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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Webster Groves guard Scottie Adkinson verbally committed to Missouri on Tuesday, putting the Ó£ÌÒÊÓƵ area's premier basketball prospect on track to star for his home state school.

Adkinson, who was the Post-Dispatch All-Metro player of the year after leading the Statesmen to a Class 5 state title as a sophomore, is a highly touted class of 2027 recruit. He's rated as a four-star prospect by 247Sports, which ranks him as the No. 2 player in Missouri and No. 37 nationally in that class.

For Mizzou coach Dennis Gates, Adkinson's early commitment is a recruiting win. Illinois, among other schools, was interested in the local standout's services.

Adkinson averaged 26.3 points per game during the postseason, including 59 combined points in the semifinal round and state championship game. He set Webster Groves' single-season scoring record with 783 points, adding on 185 rebounds and 70 steals.

Adkinson stands 6-foot-3 and projects as a combo guard at the collegiate level — though he'll have two more seasons of high school basketball to continue developing. He's one of just two 2027 recruits ranked inside 247Sports' top 125 prospects to have committed to a school.

Football lands in-state legacy recruit

In the end, it would've been more surprising for Braylon Ellison to go anywhere else. The three-star offensive lineman from Boonville committed to Mizzou on Tuesday, following his family's tendency to play in black and gold.

His father Atiyyah, a Parkway South product, played for the Tigers from 2002-2004 and is back with the program as the director of player and alumni relations. And Braylon's older brother, Tyson, walked on at MU as a linebacker. 

Now, Braylon is the ninth player in the 2026 cycle to verbally commit to Missouri, picking the school over interest from Oregon State and others. He's listed at 6-foot-4, 285 pounds. 

The Tigers now have three offensive linemen in their '26 recruiting class.

Harper lands first MU commit

New MU women's basketball coach Kellie Harper picked up her first high school commitment on Tuesday. Cecilie Brandimore, a post player from Franklin, Tennessee, announced her decision to join the Tigers. 

She's listed at 6-foot-3 and is the first 2026 player to commit to Mizzou.