COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Men’s Basketball has signed promising forward Jakoby Kemp (Layton, Utah), a 6-9, 215-pound student-athlete, to the program’s 2016 recruiting class, head coach Kim Anderson announced. The recent signee Kemp has begun summer classes at the University of Missouri and has joined the Tigers for offseason workouts.

Once a much smaller wing player for his Layton High School program, Kemp grew substantially prior to his senior season in 2015-16 for head coach Kelby Miller. Kemp adjusted well, averaging 12.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while helping power Layton to the Utah Class 5A State Championship semifinals.

“We’re thrilled to have Jakoby join the Mizzou Basketball family,” Anderson said. “His height and athleticism stood out to us on the recruiting trail, but his work ethic and resiliency may be his strongest attributes. He is obviously someone we came across later in the process, but you would not be able to tell by his positive attitude and willingness to embrace our program. He will fit in well with our guys, and we look forward to helping him grow as a student of the game and of this great university.”

Kemp and Layton won it all during his junior campaign, as the future Tiger helped get the Lancers their first state title since 1988. Layton was aided by 11 points from Kemp in the championship game of Utah’s largest high school division, as the Lancers overcame a 13-point second-half deficit to edge Brighton High School, 48-46.

Kemp blossomed as a senior forward, nearly doubling his scoring average from his junior season (6.9 points per game). At the conclusion of his career at Layton, Kemp was selected to play in the Utah High School Basketball Coaches Association’s Senior All-Star Game. He also earned all-state honorable mention from The Deseret News.

“Coach Anderson is a great coach with a bunch of great, young players,” Kemp said. “It’s exciting to get to a school where there is something to build, something great we can achieve together. Mizzou is at the highest competitive level in college sports, with great facilities and support. I can’t wait to get started.”

Kemp, whose given first name is Kedric, drew heavy interest from other programs throughout the summer, including LSU, Georgia Tech, Memphis, TCU and Southern Miss.

Kemp’s older brother, Marcus, is a senior wide receiver at Hawaii. His mother, Karen Martin, and step father, Derrick Martin, reside in Layton.