University of Missouri guards K.J. Walton and Frankie Hughes will transfer from the Tiger basketball program. The school announced the decision on Tuesday evening.
Walton, a product of Indianapolis, Indiana, started 24 games over two seasons at Missouri. He averaged seven points and 3 1/2 rebounds per game in his sophomore season.
Hughes, a 6’4″ freshman from Cleveland, Ohio, started his Tiger career with “a bang”, debuting with a 23 point outing in his first ever game in November, and following up that effort with a 24 point game. However, Hughes production dropped significantly by the time Southeastern Conference play began, with averages dipping to 7 1/2 points per game and just 30 percent shooting from the field. By departing Mizzou, Hughes joins fellow Cleveland native Willie Jackson in that decision, with Jackson leaving Missouri during Christmas Break.
The defections of Walton and Hughes are not coming as a huge surprise for the program, as new Head Coach Cuonzo Martin looks to rebuild the Tigers. Two more scholarships are now available to use on incoming talent for the 2017-18 season, leaving a total of five openings. Two of those will be taken by C.J. Roberts and national player of the year Michael Porter Jr.
Missouri will host five-star small forward Kevin Knox II of Tampa, Florida on an official recruiting visit this weekend, hoping to lure the top talent away from blue-bloods like Duke and Kentucky. Three-star point guard Blake Harris of Raleigh, North Carolina, recently released from his letter of intent at Washington, is also expected to visit the MU campus.
Coach Martin has completed his coaching staff for Year #1 in Columbia, adding Oakland University’s Cornell Mann and UMKC’s Chris Hollender on Tuesday evening. That duo will join Michael Porter Sr. on the bench this fall, officially announced Wednesday morning by the university.
