Missouri gets third men's basketball commit

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Missouri added the third commit to its 2021 men's basketball class Wednesday, and the second in three days, as Sean Durugordon gave his verbal pledge to the Tigers on social media.

"Good things take time.110% committed!!" he tweeted.

Two days after adding combo guard Kaleb Brown, brother of current forward Kobe Brown, Durugordon, a native of Queens, N.Y., joined the class. Kickapoo guard Anton Brookshire got the class started in early May.

Listed as a four-star prospect by ESPN and a three-star prospect by Rivals and 247sports, Durugordon is projected as a player with great upside, particularly on defense. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, Durugordon has a 7-1 wingspan and will likely play wing.

Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin and his staff extended an offer in early July and had to work to beat out the likes of DePaul, Hofstra, Georgia, VCU, Seton Hall, Arizona State and Auburn.

Durugordon, who will play for Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut this year, moved up his recruiting timeframe a few times as a result of the ongoing NCAA dead period. He initially planned to narrow his list this winter and commit in early 2021, but put out a top eight list of schools Saturday that included Missouri, Arizona State, VCU, DePaul, Georgia, Seton Hall, Hofstra and Auburn.

"I just felt like I built the best relationship with (Cuonzo Martin)," he told Adam Zagoria of ZAGSBLOG.com on Wednesday. "We really had a good connection and a bond. We talked a lot over the last month, so a trust was built. I just feel like also he will be able to take my game to the next level because he's coached guys that are in the NBA and he's also played in the NBA himself so I know he knows what it takes to get there.

"Just how they have a team-first type of mentality, the family culture there. Their play style fits my game perfectly so it was honestly just the perfect fit."

All three of the Tigers' NBA Draft hopefuls return to this year's team, and Missouri could graduate as many as five players from the 2020-21 team, which means Martin's '21 recruiting is likely not done.