After a wildly successful regular season in the first year under Dennis Gates, the Tigers are starting to do their diligence on adding young talent. They got off to a great start by getting Jarin Stevenson, a five-star from the Class of 2024.
Saturday, March 4 ended up being a pretty eventful day for Missouri men’s basketball.
At the forefront was the Tigers’ victory against the Rebels to close their season at home — on top of it also being senior day.
However, another name ended up stealing the spotlight that day, and he’s not even a Tiger — yet.
His name is Jarin Stevenson, the Class of 2024’s newest five-star recruit.
Stevenson is currently a junior at Seaforth High School in Pittsboro, North Carolina. He is currently ranked as the No. 12 overall recruit in his class, according to 247sports, and No. 16 on ESPN.
The 6-foot-10 junior has garnered the attention of a number of major D1 basketball programs such as North Carolina, Duke, Virginia, Georgetown and even the place head coach Dennis Gates used to call home, Florida State. This is just the beginning, of course, as he will more than likely rack up even more interest during his senior season.
But what would Stevenson be able to do for Gates’ squad? For starters, he could be huge on the glass. Missouri struggled tremendously when it came to getting rebounds in 2022, as the Tigers on average were out-rebounded by up to seven boards per game this season.
That number was even worse in SEC play, where opponents out-rebounded Missouri by 10. At his height with a knack for rebounding, Stevenson could most certainly help shore up Missouri’s rebounds.
On the defensive side of the ball, however, is where Stevenson can really make an impact on a game. A phenomenal rim protector with a great ball instinct, the rising senior gives his opponents fits in the paint. As if that weren’t enough, Stevenson is exceptional at running the fast break and can take the ball coast-to-coast in a flash.
If that sounds familiar, it’s likely because that has been the Dennis Gates philosophy all season — defense to offense and quick buckets in transition.
All around, if the Tigers can manage to land the 2024 prospect, he could make an instant impact for Missouri.
Edited by Matt Guzman | mguzman@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Lauren Courtney
