Arkansas’ Davonte Davis, left, dives for the ball in front of Missouri’s Trevon Brazile, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)
Missouri’s Javon Pickett, right, has become for effective since he cut back on 3-point shot attempts in favor of driving more to the basket.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Just hours after new Missouri basketball coach Dennis Gates held his introductory press conference, two of the Tigers’ best players from this past season entered the NCAA transfer portal: senior guard Javon Pickett and freshman forward Trevon Brazile, VerbalCommits.com first reported.
Pickett, the 6-4 senior leader from Belleville, was MU’s leading scorer in conference play this season, averaging 13.4 points per game, and also the team’s most vocal defender for coach Cuonzo Martin and his staff before Martin was fired on March 11. A regular in the starting lineup each of the last four years, Pickett has an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA after the pandemic.
Brazile was MU’s breakthrough newcomer, 6.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game, ranking among the SEC leaders all season.
Both players could still opt to return and play for Gates next season, but in order to have legal contact with other schools they must submit their names into the portal. Freshman guard Anton Brookshire, Brazile’s high school teammate in Springfield, entered the portal earlier this month.
Four-star recruit Aidan Shaw also received a release from his national letter of intent, allowing him to pursue other offers. Shaw has said he’ll consider Missouri’s new coach once a hire was made.
Dave Matter brings you the latest updates from the Mizzou sports scene.
Dave Matter is the Mizzou beat writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — For the third time in the last decade and fifth time in 16 years, fans flocked to Mizzou Arena on Tuesday to hear from Missouri’s new basketball coach on his first day on the job. This time, it’s Dennis Gates, the 42-year-old Chicago native who spent the last three years lifting Cleveland State out of the Horizon League gutter and now inherits a Mizzou program coming off a …
When he first arrived on a college campus, Dennis Gates wanted nothing more than to be a team leader. At 42, he’ll get to lead Missouri’s program, pending the UM Board’s approval Tuesday.
Arkansas’ Davonte Davis, left, dives for the ball in front of Missouri’s Trevon Brazile, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)
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