Michael Porter Jr, the top recruit in the Class of 2017, has announced he’ll play at Mizzou next season. The 6-10 forward announced the decision on Twitter Friday afternoon.
— Michael Porter Jr. (@TheMPJ1) March 24, 2017
On Wednesday, Michael Porter Jr was awarded the Gatorade State Player of the Year award, a prestigious accolade given to the top HS prospect in the nation. But that isn’t the only reason why he made headlines (and trended on Twitter). After Washington fired his godather Lorenzo Romar last week, where Porter Jr had previously committed to play next season, rumors began spreading that Porter would back away from his commitment to the Huskies and would potentially look to return to Columbia, MO, his hometown, and play for Missouri.
On Wednesday, he publicly commented on the possibilities of that happening. And well, based on the way he spoke, it sounded like a done deal already. He told the St. Louis Dispatch:
“To be able to go back (to Columbia), I know those Mizzou fans are hungry — and I’ve been shown a lot of love from Mizzou fans. It could be something real, real special just to come home and do my thing there, it would special.”
The connections between Porter and Mizzou run deep, after all. His two older sisters play for the women’s basketball team. His aunt, his mother’s sister, is the head coach of the women’s team. His father was an assistant coach for the women’s team for four years until last season, when Romar offered Michael Porter Sr an assistant coaching position at Washington and the family ultimately relocated to Seattle. And prior to moving to the Pacific Northwest last summer, Porter Jr had lived his entire life in Columbia, MO, which is home to Mizzou’s campus.
