Sheek Pearson visited Mizzou once earlier this year, watching the Tigers host South Carolina on Jan. 13, but didn’t get to do much else other than a tour of the team’s facilities. The Class of 2026 recruit made a return trip to Columbia this weekend for a second unofficial visit to see more of both the school and the team.
“It was a great experience,” Pearson said. “Columbia, I would say it’s more as a college town, but like, it isn't at the same time. But what I did like about the campus was, I remember, I went to the student center and it just felt good to see other students just be able to hang out in one spot, just relax and not have to worry about anything.”
The 6-foot-10 forward was offered by the black and gold in October and has received steady interest in them since. He suited up for Brad Beal Elite’s 16U squad this summer on the Nike EYBL circuit, helping the team go 13-4 during the regular season and earn a bid to Peach Jam. Pearson averaged 6.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game during the tournament. He saved his best performance for last, posting 14 points, four boards and five rejections in the championship game, a 74-67 win over CP3. Pearson said he felt like he improved the timing of his shot-blocking and his ability to defend on the perimeter in pick-and-rolls the most throughout the season.
Pearson was joined on the visit by his club teammate, 2026 guard J.J. Andrews, who was making his first official visit with the program. MU’s full staff showed up to watch the two play a game during the EYBL’s session in Indianapolis in May. Pearson said he was excited when he found out he and Andrews would be on campus together.
“Me and J.J., we get along really well,” Pearson said. “So when I found out we were going to be at Mizzou at the same time, it wasn't like I had to share the experience with someone that I didn't know very well. It was a good thing to have one of my teammates there. It was just great to just have someone that I get along with so well there. But like, basketball-wise, he was definitely our main energy guy. He always would try to uplift the team, he was like our hype guy. He did most of the dirty work, too. We'd rely on him to guard a lot of the other players, like the best wings.”
Pearson got to watch Mizzou practice and noted the up-tempo pace the team played at, as well as how much the Tigers “pride themselves on defense.” As a rim protector who can run the floor well and is comfortable stepping behind the 3-point line, Pearson thinks he’d fit into the team’s system well.
He took an extended campus tour and also was in attendance for the Missouri football team’s 27-21 win over Boston College on Saturday, coming away impressed by the amount of support the fans showed. Pearson has mostly connected with assistant coach Kyle Smithpeters on MU’s staff, who he has a “great” relationship with, but also got to spend more time getting to know head coach Dennis Gates.
“He's a real, straight-up coach, which is pretty much what you look for in a coach because you don't want them to sugarcoat anything,” Pearson said. “He was just telling us how like, for him, it's bigger than basketball. He wants his players to be like, 'Yeah, Mizzou is my school.' Like, no matter where they end up after college, he just wants him to be like, 'Mizzou's my school.' I remember outside of his office, as soon as he walked out of his office, there was a family picture of all his players, which also leads to the point of how he wants to know all his players on a personal level more than basketball.”
Aside from Mizzou, Pearson has taken visits with Iowa and Iowa State thus far and also plans to take a few more with Illinois and Marquette in the near future. Pearson said the two key things he’s looking for in a school are his relationships with the coaches and his fit with the team.
Heading into his junior year at John Burroughs School in St. Louis, Pearson said he has a lot of motivation for this season. The Bombers reached the final round of the MSHSAA Class 4 playoffs last year but fell to Vashon High School in the championship game, 68-37.
“After how last year ended, we as a team want to redeem ourselves, make it back down and hopefully win state this year,” Pearson said. “But before that, we gotta win district. So I’ll say, first off, win district and then focus on state after that.”
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