COLUMBIA, MO. – Mizzou Men’s Basketball signed five future student-athletes to its 2021 recruiting class on Wednesday, head coach Cuonzo Martin announced. Trevon Brazile, Anton Brookshire, Kaleb Brown Sean Durugordon and Yaya Keita all inked National Letters of Intent to attend and play at Mizzou.
“My staff and I are beyond thrilled to welcome these guys to the program,” Martin said. “They are all young men with high character, and they’ll represent Mizzou well with integrity, hard work and passion for this University. It’s a versatile group that can impact the game on all three levels offensively, wreak havoc on defense and accomplish tremendous things together.”
Anton Brookshire – Guard – Springfield, Missouri – Kickapoo High School
Brookshire is a 6-foot playmaking point guard from Springfield, Missouri. The Kickapoo High School star is ranked No. 90 in ESPN’s 2021 Top 100 national rankings and tabbed the No. 3 player in the Show-Me state. Brookshire is a dynamic scorer, averaging 20.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game as a junior, captaining his team to the Missouri Class 5 state tournament semifinals before it was canceled due to COVID-19.
Brookshire was named Missouri second-team all-state after a stellar junior campaign. In January, he shined at the high-profile Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, averaging 23.6 points, 5.7 boards and 3.3 assists and shooting 44.4 percent over three games against elite national competition. Brookshire lit up Oak Hill Academy to the tune of 33 points, draining 7-of-12 from beyond the arc, and encored with a 20-point outburst the following day vs. Christ the King.
Brookshire grew up in Milwaukee before moving to Springfield in sixth grade, where he lives with his uncle, former Missouri State standout Rob Yanders.
“Anton is a special player who can shoot the lights out from deep and beat you off the bounce,” Martin said. “He’s a scoring lead guard that will make his teammates around him better.”
Trevon Brazile – Forward – Springfield, Missouri – Kickapoo High School
Brazile is a 6-foot-8 athletic small forward with a 7-foot wingspan from Springfield. The homegrown standout is a ferocious dunker with a versatile offensive repertoire who excels at slashing the paint and finishing at the rim. Brazile’s athleticism allows him to alter shots defensively, protect the paint and guard multiple positions as a stretch-four.
Brazile averaged 11.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game at Parkview High School as a junior before transferring to Kickapoo for his senior campaign. Brazile exploded on the travel circuit following his junior campaign and committed to the Tigers the day he received an offer, calling Mizzou “the place he always wanted to be.”
“Trevon is an explosive athlete who has the potential to be a really good player on both ends of the floor because he’s multi-dimensional,” Martin said. “His quickness at his size and length is very difficult to defend.”
Kaleb Brown – Guard – Huntsville, Alabama – Lee High School
Brown, the brother of current Tiger standout Kobe Brown, joins the Mizzou family, choosing Martin’s program over Minnesota and West Virginia, among others. Kaleb is a 6-foot-6 combo guard with the ability to bring the ball up the floor or slash from the wing, causing mismatch problems with size paired with speed and ballhandling.
Kaleb and Kobe reunite after leading Lee High School to more than 20 wins in 2018-19 and an area championship. Kaleb is a student of the game, who played for his father, Greg, in high school and has grown up around basketball since birth.
“Kaleb is the type of high-character guy you want in a program who studies the game all the time,” Martin said. “He embodies everything we talk about when we say Big Guard U at Mizzou, combining tremendous ballhandling skills with strength in the paint and the ability to finish at the rim through contact.”
Sean Durugordon – Forward – Queens, New York – Putnam Science Academy (CT)
Durugordon is a 6-foot-7, 215-pound combo forward ranked as the No. 38 small forward nationally by Rivals. The 3-star New York native chose Mizzou over Arizona State, Auburn and Seton Hall, among others, and plans to enroll early at Mizzou, joining the squad in January of 2021.
As a junior at Canterbury, Durugordon averaged 23 points and 11.5 rebounds per game while shooting 44 percent from 3-point range and leading his team to a 21-2 overall record.
Durugordon is the first Queens native to join the program since Mizzou’s all-time leading scorer Derrick Chievous put together one of the best careers in program history from 1984-88.
“Sean is a physical player with a high basketball IQ who brings his hard hat on both ends of the floor,” Martin said. “He attacks the glass relentlessly and can guard every position. He’s a tough-minded guy who empties the tank every time he steps on the floor.”
Yaya Keita – Center – St. Louis, Missouri – De Smet Jesuit High School
Keita is a 6-foot-9 center ranked in Rivals’ Top 150 nationally at No. 145. He’s been tabbed the nation’s No. 24-ranked center , choosing Mizzou over Iowa, Iowa State and West Virginia, among others.
Keita plays for Kent Williams at De Smet, who served as an assistant coach and hit the recruiting trail under Martin at both Tennessee and Missouri State. Keita shot 51.2 percent from the field as a junior, averaging 8.0 points and 9.2 rebounds. The 225-pound center is a force defensively, cleaning up the glass and altering shots in the paint. Keita notably snagged 26 rebounds in a single game as a sophomore.
Keita moved to the United States from Mali before high school, growing up a soccer player before switching to hoops, and his game has blossomed every year since.
“Yaya is dominant defensively, and fits everything we expect in our program,” Martin said. “He plays hard, he plays tough, and he rebounds and defends with the best of them. We’re excited to keep developing his game when he arrives on campus.”
Mizzou’s 2020-21 campaign begins Nov. 25 vs. Oral Roberts at Mizzou Arena. For all the latest on Mizzou Men’s Basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @MizzouHoops.
Related Stories
