Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr. featured on the cover of SLAM Magazine

Well isn’t this pretty:

SLAM Magazine’s story on Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr. is online here. Not a ton of new information, but very, very much worth the read.

“As time went on, the men’s team just wasn’t what they used to be,” MPJ says, comparing the last few years of the program to when he first sat in section 208 in 2010. “The crowds just got smaller and smaller until this past year they didn’t really have too much of a crowd at games. And so when I left Seattle and committed here, I was really just looking to renew the Mizzou atmosphere that I knew was possible. Coming back here, it was basically a dream come true. I kind of viewed it as God putting the pieces in for me to come back here. It was the perfect situation.”

There’s an accompanying YouTube video, too.

By the way, according to Jon Rothstein, Blake Harris has been looking good as well. So we’ve heard very good things about, well, every single member of the freshman class at some point.

Oh yeah, and Cuonzo Martin and staff are executing a full-court press on a certain suddenly-uncommitted blue-chipper from St. Louis:

It’s like there has to be perfect balance in the world. The worse the football headlines get, the better the basketball headlines get. About three years ago, it was the direct opposite. (Of course, there was no balance at all for a couple of years there. All bad.)

More Links:

• The Mizzou women also began practice this week. Expectations are pretty high there, too.

• Tia Odom, Barry’s wife, has joined Giving Beyond the Game in attempt to raise money for victims of natural disasters.
• Markus Golden’s season is done. :( The #MizzouMade third-year pass rusher tore his ACL this past week.

• Mizzou Softball’s fall schedule is set. Four straight Saturdays of action.
• Day 1 of the Johnie Imes is done, and Mizzou Women’s Golf is in first place.
• Alyssa Munlyn: SEC defensive co-player of the week.