Michael Porter Jr., 2017’s top recruit, commits to Missouri basketball

Michael Porter Jr. is following his father to Missouri. Porter decommitted from Washington after the firing of head coach Lorenzo Romar, and will now join Cuonzo Martin to play for the Tigers. Martin brought Michael Porter Sr. on board as an assistant coach shortly after he was hired.

The 6’9 forward was one of the most highly sought after prospects in the 2017 class. He committed to the Washington Huskies last July where his father was an assistant coach. He even transferred to play his final year of high school in Seattle for former Portland Trail Blazers star Brandon Roy, wanting to move closer to Seattle where he hoped to play college ball.

When the Huskies fired Romar earlier in March, it all but sealed the loss of Porter for Washington. Porter is Romar’s godson and with Romar out and his father moving on to Columbia, it was only a matter of time before Porter Jr. moved on.

The Porter family has a longstanding history with the University of Missouri. His father served as an assistant on the school’s women’s basketball team before he joined Romar at Washington. His two older sisters also play basketball for Mizzou.

Washington might now have to rebuild the team from scratch. After Romar was fired, it was reported that three starters were thinking about transferring, along with recruits like Porter and a few others who are decommitting. They are also losing Markelle Fultz, who will likely be the top pick in this year’s NBA Draft.