Missouri Basketball: Breaking down Tigers’ 2017 recruiting class

The Missouri Tigers are bringing in an amazing 2017 recruiting class, but can the star freshmen work together well enough to shine?

The Missouri Tigers have been rooted to the bottom of the SEC over the last few seasons but are expected to take a massive step forward next season with the arrival of a new head coach, Cuonzo Martin.

Formerly with the California Golden Bears (and Tennessee Volunteers before that), Martin has proven himself to be a phenomenal recruiter and is, in my opinion, the best recruiter in the country not named John Calipari.

His first season with the Tigers will be no different, as he welcomes the No. 1 overall recruit along with three other four-star prospects to Columbia.

Will Martin be able to coach this team into an SEC contender? Who really knows, but the Tigers have all the makings of an extra-talented college basketball team.

One thing that many will take for granted due to the plethora of freshmen talent coming into this team is the ability for Martin to coach up his team on a game-by-game basis. For example, his Tennessee teams lost to bad teams frequently but won when it mattered — and I believe his California team would have too if not for injuries.

While I expect Kentucky to run away with the SEC next season, it would not surprise me at all if Missouri comes out the victor in what will be labeled a showdown between future NBA stars and, more importantly, the Tigers to win a couple of NCAA Tournament games if they find a way in.

Here is a breakdown of Missouri’s talented 2017 recruiting class.

*****Update**** It has been reported that Jontay Porter will likely reclassify for the Class of 2017.