Missouri Basketball: Where do the Tigers stand after landing Blake Harris?

Missouri basketball has another high-quality recruit to go along with Michael Porter Jr. after point guard Blake Harris committed to the Tigers on Sunday.

In a matter of just weeks, Missouri went from an SEC disaster to a team that could be the biggest riser in the league in 2017-18.

First, the Tigers poached Cuonzo Martin from the California Golden Bears, bringing the elite recruiter back to his Midwest roots. Martin then landed the Porter package as Michael Porter Sr. was offered an assistant coaching position and Michael Porter Jr. committed to his hometown team after receiving his release from Washington.

But Missouri wasn’t done there.

On Sunday, the Tigers landed former Washington commit Blake Harris as the point guard chose Mizzou over Michigan State, UConn, North Carolina State and Rutgers, among others.

https://twitter.com/blizzyblake55_/status/851148972026732545

Harris isn’t a five-star, one-and-done talent like Porter but the four-star point guard was committed to the Huskies just like his soon-to-be teammate before opting to leave when Lorenzo Romar was fired.

The 6’3″, 190-pound prospect is a four-star talent who is ranked 99th in ESPN’s top 100 and is the third best player in the state of North Carolina for the class of 2017. Harris gives Martin a talented lead guard who has excellent court vision and passing ability. Because Harris is unlikely to receive much love in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Tigers will likely have a steady, pass-first guard on campus for at least two seasons.

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While Harris and Porter are two additions that will take Mizzou out of the SEC basement, they will need to add more to the roster in order to reach the NCAA Tournament.

If they don’t provide Harris and Porter with a solid supporting cast, it won’t be for a lack of effort, though. Martin has five-star versatile forward Kevin Knox on campus this weekend and they are also heavily in the mix for former Illinois commit Jeremiah Tilmon.

Knox is ranked 7th in ESPN’s top 100 for the class of 2017 and is the number one player in the state of Florida. He can play both the three and the four position, using his length, smooth offensive game, and athleticism to make plays on both ends. He’s dynamic in transition and can score in the mid-range with ease.

Meanwhile, Tilmon de-committed from Illinois after head coach John Groce was fired. 247Sports Crystal Ball has Tilmon, a four-star center from Illinois, heading to Columbia to join Mizzou. The big man has connections to Martin as he grew up in the same town in Illinois.

If Missouri can land one of these two, they can form a talented core that could be awfully dangerous within what should be an improved SEC league in 2017-18. If they land both, Missouri very well could be heading to the NCAA Tournament with a core that consists of Harris, Porter, Tilmon, Knox, Terrence Phillips, Jordan Barnett and Kevin Puryear, among others.

Next: Early preseason top 25 for the 2017-18 season

There would be questions in regards to their chemistry and Martin’s ability to get the most out of his talent (Cal lost in the first round when they had both Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb), but Missouri is in a much better position now than they were coming off another ugly campaign in 2016-17. Missouri fans are feeling the buzz already, however, the rest of the offseason will determine where they will finish in March 2018.

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