Michael Porter Jr. picks Missouri

Michael Porter Jr., the top 2017 recruit, announced Friday on Twitter he will play at Missouri next season.
Michael Porter Jr., the top 2017 recruit, announced Friday on Twitter he will play at Missouri next season.

COLUMBIA - Michael Porter Jr. is coming home.

The top 2017 basketball recruit announced Friday on Twitter he will play for Missouri next season. The 6-foot-9 small forward originally signed with Washington in November, but was released from his national letter of intent on Thursday after the school fired head coach Lorenzo Romar.

Now Porter becomes the first commitment for Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin since he was hired last week as the Tigers' new head coach.

Porter returns to the city where he won the Missouri Class 3 state title at Father Tolton High School. Porter had 31 points and 19 rebounds in the Trailblazers' 62-60 win against Barstow at Mizzou Arena.

Father Tolton also won the Great 8 Classic at Fleming Fieldhouse in his junior year on a late 3-pointer from Porter. During the Classic in his sophomore year, a dunk from Porter was No. 1 on SportsCenter's top 10 plays where he jumped over two Raytown South defenders for the outstreched, one-handed slam.

Virginia, Oklahoma and Washington were Porter's other finalists.

Porter posted the following message on Twitter: "Last week everything changed for me regard my college basketball decision. Realizing I would no longer have the opportunity to play for Coach Romar, I've taken the past seven days to give great consideration to my future.

"After a lot of thought, prayer and talking with my family, I'm excited to announce that next year I will be attending the University of Missouri!

"I am looking forward to the year ahead with Coach Cuonzo and my new teammates Together we hope to restore the atmosphere at Mizzou Arena.

"MIZZOU NATION I'M COMING HOME!!!"

Porter won the Gatorade Player of the Year after posting 36.2 points, 13.6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3.2 steals and 2.7 blocks per game last season at Nathan Hale High School in Washington last season. Nathan Hale also won the Washington Class 3A state title this past season.

Porter set the record for the most points scored by a freshman in Missouri history. In his three seasons with the Trailblazers he scored more than 2,000 points.

On Thursday, Missouri announced it had hired Porter's father, Michael Porter Sr., as an assistant coach. Porter Sr. coached at Washington last season after serving as an assistant for the Missouri women's basketball team from 2010-16. 

Porter Jr.'s older sisters, Bri and Cierra Porter, are on the Missouri women's basketball team.

Porter Jr. is the second recruit to commit to Missouri next season, with the other being four-star guard C.J. Roberts. Porter Jr. can officially sign with Missouri on April 12 once the late signing period opens.

Missouri would have one scholarship left to offer after losing one when it self-sanctioned itself last year in the wake of NCAA violations under former head coach Frank Haith.

Martin tweeted Thursday he was going on the recruiting trail after a "great first four days in the office." East St. Louis senior center and Illinois commit Jeremiah Tilmon is one recruit Martin has been connected with. Both are from East St. Louis, and Illinois, like Missouri, has a new head coach in Frank Underwood.

Tilmon is a four-star recruit by 247sports.com, which gave Missouri a 67 percent chance to land Tilmon.

Jontay Porter, Michael Porter Jr.'s younger brother and a 2018 four-star recruit, said he would consider reclassifying up a year so he could play with his brother in college. The 6-9, 225-pound power forward also committed to Washington, then backed out of it after Romar's firing.