The University of Missouri basketball program, on Friday night, gained the verbal commitment of 6-foot-8 inch forward Tray Jackson of Detroit, Michigan. Jackson, who will play this season for Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kansas, had committed to Minnesota in September, but de-committed from the Golden Gophers earlier on Friday, with the Mizzou-related announcement coming shortly thereafter.
Jackson is the second commitment for Coach Cuonzo Martin, joining St. Louis native Mario McKinney in the Class of 2019, choosing Mizzou over offers from Oklahoma, Illinois and Xavier, according to Rivals.com. He is a four-star recruit ranked #96 in the country and the #23 power forward in the Class of 2019.
Missouri is hopeful of getting the commitment of the #13 ranked (Rivals) player in the country in the Class of 2020, with Josh Christopher taking an official visit to the MU campus this past weekend.
The Missouri women picked up a commitment on Monday night, with St. Louis Whitfield High School senior Aijha Blackwell verbally committing to Coach Robin Pingeton via social media. Blackwell, a 6-foot guard, is a five-star recruit per ESPN, and ranked #8 nationally in ESPN’s 2019 HoopGurlz rankings. Last season at Whitfield, Blackwell averaged 24.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, leading WHS to a third place finish in the Class 3 state championships. The year prior, Blackwell scored 25 points in the state semifinals against the Trenton Lady Bulldogs in a Whitfield win in the Hearnes Center, part of a second-place finish in 2015-2016 for the Lady Warriors.
Blackwell chose Missouri over offers from Kansas and Louisville, also receiving interest from Mississippi State, St. Louis University, and Ohio State.
