Missouri landed one of the top college basketball recruits of the Class of 2026 on Friday as Jason Crowe Jr. committed to the Tigers. Crowe is the No. 7 ranked player nationally, according to Rivals.
Crowe is Mizzou's first five-star recruit since bringing in Michael Porter Jr. in 2017. Porter is the highest-ranked player to ever play for the program, while Crowe is now the second highest. Crowe is also the first five-star recruit picked up by coach Dennis Gates, who started with the Tigers in 2022.
Crowe's decision came as a bit of a shock to the college basketball world since he was expected to commit to Kentucky. He also chose Missouri over top basketball programs like USC, UCLA, Texas, Baylor, Alabama and Arkansas, per On3.
The guard plays high school basketball at Inglewood High in California. He's currently competing at the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Peach Jam this week, where he's put up a 36-point game and a 25-point game in two days.
The Tigers are coming off a 21-10 season that put them in a sixth seed in the NCAA tournament. Mizzou suffered a first-round upset to No. 11 Drake during the tournament.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Missouri Lands First Five-Star Basketball Recruit Since Michael Porter Jr..