Brothers, Michael Porter Jr. and Jontay Porter may be the most dominant duo in all of high school basketball. With over 30 scholarship offers between the two of them, it is clear that they are a force to be reckoned with. Michael, a Junior at Father Tolton Catholic High School(Columbia, Missouri), holds offers from schools such as Washington, Missouri, Kansas, and Kentucky. Jontay, on the other hand, is already committed to the University of Washington. “I committed mostly due to the family atmosphere. I’ve known Lorenzo [Romar], the head coach, for a while. I really trust him and I know that he can help me develop my skills to take my game to the next level. I know it was really early, but I felt so sure about my decision that I was ready to do it as early as possible.” explained the Sophomore from Father Tolton Catholic High School.

 

     Michael Porter Jr. and Jontay Porter were born into a basketball family. Michael Porter Sr., the father of the boys, is an assistant basketball coach for Missouri’s women’s basketball team. Coincidentally, he coaches his daughters, Bri Porter and Cierra Porter. It is evident that a love of basketball runs in the Porter family, but this love for the game is nothing new according to Jontay. “We, used to live in Noblesville, Indiana. One day, my parents had a sit-down conversation with everyone and told us that we could play basketball and try to get a college scholarship. I don’t think that me or Michael thought we would get this far, but it’s been a blessing from God. All of us have gotten somewhere in life and we’ll all be able to play basketball in college.” said Jontay.

 

     After Jontay committed to the University of Washington, analysts across the country began to speculate about the future of his brother, Michael. Many believed that his brother’s commitment would have a major impact on him, but Michael would beg to differ, saying,  “It didn’t affect me too much because, more than likely, I will be a one-and-done player, so I wouldn’t be playing with my brother anyway.  I wouldn’t say there are any frontrunners right now, but hopefully, I will make my decision by the end of next summer.” Although Jontay's commitment didn’t affect Michael, Jontay is still pulling out all stops to get his older brother to join him at Washington. “I talk to him about it quite a bit actually. I try not to annoy him about it too often, but I’ve said one or two things about it. Hopefully, he makes the right decision.” countered Jontay.

 

      While they may have different ideas about recruitment, when it comes to their chemistry on the court, the brothers are always looking out for each other. “We really enjoy playing together. We work off of each other really well,  taking a lot of the pressure of scoring the ball off of each other,” described Michael.  “Whether we are at home or school, it’s really cool being able to play with each other.” Their ability to play together has been incredible, so much so that by his Junior year, Michael vaulted to #3 in the ESPN 60, which ranks the top high school Juniors in the country. With all the success that Michael has had throughout his career, it is clear that he does a great job of staying modest. “Some people might take it as, ‘Dang I already made it. I don’t need to work anymore’, but with someone like me, I see it as, once you get here,  It’s harder to stay at the top than to make it to the top. I don’t let the pressure bother me as much because I know I need to keep working.” offered Michael.

 

     With an unbreakable bond and a great future ahead of them, brothers Michael Porter Jr. and Jontay Porter, are in a great position to cement their status as the best duo in high school basketball. With Michael’s decision approaching and Jontay’s already in the books, it will be interesting to see how the rest of their high school careers unfold. Although the two may still have a long way until they make it to the next level, they will both be players to look out for in the Class of 2017 and ‘18.