The University of Missouri men’s basketball program has added needed size to its frontline for the 2023-2024 season, with Oral Roberts center Connor Vanover, following a visit to the campus last week, committing to the Tigers on Sunday night.
Vanover is a well-traveled player at the collegiate level who has seen stops at California, Arkansas, and Oral Roberts, a career that includes 86 starts. In his one season at ORU, a school in the Summit League out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Vanover was second in the nation with 108 blocks, averaging 13 points and 7 rebounds per game for a Golden Eagle team that reached the NCAA Tournament. He was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Summit League.
The Missouri roster, in the second season for head coach Dennis Gates, is once again a quickly evolving product, as MU adds Vanover to a group of incoming transfers that include Colorado State guard John Tonje, Iowa State guard Caleb Grill, Indiana University forward Tamar Bates, and Campbell guard Jesus Carrarlero. The reigning JUCO Player of the Year from NJCAA Division One national champion John A. Logan College is also transferring to Mizzou, in guard Curt Lewis.
