KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two players signed with the University of Missouri men’s basketball team Wednesday as the NCAA’s early signing period got underway.
The Tigers announced that small forward Aidan Shaw and point guard Christian Jones had signed a National Letter of Intent with the program.
Mizzou also announced that new Athletic Director Desiree Reed-Francois’ son, Jackson Francois, would be joining the program as a walk-on. Reed-Francois became the first full-time female athletic director in Mizzou history in August.
Shaw, a 6-foot-8 standout at Blue Valley High School, is a four-star prospect and the No. 57 overall prospect in the 2022 class, according to Rivals.
He’s trading one set of Tiger stripes for another, after posting a photo as he signed with MU on Wednesday afternoon.
Shaw is the highest-ranked recruit to sign with the Tigers since Cuonzo Martin’s first class in 2017, which included the No. 1 overall prospect Michael Porter Jr.
Mizzou lauded Shaw’s defensive ability and noted that he averaged 19.6 points and roughly eight rebounds and three blocks per game as a junior last season for Blue Valley.
“Aidan is an exceptional athlete whose talent and potential is through the roof,” Tigers coach Cuonzo Martin said in a statement. “He is a tireless worker and a consistent winner. We began building a relationship with Aidan and his family when I first arrived at Mizzou and it quickly became apparent that Aidan is the type of player that personifies Mizzou Basketball — elite talent and elite character.”
Shaw’s parents, Ivy and Emmett, attended Mizzou. He picked the Tigers over Arkansas, Kansas and Iowa among other scholarship offers, including one from Kansas State.
Jones is a 6-foot-4, three-star prospect, according to Rivals, from Martin’s hometown of East St. Louis, Illinois. He’s described as a combo guard with “great size, athleticism and skill” in a statement from Martin.
