Missouri basketball lands high-scoring Northern Kentucky guard Marques Warrick out of portal

Mizzou coach Dennis Gates teased multiple commitments this week. The first one didn’t take long to come.

Missouri basketball landed a commitment from Northern Kentucky transfer guard Marques Warrick on Wednesday afternoon, marking the Tigers’ third commitment out of the portal. Warrick announced the decision via a picture to his Instagram story.

On Tuesday evening at the Missouri’s Come Home Tour stop in Jefferson City, Gates said he anticipated sending out the “bat signal,” a social media indicator of commits to come, “two to three” times before the end of the week. That signal went out for the first time after those comments less than a day later.

Mizzou has already secured commitments from Iowa point guard Tony Perkins and UT Martin wing Jacob Crews, as the team looks to reinforce and replenish the roster that went winless in SEC play last season.

Warrick, a Lexington, Kentucky, product, averaged 19.9 points per game for the Norse last season, starting each of his 33 appearances. He added 2.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists per game, and will have one season of eligibility remaining. He became Northern Kentucky’s all-time leading scorer in February, a tally that now stands at 2,246 points in four seasons.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound guard visited Columbia this past weekend. He was the Horizon League freshman of the year in the 2020-21 season, while Gates was the head coach at in-league rival Cleveland State. Last season, Warrick was an all-conference first-team selection.

Warrick is a career 34.8% shooter from behind the arc, while making 42.8% of his attempts from his field and converting 83.5% of his free throws.

Gates said last Friday that the team was looking to add a point guard, a combo guard, a hybrid forward type and a veteran post player.

Mizzou has lost four players to the portal, with guards John Tonje and Jesus Carralero Martin looking for new teams while forward Mohammed Diarra and guard Curt Lewis have committed to Coastal Carolina and East Tennessee State, respectively. Point guards Sean East II and Nick Honor, forward Noah Carter and center Connor Vanover each exhausted their eligibility.

Warrick’s decision takes the Tigers’ estimated scholarship total to 14, one more than the NCAA limit. Gates has previously told reporters that he would like more than 20 players on his roster. NIL will act as a likely substitute for traditional scholarship spots.

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This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri basketball lands Northern Kentucky transfer guard Marques Warrick