SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State men's basketball coach Dana Ford received formal commitments this week from four players during the early National Letter of Intent signing period.
 
The NLI early period for basketball runs Nov. 14-28.
 
Included in Ford's first early signing class at MSU are three high school seniors and one junior college sophomore who will join the Bears for the 2019-20 season.
 
This year's class includes:

• Ja'monta Black (G, 6-4, 180, Fr., Columbia, Mo., Rock Bridge High)
• Tyem Freeman (F, 6-6, 200, Fr., Springfield, Mo., Parkview High)
• Dajuan Harris (G, 6-3, 170, Fr., Columbia, Mo., Rock Bridge High)
• Gaige Prim (F, 6-8, 210, Jr., Aurora, Colo., Grandview High, South Plains (Texas) College)

 
"We are excited all of these young men have chosen Missouri State University to continue their education as well as their athletic careers," said Ford. "As a staff, we feel they possess the character, talent and toughness we look for in a student-athlete. We appreciate their decision and commitment to Missouri State."
 
Ford's inaugural Missouri State team is off to a 3-0 start and heads to Kansas City Monday to play Nebraska at Sprint Center in a nationally-televised game (ESPNU) as part of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. The Bears will also play either Texas Tech or USC on Nov. 20 in Kansas City, pending Monday's results.
 
 
2019 Signing Class capsules:
 
Ja'monta Black (G, 6-4, 180, Fr., Columbia, Mo., Rock Bridge High)
Black averaged 13.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game as a junior for coach Jim Scanlon at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia. He was part of an impressive 28-2 run for the Bruins that resulted in a third-place finish at the state Class 5 tournament. Black also knocked down 73 3-pointers his junior season and made 82 percent of his free throw attempts.
 
"His skill set continues to evolve every year," said Bears' associate head coach Corey Gipson. "Standing at 6-foot-4, he has the ability to play the lead guard position, shoot consistently from behind the arc, and defend multiple positions. This high school season, we are intrigued to watch him grow into a compelled rebounder."
 
 
Tyem Freeman (F, 6-6, 200, Fr., Springfield, Mo., Parkview High)
Freeman is ranked as the No. 4 recruit in the state of Missouri and a three-star prospect for the Class of 2019 by 247sports.com. He averaged 23.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game as a junior at Springfield's Parkview High. He helped coach Landon Cornish's Vikings team to an 18-11 record and Class 5 state quarterfinal run last March. He also played for MoKan Elite in 2017 and for Adidas-sponsored Team MO Carroll this summer.
 
"We are ecstatic about keeping one of the most explosive guards in the country right here in our back yard and help spearhead coach Ford's aggressive, up-tempo style of play," said Corey Gipson, MSU associate head coach. "Tyem's pledge to Missouri State back in March exemplified a strong commitment to his family, friends and the Springfield community. He will continue to be an ambassador for the program and the city as we move forward in recruiting future classes of talent from the state of Missouri. Tyem's vision of playing in a sold out JQH arena aligns perfectly with what we are trying to accomplish."
 
 
Dajuan Harris (G, 6-3, 170, Fr., Columbia, Mo., Rock Bridge High)
Harris is described as a pass-first point guard who is rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals and 247sports.com. He is also ranked as the No. 5 recruit in Missouri's Class of 2019 by 247sports. He was part of the Rock Bridge High School's 28-2 run to a third-place finish at the Missouri Class 5 state tournament in 2018. He averaged 12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game for coach Jim Scanlon. He also averaged 6.1 assists per game over the summer of 2018 for MoKan Elite on the Nike EYBL circuit.
 
"We are extremely excited to add a player of Dajuan's caliber to this class," said MSU assistant coach Jase Herl. "He has a high basketball IQ, and is a play-making point guard who makes everyone around him better. His size and length allow him to disrupt things at the point of attack on the defensive end. He is another Missouri kid in this class who is going to take great pride in being a Bear."
 
 
Gaige Prim (F, 6-8, 210, Jr., Aurora, Colo., Grandview High, South Plains (Texas) College)
Prim has been called "one of the best post players in all of Junior College this year," by JucoRecruiting.com, and is currently a sophomore at South Plains (Texas) College. The Colorado native played his freshman season at West Texas A&M where he averaged 10.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He helped his Grandview High School team in Aurora, Colo., to a 21-6 record and state quarterfinal trip as a senior after he shot nearly 70 percent from the field and averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks per game. The all-state performer also averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds per game as a junior where he was tagged with all-conference distinction.
 
"Gaige is a player who has won a lot of games already in his career and understands what it takes," said MSU assistant coach Jase Herl. "He is playing for one of the best junior college programs and coaches in the country. With his mindset, physicality, character and skill set, we feel like he will have a major impact immediately at Missouri State."