them play. The fact that Missouri got on them early and has significant playing time available should keep them in good shape with each. Once their seasons end (which could be Monday for some) official visits should start to get scheduled pretty quickly. The upcoming signing period runs from April 15 - May 20.
-- 2015 Motlow State point guard Terrence Phillips has already taken that spot in this class for Missouri. They are looking for another combo guard like Payne or Foster.
-- We had the news last night saying that a source told us Missouri has not been completely eliminated from contention for Thomas Bryant. I've since found out that Missouri was in contact with Bryant yesterday and they are working on going up to visit him sometime soon.
I also talked with Terrence Phillips about Bryant because he is one of the few people that talks with him on a regular basis. Phillips told me that he just talked with Bryant and he didn't say anything about not considering Mizzou anymore. Obviously this doesn't mean that Mizzou is going to land Bryant. I would say it is pretty unlikely at this point. It hasn't been announced yet, but Huntington and Oak Hill will most likely be in the Dick's Sporting Goods High School Nationals April 2-4. That'll give Phillips some time to recruit Bryant face to face.
FOOTBALL RECRUITING
-- We'll admit, things seem unusually quiet on the recruiting front, even for Mizzou. As far as we can tell at this point there are not a lot of targets that they are pushing real hard for at this point. There are some guys we know they really like (Obi Eboh to name a few of the obvious ones), but when you talk with them they don't indicate that Mizzou is pushing real hard for a commitment.
Last year it was mentioned by some on the staff that Mizzou doesn't pressure guys into commitments, which has seemed to be the SOP for a while, but this year they seem to be taking it even further. One thing to consider that may be playing into this is the fact that the roster isn't set so they don't know exactly which positions will be the biggest priorities yet. From what I've been told offensive line and cornerback are the top two right now. Linebacker, defensive tackle and safety are also considered priorities.
-- The safety position most likely has a commitment, but unfortunately we have not been able to confirm it with the player. That would be Hinds CC prospect Natereace Strong are committed and just haven't made it public. I'm working with Hinds to try and go down there to cover a spring practice. If I do I'll get some footage of them practicing and will interview them.
-- I caught up with three-star 2015 North Dakota State College of Science shooting guard Johnny Woodard the other day. He confirmed that he has been hearing pretty regularly from Mizzou at this point, but no offer yet. It sounds like, from talking to some different people around Mizzou basketball, that Woodard is slightly behind Mulder and Eubanks.
Woodard averaged 22 points per game and 6 rebounds per game while shooting 48.2% from the field, 40.8% from three and 71.9% from the free throw line. One thing to consider with those stats is that NDSCS isn't in the toughest JuCo region.
-- 2015 Mizzou targets Charles Foster are all playing in the NJCAA which starts on Monday. The first three are the priority for the Tigers. Competition for the three is expected to increase some during and after the tournament as more high major teams see them play. The fact that Missouri got on them early and has significant playing time available should keep them in good shape with each. Once their seasons end (which could be Monday for some) official visits should start to get scheduled pretty quickly. The upcoming signing period runs from April 15 - May 20.
-- 2015 Motlow State point guard Terrence Phillips has already taken that spot in this class for Missouri. They are looking for another combo guard like Payne or Foster.
-- We had the news last night saying that a source told us Missouri has not been completely eliminated from contention for Thomas Bryant. I've since found out that Missouri was in contact with Bryant yesterday and they are working on going up to visit him sometime soon.
I also talked with Terrence Phillips about Bryant because he is one of the few people that talks with him on a regular basis. Phillips told me that he just talked with Bryant and he didn't say anything about not considering Mizzou anymore. Obviously this doesn't mean that Mizzou is going to land Bryant. I would say it is pretty unlikely at this point. It hasn't been announced yet, but Huntington and Oak Hill will most likely be in the Dick's Sporting Goods High School Nationals April 2-4. That'll give Phillips some time to recruit Bryant face to face.
FOOTBALL RECRUITING
-- We'll admit, things seem unusually quiet on the recruiting front, even for Mizzou. As far as we can tell at this point there are not a lot of targets that they are pushing real hard for at this point. There are some guys we know they really like (Obi Eboh to name a few of the obvious ones), but when you talk with them they don't indicate that Mizzou is pushing real hard for a commitment.
Last year it was mentioned by some on the staff that Mizzou doesn't pressure guys into commitments, which has seemed to be the SOP for a while, but this year they seem to be taking it even further. One thing to consider that may be playing into this is the fact that the roster isn't set so they don't know exactly which positions will be the biggest priorities yet. From what I've been told offensive line and cornerback are the top two right now. Linebacker, defensive tackle and safety are also considered priorities.
-- The safety position most likely has a commitment, but unfortunately we have not been able to confirm it with the player. That would be Hinds CC prospect Natereace Strong are committed and just haven't made it public. I'm working with Hinds to try and go down there to cover a spring practice. If I do I'll get some footage of them practicing and will interview them.
