For the first time in school history, two future Tigers earned McDonald’s All-America recognition as Toni Bryant and Jason Crowe Jr. were named to the prestigious rosters on Monday.
Bryant and Crowe become the sixth and seventh All-Americans to join the Tigers directly from high school, including the first in nine seasons and just the second and third in the last 25 years. Overall, Mizzou is one of just three teams to feature multiple McDonald’s All-Americans this season, joining Duke and Southern California.
The nation’s leading scorer, Crowe is averaging 44.1 points at Inglewood High School during his senior campaign, shooting 52.0 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from 3-point range. He is also adding 5.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 3.9 steals per game.
Crowe has not only set the state’s scoring record but has put significant distance between himself and the previous standard. He currently has scored 4,478 points during his standout career – 819 points more than the second-best total (3,659 by Tounde Yessofou).
Crowe was also previously named to the Team USA roster at the Nike Hoop Summit.
Bryant recently joined Southeastern Prep and in six games with the Falcons, he is averaging 14.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game – shooting 65.5 percent from the field.
A three-time all-state honoree by the Florida Athletic Coaches Association, Bryant averaged 21.0 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 6.5 blocks per game at North Tampa Christian High School as a junior.
Previous McDonald’s All-Americans to join Mizzou directly from high school include Steve Stipanovich (1979), Derrick Chievous (1984), Anthony Peeler (1988), Travon Bryant (2000) and Michael Porter Jr. (2017). Bryant will play for the East Team, while Crowe is set to represent the West Team for the 49th McDonald’s All-American Game on Tuesday, March 31 in Glendale, Arizona.
Crowe and Bryant rank as two of the highest-ranked recruits in program history. Crowe slots in at No. 4 in the ESPN 100, while Bryant is 14th nationally. The duo joins Aidan Chronister – who ranks as high as the nation’s No. 71 prospect – to form the No. 2 recruiting class in the country by ESPN.
