Missouri’s Porter Jr. out for the season with a back injury

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, November 21, 2017

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri freshman Michael Porter Jr. will miss the remainder of the college basketball with a lower back injury.

The 6-foot-10 Porter, the top high school prospect in the country last season, played just two minutes in a season-opening win over Iowa State before missing the next three games. The school announced Tuesday he will undergo surgery in Dallas. His expected recovery time is three to four months.

Porter averaged 36.2 points and 13.6 rebounds per game as a senior at Nathan Hale High School in Seattle last season. He led the Raiders to the Class 3A state title. He originally signed with the University of Washington, but was released from his letter of intent when the school fired head coach Lorenzo Romar at the end of last season.

At the start of this season, Porter was named a preseason All-American by The Associated Press.