Here’s the latest on Mizzou men’s + women’s basketball recruiting (including rosters)
Just last week, this was shaping up to be a potentially massive stretch for Missouri men’s basketball coach Cuonzo Martin and his Tigers program. MU was a finalist for three potential newcomers, any of whom might’ve breathed some extra life into next season’s team.
You know what happened next: Justin Turner spurned Mizzou, deciding to stay at Bowling Green; five-star guard Josh Christopher went west to Arizona State; and Michigan transfer David DeJulius chose to finish his college career at Cincinnati.
Not to be deterred, Martin and his assistants remain on the hunt.
New players are entering the NCAA’s transfer portal every day. But all programs, Martin’s included, are facing a different sort of challenge this spring: They cannot play host to potential recruits during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The NCAA has instituted a temporary recruiting dead period through May 31, barring all on- and off-campus visits, so the wooing of such targets is taking place solely online and through phone calls.
Mizzou has two open scholarship spots available after Tray Jackson and Mario McKinney Jr. both transferred. So Martin is trying to assess the roster’s needs for next season ... be he also must think long-range. In the nearer term, the Tigers would be a different team if they can add a reliable wing scorer, but the cupboard is even more barren beyond the 2020-21 season.
If Martin took in two graduate transfers, both would be eligible to play immediately. While that would certainly help next season, MU still faces the brutal task of replacing much of its current production for 2021-22. Jeremiah Tilmon, Dru Smith, Mark Smith and Mitchell Smith will all be gone after next season. And all were starters in 2019-20.
On top of all that, three Mizzou players — Tilmon, Xavier Pinson and Mitchell Smith — have made themselves eligible for the 2020 NBA Draft. Whether any or all chooses to return to Columbia remains to be seen.
While we await their decisions, here are some guys to keep an eye during Martin’s recruiting search.
Closing in on two more
Fans might be getting sick of hearing it, but it’s true: Mizzou is a finalist for two potential transfers.
First is former Hawaii guard Drew Buggs. He announced Tuesday that he’s down to Mizzou, Iowa State and Loyola Marymount.
As a graduate transfer, Buggs is immediately eligible next season. A 6-foot-3, pass-first guard, he averaged 9.5 points, 5.4 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game last season for the Rainbow Warriors. Buggs is likely to make his decision this weekend, according to 247Sports.
The other target with MU as a finalist? Former Fresno State guard Jarred Hyder. His five schools are Mizzou, Cal (Martin’s last coaching stop), Washington State, BYU and Saint Mary’s. His timeline for deciding is less clear.
Hyder is a traditional transfer who’d be a sophomore this fall, so he still has three years of eligibility remaining. The 6-3 guard averaged 9.1 points and 3.1 assists per game last season.
Others to watch
If there’s a talented player in the transfer portal, odds are Mizzou has reached out.
There are plenty of intriguing names, though it’s still early in the recruitment process for many of them. Among the intriguing ones is Evansville transfer DeAndre Williams. Mizzou has a couple of connections to the Purple Aces in assistant coach Chris Hollender and former Evansville/current MU guard Dru Smith. Like Pinson, Tilmon and Mitchell Smith, Williams has declared for the draft after averaging 15.2 points and 6.9 rebounds last season.
Mizzou is one of many schools that have reached out to Williams, per Rivals. No timeline yet for his recruitment.
The Tigers have also reportedly contacted forward Francis Okoro of Oregon. He played sparingly and averaged 3.3 points and 4.2 rebounds with the Ducks last season. Mizzou was interested in Okoro when the 6-9 forward was in high school, too.
And about the women ...
Coach Robin Pingeton has recently added two newcomers to the MU women’s lineup.
Sarah Linthacum announced her commitment last week, joining her sister, Micah, who is already on the team. The Linthacum name is slowly becoming Mizzou royalty — the sisters’ father, grandfather and great-grandfather all played football here.
Mizzou also earned Auburn transfer Lauren Hansen’s pledge. The former four-star recruit has three years of eligibility remaining. She appeared in 25 games (20 starts) for Auburn last season, averaging 7.9 points.
After a disappointing season for Pingeton and the Tigers, these additions are steps in the right direction. Mizzou returns two SEC All-Freshman players in Aijha Blackwell and Hayley Frank. And Pingeton signed three recruits as part of her current recruiting class, including Spanish guard Mama Dembele.
The Tigers will also have three transfers eligible next season in Renetha “Shug” Dickson (Tulsa/Texas Tech), LaDazhia Williams (South Carolina) and Shannon Dufficy (Utah State). Each is expected to make an impact, the coach said.