Mizzou Basketball's Freshman Class Hoping to Turn Program Around

Missouri had its worst season of conference play in program history, but its incoming freshman class is the potential light at the end of the tunnel.

Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates slows his team down against the Arkansas Razorbacks during their first round SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, March 13, 2024. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Excitement is still buzzing around Missouri men's basketball even after its 0-18 finish in the SEC last season, and that's mostly thanks to its strong freshman class.

Comprised of Marcus Allen, T.O. Barrett, Annor Boateng, Trent Burns and Peyton Marshall, the Tigers hold the No. 5 recruiting class of 2024 in the country according to 247sports. None of the freshman are joining the program as five-star recruits, but all were considered four-star prospects.

Missouri was in a strange in-between season after the departures of Kobe Brown and D'Moi Hodge last year, but now, it has replenished its roster with young talent that could be the key pieces leading it back to competing for an SEC championship.

"They're all really unique, they're all really talented and they bring different characteristics from different parts of the game," graduate senior Caleb Grill said at the team's Media Day. "I think all of them have really bright futures."

Between Grill, senior Tamar Bates and graduate student Marques Warrick, the freshman have plenty of experienced players to help their transition to the collegiate game. With some pressure to improve on last season get the program back on track, they needed stable leadership in the locker room.

"I think we have a unique team," head coach Dennis Gates said. "We have a balance of leadership seniors. We have a balance of talented freshmen, and we have a balance of of core guys that's returning."

The wisdom the seniors can extend to the freshman goes even further than just this year, it will be key for the future of their careers in Missouri. This goal is to compete now, yes, but it's also to start the building blocks for long-term success.

"It's about how can (we) use that experience to help them with their futures not only this year, but to help them down the line as well," Warrick said on the seniors' role during the season.

Each one of the freshman have high hopes for their careers. They want to immediately come in and make an impact for the Tigers, ideally helping them get back to being a contender in the SEC. They may not have experience, but with the guidance of head coach Dennis Gates and the senior class, the sheer talent combined with that could catapult Missouri right back up.

If their individual careers pan out the way they hope, playing professional basketball is what all five freshman will seek once their time in college ends.

"Their goals 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 gonna take different paths, and they all have different hurdles to overcome to get there."

Saying you want to make the NBA is easy enough, but actually getting there is the toughest challenge a collegiate player can face. Gates' job is to help make that happen, and by taking the time to help them learn the basics of college life and approaching the community, its setting them up to quickly assimilate into the program and be on the right track to get there.

All five freshman are clearly talented and have the potential to be pivotal pieces for the Tigers throughout their careers, it's just a matter of harnessing that potential and developing it.

"I think they're going to be the class that helps really turns this program around," Grill said. "I hope they all are able to stick it out here, but if they all stick it out for the next three or four years I think it'll be a nationally top 10 team for sure."

Missouri has sought out a freshman class up to this caliber for a long time, and it's one that could make it a household name in the SEC once again. It won't happen overnight, but at the very least, the outlook on the Tigers' future is far greater than a season ago.

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