Mizzou basketball guard, Springfield native Anton Brookshire enters transfer portal
Missouri men’s basketball has its first apparent departure since firing Cuonzo Martin last Friday.
Anton Brookshire, a three-star freshman point guard, entered the transfer portal Monday, a source confirmed to the Tribune.
Verbal Commits first reported the news Monday afternoon.
The freshman’s departure isn’t official, however, as he could still make his way back to the Tigers roster. Entering the portal just means other teams are allowed to contact him with scholarship offers.
Brookshire played sparingly in the 2021-22 season before injuring his wrist in February. He played in 18 games, including three starts. The last game he played in before his wrist injury was Missouri's road loss to Vanderbilt.
The Springfield native and Kickapoo alum averaged 1.5 points per game, recording a season-high eight points against Eastern Illinois.
Brookshire chose Missouri over Missouri State and Milwaukee, according to 247Sports. ESPN’s recruiting services tabbed Brookshire as a top-100 recruit in the nation.
More on Brookshire's recruiting class: Meet the five players signed to Mizzou hoops' Class of 2021
While at Kickapoo, Brookshire won a state championship with fellow Tigers freshman Trevon Brazile. Brookshire was set to be a part of Missouri’s guard rotation of the future and would have been in line for more playing time in the second half of the season before his injury sidelined him.
Brookshire is the second MU player to enter the transfer portal in 2022. Freshman forward Sean Durugordon entered the portal in January.
More on Mizzou: Kwiecinski: Cuonzo Martin helped reestablish standards at Mizzou that led to his firing
Mizzou basketball scholarship outlook
Brookshire’s departure opens another scholarship Missouri could offer to a transfer or incoming freshman.
Missouri has signed two players in the Class of 2022: four-star forward Aidan Shaw and three-star combo guard Christian Jones.
Shaw is the highest-rated Missouri recruit since 2017, when the Tigers added Michael Porter Jr., Jontay Porter and Jeremiah Tilmon in the same recruiting class.
Martin's firing, however, puts everything in a state of flux.
Shaw and Jones will have a chance to get out of their national letters of intent if they submit a release request, which would leave Missouri at square one. There's no indication as to whether either of them will stay or go.
This is where the pressure lies on Missouri and athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois. Getting a home-run hire is the first step; the next step is having that new coach keep players on the Tigers' roster come next season.
Senior forward Javon Pickett could still use his COVID-granted extra year of NCAA eligibility if he desires, but he has yet to announce his decision.
Aside from Pickett, the following players currently remain with the program or have signed to play at Missouri next season:
Guards: Boogie Coleman, Amari Davis, Kaleb Brown, Christian Jones, DaJuan Gordon
Forwards: Kobe Brown, Yaya Keita, Jordan Wilmore, Aidan Shaw, Trevon Brazile, Ronnie DeGray III
Chris Kwiecinski is the sports editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune, overseeing University of Missouri and Boone County sports coverage. Follow him on Twitter @OchoK_ and contact him at CKwiecinsk@gannett.com or 435-414-3261.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou basketball's Anton Brookshire enters NCAA transfer portal
