CHICAGO _ Missouri fans got a glimpse of Michael Porter Jr.'s massive potential for the first time since he committed Wednesday during the McDonald's All-American Game at the United Center.
Playing among the two dozen best high school players in the 2017 recruiting class, Porter Jr. shined with his athleticism and versatility.
He finished with a game-high 17 points and eight rebounds.
When Porter, who started for the West, was announced as the game's MVP after a 109-107 victory against the East all-stars, an "M-I-Z, Z-O-U" chant broke out in the lower bowl as he posed for pictures with the trophy.
It's hard to imagine a better night for Mizzou men's basketball, which hasn't had enough of them in four straight seasons marred by an NCAA investigation and without an NCAA Tournament appearance.
Porter seemed a bit nervous initially, which isn't a surprise considering he felt pressure to perform as the Naismith Prep Player of the Year and Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
He missed his first two shots _ a pair of 3-point tries _ and committed a turnover before checking out at the initial media timeout, but he picked it up the remainder of the half.
Porter got stuck on the baseline but pivoted his way to a layup, then snagged a defensive rebound in the first minute after checking back in.
He made 5 of his next 8 shots, finished the opening 20 minutes with game-highs of 12 points and seven rebounds.
Porter wasn't able to connect on 3 tries from long range, but he was a menace driving to the rim.
He drew two fouls attacking the bucket and also scored twice off put-backs, including one off his own miss after stealing the ball from 6-foot-11 center Mohamed Bamba underneath the basket following a missed free throw.
But the most jaw-dropping first-half highlights involving Porter came off assists from Oklahoma-bound point guard Trae Young.
The two are best friends and former Mokan Elite teammates on the AAU circuit.
That on-court synergy showed up when Porter sealed a defender on the right block and Young split the heart of the lane with a 20-foot bounce pass for a layup.
Young later lobbed an alley-oop pass from outside the 3-point arc in transition, which Porter flew to meet for a two-handed finish.
Playing for the East, Tampa (Fla.) Catholic High small forward Kevin Knox II, who Porter is trying to convince to join him at Mizzou, finished with 15 points.
Knox's brightest highlight came in the closing seconds of the first half when he slammed home an underhand lob from Alabama-bound point guard Collin Sexton, who wrapped the ball around his midsection before the pass.
Kansas-bound 6-foot-10 power forward Billy Preston from Oak Hill Academy chipped in 10 points toward the West team's win.
