Mizzou has spent the first two weeks of the portal on their front court, now you need some ball handlers.
Congrats to Bryson Tiller, you’re a Tiger. Congrats to Jamier Jones, you’re a Tiger. And congrats to Jaylen Carey, you are a Tiger.
With three additions, Mizzou has added a lot of size and athleticism to their roster. But their guard depth is looking a little suspect at the moment. I have a full roster math post planned for the coming days, but I wanted to get a clearer picture on the plans at guard before pumping that out.
Dennis Gates started hunting the portal at the prime positions he’s struggled
with in the portal over the years: the front court. It’s not every year you can have a Mark Mitchell dropped in your lap, but the rest of the front court additions have had mixed reviews.
With Trent Burns and Trent Pierce already in house, and Jones, Tiller, Carey, and also Toni Bryant, the front court has real depth and talent.
But the back court right now is Jason Crowe, Jr and Aaron Rowe. Crowe is expected to play a lot, and Jones has been sold on the idea of playing some 2-guard. But that’s still not enough ball handling, so I think you can put a pin on the combo guard spot at the most likely position to see a Gates bat signal here in the next few weeks.
The portal is open until the 21st, so there’s a chance for more players to enter. But there is a lot of good depth already at that position of need.
Now that Mizzou has locked up the premium spots, let’s get one more piece. Or possibly two.
Yesterday at Rock M and Rock M+
In the face of the basketball transfer portal, Nathan continued his exploration of Mizzou Football’s upcoming opponents with his spring vibes check, he likes where things are with A&M:
The Aggies finally broke through last year and made the College Football Playoff, even if they closed the season in painfully familiar fashion. First came the loss to rival Texas, followed by a home playoff defeat that felt very on-brand for a program long known for finding creative ways to disappoint when expectations peak. Still, the bigger picture matters. That season served as proof of concept for Elko, who showed he can build a team capable of competing at a top-10 level, something Texas A&M fans have been promised for years but rarely seen delivered.
It will be interesting to see what Elko has in store this year, and we get an up close look at it again because the SEC has deemed us “rivals”.
- Mizzou Track & Field is back in action with multiple events, and Sophie has the preview :
After a brief break in the action, Missouri’s track and field team are back and ready to hit the track. The Tigers return to competition this weekend with athletes spread across two different meets, the premier Bryan Clay Invitational and the always-competitive Big Red Classic.
The bulk of the squad will head to Lincoln, Neb., where they will compete in the Big Red Classic, from Friday, April 17 through Saturday, April 18. Per MU Tigers, this meet will take place at the Bob Devaney Sports Complex, the meet will be filled with tons of action.
- There’s also the whole ‘Mizzou got a commitment from a former Kansas Jayhawk’ thing, which is pretty cool… there’s good in all of us!
Fire up Mr. Brightside!
Bryson Tiller is obviously a big addition, both literally and figuratively. He’s got the size and mobility, and projects to be a multi-year starter. I’m looking forward to Matt Harris’s forthcoming scout, but in the film I’ve watched I can say he’s promising, but the offense isn’t great.
The Hot Stove season for College Basketball
- Matt Watkins pulled out The Verdict for the Jamier Jones addition, but it’s in video form and only for Rock M+ subscribers. I think we’ll have the audio version up on the podcast feed, but it only semi-works that way. The video helps.
- We also talked about Mizzou Assistant Steve Wright moving on to take a job with Penny Hardaway at Memphis. Wright’s move clears the way for Dennis Gates to add Jason Crowe to his staff.
- Anthony Robinson committed to Florida State, is a move that makes a lot of sense for both sides.
- I also took a stab at figuring out about where the Mizzou Basketball budget is these days. I think they’re almost certainly going to have a top 15 budget, and possibly into the top 10.
Rock M Radio: More Dive Cuts comin’
Before the Box Score is in the can, and should be out soon.
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