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NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Biggest winners and losers from 2019 classes

By Tristan Freeman

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 25: Penny Hardaway, head coach of the Memphis Tigers, watches the action during the game against the Charleston Cougars at HP Field House on November 25, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 25: Penny Hardaway, head coach of the Memphis Tigers, watches the action during the game against the Charleston Cougars at HP Field House on November 25, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBIA, MO – DECEMBER 05: Head coach Cuonzo Martin of the Missouri Tigers coaches from the bench during the game against the Miami (Oh) Redhawks at Mizzou Arena on December 5, 2017 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, MO – DECEMBER 05: Head coach Cuonzo Martin of the Missouri Tigers coaches from the bench during the game against the Miami (Oh) Redhawks at Mizzou Arena on December 5, 2017 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

No. 4 Loser – Missouri Tigers

The SEC’s recruiting level has gone up exponentially in the past few years after a wave of new hires. Besides John Calipari and Kentucky, programs such as Florida, LSU, Mississippi State, Auburn and Tennessee had started consistently bringing in top-50 prospects to become conference contenders. A recent wave of new hires has given a shot in the arm for Georgia, Alabama and Texas A&M.

In the SEC, if you can’t recruit at a high level (either via high school prospects or transfers), you have little to no chance at succeeding. And looking at where all the programs stand, it’s hard to envision a pathway for the Missouri Tigers to become a viable contender. It was just a couple of years ago the program had the 4th best recruiting class in 2017, thanks to brothers Jontay and Michael Porter Jr. But that was mainly due to the hiring of his father Michael Porter Sr. onto the coaching staff.

The Porters time with Missouri was injury-filled, with only Jontay playing as a freshman through their careers. And outside of Jeremiah Tilmon, the recent prospects haven’t worked out as well. The incoming class for the Tigers is by no means bad, with four-star forward Tray Jackson looking to make an immediate impact.

But unless there is a diamond in the rough, this class won’t be enough to get Missouri out the bottom of the SEC. With other programs starting to pass them by, how much longer does head coach Cuanzo Martin have before the administration decides they need to make a move?

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