Bassett to Big 12

School starts on Aug. 22 for Armon Bassett and the soon to be Hargrave Military Academy product wanted to start the season as a committed man. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound guard from Terra Haute, Ind., gave a verbal commitment to a Big 12 school and is ready to help take the program back to the national forefront.

Bassett told Rivals.com that he committed to Missouri over the weekend shortly after taking an unofficial visit to the school.

"It's a great opportunity for me there at Missouri," Bassett said. "They have a senior point guard right now and when he graduates, I'll be coming in so the opportunity for me to play as a freshman is there."

Bassett, the No. 103 ranked player in the class of 2006, is a strong guard that can put up the points in a hurry. He has also shown the ability to control the offense in a half court but he really shines in the open floor and that is what attracted him to the Tigers.

"They really do a good job of utilizing the pick and roll and I feel like I'm good at that part of the game. They also like to run up and down the floor and shoot the three," Bassett said. "Everything about the program just seemed to fit my style."

As the point guard, Bassett said he's looking forward to developing a strong player-coach relationship with Quin Snyder.

"We've already been able to build a good bond," Bassett said. "We had a good 45 minute face-to-face discussion (on the unofficial visit) and he told me some great things about his point guards. He told me that he feels like he can trust me and that I'm an honest person and that is what he needs. Plus, he's been really successful at Missouri with his guards and some are even in the NBA."

Bassett is the third player to commit to the Tigers in the class of 2006. He joins New Jersey guard Keon Lawrence and Missouri native Adam Knollmeyer.