Missouri filled its need for a point guard in the 2018 class Monday night with the commitment of Simeon (Ill.) 3-star Xavier Pinson choosing the Tigers over both Georgetown and Wisconsin.
Originally, Pinson planned to announce his commitment on Feb. 22, but after visiting Missouri this past weekend and taking in the Kentucky game, he moved the date up to Monday night and decided to pull the trigger.
He was somewhat under-the-radar for most of his senior season, picking up offers from the aforementioned Hoyas, Dayton, Memphis and Saint Louis. After freshmen C.J. Roberts and Blake Harris opted to transfer from Missouri at the semester break, the Tigers had an immediate need at point guard and offered Pinson on Jan. 18. The future lack of depth was then magnified with the suspension of junior Terrence Phillips, whose future with the program is in doubt amid a Title IX investigation.
Pinson joins 4-star wing Torrence Watson, 3-star shooting guard Javon Pickett and junior college transfer K.J. Santos in Missouri's 2018 class, which still has one spot open and could see another come available if Phillips is indeed dismissed from the team.
After playing his first three seasons of prep ball at St. Patrick on Chicago's north side, Pinson chose to transfer to Simeon, where he's currently averaging 11.3 points per game for the Wolverines.
Simeon is one of the more prominent programs nationally, producing 2008 No. 1 overall pick Derrick Rose and 2014 No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker.
This season, Simeon boasts Pinson, Iowa State signee Talen Horton-Tucker, 3-star combo guard Kezo Brown and 3-star wing Messiah Jones. The school won six state titles between 2006 and 2013 and is currently the top-ranked team in Illinois and occupies the No. 12 spot on MaxPreps' Xcellent 25 national rankings.
Stay tuned to PowerMizzou for more on Pinson's commitment.
