8/11/2023 basketball Edit

Four-star center Peyton Marshall commits to Missouri

Drew King • PowerMizzou

Basketball Writer

Mizzou appears determined to bring in a big 2024 class. And they don’t get much bigger than Peyton Marshall.

The 7-foot, 300-pound center became the second recruit this week and third overall to commit to the Tigers after announcing his decision on Friday, joining Marcus Allen and Antonio “T.O.” Barrett.

"When I went to the visit and what they showed me on film when I watch their games … the way they play now is a similar style offense to the next level in the NBA … How I play now translates in their system," Marshall told 247 Sports during the live stream of his announcement.

“We're just proud of his progress and development over the last three years,” said Marshall’s high school coach, Jermaine Sellers. “And I think this type of player that they're gonna get is somebody that's ready to step in and be productive and continue to grow and develop from there.”

Marshall is originally from St. Louis but moved to Georgia when he was around 10 years old. The “Show-Me” state native still has family members in the area, though, some of whom came to see him during his official visit to Columbia, Mo., back in October. Marshall said the visit was “better than expected” and rated it a 10 out of 10.

But despite coming away impressed by MU, Marshall initially committed to Auburn in December. Once the college season ended, however, assistant coach Wes Flanigan, who was Marshall’s lead recruiter at Auburn, left to join the staff at Ole Miss. Feeling like his main connection to the team had left, the four-star chose to decommit and open his recruitment back up on April 14.

Marshall told PowerMizzou.com a week later that Missouri was one of the first schools that reached back out to him — Marshall told 247 Sports the team's coaches told him "If things go left we still want you here." In the months since, he took an official visit to Ole Miss and had another scheduled with Mississippi State this week but ultimately chose to join Mizzou.

"Coach Gates and coach CY are two people I trust with my career," Marshall told 247 Sports.

Sellers said Marshall has the personality that he would’ve fit in well wherever he ended up.

“Being the biggest guy at school, it's hard to miss him, you know?” Sellers said. “So like, people kind of gravitate to him. And so I think he started to accept some of the attention and open up a little bit more. But he's a very well-mannered, intelligent young man ... He's aggressive on the court but off the court, he's a nice guy, he gets along with everybody.”

Marshall’s fit in Tigers head coach Dennis Gates’ system may not appear obvious at first. His biggest strength is his ability to overpower defenders on the block and score in the paint. When he first arrived at Kell High School as a sophomore, Sellers described him as a “back-to-the-basket, true post type of player.” Gates, on the other hand, likes his team to play fast and put up a high number of shots, especially from outside. In April, Gates said that “Anybody that we bring in here will be shooting 3s,” something Marshall doesn't have very much experience with.

But Sellers said Marshall’s game has expanded over the last couple of years. The big man has worked to slim down a bit and become more mobile — the 300-pound mark he’s listed at may no longer be accurate. He’s also become more confident stepping out to take jump shots from 15 feet away. Sellers thinks Marshall could start pulling up from even deeper heading into his senior year.

Sellers also pointed out that he runs a similar scheme to Missouri and that Marshall’s presence is helpful, not a hindrance. Surrounding the center with shooters gives him ample space in the post and forces opposing defenses to make a difficult decision: keep a defender guarding Marshall one-on-one, or send a help defender, leaving a shooter open. Sellers said an underrated part of Marshall’s game is his ability to read the floor and make the right pass.

“That's something he's always had,” Sellers said. “He understands the game. He understands if somebody doubles down, he's gonna pass out to that next person. His vision on the court is very good, especially at the high post and even on the perimeter. So that's something he's always had, I think that's just a natural ability of his. And he's not a selfish player. Like, he looks to get his teammates involved and he's always looking to make the right play.”

Marshall comes in at No. 83 in Rivals.com’s Class of 2024 rankings, giving Missouri three top-150 recruits for the second year in a row. The Tigers’ class was ranked at No. 11 in the country after Allen’s commitment earlier in the week and now moves up to No. 6 with Marshall in the mix.

Gates probably won’t add too many more prospects to this year’s group, if any, but does have several players scheduled to come in for visits soon, including Annor Boateng, Jaye Nash, Kameren Wright, Trent Burns, Ryan “R.J.” Jones Jr. and Darrion Sutton. With Allen, Barrett and now Marshall set to join the Tigers, the head coach seems to have the future of the program set up well.

"It’s gonna be some good days, gonna be some bad days, but gonna be more good than bad for sure," Marshall told 247 Sports. "I’m gonna give it my all. I don’t really want to do too much talking I just want to show you."