All that anticipated transfer tumult has turned into somewhat of a trudge.
The college basketball transfer portal has been open for 10 full days as of Thursday morning. It will be open for new entries for 20 more days through April 22, which is only when players need to enter the database, and not the deadline for when they must sign for a new school.
So far, Missouri basketball has one reported commitment — Loyola Marymount transfer forward Jevon Porter. The Tigers are yet to officially announce that Porter has signed with the team. MU head coach Dennis Gates, not one who usually waits around before teasing new signings via social media, is yet to post his famous ‘bat signal’ in this cycle, even for the commitment of Porter.
Mizzou has needs in this window, with three spots currently available to fill on next season’s roster. The Tigers must replace Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill at the shooting guard and wing spots. Either an offensive-minded big man or a ball-handler to spread the minutes at point guard may become a choice MU needs to make.
So, why does this window seem like a slog?
Here’s how past transfer windows have progressed for Missouri under Gates, and what that may tell us about what’s to come:
How have past portal windows progressed for Missouri basketball?
First, it’s worth noting that this window is shorter than either of the past two full transfer portal cycles in Gates’ tenure.
After the 2022-23 season, the transfer portal was open for 60 days from March 13-May 11. After the 2023-24 season, this time last year, the window was open for 45 days from March 18-May 1. Gates was hired March 22, 2022, so he had a slightly shortened window to operate in during his first transfer portal as MU’s head coach, but he still had approximately 40 full days to work with.
This season, the window is open for 30 days from March 23-April 22.
Here’s when players committed to Mizzou in each window, and how long after the portal had opened that those commitments were announced:
2022: Mohammed Diarra, March 25 (Day 4); DeAndre Gholston, March 26 (Day 5); Tre Gomillion, April 11 (Day 21); Noah Carter, April 12 (Day 22); Sean East II, April 15 (Day 25) D’Moi Hodge, April 16 (Day 26); Nick Honor, April 19 (Day 29); Mabor Majak, May 26 (late addition; Isaiah Mosley, June 6 (late addition).
2023: Curt Lewis, Jan. 16 (early); John ...
