UPDATE: Missouri recruit Tony Mitchell may not be a Tiger next year

UPDATE: Mitchell has responded to the reports via Facebook:

"LOL," Mitchell replied when asked whether the report meant he could not attend MU. “Naw. I will definitely be at Mizzou. Later on though."

Later on, Mitchell elaborated: "Later On in The summer."
...
"Just Finding Out," he posted on his public Facebook wall. "Haters These Days.

"LOL Thanks Everyone Who Believes In Me And Is Supportive.

"I will be At mizzou bottom Line They Just Tried To Come At Me In A Wrong Way Without All The Facts But That's How the Media Is."

With four of their top five leading scorers returning -- including star guard Kim English -- and an incoming recruiting class rated as one of the best in the country, Missouri's basketball team seemed poised to compete with Kansas and Kansas State atop the Big XII next season.

While that still may be the case, Mike Anderson's team took a bit of a hit today as a television station in Dallas is reporting that Tony Mitchell, a top 20 recruit and the star of the Tiger's recruiting class, will not be allowed to graduate from Dallas' Pinkston High School.

The controversy surrounds how Mitchell managed to get himself eligible for his senior year. The 6'8" forward began his high school career at the Center of Life Academy in Miami, a private school that is an accredited by a home schooling organization, but is not recognized by the Dallas school district. In other words, Mitchell's credits weren't going to transfer over to Pinkston, meaning that he would technically be a freshman when he enrolled. In November, Pinkston principal Norma Villegas allowed Mitchell to make-up those credits by taking nine course make-up exams over a two day span, five of which were in two hours. Once this fact was brought to light, the Dallas school district began an official investigation, took away Mitchell's credits, forced Pinkston to forfeit a game, and suspended the head coach for one game next season.

I'm not exactly sure what that means. Can Mitchell's tests be reinstated if the investigation comes back clean? Can he get college eligible by going to a prep school and completing the necessary course work over the summer? Next year?

I don't have those answers, but the results of the investigation will reportedly be announced within the next few days.

Until then, Anderson and company better prepare for life without Mitchell, which means that guys like rising junior Steve Moore and newcomers Ricardo Ratliffe and Kadeem Green will be that much more important in backing up Justin Safford and Laurence Bowers.