The first wave of NBA Summer League action has already put a Mizzou name on the board.
Mizzou men’s basketball sent out a good luck message to five former Tigers who are on Summer League rosters: Caleb Grill with the Celtics, Tamar Bates with the Jazz, Sean East with the Cavaliers, Mark Mitchell with the Nuggets, and Jevon Porter with the Grizzlies.
There was also some confusion around Shawn Phillips, Jr. He was reported to have signed a summer league deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, and he was even tagged in an Instagram post that is still up on his page. But as of last night, Phillips was not listed on the Pelicans roster.
Tamar Bates wasted no time making his presence felt. He opened things with a dunk, and the player on the receiving end was former Illinois forward Will Reilly. Bates helped the Wizards beat the Jazz 92-88, finishing with 9 points in 21 minutes.
The rest of the Mizzou group is set to get its turn tonight. Cleveland faces Indiana at 3:30 on ESPN2, Denver meets Houston at 5:30 on ESPN2, Memphis plays Chicago at 7:00 on Prime, and Boston takes on Toronto at 8:00 on ESPN.
Elsewhere, the offseason grind rolled on at Rock M and Rock M+, where Nathan continued his look at the top opposing players Mizzou will face this season. That conversation has now reached Arch Manning, a name that has mostly stayed out of Rock M Nation chatter over the years.
“If Manning was the face of college football entering 2025, he may become its defining player in 2026.”
He returns as one of the leading Heisman Trophy favorites while running an offense stocked with elite talent at nearly every spot. Texas is still recruiting at a high level, which gives Manning one of the deepest supporting casts in the country and a real shot at both an SEC championship and a national title.
Texas landed two players in that discussion, with Mr. Hurst also pointing to Jelani McDonald.
The SEC also announced Mizzou’s SEC Network takeover for Sunday, July 12. Technically, it starts at 11 p.m.
CT on Saturday, July 11, because we’re all in God’s timezone, Central time. The 24-hour block will be all Black and Gold, featuring Tiger events from the 2025-26 season and some of the most electric wins and historic moments from the last year.
The slate runs through the full day Sunday and ends with the Mizzou-KU football game.
In Other News...
These Mizzou Transfers Could Decide How Far 2026 Really Goes
Missouri spent the 2025 offseason working the transfer portal with a clear purpose, and the early returns suggest the Tigers were targeting experience as much as upside. After losses to the NFL draft and more portal departures, the staff went out and added pieces at cornerback, linebacker, receiver and right tackle, bringing in Graves from Ole Miss, Woodyard from Auburn, Cayden Lee from Ole Miss and Josh Atkins from Arizona State to help patch some of the biggest holes on the roster.
The real question for 2026 is not whether Missouri got active, but which of those newcomers will matter most once the season starts. Graves, Woodyard, Lee and Atkins all arrive with resumes that make them easy to project into important roles, and the Tigers need that kind of immediate help if they want to keep building on last seasons momentum. How quickly those transfers settle in will go a long way toward shaping just how far Missouri can push next fall. [Read more 🡒]
Missouris Most Important New Piece Comes With Real Pressure
Missouris roster is in the middle of a major reset, with several seniors and transfers gone and plenty of new faces arriving to fill the gaps. Among the additions, Bryson Tiller stands out most immediately. The 6-10 forward brings size, experience and a rsum that already suggests he can handle a heavy role after starting nearly every game as a freshman and producing solid numbers in the frontcourt.
For Missouri, the pressure comes from what Tiller could become right away. The Tigers are expected to give him a real chance to emerge as a starter and a playmaker next season, which puts a spotlight on how quickly he adapts to a new system and a new level of responsibility. With so much turnover around him, his development may end up shaping not just the rotation, but the ceiling of the team itself. [Read more 🡒]