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Things have been pretty quiet on the basketball front of late since practices began. However, national season preview pieces have trickling out recently, and unlike the last few seasons, that means actual Mizzou mentions. Let’s check out a few.
SI ranked the top 50 freshman scorers of the 2017-18 class. Michael Porter Jr. is No. 1.
Michael Porter Jr. (No. 1) was a statistical marvel in Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League last year, posting a ridiculous 141.5 offensive rating on 29% usage in 20 games, and he’ll be encouraged to shoot early and often for Missouri.
A 141.5 rating with that much usage (20% = average usage, and anything over 30% is ridiculously high) is crazy.
Oh yeah, and College Basketball Talk named him a preseason first-team All-American.
Meanwhile, CBS Sports ranked the top 12 transfers of the class. Kassius Robertson is No. 12.
I’d venture to say he’s one of the three or four most important as well.
The youth movement is real at Mizzou, but if the team is going to transform the program from a team that went 8-24 to an NCAA Tournament team, Robertson will likely play a big role. Look for him to improve upon his uber-efficient 41 percent 3-point shooting season he produced at Canisius in 2016-17, even with the leap in competition playing in the SEC.
USA Today says Missouri has no need to apologize for its Porter family connections
Remember when the whole “hiring a dad as an assistant to get the star son(s)” thing was considered sleazy? Now, with all of college basketball’s other problems, it’s “refreshingly transparent.”
“I always wanted to do my own thing and be remembered for years and years instead of being just another great player to go to an outstanding school,” Porter said. “I really want to leave a legacy in college.”
Though Porter’s situation is more transparent, those kind of comments have drawn skeptical looks across college basketball whenever a top-level prospect eschews the bluebloods for a non-traditional program. Now more than ever, the idea of a coach being a so-called great recruiter carries a different connotation in the wake of an FBI investigation.
If you’re an Athletic subscriber, meanwhile, you can read about the rise in 3-point attempts in college basketball, plus four other interesting trends.