Iffy ball-handling held Missouri back during its 2017-18 campaign, but in the spring recruiting period, Cuonzo Martin has been doing his best to address the issue. In February, he scored a commitment from Chicago Simeon point guard Xavier Pinson...
CoMo y’all ready? x #Committed pic.twitter.com/QnLDOvDnSq
— XP3 (@xpinson3) February 6, 2018
...and on Wednesday morning, Pinson officially signed.
Officially a tiger... ✍ pic.twitter.com/uaZ2p4O1x9
— Xavier Pinson (@xpinson3) April 11, 2018
Pinson is a 6’3, 170-pound rising prospect. Simeon is the breeding ground of a lot of talented prospects, including Derrick Rose, Jabari Parker and most recently Talen Horton-Tucker, a top-50 player who is signed to Iowa State.
Pinson’s stock rose steadily as he got in front of more eyes. He was previously committed to Kent State, but then decommitted in hopes of boosting his stock. It worked, as offers from Saint Louis, Wisconsin, Memphis and Missouri rolled in, along with interest from many other high majors.
Let’s see his highlights:
As you can see, calling his frame lithe seems apropos. He’s thin and will need to become a devout disciple of Mizzou strength coach Nicodemus Christopher if he’s going to make a major impact at this level. But everything else seems to be there. He’s a willing passer and a good one at that. His jump shot is inconsistent, but his mechanics seem good enough for that to improve with drilling. And while he’s occasionally too casual with the ball, that can be corrected.
All the pieces are there for Pinson to be a very good college point guard. The rest is up to Pinson himself and the staff to develop him.
When the Tigers lost Blake Harris, C.J. Roberts and Terrence Phillips, it meant they needed to get a young point guard back on to the roster. Mizzou has two point guards on the roster next year: Jordan Geist and Pinson. Expect a third, but Pinson is a great start.