Mizzou Expresses Interest in Four Transfer Portal Guards, Per Report

Head coach Dennis Gates is already flexing his muscles in the transfer portal, getting in contact with four guards early on in the portal.

Mar 20, 2025; Wichita, KS, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates in the first half of a first round men’s NCAA Tournament game against the Drake Bulldogs at Intrust Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images | Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images

The Missouri Tigers reached out to four transfer portal guards on Sunday afternoon, according to The Portal Report.

This comes three days after the Tigers were eliminated in the first round of March Madness at the hands of the Drake Bulldogs. After the defeat, head coach Dennis Gates and company are quickly shifting their focus to the transfer portal.

According to the report, the Tigers have reached out to the following players:

Markhi Strickland, Western Michigan guard
Jaydon Young, Virginia Tech guard
RaSheed Jones, Coastal Carolina guard
Devin Askew, Long Beach State guard

There's a common theme on the list, with Missouri quickly looking to replace its guard depth. Strickland averaged 11.3 points per game this season for the Broncos in the MAC on 47.9% shooting. He shot only 25% from the perimeter on 32 attempts.

Young is one of two players on the list with Power 5 experience, playing two seasons with Virginia Tech. The former three-star guard averaged 8.1 points. 1.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in his sophomore year, shooting 34.7% from the field and 29.6% from three.

Jones spent his second season of Division 1 basketball at Coastal Carolina, redshirting his first year at Western Carolina and playing at Northwest Florida State College before transferring back up. He scored 11.6 points per game this season and averaged 3.8 rebounds on top of that.

To call Askew a seasoned veteran might be an understatement. After entering the transfer portal, he will be joining his fifth team while playing in his sixth college season. He started at Kentucky and proceeded to make moves to Texas, California and Long Beach State after that.

That being said, Askew does have SEC experience. He's also coming off the best season of his career, where he averaged 18.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Both of his shooting numbers were also career-bests.

Missouri is expected to suffer multiple losses this offseason, many of which are due to players running out of eligibility. Five Tigers are out of eligibility or graduating now, including guards Tamar Bates, Caleb Grill, Tony Perkins and Marques Warrick, alongside big man Josh Gray.

These departures will leave multiple holes in the roster and create the need for Gates to be active in the portal. He has two freshmen coming in his 2025 class in guard Aaron Rowe and forward Nicholas Randall, but plenty of scoring and leadership will need to be replaced.

The transfer portal opens on Monday, March 24 and closes on April 22. You can track who's coming and going for the Tigers here.