Top recruit Michael Porter Jr. commits to Missouri

SEATTLE (AP) Michael Porter Jr. has announced he will play college basketball at Missouri after Washington granted him his release from his national letter of intent.

Porter, considered the top high school senior in the country, announced his decision in a statement posted to Twitter on Friday. He said his plans changed last week when Washington fired coach Lorenzo Romar and that he's taken the ''last seven days to give great consideration to my future.''

Familiarity is also likely at the heart of Porter's decision. He lived in Colombia, Missouri, until the past year when his family moved to Seattle so his father could be an assistant on Romar's staff. Michael Porter Sr. was hired as an assistant for new Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin.

Porter was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year earlier this week and the 6-foot-9 wing is already being projected as a possible top pick in the 2018 NBA draft.