Mike Anderson’s first recruiting class at the University of Missouri is now complete, after announcing the signing of three players on Tuesday. The most notable of the three is 6-7, 215-pound power forward DeMarre Carroll, who will come to Columbia after two years at Vanderbilt. At Vandy, he averaged 10.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a sophomore. His transfer to Columbia may be the result of family ties—Anderson is Carroll’s uncle.
The Tigers got additional size from 6-7, 225-pound power forward Darryl Butterfield, who has two years of junior college basketball under his belt. Butterfield, who played one year at State Fair Community College in Sedalia and one year at Mineral Area Community College in Park Hills, averaged 8.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game last season. His coach at Mineral Area was former Tiger Corey Tate, who installed a system similar to Anderson’s.
The only prep recruit of the three is 6-3 point guard J.T. Tiller of Marietta, Georgia. As a senior Tiller averaged 14.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.8 steals for Wheeler High School, leading them to a 29-3 record and ranking of 23rd in USA Today’s national poll. Tiller helped Wheeler to the state title as a junior. He was a second team all-state selection as a senior.
The three players join New Jersey prep guard Keon Lawrence and junior college forward Vaidatos Volkus on the recruiting class of 2006. This gives MU a total of 13 scholarship players, one over their limit of 12, which was mandated in their NCAA probation in2004. There may be some scholarships freed up if Thomas Gardner follows through with his decision to go pro or if James Douglas decides to transfer.