It's official: Jontay Porter has reclassified and will play basketball for Missouri this season. Porter, on schedule to be a senior in high school this fall, committed to join Mizzou's 2018 recruiting class earlier this summer but was open to the idea of coming to college a year early so he could play with his older brother, freshman forward Michael Porter Jr. The two will indeed be teammates again.
Jontay Porter announced his decision with a tweet Wednesday night.
"Class of '17 here I come," Jontay Ported tweeted.
Jontay Porter's transcript was cleared by the NCAA earlier this summer, allowing him to enroll in college a year ahead of schedule, multiple sources confirmed. As of Wednesday night Porter was not listed in the university's online student database. Porter was unavailable for comment and referred an interview request to MU's media relations staff.
"We're very excited about Jontay's decision, which was a big one for him and his family," MU coach Cuonzo Martin said. "Jontay is certainly a talented basketball player, but his outstanding work in the classroom should not be overlooked. The ability to reclassify requires a serious commitment to your academics. Jontay is a young man who takes pride in being a great teammate and communicator. He has the skill and knowledge of the game to contribute from day one, at both ends of the floor. This is a homecoming for Jontay, who is already extremely familiar with Columbia, and we're thrilled to have him in the Mizzou Basketball Family."
The Porter brothers have won high school state championships together each of the last two seasons, in 2016 at Columbia's Father Tolton High and earlier this spring at Seattle's Nathan Hale High. At MU, he'll join his older brother and father, Michael Porter Sr., an assistant coach on Cuonzo Martin's staff. Porter's sisters, Bri and Cierra, both play for the MU women's team.
Jontay Porter, a 6-11 forward, is rated a five-star recruit and the No. 19 player in the 2018 class by 247Sports.com's composite rankings. He averaged 14.3 points and 13.6 rebounds as a junior last season.
"Mizzou is home, so first of all, I'm incredibly thankful for this opportunity to attend the University of Missouri," Porter said in a statement released by MU. "Coach Martin and his staff are awesome, and they are definitely one of the things I look forward to most about playing for Mizzou. Moving up to college will be an easy transition for me, especially with my family here in Columbia. Mizzou basketball will be something really special, and I can't wait to be a part of it.
After teaming with his brother to win the Washington state championship, Porter starred for MOKAN Elite on the EYBL circuit this summer and averaged 18.1 points and 12.6 rebounds per game for the AAU team. In July, Porter's team went 2-3 in the Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C., where he averaged 8.1 points and 12.6 rebounds. In 21 AAU games this summer, Porter shot 42.8 percent from the field, 37.6 percent from 3-point range and 64.7 percent from the free-throw line with 2.6 assists and 2.4 blocks per game.
Porter joins a recruiting class that was already ranked No. 7 by Rivals.com and ESPN and No. 8 by 247Sports.com. The Tigers already rebooted their frontcourt with the addition of 6-10 forward Jeremiah Tilmon and Porter Jr., a 6-10 perimeter player who can also play minutes at the traditional power forward position.
Earlier this summer, Jontay Porter described himself as a natural stretch four, a power forward with outside shooting range
"If I join this year's class at Mizzou me and Kevin (Puryear) would be stretch fours and Jeremiah would be the five," he said. "When he's out of the game I can play the five, too. It just depends on the lineup. But that's one of the great things about my game, my versatility."
