COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Is Florida the new Texas?
Missouri
coach Gary Pinkel established a Lone Star State pipeline during the
Tigers' time in the Big 12 Conference. And for good reason. That's where
the talent was. Guys such as linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, passed over
by Texas teams that had their pick of top talent, became stars.
Since
the Tigers switched to the Southeastern Conference, it looks like
Pinkel and Co. are taking the same approach and applying it to the land
of retirement, sunshine and shuffleboard.
The Tigers' 2014
recruiting class, a group that is now at 19 players, welcomed its first
running back this weekend. No surprise here. The kid is from Florida.
Trevon
Walters of Manatee High School (Bradenton, Fla.) has told the Mizzou
coaching staff he plans to come aboard next fall. The three-star recruit
(5-foot-10, 189 pounds) is a starter at one of the nation's best high
school programs. He reportedly picked Mizzou over South Florida,
Minnesota, Tulane, Toledo, Marshall, Georgia Southern and Florida
International.
Five of the Tigers' 19 2014 commits are now from Florida.
Read more here.
ST. LOUIS HOOPS COMMIT
Last
week, we mentioned that Mizzou coach Frank Haith locked down a highly
talented high school recruit for the 2014 class, Jakeenan Gant out of
Georgia. Haith claimed another player, this one for the more distant
future, on Sunday.
It's important because this one is from St. Louis.
Ronnie
Suggs is a 6-6, 175-pound senior at Washington High School. He intends
to enroll at Mizzou for the 2015-16 academic year after spending the
2014-15 school year at a prep school to improve his game. Nate Latsch
of STLhighschoolsports.com reported
the news. Suggs, currently a two-star recruit, reportedly committed to
Mizzou over options that included SLU, VCU and Xavier.
Most of
the top hoops talent in St. Louis usually gets away from the Tigers. Any
progress Haith can make in the city is a good sign for fans of his
team.
ENGLISH IN ITALY
Former Mizzou and Detroit
Pistons guard Kim English has landed with a professional basketball team
in Italy after he was waived by Detroit during the NBA summer league.
English signed a one-year deal with Montepaschi Siena, the powerhouse
team in the Italian League.
FRESHMEN ON THE FIELD
Mizzou's
depth chart for the first game of the season dropped today. Two true
freshmen, defensive tackle Josh Augusta and cornerback Aarion Penton,
appear. Pinkel likes to redshirt first-year players if they show the
slightest sign of not being game-ready. While both in the duo are listed
as third-string, chances are they wouldn't be listed at all if they
aren't going to play.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Kim English is adjusting to life overseas. His comment on the photo below:
Follow Ben Frederickson on Twitter (@Ben_Fred), or email him at frederickson.ben@gmail.com.
