Data study · every season we hold
Where Missouri High School Basketball Players Go to College
Of the 497 players from Missouri high schools on a college roster in our data, 37% played their college basketball in Missouri.
Computed from 497 players · 2020–21 to 2026–27 · updated Sep 2, 2026
37% stay in-state.
Missouri is below the 42% all-state baseline.
Missouri skews away from D3.
24% of Missouri players in the dataset reached D3, against 41% nationally.
Illinois and Tennessee are the first destinations out.
Among players leaving Missouri, 19% went to Illinois and 8% to Tennessee.
Missouri's college players skew heavily away from D3
Missouri
n = 497
All states
n = 29,608
| MO | All states | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | 43% | 37% | +6 pts |
| D2 | 32% | 23% | +9 pts |
| D3 | 24% | 41% | −17 pts |
Where Missouri players land
Destination states| Destination state | Players | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 182 | 37% |
| Illinois | 59 | 12% |
| Tennessee | 26 | 5% |
| Texas | 22 | 4% |
| Kansas | 20 | 4% |
| Iowa | 13 | 3% |
| North Carolina | 12 | 2% |
| Arkansas | 10 | 2% |
Which programs take Missouri players
Historical landings| Program | Division | State | Players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster (PA) | D3 | Missouri | 35 |
| Missouri S&T | D2 | Missouri | 21 |
| Drury | D2 | Missouri | 16 |
| Millikin | D3 | Illinois | 14 |
| Truman State | D2 | Missouri | 14 |
| Lindenwood | D1 | Missouri | 12 |
| Austin Peay | D1 | Tennessee | 10 |
| Webster | D3 | Missouri | 10 |
| Maryville (MO) | D2 | Missouri | 9 |
| Illinois College | D3 | Illinois | 8 |
| Program | Division | State | Players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lindenwood | D1 | Missouri | 12 |
| Austin Peay | D1 | Tennessee | 10 |
| Southeast Missouri | D1 | Missouri | 8 |
| Missouri State | D1 | Missouri | 6 |
| Saint Louis | D1 | Missouri | 5 |
| SIUE | D1 | Illinois | 5 |
| Tennessee | D1 | Tennessee | 5 |
| Omaha | D1 | Nebraska | 5 |
| Texas | D1 | Texas | 4 |
| Kansas | D1 | Kansas | 4 |
| Program | Division | State | Players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri S&T | D2 | Missouri | 21 |
| Drury | D2 | Missouri | 16 |
| Truman State | D2 | Missouri | 14 |
| Maryville (MO) | D2 | Missouri | 9 |
| Lincoln (MO) | D2 | Missouri | 8 |
| UMSL | D2 | Missouri | 8 |
| Northwest Missouri State | D2 | Missouri | 6 |
| Southwest Baptist | D2 | Missouri | 6 |
| McKendree | D2 | Illinois | 5 |
| Washburn | D2 | Kansas | 5 |
| Program | Division | State | Players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster (PA) | D3 | Missouri | 35 |
| Millikin | D3 | Illinois | 14 |
| Webster | D3 | Missouri | 10 |
| Illinois College | D3 | Illinois | 8 |
| Illinois Wesleyan | D3 | Illinois | 4 |
| Grinnell | D3 | Iowa | 3 |
| Principia | D3 | Illinois | 3 |
| Central (IA) | D3 | Iowa | 2 |
| Emory | D3 | Georgia | 2 |
| Franciscan | D3 | Ohio | 2 |
What this means for a Missouri recruit
How to read itStart local, but don't stop local.
37% of Missouri players in the dataset stayed in-state — the programs most likely to see you play repeatedly are the ones nearby.
Your realistic level matters more than geography alone.
Missouri's historical landings skew away from D3 (24% vs 41% nationally).
Past recruiting is a signal, not a guarantee.
A program that repeatedly rosters players from your state has demonstrated a pathway; it does not mean it will recruit you.
Methodology
Source · sample · scope497 players · 1,060 programs · 2020–21 to 2026–27
Definitions and scope
- Source
- Official rosters published by the athletics sites of 1,060 NCAA D1, D2 and D3 men's programs, collected by Depth Chart.
- Home state
- The state of the high school on the player's record — the same definition the state tool uses, so the two read the same data the same way.
- Level
- Each player counts once, at the highest level they reached across the seasons we hold (D1 over D2 over D3).
- Sample
- 497 players from Missouri high schools, across every season we hold; roster coverage runs 2020–21 to 2026–27. A state with fewer than 200 players in our data is not published, because it would describe a coincidence rather than a pattern.
- Computed
- September 2, 2026 · methodology state-landing-pages-1
48% of the 456 Kentucky high-school players in our data stayed in Kentucky for college; 39% reached Division I. Destinations, levels and the programs that take them most, from every season we hold.
Data studyWhere Indiana High School Basketball Players Go to College42% of the 708 Indiana high-school players in our data stayed in Indiana for college; 46% reached Division I. Destinations, levels and the programs that take them most, from every season we hold.
Data studyWhere Illinois High School Basketball Players Go to College37% of the 1,493 Illinois high-school players in our data stayed in Illinois for college; 32% reached Division I. Destinations, levels and the programs that take them most, from every season we hold.