On April 16th, Missouri Tigers just landed their second transfer portal jam this offseason, former Providence Wayne-Jermier Jones. This four-star recruit from the Class of 2025 ranked 40th nationally had been rumored to join for months thanks to his tie-with. Tigers GM Tim Fuller, who first recruited him out of high school. Now the 39th best player in the portal and 5th best small forward per 247 sports, Jones heads to Columbia after a coaching.
Change at Providence. Jones brings solid freshman stats, averaging 11.9 points per game on 57% shooting, mostly attacking the rim with a 59.7% mark on two pointers. He hit 38.7% from 3, but only took one per game, so expect coach Dennis Gates to push for more volume next to incoming. 5-star Jason Crowe Jr.
Defensively, he's athletic with great instincts, ranking 26th among freshman wings in defensive box plus minus. Fans and analysts see this as a seamless fit, filling the wing void left by Jayden Stone and Jacob Cruz. Jones starred in 19 of 31 games for the Friars, logging 25.7 minutes each, so he's ready for a big role alongside Crowe at Point Guard. His versatility shines without needing to play out of position like he did in the Big East.
The Tigers now boast the 4th best portal class nationally, trailing Louisville, Indiana and Tennessee. They added Kansas Big Bryce and Tiller yesterday morning on April 16th, potentially locking down center, with X Tennessee's Jalen Carey also in. The mix. Missouri still eyes more wing scoring punch to round out the stacked group, and with Gates on a roll, he's watching how they build for a strong 20-26 run.