On March 24, nine days after the hiring of head coach Cuonzo Martin, 15 days after the Mizzou basketball team lost its final game of the Kim Anderson era and 38 months after the team’s last true road game win, the No. 1 basketball recruit in the class of 2017 announced that he was committing to the University of Missouri.
For a player of Michael Porter Jr.’s caliber to join a program as previously hopeless as Mizzou was is completely unprecedented, and it’s exactly what Mizzou needed. Where there was once apathy and pessimism, there is now an optimistic and enthusiastic fan base itching to watch a sure-fire NBA lottery pick grace the court at Mizzou Arena.
The question now isn’t about when Mizzou will return to relevance — having the projected first overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft on your roster will take care of that — it’s about what Mizzou’s ceiling will be next season. The addition of Porter ensures at least some improvement, especially when coupled with a veteran core of players that remains almost completely intact from last year.
But the best way for Mizzou to ensure further improvement next season is by adding more recruits to this class. The addition of Porter Jr. will give Martin a lot of fuel with which to feed his recruiting pitch, and Martin has already proven himself a very capable recruiter. While at Cal, Martin convinced eventual third overall NBA draft pick Jaylen Brown to cross the country from Georgia to play for the Golden Bears, who haven’t made the Elite Eight since 1960.
Four-star point guard C.J. Roberts reaffirmed his commitment to Mizzou on Monday, joining Porter Jr. as the only other player in the Tigers’ 2017 recruiting class so far. In his quest to field a contending team next year, Martin may pursue some other top players:
**Jontay Porter**
This one is a no-brainer. If Porter Jr. followed his dad, Michael Porter Sr., back to Columbia and onto the Mizzou basketball team, then it makes sense that Porter Jr.’s brother would join them both. Jontay Porter, a 6-foot-9 power forward, is a top-40 player in the class of 2018, but he may reclassify to this year’s class to join his brother as a Tiger right away. He was originally committed to play for his godfather Lorenzo Romar at Washington (where his dad was an assistant and his brother was signed), but reopened his recruitment when Romar was fired. Expect him to suit up for the Tigers eventually, whether it be this year or next.
**Kevin Knox**
Kevin Knox is a 6-foot-8 small forward from Tampa, Florida, and is ESPN’s No. 7 player in this year’s class. Knox was also a McDonald’s All-American and was apparently heavily recruited by Porter Jr. (a fellow All-American himself) in the days leading up to the All-American game. Porter Jr. evidently caught Knox’s attention, because Knox announced Saturday that he will be using his fifth and final official visit to travel to Columbia.
Mizzou nation show my brotha some love!!! We want him at the ZOU https://t.co/TNx2rzKBZc
— Michael Porter Jr. (@TheMPJ1) April 1, 2017
Duke is the heavy favorite to land Knox, but it wouldn’t be a complete shock if the Tigers, or more accurately Porter Jr., somehow lured Knox to play at Mizzou.
**Blake Harris**
Blake Harris is a four-star point guard who is currently ESPN’s No. 99 recruit in the 2017 class. The Chapel Hill, North Carolina native, like the Porter brothers, was signed to play for Washington before Romar’s firing. On Thursday, Harris released a top-five list of Connecticut, North Carolina State, Michigan State, Rutgers and Missouri. He has not taken any official visits yet, but he will take his first at Mizzou on April 8 along with Knox. Michigan State is considered the favorite for now, but Mizzou and North Carolina State are right in the thick of the race.
**Mark Smith**
Mark Smith, a 6-foot-5 point guard, is a former Mizzou baseball commit. He switched to basketball after an injury and has risen quickly on the recruiting scene. Martin had already offered Smith a scholarship while at Cal, and Smith is interested in Mizzou. However, Michigan State recently offered Smith, and he responded pretty quickly with a plan to make an official visit there. Though the Spartans are the favorite to land Smith, Mizzou and Illinois lead the rest of the pack.
Mizzou’s ceiling next year will be determined by how many, or which, of these players (along with a few other Martin targets) the Tigers manage to bring in. Hypothetically, if Mizzou somehow landed all of them, they would instantly have a top-five recruiting class in the nation, and would probably start the year among the nation’s top 25.
In the most likely scenario, Jontay Porter will reclassify to join his brother, and Harris will follow as well. Knox or Smith are longer shots, and it would ultimately be a surprise if either landed in Columbia. Even without their talents, this recruiting class will be more than enough to raise the Tigers’ expectations from that of an SEC bottom-dweller to an NCAA tournament team. Finally, Tigers fans have hope — something they’ve been waiting three years for.
_Edited by Eli Lederman | elederman@themaneater.com_