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Missouri lands transfer from Braggin’ Rights rival Illinois

Illinois v Iowa

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 28: Tyler Cook #5 of the Iowa Hawkeyes blocks a shot by Mark Smith #13 of the Illinois Fighting Illini in the second half during the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on February 28, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)

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Mark Smith is finally going to be heading to Missouri, three years after committing to play baseball there and one year after enrolling at Missouri’s Braggin’ Rights rival Illinois for basketball.

As a freshman with the Illini, Smith, a 6-foot-4 combo-guard and a former top 60 recruit, averaged 5.8 points before transferring out of the program this offseason. He committed to Missouri on Saturday night.

Smith was once considered a better baseball prospect than a basketball prospect, when he was a right-handed pitcher with a fastball that touched the 90s, and even committed to the Tigers. But after an elbow injury in high school, he opted to focus on basketball, where he was initially a mid-major prospect before exploding as a senior.

He joins Torrence Watson, Javon Pickett, K.J. Santos and Xavier Pinson in Missouri’s 2018 recruiting class