For essentially the full season, it has become clearer and clearer that Missouri freshman Trent Burns was going to redshirt.
As the 7-foot-5 center remained listed on the pre-game injury reports as "out" game after game, it began to feel like it would be too late in the season to get the big who assistant coach Rob Summers described as a “unicorn” into playing shape and into the rotation.
Right up until he was listed as a “game-time decision” ahead of the Tigers’ matchup with South Carolina.
“I’ve always been in communication with Trent Burns and I’ve never used the word redshirt with him,” Missouri coach Dennis Gates said. “Because I don’t want to stifle a young man’s growth in the moment where he sees himself potentially fitting in while we are taking our doctors’ and trainers’ orders on his situation.”
Burns has been progressing the past month or two to the point of joining pre-game layup lines and participating in the Tigers’ dunk contest before matchups.
But the Tigers have been building their rotation for months, throwing a new player in, especially one who has never played a possession of college basketball, has the possibility to throw things out of whack.
“We don’t have an answer, but again, we’re preparing and trending in that direction,” Gates said. “It was great to see his name change on that injury eport. Those are signals and signs that a young man is moving forward in his progress.”
The Tigers have earned big goals for this season, and as the postseason approaches, any change could hurt what the Tigers have built.
But one of the main issues with this year’s Missouri team that has become clear recently is interior defense. And with Burns standing taller than all but one player currently on a Division I roster, he could be the answer to that problem.
“The big picture is this, Trent Burns is a heck of a basketball player,” Gates said. “Trent Burns makes our team better. He gives us a vertical threat at the rim, he’s a completely different basketball player than Peyton Marshall, than Josh Gray at that position.”
Gates has remained set with the answer of “No decision has been made yet” when asked throughout the year about redshirting Burns, and now it seems more clear that it’s a possibility the Tigers could add a very different element to their rotation as the postseason hits.
“He’s practicing, he’s clear to do a lot more things than he was previously,” Gates said. “So I’m just gonna continue to monitor it and see what’s best from a mental, emotional, as well as physical (standpoint).”
Stay up to date on all the Mizzou news with your premium subscription.
Talk about this story in the story thread and discuss so much more in The Tiger Walk.
Make sure you're caught up on all the Tiger news and headlines.
