Missouri has landed a big time college hoops commitment.
Less than a year ago, former Missouri head basketball coach Kim Anderson emerged from a coffin in the middle of Norm Stewart Court. His message was simple: others have given up on us, but we’re not dead yet. It seems Anderson was a bit early. After an 8-24 season, the third 20-loss campaign in Anderson’s three-season long tenure, he was relieved of his duties.
Now, the Tigers are set for the renaissance that Anderson signaled when he climbed out of that coffin last October. On Friday afternoon, Missouri received a commitment from Michael Porter Jr., a 6-foot-10 combo forward who is ranked as the top prospect in the 2017 class by ESPN.
Porter Jr. is a legitimate program changer. He is a fluid and explosive athlete who plays above the rim, can beat opponents down the court in transition and has a smooth jumper. He compares his game to former NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady. There is a legitimate chance that the 18-year old will be the No. 1 pick in next June’s NBA Draft.
So, how the heck did Porter Jr. end up at Missouri? The story is a complicated one. He was originally committed to Washington where he would play for Lorenzo Romar despite the fact that Porter Jr. grew up in Columbia, MO, his sisters play for the women’s team there and his aunt is its head coach.
Things changed when Romar was fired mid-March. The now former Huskies head coach is Porter Jr.’s godfather and had hired his father, Michael Porter Sr., to be an assistant on his staff. After Romar’s firing, Porter Jr. requested and was granted his release.
In the interim, Missouri had replaced Anderson with then California head coach Cuonzo Martin. The timing of both events — Martin’s hiring and Romar’s firing — led to the obvious speculation that Martin would bring in Porter Sr. as an assistant given family’s local ties and the prospect of landing Porter Jr.
Well, on Thursday, Porter Sr. agreed to join Martin’s staff and on Friday, his son committed to the Tigers via an announcement on Twitter.
Next: Michael Porter Jr. knows what he needs to improve
And that’s how Michael Porter Jr. ended up back at home with the potential to turnaround a struggling program and finish the job that Anderson started when he hopped out of coffin last October.