Mizzou basketball coach Dennis Gates speaks with the media on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, at Southeastern Conference media days in Birmingham, Alabama, (Video courtesy Southeastern Conference)
COLUMBIA, Mo. — College basketball isn’t like the professional game. Finishing last one season doesn’t come with the reward of an injection of fresh young talent for the next.
Yet that’s exactly what’s happening for Missouri men’s basketball. After last season’s winless season of Southeastern Conference play, the Tigers reloaded in a big way: With the fifth-ranked freshman class in the country, according to 247Sports’ ratings.
It’s the kind of novelty in the college sports world that must be a testament to something. Third-year coach Dennis Gates is an established recruiter, so that may be the driving force, but it seems to be something with the players more than the staff in this case.
As last season’s woes dragged on and the count of consecutive losses ticked past five, 10 and 15 to land at 19 defeats in a row, any of MU’s 2024 recruits would have had a fair reason to ask for release from the letter of intent they’d signed to play basketball at Missouri. When they put pen to page, they were doing so after having seen the Tigers’ NCAA Tournament run in Gates’ first season at the helm — not the bleakness of last season.
But that never happened. None of them asked for a way out. They stayed in touch with their future coaches. Some even visited Columbia to take in a game.
“Their characteristics, we saw that when they were communicating with us last season, when they was excited about moving, when they were committed to our institution, when they looked past and beyond the surface of things,†Gates said. “They dug deep.â€
When Mizzou tips off the 2024-2025 season Monday at Memphis, the Tigers will do so with all five freshmen on the roster: the class that never wavered.
The Post-Dispatch spoke with all five on the doorstep of their first collegiate seasons. One of the immediate takeaways from those conversations is that the group stayed committed, at least in part, because of each other.
Take wing Annor Boateng, for example. He’s the highest-rated recruit in the class, and the 6-foot-6 saxophone player from Little Rock, Arkansas, has pro potential. He made it to Missouri because he’d gotten to know the four people who would become his cohort, of sorts.
“Them just sticking, not wavering — I knew that if they believed in this system, everybody could believe in this system,†Boateng said. “Even having those guys here, they’re all hard workers, they’re all highly regarded too, so it gives you reassurance on your decision and who you’re working with. … They’ve become some of my closest people.â€
All five — Boateng, Marcus Allen, T.O. Barrett, Trent Burns and Peyton Marshall — are from different states: Arkansas, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas and Georgia, respectively. Yet they talked daily in a group chat. Since collectively moving to Columbia, they’re often hanging out together and eating meals in each other’s company.
“We’re really close,†Barrett said.
It was in that group chat where the recruiting class continued to affirm their plans to play for the Tigers with each other.
“There was never any fluctuation in anybody’s decision,†Burns said.
They saw Mizzou lose games and the 0-18 season come together — once committed to a school, it’s not like a recruit is going to turn a blind eye to what’s happening. And in what is a fairly remarkable stroke of collective maturity from a group of 17- and 18-year-olds, they separated the 2023-2024 team’s struggles from the program they would be entering a few months later.
“I never even felt like I needed to waver or look anywhere else,†Marshall said. “I know teams go through things. We were just looking forward to next season — put that behind us. … I trust them and believe in what they have going on, so it didn’t discourage me at all.â€
“That didn’t worry me at all, what happened,†Barrett said. “I came here because the coaches, so I wasn’t worried at all.â€
That might be a sign of what makes Gates such an effective recruiter. This group of freshmen seemingly committed to a process and coaching staff and program more than a certain level of promised success, even though they’d seen Gates have that in his first season with the Tigers.
It also might be what made these recruits a fit with Missouri. They were looking to chase that more than the highs of a past season.
“Losing doesn’t really affect how I see a college,†Boateng said. “It’s bigger than that, honestly.â€
The five freshmen will all play different roles this season. Boateng seems like a potential contributor from the get-go. Marshall has trimmed down his frame since high school, but at 7 feet and 300 pounds, will be able to hold up on the blocks against collegiate bigs. Burns’ 7-5 frame opens a wide world of possibilities. Allen and Barrett both have the scoring chops to make the most of minutes once they adjust to a quicker tempo.
The belief that the MU staff has in the class prompted a little bit of group goal-setting in the offseason, too.
“Their goal is, as a unit, as a class, is for all five of them to go to the NBA,†Gates said. “That’s an unbelievable feat to accomplish, if it does happen, but they know that they all are going to take different paths. They all have different hurdles to overcome to get there.â€
The freshmen have already looked past one losing streak-shaped object to get to this point, and they stuck it out nonetheless. That took some resolve and, during one conversation last season, a resolution.
