THANK YOU MICHAEL PORTER JUNIOR

While we wait for Michael Porter, Junior’s decision as to whether he will make the expected jump to the NBA or surprise us and stay in college for another year, let me just say “thank you”. In this era of the “one and done” and the riches that await these players, the easy decision for MPJ would have been to sit out the season and leave scouts with the memory of his NBA-ready skillset coming out of high school. Instead, he chose team. Even though he wasn’t close to being 100% physically, Porter, Junior suited up and played because he was a scholarship-earning part of the team.

I have heard Tiger fans comment how poor MPJ looked in his two games back. Speaking of BACK, how many think they could return from major BACK surgery in November and play major college tournament basketball in March? It had to be humbling for a 5-star talent like Porter, Junior to expose himself while knowing he didn’t have the same explosion that had NBA scouts salivating after his prep career, and yet, he came back to play for Mizzou. Yes, chemistry appeared to be a bit out of sync, but when Jordan Barnett made the poor decision he made, the Tigers needed any body they could find.

Think about college bowl season. The new trend is for players to sit out bowl games because they don’t want to risk injury ahead of the NFL draft. These are players that are healthy; that haven’t had major back surgery. They choose to bag on the team and not risk NFL riches.

Even though MPJ’s injury will be the latest entry in the book for snakebit Mizzou fans, I say thank you Michael Porter, Junior for coming back and taking a shot.

Brad Boyer