Mizzou Basketball Head Coach Kim Anderson announced his first signing on Monday as D’Angelo Allen (Dallas, Texas / Kimball), a 6-foot-7, 190-pound small forward, signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Missouri and play basketball for the Tigers next season.

Known for his athleticism and defensive versatility, Allen was a part of three Texas Class 4A State Championship teams and helped the Knights reach four consecutive state title games, winning it all in 2011, 2012 and 2014.

“We are excited to add D’Angelo to our family here at Missouri,” Head Coach Kim Anderson said. “D’Angelo is an outstanding young man and comes from an tremendous program at Dallas Kimball High School. He has a winner’s mentality and helped his team to three state titles in four years, so he does whatever it takes to help his team win. He can score, rebound, defend and block shots, and I really appreciate his willingness to put team success over his personal accolades. He is going to be a great addition to our program.”

Allen led Kimball back to the state title game in 2014, scoring 11 points and blocking five shots in a 60-56 semifinal win over Beaumont Central. The athletic wing blocked a potential game-tying shot with just 20 seconds left in regulation to start a fast break and help the Knights ice the four-point victory. Allen continued his great all-around play in the state championship game, scoring 10 points, grabbing eight rebounds and blocking four more shots in a 52-37 win over Amarillo. The victory helped Head Coach Royce Johnson’s Knights finish the year 25-7.

“D’Angelo is a bit of a sleeper prospect nationally, but he is a talented young man that is known well throughout our state,” TexasBoysBasketball.com Recruiting Analyst Alan Branch said. “He started games at Dallas Kimball from his freshman season and that’s a program that played for four straight state championships, winning three during his career, so that tells you about his makeup as a player. He’s won more than 100 games in his career, so he’s played under the bright lights and won a lot of big time games over his career. Missouri is getting a winner and a competitor. He is one of the few players that takes as much pride on the defensive end of the court as he does scoring the basketball. He is a very good on-ball and help defender. His versatility and toughness will help him succeed at the next level. On my list, I will have him in the Top 10 prospects in our state and that includes five McDonald’s All-Americans in this class. This is a banner year for high school basketball in the state of Texas and that includes D’Angelo Allen.”

For his efforts, Allen was named to the Class 4A State Championship All-Tournament Team and accomplished the rare feat of playing in four consecutive Texas Class 4A state title games. He also finished his career as Kimball’s all-time leader in career starts, breaking the mark once held by former Texas A&M star, Acie Law IV. In addition to his All-Tournament accolades, Allen was named to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 4A All-Star Team as a senior and was an All-Region II pick. He finished the year averaging 13.3 points and 10.2 rebounds for the Knights as a senior.

Allen will be a freshman on the Mizzou roster in 2014-15 and selected the Tigers over Oklahoma, Marquette, Houston and Georgetown.

— MU Sports Information —

Mizzou Basketball signee Jakeenan Gant was among 21 of the nation’s top 18-and-unders who accepted invitations to participate in the 2014 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team training camp, USA Basketball announced on Monday.

The training camp, scheduled to be held June 10-19 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo., will be used to select the 12-member team that will compete in the USA Basketball-hosted 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championship at the USOTC from June 20-24.

The 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championship will feature eight national teams from North, South and Central America and the Caribbean, including: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, United States and Uruguay. The top four finishing teams will qualify for the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship for Men. Players eligible for this competition must have been born on or after Jan. 1, 1996.

Invitations were issued by the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee, chaired by Syracuse University Hall of Famer head coach Jim Boeheim.

Gant is coming off a spectacular senior season (2013-14) in which he was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Georgia by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. The 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward averaged 21.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and 2.8 assists for the Rebels as a senior, helping Effingham County to a 20-10 overall record and an appearance in the Georgia Class 5A state playoffs.

Last season as a junior, Gant was named the Georgia Class 5A Player of the Year, averaging 17.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and nearly four blocked shots per game. Effingham County finished the 2013 season with a 27-5 record and Gant burst onto the national scene with his all-state performance.

— MU Sports Information —