Missouri Tigers men's basketball team retains its man in middle as Burns returns
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- Mizzou retains 7-foot-5 center Trent Burns for next season.
- Burns provided defensive depth late, backing up Shawn Phillips Jr.
- Gates must add frontcourt depth after Shawn Phillips' graduation.
The Missouri Tigers men's basketball will enter next season with another familiar face.
According to a post from On3 on X, redshirt freshman Trent Burns will be staying in Columbia as he enters his second season of eligibility.
Burns, a 7-foot-5 center, struggled to get on the court during his freshman year because of a lingering foot injury. After taking a redshirt year and undergoing foot surgery before the start of this season, Burns was finally able to play.
Down the stretch, he became the Tigers' first big man off the bench behind senior Shawn Phillips Jr. Burns played more than 10 minutes in all but one of the final seven games of the season. Though he only averaged 2.0 points and 1.8 rebounds per game, he showed his defensive prowess.
The retention of Burns provides Mizzou coach Dennis Gates with some stability in the frontcourt entering the 2026-27 season. With the graduation of Phillips, Mizzou will still look to add greater depth at the center position.
The only other center currently on the roster is rising sophomore Nicholas Randall. He appeared in an impressive 22 games his freshman season, but he averaged only 5.5 minutes per game.
Burns joins rising senior Trent Pierce as Mizzou's definite returners. The Tigers already know of two guards who announced their intention to depart: Anthony Robinson II and Sebastian Mack. With the portal opening Tuesday, Gates will begin reconstructing a roster that can complement his incoming freshman class.
Copyright 2026 Columbia Missourian
This story was originally published April 3, 2026 at 10:52 AM with the headline "Missouri Tigers men's basketball team retains its man in middle as Burns returns."