Mizzou Tigers pick up first 2023 top-100 recruit in four-star forward Trent Pierce

Four-star forward Trent Pierce announced his commitment to Missouri on Tuesday.

Mizzou men’s basketball coach Dennis Gates’ second Class of 2023 commitment is one of his biggest gets yet and his first top-100 ranked recruit: Pierce is ranked as the No. 89 prospect in the nation by 247Sports’ composite.

A 6-foot-8, 180-pound small forward who currently plays in Arizona, Pierce picked the Tigers over Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Pierce averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds for Union High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and transferred to play his last year of high school basketball in Arizona at Compass Prep.

He visited Columbia on June 29 after a relatively short recruiting process that began a few months ago. In comparison, Anthony Robinson, Gates’ first 2023 pledge, had a relationship with assistant coach Charlton Young for years before he announced his decision on July 1.

A long wing who could provide defense and shooting at the next level, Pierce is averaging 10.3 points, including shooting 36% from three in the EYBL circuit over the summer even after a 3 for 20 performance in Kansas City last weekend.