“We all made a pact to not let that type of season go on again,†Allen said.
Anthony Robinson II averaged 3.9 points, 1.7 steals, 1.3 steals and 1.0 assists per game in 13.4 minutes last season, playing 30 games. He was the first MU freshman to lead the team in steals since 2015-16 and had the sixth-most steals in program history by a rookie.
Marques Warrick comes to Mizzou after four seasons at Northern Kentucky, during which time he scored 2,246 career points, the most among active players in the country. Warrick averaged 19.9 points per game as a senior last season.
Tamar Bates is Mizzou's only returning double-digit scorer from last year, when he averaged 13.5 points per game. Bates made 49.5 percent of his field goals and 38.5 percent of his 3-point attempts last year. He played two seasons at Indiana before coming to Mizzou.
Marcus Allen averaged 22.7 points and 13.2 rebounds as a senior last season at Miami Norland High. He ranked as the nation’s No. 74 recruit in the ESPN 100. He left Norland to play his junior season at AZ Compass Prep, one of the nation's top prep basketball schools, before returning to Norland.
T.O. Barrett played for Link Academy, a prep school in Branson, Missouri, last season. Before that, he led Edmond (Oklahoma) North to back-to-back state titles.
Annor Boateng, ranked No. 26 by 247 Sports and No. 33 by ESPN, is Mizzou’s highest-ranked recruit since Michael Porter Jr. in 2017. He's a two-time Gatorade Arkansas Player of the Year. Boateng averaged 18.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals in his final season at Little Rock Central.
Trent Burns was ranked as high as the nation’s No. 74 recruit by Rivals. He averaged 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks as a senior. Despite his immense height, Burns can also shoot 3-pointers.
Jeremy Sanchez comes to Mizzou from Division II St. Leo. He scored 142 total points there in two seasons. Before his time there, Sanchez played three seasons under Mizzou head coach Dennis Gates at Cleveland State.
Trent Pierce played in 21 games last season and missed a month with an illness. Pierce tallied 38 points, 26 rebounds, seven steals and four blocks last year. He was named the nation's No. 60 recruit by ESPN.
Tony Perkins comes from Iowa, where he spent four seasons. He was named second-team all-Big Ten last year. Perkins tallied 1,175 points, 398 rebounds, 321 assists and 137 steals during his four years with the Hawkeyes and was considered one of the country's top transfers this past offseason.
Danny Stephens redshirted last year, his first at Mizzou. He finished as Southeastern High's all-time leading scorer with 2,428 career points. His hometown of Bowen, Illinois, has fewer than 500 residents and no stoplights.
JV Brown redshirted last season, his first at Mizzou. Brown averaged 16 points per game in his final season of his four at Rolling Hills Prep. His father, Ethan, is the founder of Beyond Meat, a maker of plant-based meat substitutes.
Peyton Marshall was ranked as high as the nation’s No. 69 recruit by 247 Sports. He played for Overtime Elite last year, averaging 8.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 17 minutes of action, while shooting 56.6% from the field. Overtime Elite, a basketball league for 16-20-year-olds, saw two of its players from the most recent season picked in the top 10 of the 2024 NBA draft.
Aidan Shaw appeared in all 32 games last season. Only one returning player saw more minutes at Mizzou last season. Shaw led Mizzou with 36 blocks, ranking 10th in the SEC. Now a junior, Shaw was a top 60 national prospect according to coming out of high school.
Mark Mitchell started 67 of 68 games at Duke over the last two years and was ranked No. 7 among transfers this past offseason. Mitchell scored 700 points, averaging 10.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in his two seasons in North Carolina. Mitchell was the centerpiece of Mizzou's highly rated transfer class.
Caleb Grill enters his sixth college season and second at Mizzou. He was limited to nine games due to a wrist injury last year. In that limited action, he ranked fifth on the team with 8.4 points per game, while leading the Tigers with 5.8 boards per game. Grill didn't appear in Mizzou's season-ending 19-game losing streak, but he wants to avenge it.
Josh Gray comes to Mizzou from South Carolina, where he spent three seasons, swapping places with former Mizzou big man Jordan Butler, who transferred to South Carolina. Gray led the Gamecocks with 6.3 rebounds during the 2022-23 season, including 7.9 during SEC play. Coach Dennis Gates is excited for Gray to bring that rebounding and low-post physicality to the Tigers.
Jacob Crews spent last season at Tennessee-Martin after two years at North Florida and a year at junior college Daytona State. Last year, Crews led UT-Martin to its second-ever Ohio Valley title and ranked 51st nationally with 19.1 points and 76th with 8.2 rebounds per game.
