Five-star Mackenzie Mgbako set to visit Indiana and Louisville after Kansas trip | Zagsblog
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Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
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Thursday / April 18.
  • Five-star Mackenzie Mgbako set to visit Indiana and Louisville after Kansas trip

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    By ADAM ZAGORIA

    Five-star former Duke commit Mackenzie Mgbako visited Kansas this week and will begin his official at Indiana Saturday morning and then visit Louisville next week. He visited St. John’s last weekend.

    “I spoke to Coach Self yesterday and they were excited to host Mackenzie,” Roselle Catholic coach Dave Boff told ZAGSBLOG. “They love his versatile game and ability to score the ball at all 3 levels.”

    Kansas coach Bill Self, who owns two NCAA championship rings, sees Mgbako as a potential replacement for freshman Gradey Dick, an elite shooter who declared for the NBA Draft. Kansas has already added Towson transfer Nick Timberlake and Texas transfer Arterio Morris and remains involved for 7-foot Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson, who is also considering Villanova, Kentucky, Georgetown and Maryland.

    “Mackenzie’s combination of size and athleticism coupled with his ability to shoot the ball will make him an impact player at the next level,” Jason Harrigan, who coached Mgbako and Kentucky commits Aaron Bradshaw and D.J. Wagner with the NJ Scholars Nike EYBL program, told ZAGSBLOG. “He works hard on his game and is a competitor.”

    A McDonald’s All-American who also played for the World Team in the Nike Hoop Summit, Mgbako asked for his release from Duke earlier this month after freshman big man Kyle Filipowski announced he would return for his sophomore season, making Duke’s frontcourt even more crowded.

    The Blue Devils are also bringing back Mark Mitchell while adding incoming forwards T.J. Power and Sean Stewart in the 2023 class. Mgbako, who transferred to Roselle Catholic from Gill St. Bernard’s before last season, plays with the NJ Scholars Nike EYBL program. He is ranked the No. 2 power forward in his class by 247Sports.com.

    He initially chose Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils over Ohio State, Kentucky and Memphis.

    Mgbako scored 13 points when the Lions won the Non-Public B state title over St. Rose on March 3. He averaged 16.3 points and 9.2 rebounds in 16 games en route to All-State honors this season at Roselle Catholic, the top-ranked team in New Jersey.

    Photo via @MSwain247

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    Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.

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