COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou basketball fans got a glimpse of the future Saturday night, as the program's top three commits in the class of 2026 each took to the court at Mizzou Arena for their respective games in the Norm Stewart Classic.
Five-star forward and No. 21 player in the nation Toni Bryant faced off against four-star wing and No. 94 player in the nation Aidan Chronister at 7:00 p.m. Bryant was suited up for Zephyrhills Christian Academy While Chronister repped The New School. Both were welcomed by Mizzou fans with open arms.
"The fans that came out in such a family environment," Chronister said. "I can't wait to do that next year."
The pair of Mizzou commits each shined in their own way.
Chronister is widely regarded as one of the top 3-point shooters in the 2026 class, and his long-rang shooting was on full display early on. He began the first quarter hot, knocking down three of his first four shots – all of which were jumpers, two of which were 3-pointers. Chronister's electric shooting was toned down for a while, before he ramped it back up in the fourth quarter, knocking down a pair of triples en route to victory He shot 5-for-12 from beyond-the-arc on the night.
"He was the best shooter out there," Bryant said.
Mizzou has had elite shooters in recent years, as Caleb Grill shot 39.6% from beyond-the-arc on 2.7 makes per game in 2024-2025, while Jacob Crews is currently shooting 49% from 3-point range on 2.8 makes per game in 2025-2026. Head coach Dennis Gates has successfully developed shooters during his time at Missouri, enticing Chronister even further to commit.
"It was a big selling point," Chronister said. "Crews just had 20 against Notre Dame. So I mean, just coming in and filling that role and just seeing that's a spot for me."
Chronister also showed he could impact the game in other aspects away from shooting. He had active hands on defense, deflecting multiple post-entry passes and igniting those turnovers into transition buckets on the other end, where he'd often launch an impressive outlet pass.
Bryant was on the quieter side in his Mizzou Arena debut. He averaged 21.1 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.1 blocks per game in his seven contests before the tournament, but scored just four points in the first half.
His main selling point is athleticism, which the 6-foot-10 forwarde regularly uses to blow by slower defenders or sky over shorter ones. However, he seemed sluggish and tired in his efforts on Saturday night. The lone case of an eye-popping play was a high-flying alley-oop finish in the second quarter.
Bryant made work of the touches he got on offense, but Zephyrhills wasn't exactly playing through him – he wasn't manufactured touches in the halfcourt consistently. Still, he finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.
Chronister's New School ended up taking down Bryant and Zephyrhills 52-48, and Chronister was awarded the game MVP, scoring a game-high 25 points along with hauling seven rebounds, dishing out three assists and recording two steals and two blocks.
Both Chronister and Bryant inked deals with the program in November and will take the court wearing black and gold around a year from now.