MU basketball team lands Seattle point guard Tramaine Isabell

Missouri basketball coach Kim Anderson covets point guards, so it’s safe to assume he was thrilled Thursday after the Tigers landed another one.

Tramaine Isabell, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Garfield High School in Seattle, made an oral commitment to the Tigers and becomes the fourth freshman in Missouri’s 2014 recruiting class.

“He liked the way I could space the floor out and my shooting,” said Isabell, who visited Columbia last week. “He thinks I could really thrive in his system.”

Isabell’s commitment was first reported by Scout.com. He said Missouri was sending the paperwork — his national letter of intent and financial aid documents — Thursday afternoon.

Isabell, who averaged 23.6 points and 3.5 assists as a senior and helped lead Garfield to the Washington Class 4A boys basketball championship, is expected to return to Columbia next week to begin working out with the Tigers.

“(The Missouri staff) told me I would probably get minutes next season,” Isabell said. “They said nothing’s guaranteed, but the best players are going to play. Whoever’s getting it done will be on the floor.”

Isabell joins sophomore Wes Clark and Hawaii transfer Keith Shamburger, a senior, at point guard for the Tigers.

“I knew about Missouri,” Isabell said. “I was a pretty big fan of Phil Pressey and those guys, so I knew about Mizzou.”

Isabell — who is listed as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and is the No. 56 point guard in the nation, according to ESPN — originally signed with Washington State, but he was released from his national letter of intent in April after coach Ken Bone was fired.

Now, he’s happy to have found a home at Missouri, which has one scholarship remaining for the 2014-15 season.

Isabell chose the Tigers over Providence and Colorado State.

“I kind of lost touch with the Providence coach and coaching staff, but I was talking to Missouri four times a day some days,” Isabell said. “I had much more of a connection with the coaches and, when I visited, I really liked the facilities.”

Isabell said he talked frequently with Tigers associate head coach Tim Fuller over the last few months.

“He was a big influence, and he’s helped me out a lot through this process,” Isabell said. “I had a connection with all the coaches and really enjoyed my time there. I think they can put me in position to get to the next level.”

This story was originally published June 26, 2014 at 1:51 PM with the headline "MU basketball team lands Seattle point guard Tramaine Isabell."