This week in Mizzou recruiting: Caleb Love, Jordan Wilmore, Tamar Bates and more

Happy bye week to all the Mizzou fans out there. I’m becoming convinced the column gets better with age, just like wine, as we have another very loaded edition this week. We’re on a great run so lets get to it.

Caleb Love cuts to two

Missouri’s top 2020 target Caleb Love cut his list of finalists to two schools coming off his official visit to North Carolina. All that remain are the Tar Heels and Tigers. As of right now, I think UNC is in slightly better shape than the Tigers, but we’ll see. To say a few months ago that MU would get this far would have gotten me a drug test. But there’s no trophies for second place.

I caught up with Justin Tatum, Love’s high school coach, this week. He talked about his recruitment. He applauded Love for cutting his list after his visit to MU and again this past week, saying that it’s clear his star player isn’t trying to waste anyone’s time. I asked Tatum where he wants to see Love improve the most during his senior season. Tatum said he sees no reason why Love can’t flirt with a double-double for an average.

“I’ve watched my son (Celtics star Jayson Tatum) get a double-double easily,” Tatum said. “I don’t see why Caleb can’t strive to get to 10 rebounds.”

Tatum said Cuonzo Martin has made MU a player in Love’s recruitment for a multitude of reasons, with the main one being that the Tigers never acted like they weren’t in it or a longshot.

“Knowing that Caleb is going to be a priority, he’s done that the longest,” Tatum said of Martin. “There’s other places around that have the access that haven’t been as consistent and genuine as well. There is not one time Mizzou did not feel like they felt like they didn’t have a chance. If they did they never showed it. That’s what the Love family sees. That’s why they’re in the loop.”

Love is expected to decide next week. We’ll see what happens.

Jordan Wilmore visiting MU this weekend

I broke the news yesterday that Mizzou will host 7-foot-3 center Jordan Wilmore for an official visit this weekend. Wilmore is a recent MU offer and plays at The Skills Academy Prep in Georgia, but has played at a few high schools before that. Wilmore is considered more of a construction project and MU appears to be the lone Power Five team seriously chasing him. It wouldn’t surprise me if MU took a commitment from him, but I can’t say for sure. Here’s why.

I was told when MU was heavily recruiting Ryan Kalkbrenner and Davion Bradford that the Tigers wanted both because they’re losing Reed Nikko to graduation after this season and possibly Jeremiah Tilmon to the pros. Recent addition Axel Okongo will also be gone, unless the NCAA grants him an extra year of eligibility.

Long story short, there’s plenty of minutes in the post for two guys. Bradford remains a heavy target, but Wilmore appears to have replaced Kalkbrenner. The Tigers could also go the junior college route, but I can’t see them hosting Wilmore if they wouldn’t seriously take him. I plan to try and catch up with Wilmore after his visit.

Tamar Bates and Mark Mitchell visit MU

Two of the biggest prospects in Kansas City took unofficial visits to MU last weekend and seemed to enjoy themselves.

Tamar Bates was one of Piper’s star players on its state championship team last year and is currently a four-star recruit in the 2021 class. The 6-foot-4 guard has started to get more involved in the recruiting process of late and has also taken visits to Kansas State and Oklahoma State and plans to visit Nebraska this weekend. He also plans to take an official visit to Creighton and be at Kansas’ Late Night at the Phog.

Bates said he enjoyed his time with Martin and was surprised at how little the conversation focused on basketball

“I see how he gets a lot of guys,” Bates told me. “He’s more focused on the important stuff. Like becoming a better man. He didn’t want to talk about all the basketball stuff.”

Mitchell is a five-star recruit in the 2022 class and is an athletic 6-foot-7 power forward. I caught up with his coach at Bishop Miege, Rich Zych, on his star player.

Zych said Mitchell might be the most offensively skilled player he’s ever had, and that includes former college stars Trevor and Travis Releford and current Villanova freshman Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

“He’s emerged into scoring from all levels,” Zych said. “His perimeter shot and three-point (shot) have improved. I think he’s going to be a natural three.”

Mitchell told Zych that he enjoyed his visit to MU and is expecting to have some MU coaches at a few of his games this season. Bishop Miege opens the season at Mizzou Arena against Cardinal Ritter in the Norm Stewart Classic on Dec. 7. Missouri plays at Temple that day.

Mitchell is also hearing from Kansas and North Carolina among others.

Jayla Kelly to MU

Robin Pingeton got a big commitment earlier this week in St. Louis post Jayla Kelly. Kelly is a four-star recruit and plays at Parkway Central. She took an official visit to MU a few weeks ago and then visited Northwestern before reaching her decision.

“I had in my head that it was between the two so after balancing things out I realized it was them,” she told me.

Kelly said she plans to play both forward spots at MU and get time at center as Pingeton pitched her on expanding her game. She plans to spend her senior year working on her ball-handling to prepare for it.

“I think I’ll be good for interior defense,” she said. “I think all-around offensively whether I’m starting the fast break whether I’m mid-range, post moves, off the dribble to the basket. They want me to very versatile.”

Kelly took her official visit the same weekend as fellow MU targets Treasure Thompson and Destiny Salary. She said she’s Snapchat friends with both players and talks to Thompson more frequently than Salary. She plans to check in with both of them on their plans but not oversell them on joining her.