Former Missouri Tigers guard Xavier Pinson picks LSU. Was Kansas in play?
Xavier Pinson, who spent his first three seasons at Missouri, will continue his basketball career at LSU.
Pinson announced his commitment to the fellow SEC program on his Instagram account.
A day earlier, Pinson posted to his account that the decision was between LSU and Kansas. That was the first suggestion that the Jayhawks were in play for the 6-foot-2 guard who averaged 13.6 points per game for the Tigers last season and 10.3 points in his career.
When Pinson announced he was transferring from Mizzou, LSU also wasn’t on his list. The original schools he said he was considering were Nebraska, Georgia, Arkansas and Auburn.
Pinson is one of six men’s basketball players who entered the transfer portal from Missouri. The other starter from that group, Mark Smith, landed at Kansas State.
Parker Braun, the Tigers’ 6-8 forward who played at Blue Valley Northwest, has landed at Santa Clara, the school announced. Braun averaged 2.8 points this season.
The Tigers have gained three players through the transfer portal. The latest is Ball State guard Jarron “Boogie” Coleman. He averaged 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 47.7% from the floor and 42.3% on three-pointers. That was over 13 games. Coleman missed the first 10 with a foot injury.
“Boogie is a leader who is scrappy, hungry and works tremendously hard at his craft,” Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said. “He takes pride on defense and he’s a play maker on offense. He makes great decisions, plays at his pace and can score at all three levels.”
This story was originally published April 12, 2021 at 12:04 PM.