Tiger recruits shine at Texas event

Recruiting Tony Mitchell and Phil Pressey to come to Missouri helped give Mike Anderson a 2010 recruiting class that was ranked No. 14 in the nation by ESPNU. The Dallas-area recruits are the stars of Missouri’s incoming class, and they impressed last weekend at the Texas Jamboree, an event for the top high school players in Texas. Check out the ESPN.com article.

The writer of the article, Scouts Inc.’s Reggie Rankin, said Mitchell “was by far the best player this weekend.” Rankin writes that the 6-foot-8-inch, 220-pound forward can really run the floor and guard a team’s 2, 3 or 4 position, and he can handle the ball, too. The only criticism Rankin gave was that Mitchell needs to add strength and extend his shooting range.

“Tony the Tiger,” which was seen on a poster made by a fan at Mizzou Arena when Mitchell visited Columbia a few weeks ago, is Anderson’s highest-profile recruit since arriving at Missouri – he is rated as the nation’s No. 15 recruit by Rivals.com

Pressey, a 5-foot-10-inch, 162-pound point guard also played well, displaying his passing ability and court vision. But the most unique thing about Pressey might be is ability to get to the rim. Rankin writes “he is sneaky athletic and will finish above the rim versus much taller players without thinking twice about challenging them.”

By: Alex Ruppenthal

Tony Mitchell signs Letter of Intent to play at Missouri

Mike Anderson has officially put to rest the notion that he can’t recruit the country’s best players.

Tony Mitchell, rated the No. 15 best recruit in the nation by Rivals.com, signed his Letter of Intent today to play for the Tigers next season, one day before the end of the early signing period for recruits.

Had Mitchell not signed with Missouri before tomorrow’s deadline, he would have had to wait until April 14 to sign with a school, and Anderson would have risked losing him to another program. Mitchell was also considering Georgetown, Cincinnati and Marquette.

Mitchell is the highest-rated recruit Anderson has brought to Missouri since arriving four years ago. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward from Dallas rounds out Missouri’s four-player 2010 recruiting class. Last week, Dallas point guard Phil Pressey, Charlotte forward Kadeem Green and Rock Bridge guard Ricky Kreklow signed to play at Missouri.

Below is a highlight video of Mitchell.

By: Alex Ruppenthal

5-star recruit Tony Mitchell commits to Missouri

Five-star recruit Tony Mitchell has committed to play at Missouri, according to Gabe DeArmond of PowerMizzou.com.

At 1:52 p.m. today, DeArmond posted the following on the Web site’s discussion board:

As you guys have figured out, he (Mitchell) committed. But we weren’t going to say it until he told us. Well, Jerry Meyer, our national basketball recruiting analyst, talked to him not long ago and Tony told him he was a Tiger. So, it’s official. I don’t know if he’s signed yet, and don’t believe he has, but you can add the #15 player in the country to Missouri’s commit list.

Mitchell, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound forward from Dallas, is ranked the No. 15 recruit in the country by Rivals.com. He was also considering Georgetown, Cincinnati, Marquette, Florida International and North Texas.

Mitchell has until Nov. 18 to sign his Letter of Intent in the NCAA’s early signing period. If he doesn’t sign by Nov. 18, he cannot sign until the regular signing period, which starts on April 14 and goes to May 19.

If Mitchell stays good on his verbal commitment and signs with Missouri, he will become Mike Anderson’s highest-profile recruit since arriving in Columbia.

By: Alex Ruppenthal

LIVE BLOG: 5-star recruit shooting around at Mizzou Arena

Five-star recruit Tony Mitchell is on the court at Mizzou Arena and just finished shooting around before the Tigers took the floor for their final exhibition game against Northwest Missouri State. Mitchell talked briefly with Missouri associate head coach Melvin Watkins after coming off the floor.

Mitchell, ranked the No. 15 prospect in the country by Rivals.com, is a 6-foot-6, 220-pound forward from Pinkston High School in Dallas. Mitchell has also received an offer from Georgetown, according to PowerMizzou.com.

An article on the Web site posted on Nov. 2 said Mitchell’s final six possible destinations are Missouri, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Florida International, Marquette and North Texas.

A source quoted in the article said Mitchell wants to visit all six schools and make a commitment “by late fall or early winter.”

If Missouri lands Mitchell, he would be Mike Anderson’s biggest catch as Missouri coach.

Missouri signs three to 2010 recruiting class

Three of the four available slots for Missouri’s 2010 recruiting class are now filled after coach Mike Anderson announced Friday that Phil Pressey, Ricky Kreklow and Kadeem Green signed Letters of Intent to play for the Tigers (Missouri press release).

Pressey is Anderson’s highest-rated recruit, ranked the No. 16 player in the country by 2K Sports and considered one of the nation’s top 15 point guards by several recruiting Web sites and publications. Pressey is a 5-foot-10, 160-pound guard from Dallas and the son of former NBA forward Paul Pressey, who was Anderson’s roommate at Tulsa. Phil Pressey, a 4-star recruit according to Rivals.com, averaged 19 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and four steals per game during his junior season at Dallas Episcopal.

Kreklow is the son of MU volleyball coaches Wayne and Susan Kreklow. He is a 6-foot-5, 185-pound guard who averaged 13 points a game for Rock Bridge in his junior season. Kreklow is rated a 3-star recruit by Rivals.com.

Green is a 6-foot-8, 185-pound forward from United Faith Christian Academy in Charlotte, N.C. Anderson said Green has a 7-foot-1 wingspan. Green is also rated a 3-star recuit by Rivals.com.

By: Alex Ruppenthal

Feature on Missouri signee Phil Pressey

Take this for a personal single-game stat line: 15 points, 15 rebounds, 8 steals, 6 blocks. And probably a handful of assists, too.

Now consider the height (5-foot-10) and weight (162 pounds) of the player who has racked up these kinds of numbers on a regular basis in high school.

How is that possible?

The mystery man is Phil Pressey, Missouri’s highest-rated signee for its 2010 recruiting class. Pressey, ESPNU 100’s No. 7 high school point guard in the country, committed to Missouri in September despite offers from the likes of Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Connecticut and Florida. Pressey has a connection to Missouri coach Mike Anderson – his dad, Paul Pressey, was Anderson’s roommate at Tulsa.

An ESPN.com feature by Matt Winkeljohn (what a name, right?) helps explain how the Dallas point guard has excelled in all facets of basketball – including rebounding and shot-blocking – despite his size.

Below is a video of Pressey dunking over two significantly taller players.

By: Alex Ruppenthal