COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou Men's Basketball signed three future student-athletes to its 2018 recruiting class, head coach Cuonzo Martin announced Thursday. The Tigers inked guard Javon Pickett (Belleville, Ill.), forward K.J. Santos (Geneva, Ill.) and guard Torrence Watson (St. Louis, Mo.). The Midwestern trip of Black & Gold recruits put their signatures on the dotted line to be part of Mizzou's 2018-19 roster.
Pickett, currently in a postgraduate year of prep school at Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kansas, was an exceptional scorer for Belleville East High School as a senior in 2016-17. Picket poured in 25.3 points per game for head coach Jeff Creek's squad to earn St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro recognition.
"We're excited to welcome Javon Pickett to the Mizzou Basketball Family," Martin said. "Javon's parents, Chrissie and Jeffery Pickett, raised a young man who we're excited to have as part of our program. Coach Jeff Creek at Belleville East helped develop a talented scorer who we feel can make an immediate impact. Recruiting the Midwest is important to Mizzou's program, and we're happy Javon is sticking close to home to pursue his academic and athletic pursuits."
Originally a 2017 recruit, the 6-5 195-pound Pickett signed with Illinois before opting out of his National Letter of Intent and reclassifying for a year of prep school.
With three years of eligibility remaining, Santos comes to Columbia by way of Tallahassee Community College after a freshman season at Illinois-Chicago in 2016-17 that saw him average 7.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. A 6-8, 220-pound forward, Santos made 30 starts within 35 total game appearances as a freshman and scored a career-best 19 points with five three-pointers in an overtime win at Milwaukee (Feb. 4, 2017).
"K.J. Santos has the potential to be an impact player in the Southeastern Conference," Martin said. "One look at him and you'll see that he has body built for college basketball. The Mizzou Basketball Family is thrilled to welcome K.J. into our program, and we thank his parents, Lori and Joe Santos, for giving us the opportunity to help their son grow, both academically and athletically. We cannot wait to get K.J. onto campus here in Columbia."
From The Whitfield School in St. Louis, Missouri, the Tigers gain a 6-5, 220-pound guard in Watson. The four-star standout was rated as a Top 150 recruit by both ESPN and Rivals after a junior campaign that saw Watson propel The Whitfield School to a Missouri Class 3 team runners-up finish. Watson averaged 28.0 points per game as a junior in 2016-17.
"Torrence was a standout basketball player for Coach Mike Potsou at Whitfield High School, and we feel he is a great fit, both personally and athletically, for our Mizzou program," Martin said. "As a St. Louis native, Torrence has shown a lot of passion for getting the chance to represent his state, which is important to us here in Columbia. We can't thank his parents, Kimberly and Terrence Watson, enough for trusting us with their son. We look forward to getting Torrence up to campus next season to join the Mizzou Basketball Family."
For all the latest on Mizzou Men's Basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team at @MizzouHoops (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).