The Chamber's staff has been scattered about the country the last few days covering basketball (the last time that was the case in March, the Chamber had not yet hit adolescence and was a wide-eyed young pup...but it's growing up now and has become much more mature and responsible). But in the mean time, there has been some recruiting news. So in case you haven't been paying attention or simply like to see everything in one place because your finger gets tired from clicking links and you have trouble reading full length stories, here you go:
FOOTBALL RECRUITING
Missouri has hosted a ton of in-state prospects in recent weeks and has re-entered the mix for some of the the top guys in the 2019 class. Coming off those visits, Trinity Catholic products Marcus Washington and Shammond Cooper have both released a Top 10 (those are always subject to change) that includes the Tigers.
Marcus Washington update
Shammond Cooper update
Ira Henry is another Trinity Catholic prospect that Missouri made a positive impact on during his recent Jr. Day visit.
Ira Henry update
A month ago, we'd have told you Missouri had no chance with Cooper, little chance with Washington and a so-so chance with Henry. We now think the Tigers have an excellent chance with Washington and Henry (along with Jack Buford) and a decent chance with Cooper.
We--and everyone else--expect Isaiah Williams to follow Corey Patterson to Illinois, and maybe relatively soon. But other than that, the Tigers have really made an impression with the 2019 in-state class.
So, why the sudden change in perception with these three targets? For one, they got back on campus and noticed the upgrades and investments Missouri is making within the program. But it's also apparent that assistant coaches A.J. Ofodile, Vernon Hargraeves, Brad Davis, and Derek Dooley are making an impact as well. The turnovers seems to have re-energized recruiting a bit, both on a local and national level. Now, let's remember, a year ago, many of the local kids were saying very similar positive things about Missouri. And then the Tigers started like a dumpster fire and all that momentum went away. So there will be two keys:
1. Missouri needs to get a few early commitments this year, before the season starts. Not doing so in the 2018 class (at least locally) really hurt them.
2. Missouri needs to win some games. The Tigers simply can't start out 1-4 or something similar again. If it happens, it's much more likely we're talking about a coaching change than positive recruiting results.
Turning the page on quarterback targets in 2019, we still don't really have a clear picture there, but a couple of visits have recently happened.
Archbishop Alter (Oh.) target Connor Bazelak visited last weekend and the Tigers left a good impression on him. He plans to take a few more unofficial visits over the next few weekends then start taking official visits in April and May. Right now, I'd say Missouri is in good shape to get an official visit.
Connor Bazelak update
North Panola (Miss.) prospect KJ Jefferson is another quarterback target that visited Missouri on Tuesday. We've attempted to reach out to him, but haven't heard back yet. We're hoping to get an update on the three-star prospect soon.
BASKETBALL RECRUITING
The main story for 2018 continues to be the pursuit of Webster Groves point guard Courtney Ramey. Ramey had 19 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists in Websters' 81-61 demolition of Liberty in the state semifinals. The Statesmen will face Chaminade for the title on Saturday at 4:30 in Springfield.
Everyone we talk to believes Missouri is in very good shape to land Ramey, though it's hard to tell if that's based on information or just intuition. Either way, the Tigers are considered at this point to be right in the mix and potentially even the leader. SMU was in to see him this week. So was Illinois. Minnesota, Texas and Oklahoma State are among the teams trying. After Ramey's season is over, he'll turn his attention to recruiting. We would anticipate some official visits. He's already taken one to Texas and Oklahoma State, so we believe he has three left if he chooses to take them all.
After Ramey, we really think it will start to be about seeing how many scholarships they have left and potentially exploring the grad transfer market. Here are the returning scholarship players next year:
Mitchell Smith
Reed Nikko
Jordan Geist
Jeremiah Tilmon
Kevin Puryear
Cullen VanLeer
Plus, we wait to see what happens with Michael Porter Jr. and Jontay Porter. If we had to guess today, here are our odds:
Both return: 5%
Both leave: 65%
Michael leaves, Jontay returns: 30%
Missouri has current commitments from:
KJ Santos
Xavier Pinson
Torrence Watson
Javon Pickett
So if they add Ramey, that would make 11 scholarships for next year. If you keep both Porters, you're done. If one leaves, you have one to give, which Mizzou could use almost anywhere. If they both leave, you've got two spots. One of them we would think would be used on a juco or grad transfer front court player. The other one could be used or banked for the monster 2019 class.
As far as that class goes, we're hearing Mario McKinney will wait to make a commitment anywhere until after the AAU season. That was a little surprising (and obviously could change or be incorrect) but it's what we're hearing this week.
No other real developments with the 2019 kids at this point. But let's look at what the numbers would be. We'll assume, for these purposes, that Missouri has a full 13 on scholarship next season. Here's who they would lose:
Puryear
Geist
VanLeer (yeah, we still think next year is probably his last year. He told us yesterday the recovery time was about nine months). That would mean he could be ready in January or February. Maybe you redshirt him, but I have a really hard time seeing them using a scholarship for five years on a guy who was averaging 2.6 points this year. It's not being cruel or anything, but especially with that 2019 class, they're going to need some room--like more than three
Let's also assume that one spot comes open from either Jontay or a graduate transfer coming off the books. So that would give the Tigers four scholarship. As we always say, they'll have as many as they need...and the likelihood is that it will be more than four.
