What Cuonzo Martin says about his five-player recruiting class for Mizzou basketball
There was little drama for Missouri Tigers men’s basketball coach Cuonzo Martin on Wednesday as all five pieces of his 2021 recruiting class signed national letters of intent on the first day of the early signing period.
It’s a crucial class for Martin, who enters his fourth year at Mizzou. The five signed players will likely become the core of his program in the future.
The Tigers’ 2021 class ranks No. 39 nationally by both 247Sports and Rivals. But Martin isn’t someone who’s preoccupied by those recruiting rankings, instead focusing on how each individual player fits on and off the court.
The five signed recruits have a mixture of familiarity and newness as Martin and his staff targeted in-state products and those a bit further away.
“They’re talented young guys,” Martin said Wednesday on a video call. “On the surface, what we try to do is watch and evaluate guys. I feel like they’re all students of the game. I think that is very helpful. Not so much watching highlights but it seems like they try to watch games.”
Here’s what Martin had to say about the five players.
Trevon Brazile, forward
Brazile is a 6-foot-8 forward and teammates at Springfield Kickapoo with fellow MU signee Anton Brookshire. Brazile is ranked 281st by 247Sports. Just hours after earning an offer from Martin and his staff, Brazile committed to Mizzou.
“Trevon just skyrocketed,” Martin said. “He was a guy even in the past that you saw the parts. Now his talent is showcasing at several tournaments. Long, athletic, can put the ball on the floor. Can block shots. Can run the floor. Can do a lot of things. In his case, just the strength of the weight room piece.”
Anton Brookshire, guard
Brookshire, a 6-foot guard, was the first member of Mizzou’s 2021 class. He’s ranked No. 152, according to 247Sports.
“Anton is a special player who can shoot the lights out from deep and beat you off the bounce,” Martin said. “He’s a scoring lead guard that will make his teammates around him better.”
Kaleb Brown, guard
Brown, 6-6 from Huntsville, Alabama, was already familiar with Martin’s program before he committed, considering he’s Mizzou forward Kobe Brown’s younger brother. Brown made multiple trips to Mizzou Arena and Columbia before joining forces with his brother.
“A guy you’re very familiar with,” Martin said. “Even when you saw him as a young guy, you thought he had a little of that (NBA forward) Draymond Green in him. A guy that can do a little of different things. High IQ for the game; great feel for the game.”
Sean Durugordon, forward
Durugordon told The Star he has a “chip on his shoulder” after being under-recruited as an underclassman. But once he got in front of more scouts, his stock started to rise, which culminated in a scholarship offer from Martin and Mizzou.
Durugordon, a 6-foot-7 forward from Queens, New York, will arrive in Columbia in January. Martin said they plan to redshirt him as he continues to develop and get him ready for the 2021-22 campaign.
“Strong, physical guy,” Martin said. “Slashing, athletic. Gets to the rim. More of a guy that can make plays at the rim as opposed to catching-and-shooting right now. That’s continuing to grow him, his shooting aspect.”
Yaya Keita, forward
At 6-9, Keita is the big man of the class and comes from St. Louis, where he played at De Smet. Keita moved to the U.S. from Mali before high school. De Smet coach Kent Williams know Martin well, serving as an assistant under Martin at Missouri State and Tennessee.
“Yaya is a guy, physical presence, strong, athletic,” Martin said. “Very, very intelligent young man. He just got admitted to the engineer school here. A guy that has a passion for the game. Wants to be a great player. Know his high school coach very well. He certainly is getting what he needs to get to be prepared for this level.”