Cuonzo Martin's reputation as a recruiter continues to improve while in Columbia.
After attracting a top-5 class nationally for the 2017-18 season, Martin and the Tigers got their first big name of 2018-19.
Torrence Watson, a 6-foot-4, four-star guard out of St. Louis' Whitfield verbally committed Friday evening to Missouri.
Watson initially decided to attend Ohio State to play for former Butler head coach Chris Holtmann, who accepted his job with the Buckeyes on June 9. Watson committed July 10, but something changed, and two weeks ago he said on Twitter, "For personal and family reasons I am re-opening my recruitment and potentially considering options closer to home."
Watson's commitment was announced with a photo on his Twitter account, accompanied by the word 'Home.'
He joins two other players in Missouri's 2018 recruiting class, 6-foot-7 forward K.J. Santos, from Tallahassee, Fla., and 6-4 guard Javon Pickett of Wichita, Kan., both three-star prospects.
Watson also held offers from Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas State, Texas A&M, West Virginia, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Vanderbilt, among others. Ohio State did not make his final eight schools when Watson narrowed his options down in late May, while Butler did, so whatever Watson liked about Holtmann at Butler may not have been present in Columbus, Ohio.
In-state recruiting is important for the success of a program, but not everyone accomplishes it. Kim Anderson heavily recruited Watson, as did Martin, but Anderson's firing earlier in the year didn't help things. Martin was able to convince Watson after he took a step back to give the Tigers a try.