Aidan Shaw is back on board with Mizzou
On March 17, six days after Cuonzo Martin was relieved of his position by Missouri, prized recruit Aidan Shaw received a release from the Letter of Intent he had signed with the school in November. Shaw didn't take long to end up right back where he started. The 6-foot-8 forward from Blue Valley (KS) announced his intention to play for Dennis Gates and Mizzou on his social media accounts Wednesday afternoon.
"After building a relationship and understanding coach Gates and his mindset, goals, and the way he is building this program I realized Mizzou is the spot for me," Shaw said via text message. "Coach Gates showed me how I would fit into his playing style and convinced me that he will push me to reach my goals."
Shaw is a four-star recruit who is ranked as the No. 58 overall prospect in the Class of 2022 by Rivals.com. He is the Tigers' highest-ranked prospect since Michael Porter, Jr., Jontay Porter and Jeremiah Tilmon in the Class of 2017, Martin's first class at Missouri.
Shaw was named first-team all-state by the Kansas State High School Activities association and tabbed as the Kansas City area Defensive Player of the Year by Metro Sports. His retention took on even more importance when freshman forward Trevon Brazile transferred to Arkansas last week.
After he backed off his initial pledge to Missouri, Shaw said he was contacted by TCU, Texas Tech, NC State, DePaul, Creighton, Iowa State, Wisconsin, Arizona State and UNLV.
Shaw joins junior college big man Mohamed Diarra and Milwaukee transfer DeAndre Gholston in the first recruiting class for Gates so far.
With Shaw in the mix, Gates currently has three available scholarships. The Tigers are in the market for at least one point guard and at least one wing, preferably one who is a capable outside shooter. Those needs will likely be filled through a combination of junior college recruits and transfer portal targets. Gates has also reached out to another local high school forward in Fort Zumwalt North's Connor Turnbull.
The Tigers' roster could see up to seven first-year players. This comes a year after Cuonzo Martin returned just three players to the 2021-22 team which finished 12-21 on the season and led to his dismissal.
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