Mizzou adds star recruit Montaque Gill-Caesar
Mizzou basketball made one final splash in the Class of 2014, and it may be its most significant signing yet. The Tigers officially added forward Montaque Gill-Caesar from Huntington Prep, a four star recruit according to Rivals.
“Teki has all the tools to be a big time talent over the course of his college career and fits extremely well with the young perimeter players we have in the program because they are so versatile,” Head Coach Kim Anderson said Saturday in a statement.
Gill-Caesar was ranked No. 31 in the Class of 2015 by Rivals, but reclassified to 2014 and will be eligible to play immediately for MU. The signing marks the first major accomplishment by new MU assistant coach Rob Fulford, who coached the forward at Huntington Prep last season.
“Having the opportunity to continue coaching Teki is tremendous, not just for me, but my entire family, because we developed such a strong relationship during our two seasons together at Huntington Prep,” Fulford said in a statement from MU.
The highly-touted addition gives much needed skill and depth to a forward unit that had many question marks going into the 2014-2015 season. With the signing of Gill-Caesar, Mizzou should have production from its front court with Johnathan Williams III, Ryan Rosburg, Keanau Post, freshmen Jakeenan Gant and Gill-Caesar.
“Everything about my visit to Mizzou was perfect, but I wanted to be thorough make the decision that was best for me and my family,” Montaque Gill-Caesar said in a statement. “I already had great relationships with Coach Rob (Fulford) and Coach Fuller, but having a chance to meet Coach Anderson and get to know him on a personal level just put everything over the top.”
“Teki is certainly a talent, but he really is a better person,” Fulford continues in his statement. “Our fans will see that once they get to know him. He is such a genuine young man and has an engaging personality. He fits the type of student-athlete Coach Anderson will recruit to Mizzou.”
The 6-foot-6 forward was a consensus Top 50 player by recruiting sites and was the 2014 Gatorade Player Of The Year in West Virginia. In June, he excelled at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship, averaging 19.6 points a game which was second in the tournament. At Huntington Prep, he averaged 16.1 points per game to go with 6.5 rebounds per contest. He dropped 56 points against Miami Valley last year, hitting 21-of-34 from the field and scoring 11-of-20 from 3-point range.
