Why Mizzou’s newest pledge has a chip on his shoulder and how he fits with Tigers
Sean Durugordon said he always knew what his dream was growing up: Play Division-I basketball and make it to the NBA.
Except he wasn’t getting any looks, offers or buzz on the recruiting trail. Durugordon, who played at a public high school in Queens, New York in a subpar league, wasn’t playing in front of scouts or coaches enough to generate any kind of excitement.
That all changed in the past six months for Durugordon as he transferred schools and started to get in front of coaches and scouts. What started with mid-major offers ballooned into high-major schools. Durugordon finally got the exposure he needed, ultimately committing to MU coach Cuonzo Martin’s Tigers.
“The main reason I chose Mizzou is because of the relationship that I built with Coach Martin and the staff there,” Durugordon told The Star in a phone interview. “Can’t visit campuses right now so I really wanted that trust with the coaching staff, one I can trust with my future and to develop me.”
The newly-minted Tiger selected Mizzou over offers from the likes of Auburn, Arizona State, Georgia, Seton Hall and other schools. He’s ranked as the No. 237 recruit in the nation by 247Sports, becoming the third member of Mizzou’s 2021 recruiting class.
Durugordon recently transferred schools in Connecticut from Canterbury School to Putnam Academy School. He said it was in an effort to up his level of competition and generate more hype in his recruiting. He said he didn’t start playing AAU ball until two years ago, late compared to his peers.
It was a difficult few years, Durugordon said, when he lacked exposure. It’s why, he said, he has a “chip on his shoulder” after being under-recruited, and he hopes to showcase his talent with the Tigers.
“I just did it in a way that most kids don’t really do it,” Durugordon said of his recruitment. “They usually go through sponsored (AAU) teams. Practice since freshman year. I pretty much came from the bottom and really had to work my way up to this point.”
Durugordon pointed to his relationship with Martin as to what really put Mizzou over the top in his recruitment. Instead of just talking only about basketball, Durugordon said he’s had long talks with Martin about “life advice that you normally hear from your parents.”
That includes topics like racial injustice in the U.S. — an area Martin has been outspoken of for years now. The MU coach has had those discussions with his current team, and Durugordon said they’ve spoken at length about the social inequality over the past few months.
“That really spoke a lot of volumes to me,” Durugordon said. “Just being in and around somebody that cares for me regardless of basketball and he’s going to develop me into a better man. Just those convos (conversations) that we would have just about life that really stuck out to me.”
Durugordon also navigated his own path to Mizzou. He said he’s mature for his age after both his parents died when he was young. His mother died of cancer, while his father had a fatal heart attack. Durugordon said he relied on his older siblings to keep him on the right path and working toward playing Division-I ball.
“I just had to mature faster and stay disciplined,” Durugordon said.
Projecting toward the next level, Durugordon pointed to one of his strengths: his length. He said he’s listed at 6 feet, 6 inches tall and has a 7-foot wingspan — perfect for Martin’s defensive-focused team.
Durugordon said he can guard multiple positions, mainly at shooting guard and small forward, while occasionally tasked with guarding power forwards.
Offensively, Durugordon said he tries to do a little bit of everything: creating off the dribble, shooting, slashing and driving. He also added he crashes the board hard for rebounds — another area he said Martin likes.
NCAA rules prohibit any on- or off-campus recruiting through Sept. 31, so Durugordon hasn’t had a chance to visit Columbia yet. He said he’s been sent some videos of the MU facilities, but he’s hoping to visit campus soon.
“I’m pretty much a guy that does it all,” Durugordon said. “I don’t really have any limitations in my game that schools can game-plan for. Of course, there’s room to improve. I’m just a guy that’s all over the floor and can be used pretty much in any situation.”