That's it for now. Tip time in a little less than 11 hours. Hopefully you dolts can finish reading this by then.
FOOTBALL RECRUITING
Missouri has hosted a ton of in-state prospects in recent weeks and has re-entered the mix for some of the the top guys in the 2019 class. Coming off those visits, Trinity Catholic products Marcus Washington and Shammond Cooper have both released a Top 10 (those are always subject to change) that includes the Tigers.
Marcus Washington update
Shammond Cooper update
Ira Henry is another Trinity Catholic prospect that Missouri made a positive impact on during his recent Jr. Day visit.
Ira Henry update
A month ago, we'd have told you Missouri had no chance with Cooper, little chance with Washington and a so-so chance with Henry. We now think the Tigers have an excellent chance with Washington and Henry (along with Jack Buford) and a decent chance with Cooper.
We--and everyone else--expect Isaiah Williams to follow Corey Patterson to Illinois, and maybe relatively soon. But other than that, the Tigers have really made an impression with the 2019 in-state class.
So, why the sudden change in perception with these three targets? For one, they got back on campus and noticed the upgrades and investments Missouri is making within the program. But it's also apparent that assistant coaches A.J. Ofodile, Vernon Hargraeves, Brad Davis, and Derek Dooley are making an impact as well. The turnovers seems to have re-energized recruiting a bit, both on a local and national level. Now, let's remember, a year ago, many of the local kids were saying very similar positive things about Missouri. And then the Tigers started like a dumpster fire and all that momentum went away. So there will be two keys:
1. Missouri needs to get a few early commitments this year, before the season starts. Not doing so in the 2018 class (at least locally) really hurt them.
2. Missouri needs to win some games. The Tigers simply can't start out 1-4 or something similar again. If it happens, it's much more likely we're talking about a coaching change than positive recruiting results.
Turning the page on quarterback targets in 2019, we still don't really have a clear picture there, but a couple of visits have recently happened.
Archbishop Alter (Oh.) target Connor Bazelak visited last weekend and the Tigers left a good impression on him. He plans to take a few more unofficial visits over the next few weekends then start taking official visits in April and May. Right now, I'd say Missouri is in good shape to get an official visit.
Connor Bazelak update
North Panola (Miss.) prospect KJ Jefferson is another quarterback target that visited Missouri on Tuesday. We've attempted to reach out to him, but haven't heard back yet. We're hoping to get an update on the three-star prospect soon.
BASKETBALL RECRUITING
The main story for 2018 continues to be the pursuit of Webster Groves point guard Courtney Ramey. Ramey had 19 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists in Websters' 81-61 demolition of Liberty in the state semifinals. The Statesmen will face Chaminade for the title on Saturday at 4:30 in Springfield.
Everyone we talk to believes Missouri is in very good shape to land Ramey, though it's hard to tell if that's based on information or just intuition. Either way, the Tigers are considered at this point to be right in the mix and potentially even the leader. SMU was in to see him this week. So was Illinois. Minnesota, Texas and Oklahoma State are among the teams trying. After Ramey's season is over, he'll turn his attention to recruiting. We would anticipate some official visits. He's already taken one to Texas and Oklahoma State, so we believe he has three left if he chooses to take them all.
After Ramey, we really think it will start to be about seeing how many scholarships they have left and potentially exploring the grad transfer market. Here are the returning scholarship players next year:
Mitchell Smith
Reed Nikko
Jordan Geist
Jeremiah Tilmon
Kevin Puryear
Cullen VanLeer
Plus, we wait to see what happens with Michael Porter Jr. and Jontay Porter. If we had to guess today, here are our odds:
Both return: 5%
Both leave: 65%
Michael leaves, Jontay returns: 30%
Missouri has current commitments from:
KJ Santos
Xavier Pinson
Torrence Watson
Javon Pickett
So if they add Ramey, that would make 11 scholarships for next year. If you keep both Porters, you're done. If one leaves, you have one to give, which Mizzou could use almost anywhere. If they both leave, you've got two spots. One of them we would think would be used on a juco or grad transfer front court player. The other one could be used or banked for the monster 2019 class.
As far as that class goes, we're hearing Mario McKinney will wait to make a commitment anywhere until after the AAU season. That was a little surprising (and obviously could change or be incorrect) but it's what we're hearing this week.
No other real developments with the 2019 kids at this point. But let's look at what the numbers would be. We'll assume, for these purposes, that Missouri has a full 13 on scholarship next season. Here's who they would lose:
Puryear
Geist
VanLeer (yeah, we still think next year is probably his last year. He told us yesterday the recovery time was about nine months). That would mean he could be ready in January or February. Maybe you redshirt him, but I have a really hard time seeing them using a scholarship for five years on a guy who was averaging 2.6 points this year. It's not being cruel or anything, but especially with that 2019 class, they're going to need some room--like more than three
Let's also assume that one spot comes open from either Jontay or a graduate transfer coming off the books. So that would give the Tigers four scholarship. As we always say, they'll have as many as they need...and the likelihood is that it will be more than four.
That's it for now. Tip time in a little less than 11 hours. Hopefully you dolts can finish reading this by then.
