Men’s Basketball Signs Marcus Allen

The Missouri men’s basketball team added another top-50 recruit to its signing class on Wednesday, inking Marcus Allen (Miami, Fla.) as its fourth recruit of the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class.

An elite shutdown defender, Allen ranks as high as the No. 39 recruit in the nation, according to On3. A native of Miami, Florida, Allen helped lead AZ Compass Prep to the GEICO National Championship Game in 2023.

“Marcus will be a strong addition to our program,” said Whitten Family Men’s Basketball Head Coach Dennis Gates. “He has a unique build and size for his position – with measurables of a 6-11 wingspan and a hand size of 10.5″ – that makes him a strong college and professional prospect. His defensive IQ is elite and will be an anchor for us on that end of the court. We’ve grown really close to him and his family during our time at Mizzou and are looking forward to officially welcoming him to CoMo and making him part of our community.”

Prior to his one season at AZ Compass Prep, Allen averaged 18.2 points and 7.7 rebounds as a sophomore at Norland High School. In addition to his strong output on the offensive end, however, the 6-foot-7 wing player also developed high defensive skills during his high school career, often drawing the matchup of the opposing team’s top offensive threat and facing some of the nation’s elite recruits.

Allen was invited to the Pangos All-American Camp in June and the NBPA Top 100 Camp in July over the summer, while averaging 10.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists on the Nike EYBL Circuit.

“Mizzou fans are getting a high-level player and someone that’s team-oriented and just wants to do anything and everything it takes to win,” said Norland High School head coach Lawton Williams III. “He loves playing defense and defending the other team’s best player and that’s what gets him going in a game. They should also look toward Marcus making a lot of winning plays. A player who impacts the game without the basketball.”

Allen is the fourth student-athlete to join the Mizzou men’s basketball program on the opening day of the early signing period – following T.O. Barrett, Trent Burns and Peyton Marshall. The four are part of the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class – the highest-ranked class in school history – and join a program that won 25 games and its first NCAA Tournament victory in 13 years during Gates’ first season leading the Tigers in 2022-23.