Former UW signee Michael Porter Jr. says he’s headed to Missouri

The inevitable is now official.

Michael Porter Jr., the country’s top-ranked recruit and a one-time Washington Huskies signee, announced Friday he will instead play for the University of Missouri.

Porter Jr.’s father, Michael Porter Sr., recently accepted an assistant coaching position on the staff of new Missouri head coach Cuonzo Martin. Porter Sr. was an assistant last season under UW coach Lorenzo Romar, his close friend and the godfather to Porter Jr.

Porter Jr. signed a national letter of intent to play for UW in November, but was recently granted a release from his letter in the wake of Romar’s firing. UW’s new coach, Mike Hopkins, said at his Wednesday press conference that he had not yet met with the Porters, but planned to.

In his lone season at Seattle’s Nathan Hale High School, Porter Jr. averaged 34.8 points and 13.8 rebounds per game to lead the Raiders to an undefeated record and the class 3A state championship. He was recently named the Naismith National High School Player of the Year, as well as the Gatorade National Player of the Year.

Porter Jr. is the second defection from UW’s touted 2017 recruiting class, joining North Carolina point guard Blake Harris, who announced earlier this week that he had requested a release from his letter. Porter Jr.’s younger brother, Jontay Porter, a 2018 prospect, also announced earlier this week he is no longer committed to the Huskies.

This story was originally published March 24, 2017 at 2:30 PM with the headline "Former UW signee Michael Porter Jr. says he’s headed to Missouri."