Mizzou signs juco All-American point guard

Coach Kim Anderson's ongoing rebuilding of the Mizzou basketball program continued Monday with the announcement that he had signed point guard Jordan Geist to his 2016 recruiting class.

The 6-foot-3, 180-pound guard earned second-team NJCAA All-America recognition last season at Ranger (Texas) College, where the Rangers finished fourth at the 2016 NJCAA Division I national championship.

Geist, who played high school ball in Fort Wayne, Indiana, averaged 15.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game as a freshman last season. He will have three years of eligibility at Mizzou.

"Jordan Geist has a winner's mentality on and off the court," Anderson said in a team press release. "His ability to be another trustworthy ballhandler and relentless defender for Mizzou basketball was important to us. Jordan is a savvy player who immediately brings solid experience and leadership to our squad."

Geist helped Homestead High School to an Indiana Class 4A state championship as a senior in 2014-15. He averaged 16.8 points and 3.6 assists per game ithat season.

"Mizzou fans will see toughness from me," Geist said in the team release. "I'm out there to win and give everything I have for Mizzou basketball. I think the little things are the most important parts of basketball. On defense, you have to bother people. I'll do whatever it takes to win."

Geist joins a 2016 recruiting class that comprises Frankie Hughes (Cleveland, Ohio), Willie Jackson (Cleveland, Ohio), Reed Nikko (Maple Grove, Minnesota) and Mitchell Smith (Van Buren, Arkansas).