Despite some opinions, Missouri is very much alive, while prospective recruit Kevin Knox prepares to decide where he will commit to play basketball in 2017.
Popular opinion, and at least one expert opinion, says that the Missouri Tigers are out of the running for 5-star recruit Kevin Knox. I call bull.
The reason is very simple: Nobody within Knox’s camp, nor Knox himself, has eluded toward a favorite. Insiders’ “sources” have gone unnamed – fair enough, but if nobody is saying anything, then said “source” is probably more of a gut instinct.
If this is your first time reading about the highly sought after recruit, then I will bring you up to speed. Knox is down to five programs recruiting him for his service: Carolina, Duke, Kentucky, Florida State, and Missouri.
Carolina, Duke, (usually) Kentucky, and (sometimes) Florida State are extremely tough recruiters, and are well-versed in selling their respective programs to big names with major talent. There’s no reason Knox shouldn’t want to play for any of them.
Missouri Tigers Basketball
Duke, Carolina, and Kentucky are the programs with almost infallible reputations – they sell themselves.
If Missouri was truly out of the running, then Knox would be down to three, because while Florida State has family history, it isn’t Duke, Carolina, or Kentucky. FSU would be on the out fairly quickly.
The “blue bloods,” as we’ll refer to the big three, don’t have to try hard to pitch to Knox. They will pitch to him, but there are still very talented athletes waiting to get in. Those programs are built to be “plug-and-play.”
That’s not a knock on Knox, who is extremely talented, in any way, but while these programs also await his decision, they are still recruiting and landing big names.
So what keeps Missouri in the fold? Mystery, intrigue, competitive legitimacy, and talent. Basically, Missouri has everything the blue bloods have, except the pedigree.
The Tigers have assembled a recruiting class which, with a few more confirmed commitments, will become instant contenders in 2018; the Tigers are in the mix, already.
Knox can go to Duke; he can commit to Kentucky, or he can play for Carolina. They are great, tremendously talented, and well coached programs. They win more games than they lose.
But as I’ve said before, the blue bloods won’t offer Knox near the attention, nor will he be able to make as big a splash in one season, as he will with Missouri.
Remember, they are programs that are rich in history, and produced some of the greats such as Bobby Hurley, Christian Laettner, Anthony Davis, Grant Hill, and Michael Jordan, just to name a few.
Certainly Knox is destined to become one of the greats, but if he commits to Missouri, he will become an overnight sensation, and will achieve rock star status in Columbia, along with Michael Porter, Jr., Blake Harris, Jontay Porter, and (soon) Jeremiah Tilmon.
Something else that Knox will consider, is whether he would like to be a big fish in a little pond, or a small fish in a big pond. If Knox is considering a one-and-done season, then he will make a bigger splash at Missouri than anywhere else.
Traditionally, Missouri doesn’t belong in the same discussion as Duke, Carolina, or Kentucky when it comes to basketball recruiting. But this year, a new leaf has turned.
It’s easy to take one-of-three goliath programs and throw Knox’s name at any of them as the favorite, but I like “David’s” chance in this battle.