Meet the players who will make up the 2024-25 Mizzou men's basketball team under head coach Dennis Gates.
Anthony Robinson II averaged 3.9 points, 1.7 steals, 1.3 steals and 1.0 assists per game in 13.4 minutes last season, playing 30 games. He was the first MU freshman to lead the team in steals since 2015-16 and had the sixth-most steals in program history by a rookie.
Marques Warrick comes to Mizzou after four seasons at Northern Kentucky, during which time he scored 2,246 career points, the most among active players in the country. Warrick averaged 19.9 points per game as a senior last season.
Tamar Bates is Mizzou's only returning double-digit scorer from last year, when he averaged 13.5 points per game. Bates made 49.5 percent of his field goals and 38.5 percent of his 3-point attempts last year. He played two seasons at Indiana before coming to Mizzou.
Marcus Allen averaged 22.7 points and 13.2 rebounds as a senior last season at Miami Norland High. He ranked as the nation’s No. 74 recruit in the ESPN 100. He left Norland to play his junior season at AZ Compass Prep, one of the nation's top prep basketball schools, before returning to Norland.
T.O. Barrett played for Link Academy, a prep school in Branson, Missouri, last season. Before that, he led Edmond (Oklahoma) North to back-to-back state titles.
Annor Boateng, ranked No. 26 by 247 Sports and No. 33 by ESPN, is Mizzou’s highest-ranked recruit since Michael Porter Jr. in 2017. He's a two-time Gatorade Arkansas Player of the Year. Boateng averaged 18.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals in his final season at Little Rock Central.
Trent Burns was ranked as high as the nation’s No. 74 recruit by Rivals. He averaged 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks as a senior. Despite his immense height, Burns can also shoot 3-pointers.
Jeremy Sanchez comes to Mizzou from Division II St. Leo. He scored 142 total points there in two seasons. Before his time there, Sanchez played three seasons under Mizzou head coach Dennis Gates at Cleveland State.
Trent Pierce played in 21 games last season and missed a month with an illness. Pierce tallied 38 points, 26 rebounds, seven steals and four blocks last year. He was named the nation's No. 60 recruit by ESPN.
Tony Perkins comes from Iowa, where he spent four seasons. He was named second-team all-Big Ten last year. Perkins tallied 1,175 points, 398 rebounds, 321 assists and 137 steals during his four years with the Hawkeyes and was considered one of the country's top transfers this past offseason.
Danny Stephens redshirted last year, his first at Mizzou. He finished as Southeastern High's all-time leading scorer with 2,428 career points. His hometown of Bowen, Illinois, has fewer than 500 residents and no stoplights.
JV Brown redshirted last season, his first at Mizzou. Brown averaged 16 points per game in his final season of his four at Rolling Hills Prep. His father, Ethan, is the founder of Beyond Meat, a maker of plant-based meat substitutes.
Peyton Marshall was ranked as high as the nation’s No. 69 recruit by 247 Sports. He played for Overtime Elite last year, averaging 8.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 17 minutes of action, while shooting 56.6% from the field. Overtime Elite, a basketball league for 16-20-year-olds, saw two of its players from the most recent season picked in the top 10 of the 2024 NBA draft.
Aidan Shaw appeared in all 32 games last season. Only one returning player saw more minutes at Mizzou last season. Shaw led Mizzou with 36 blocks, ranking 10th in the SEC. Now a junior, Shaw was a top 60 national prospect according to coming out of high school.
Mark Mitchell started 67 of 68 games at Duke over the last two years and was ranked No. 7 among transfers this past offseason. Mitchell scored 700 points, averaging 10.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in his two seasons in North Carolina. Mitchell was the centerpiece of Mizzou's highly rated transfer class.
Caleb Grill enters his sixth college season and second at Mizzou. He was limited to nine games due to a wrist injury last year. In that limited action, he ranked fifth on the team with 8.4 points per game, while leading the Tigers with 5.8 boards per game. Grill didn't appear in Mizzou's season-ending 19-game losing streak, but he wants to avenge it.
Josh Gray comes to Mizzou from South Carolina, where he spent three seasons, swapping places with former Mizzou big man Jordan Butler, who transferred to South Carolina. Gray led the Gamecocks with 6.3 rebounds during the 2022-23 season, including 7.9 during SEC play. Coach Dennis Gates is excited for Gray to bring that rebounding and low-post physicality to the Tigers.
Jacob Crews spent last season at Tennessee-Martin after two years at North Florida and a year at junior college Daytona State. Last year, Crews led UT-Martin to its second-ever Ohio Valley title and ranked 51st nationally with 19.1 points and 76th with 8.2 rebounds per game.