Just confirmed the commitment news with Tramaine Isabell himself. The Tigers 2014 recruiting class is one of the best in the SEC.
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) June 26, 2014
According to Scout.com, Tramaine Isabell, a 6'1, point guard from Seattle, committed to Missouri this morning. He joins Jakeenan Gant, Namon Wright, D'Angelo Allen, and Hawaii graduate transfer Keith Shamburger in a pretty exciting Class of 2014.
Isabell is a three-star guard according to Rivals.com. He signed with Washington State initially, then received a release after a Wazzu coaching change. He looks thicker than 170, and as we see from the highlights below, he is an attacker. He averaged 23 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals per game as a senior at Garfield high school.
Isabell's commitment might signal the end of the 2014 recruiting cycle, though there's still one more potential move to make. Mizzou has one scholarship remaining and has shown interest in Colorado State graduate transfer Jon Octeus; Octeus is evidently down to Mizzou, Cincinnati, and UCLA. This move would make sense, as it would fill the upcoming roster but not eat up any scholarship space for the future.
Regardless of Octeus' decision, Isabell gives Kim Anderson the point guard he's been pursuing. He long claimed he wanted one more, in part because you can't have too many, and in part because of Shane Rector's transfer. Isabell isn't as highly touted as Jakeenan Gant or Namon Wright, but he gives this team further athleticism and defensive potential.
With the recruiting class just about done and the coaching staff full, the blitz of Kim Anderson's first two months on the job is about over. Here's the current state of the Mizzou roster:
| 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | |
| Point Guards |
Keith Shamburger (Sr.) Wes Clark (So.) Tramaine Isabell (Fr.) |
Wes Clark (Jr.) Tramaine Isabell (So.) |
Wes Clark (Sr.) Tramaine Isabell (Jr.) |
| Wings |
Deuce Bello (Jr.) Cameron Biedscheid (So.) Namon Wright (Fr.) D'Angelo Allen (Fr.) |
Deuce Bello (Sr.) Cameron Biedscheid (Jr.) Namon Wright (So.) D'Angelo Allen (So.) |
Cameron Biedscheid (Sr.) Namon Wright (Jr.) D'Angelo Allen (Jr.) |
| Bigs |
Keanau Post (Sr.) Ryan Rosburg (Jr.) Johnathan Williams III (So.) Torren Jones (So.) Jakeenan Gant (Fr.) |
Ryan Rosburg (Sr.) Johnathan Williams III (Jr.) Torren Jones (Jr.) Jakeenan Gant (So.) |
Johnathan Williams III (Sr.) Torren Jones (Sr.) Jakeenan Gant (Jr.) |
| Total Scholarships | 12 | 10 | 8 |
If J3 is indeed thriving in the weight room as rumored, this becomes a roster full of strength and athleticism, and if at least one of the freshmen is ready to deliver some points, the offensive potential is pretty high as well. This team is super-young and built to get a lot better in 2015-16 and beyond, but you can talk yourself into Mizzou making a run at an NCAA Tournament bid in 2015 with a little bit of development.