Five-star Tampa small forward Kevin Knox II sets Mizzou visit

Tampa (Fla.) Catholic small forward Kevin Knox II is coming to Missouri … for an official visit.

Hey, it’s significant step.

Knox, a 6-foot-8 McDonald’s All-American, is a consensus five-star 2017 prospect ranked No. 7 overall by ESPN and Scout, No. 9 by Rivals and No. 13 by 247 Sports.

He already visited Duke (Oct. 28), Florida State (Jan. 7), Kentucky (Jan. 28) and North Carolina (Feb. 4).

Knox also has offers from Alabama, Arizona, Auburn, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, LSU, Maryland, Miami (Fla.), North Carolina State, Texas Tech, Villanova, Virginia Tech and Xavier among others.

Mizzou was never anywhere near Knox’s radar until Michael Porter Jr. committed March 24 and began chatting up the virtues of playing together in college.

Now, Knox is going to set foot on campus, hear a sales pitch from new Tigers basketball coach Cuonzo Martin, get a firsthand look at Mizzou Arena and spend more time with Porter explaining how unstoppable Knox would be paired with him on the wing.

Knox, who scored 15 points Wednesday in the McDonald’s All-American Game, averaged 28.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per game last season, helping the Crusaders reach the Florida Class 5A state championship game.

Obviously, Martin, Porter and Mizzou are way behind in the recruiting process, but they get the last chance to leave an impression on Knox, who is expected to make a decision shortly after playing in the Jordan Brand Classic on April 14 in New York.

Word of God Christian Academy point guard Blake Harris — an ESPN and 247 Sports four-star prospect from Raleigh, N.C., who had previously committed to Washington — also will visit Columbia next weekend.

Harris — a speedy 6-foot-2, 170-pound distributor — is ranked No. 85 overall by 247 Sports, No. 99 by ESPN and No. 142 by Rivals.

He also plans to visit Michigan State, Connecticut and Rutgers later this month.

Harris also boasts offers from North Carolina State, Cincinnati, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Mississippi, Saint Louis, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest among others.

This story was originally published April 1, 2017 at 10:13 PM with the headline "Five-star Tampa small forward Kevin Knox II sets Mizzou visit."