Montaque “Teki” Gill-Caesar has often been compared to Andrew Wiggins.
Now the 6-foot-6, 215-pound Canadian wing from Huntington (W.V.) Prep has one more thing in common with Wiggins.
He has reclassed ahead one year to the Class of 2014 and is headed to college.
“I’m so excited to be joining the University of Missouri family and cannot wait to get on campus and get to work,” Gill-Caesar told MUTigers.com. “Everything about my visit to Mizzou was perfect, but I wanted to be thorough make the decision that was best for me and my family. I already had great relationships with Coach Rob [Fulford] and Coach [Tim] Fuller, but having a chance to meet Coach [Kim] Anderson and get to know him on a personal level just put everything over the top. I want to thank my family and everyone at Huntington Prep for their support and I’m ready to be a Missouri Tiger.”
“Teki is an outstanding addition to our family and fills a position of need for us on the wing,” Anderson said. “Teki has all the tools to be a big time talent over the course of his college career and fits extremely well with the young perimeter players we have in the program because they are so versatile. He can shoot the ball on the perimeter, he can attack the rim off the bounce, he can use his size and leaping ability to rebound over bigger players and he has great presence on the defensive end of the floor. He will have an opportunity to come in an contribute right away and gives us another important influx of talent as he joins Keith (Shamburger) in arriving next month.”
Once Fulford was hired, it seemed only a matter of time for Gill-Caesar to commit. He visited the Mizzou campus recently, but still played AAU ball this summer with CIA Bounce at the Peach Jam.
New Huntington coach Arkell Bruce told SNY.tv last month that it was possible Gill-Caesar could reclass.
Gill-Caesar also had offers from Indiana, Marquette, Michigan State, Baylor, Illinois, Ohio State, Purdue and UCF. He said that he could also have played at Kentucky if he wanted.
Last summer, CIA Bounce coach Tony McIntyre told SNY.tv the comparisions with Wiggins were fair.
“If there’s anything close to Wiggins, it’s Teki right there because of all the similarities,” he said.
“His jump shot, his athleticism, his mannerisms, the way he approaches the game, the way he plays hard. He’s quiet, and just a great motor. He’s going to be real special.
Fulford, who coached Wiggins at Huntington Prep, said last summer it’s unfair to compare the two players.
“They are totally different players,” he said. “They are from the same high school and are both very laid back, extremely nice kids. Any specific basketball comparisons about the two players aren’t fair to Teki. Just like everyone comparing Wiggs to LeBron isn’t fair. I’m not a fan of comparisons. Teki and Andrew are very different players.”
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