Mizzou hoops’ historic 2026 recruiting class passes on game to next generation

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Mizzou men's basketball's top-ranked recruiting class hasn't even moved to Columbia yet, but they're already working to give back to the community.

On Saturday morning, four-star recruit Aidan Chronister and five-stars Toni Bryant and Jason Crowe Jr. joined Tiger legend Laurence Bowers at his 'NextGen Trueson Basketball Camp' at the Mid-Missouri Sports Park. The trio helped Bowers train kids of all ages in shooting, ball handling, defense, rebounding, attack and competition.

"I was once one of them, looking up to Division I players," Chronister said. "I hope I can teach them a lot today and just like help them discover what their true passion is in basketball."

Crowe Jr., the nation's No. 3 prospect and highest-rated recruit Mizzou's locked down since Michael Porter Jr., said he can remember when his parents put him in camps exactly like the one he helped out with today.

"Just doing this for people that are younger than me and look up to me and stuff like that is a great thing to do," he said.

Chronister, Bryant and Crowe Jr. got an early start to their morning before the three will hit the hardwood at Mizzou Arena for the annual Norm Stewart Classic. In this year's edition of the event, Chronister's The New School team out of Arkansas will face Bryant's Zephyrhills Christian Academy from Florida in a head-to-head matchup.

"I just said what's up. This is my first time seeing [Aidan Chronister]. We'll just see how it goes," Bryant said. "Obviously, we're both competitive, so it's definitely gonna be some talking on both sides."

Right after their game, Crowe Jr.'s Inglewood team out of California will face the top-ranked team in Class 3 in Missouri, Principia.

Saturday night's action will give the trio a taste of what they can expect when they arrive on campus in just a few short months, as they look to change the face of the program.

"I just feel like a new era is getting built," Crowe Jr. said. "We haven't seen this in Missouri ever, so I think we're just paving the way for Missouri in the future."

All three prospects agreed that the reason they came to Mizzou, amidst all the options they had, was the way that head coach Dennis Gates approached the entire recruiting process.

"He's a players coaches," Chronister said. "That's what stood out to me is how good he is with his players. I mean, he's been recruiting me for two and half years. So, I mean...I've been here a lot of times, so how can I not call it home?"

"Coach Gates recruited me for the longest, like than any coach," Bryant said. "The love was there even when I wasn't the best talent or the best version of myself."

"Just the way he approached me. I feel like he came with a different tactic that every other coach didn't do," Crowe Jr. said. "I feel like the way he came to me and talked to me, the way he talked to me, it was a great thing for him to do. I mean, he didn't just talk to me as a coach, but he talked to me as a person, like an uncle."

You can watch highlights of Chronister, Bryant and Crowe Jr.'s games in the Norm Stewart Classic on ABC 17 News on Saturday night after the ACC Championship game.