Portland prep picks MU over Kansas

The Portland pipeline now flows through Missouri as well as Kansas.

Mizzou basketball coach Quin Snyder on Tuesday received an oral commitment from Thomas Gardner, a 6-foot-5 guard from Portland (Ore.) Jefferson High, who chose MU over UConn and Kansas.

Two years ago, KU signed a pair of Portland players in Jefferson’s Aaron Miles and Michael Lee.

“Kansas was right there again,” Jefferson coach Marshall Haskins said, “due in large part to the familiarity of having two players from our school there. Thomas wanted to visit Kansas, but was so comfortable with Missouri he felt there was no need to wait.”

Gardner, who visited UConn last spring, on Tuesday canceled his Sept. 27-28 campus trip to KU.

“From the first call to the home, Thomas’ mom really enjoyed Quin and felt comfortable with sending her son to Missouri,” Haskins told the Columbia Tribune. “His official visit to the campus (Sept. 6-7) went great, and his in-home visit last week went great.”

Indeed … “The coaches and players at Missouri made me feel welcome. I had a great trip there and think I fit in well in their program,” said Gardner, who averaged 16 points and seven rebounds last season.

KU has been recruiting other players at Gardner’s position, most notably Omar Wilkes, a 6-4 guard from Los Angeles who visited KU last spring. Wilkes, believed to be KU’s top shooting-guard recruit, will attend either KU, Arizona, Stanford, California or UCLA.

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Gardner on KU’s Miles and Lee: “I played JV when they were on the varsity. Aaron is a great player. If he takes it to the next level, he can be unstoppable. Mike will have to work hard in practice but is capable of making an impact.”

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Boone on KU radar: KU is reportedly recruiting Josh Boone, 6-8 from Mt. Airy, Md. Boone tells rivalshoops.com he’s received offers from UConn, Georgetown, Rutgers, St. Joseph’s, Virginia and KU. Boone attends West Nottingham Academy.

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Padgett in no hurry:David Padgett, 6-11, 240 from Reno, Nev., will have his final in-home visit with Stanford this Thursday.

He tells analyst Mike Sullivan of rivalshoops.com he won’t have a decision “for at least another couple of weeks. It (picking either Kansas, Arizona, North Carolina or Stanford) won’t be easy.”