2023 SF/PF Mackenzie Mgbako to Texas A&M via Portal

[Demo]

29 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

Hey @Demo

There’s a multitude of reasons why people love this board. One of them is that we have some posters, that truly really understand what it takes to succeed at the game of basketball.

Some people think you’re pretty smart, and you’ve seen full games of Mackenzie Mgbako in action.

So tell us what kind of player we’re getting here!

Have seen a total of 3 HS games of Mgbako and parts of 2 EYBL games last summer, so I wouldn’t pretend to have his full game down, but fwiw:

Looks to be all of 6’8”. Great frame. Will probably play at something like 225. Hard to tell from streams, but looks to certainly have plus length.. Good athlete, not great. Pretty good lift, but needs to gather. Ok 1st step, but he’s not beating good defenders with explosion. Runs well, and runs hard. Pretty average laterally. So, he’s got solid traits, but that’s not the deal here.  Offensively, his best element, no question, is that he’s got a great stroke with deep range. Really simple. Good elevation with a high release and nice wrist snap. Can get it off against a good contest. Can catch and shoot, off the bounce left or right, and has a step back that I watched him splash from about 24’. Likes to play in the mid-post. Faces up, has a nice jab step series, and is looking to put it down for a single bounce either way and shoot a J. Has a pump fake and uses it to drive some, but he needs to get his shoulder in front to beat a guy. Looks to have some feel on the block, but doesn’t seem super well-schooled. Plays through contact, no problem. Bottom line: he can score at every level. He’s not a shot hunter, he takes good looks, but he doesn’t facilitate much and his game appears to be very much about his offense. Assuming he’s playing primarily on the wing, he will be an exceptional rebounder for that role. He’s physical and really goes after it. His defense will hold up but he’s not like Kel’el Ware where you can just autoswitch him and he can handle anyone. But he defends hard and physically and it looked fine. 1 other thing and he shares this with Fino: he carries himself like a 25 yo man. On a team with probably 4 other high major kids, including Simeon Wilcher who will probably start at UNC, there was no question he was the Guy. 

Long way of saying, he’s a rock solid player and a great fit. He can pick and roll, he can pick and pop, he creates space for X and whomever because you can’t leave him. He just looks to me like a kid who can get you 15 a night from pretty much day 1. Probably doesn’t have the highest ceiling in the class, but he might have the highest floor and I’m not really sure how he would fail. He’s a hell of a get. 

 

[Home Jersey]

Just now, IU_FanClub said:

Really feels like this is the biggest recruiting win in a long time. This was a “we’re here to stay” type of statement. I think currently we’re a top 20 team for next year and if we can add another shooter maybe closer to 12-15

Yes, totally agree (assuming Ware plays up to his potential or near it at least). 

I kind of think we don't even necessarily need the CG we get to be a 5 star/high 4 star type of guy. If he can excel at defending the perimeter and shooting 3s while being serviceable as a ball handler/playmaker for a few possessions a game, I think we have what we need between him and Gallo.

[hoosierbannerd]

58 minutes ago, Sardinefarts1991 said:

I definitely want flory.  I'm from Kokomo area. I believe the guy is a program changer, definitely a piece to a title contender team.

from the ' mo here too bro...

[IUFAN1976]

What about D’Marco Dunn? There aren’t too many more available 

[Demo]

This feels a little like a gratuitous slap at Archie’s inside-out thing somehow, not my intention, but I just find it interesting that the 3rd IU team of former IU great and Indianapolis native Mike Woodson may well start kids from New Jersey, Florida, Arkansas, Virginia and, maybe, Indiana. 

[IUHoosier5]

There is a certain calmness in Bloomington tonight that feels so right. Maybe it’s summer. Maybe it’s the post Kolby Cooper concert. I don’t know, but it feels so good.

[WayneFleekHoosier]

Welcome to the board.  I haven’t been on this board long myself, and the members aren’t good at welcoming new or infrequent posters to the board

I don’t know about that. We welcome any and all Hoosier fans. Stu and OF always give shouts out to new posters. Anyway. Welcome all! Let’s come together in celebration of a fun AF off season.

This is the roster type I’ve been begging for, for years. Length and athleticism. Can’t wait to see these guys in action. And what we do with final roster spot.


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[hper50]

Can we get a confirmed pronunciation of Mgbako?

[coonhounds]

Sky is the limit here

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[coonhounds]

Unfortunately i am hyped! Add one more high level impact player and I am hoosier hysteria lock! I am hyped let's go Hoosiers!

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[coonhounds]

Rereading my latest posts I am drunk but officially hyped. These are the recruits we need

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[IUHoosierJoe]

3 hours ago, hper50 said:

Can we get a confirmed pronunciation of Mgbako?

Em-BAH-ko

[Loaded Chicken Sandwich]

6 hours ago, WayneFleekHoosier said:

I don’t know about that. We welcome any and all Hoosier fans. Stu and OF always give shouts out to new posters. Anyway. Welcome all! Let’s come together in celebration of a fun AF off season.

This is the roster type I’ve been begging for, for years. Length and athleticism. Can’t wait to see these guys in action. And what we do with final roster spot.


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It'd be nice to find a sniper from 3 to play that 2 spot... But a dude that actually moves around unlike Kopp or Parker. Any lefty 3pt shooters left? That'd look nice out there.

[johnsoniu]

Ahhh, coffee tastes a little better this morning. Welcome to Indiana MM and kudos to Woody and the staff closing the deal.

[AKHoosier]

11 hours ago, Brass Cannon said:

Forgive me mods but thought everybody should get a look at this 

 

Well this guy is probably walking funny this morning. 

[Trish]

Big time commitment. Congrats to the staff on landing him late in the game, which has now happened a couple times. 
 

it appears Woodson, NIL, and the staff have really stepped it up in recruiting compared to Archie, which is positive. 
 

I still think there’s question marks with this current team and relying on freshmen and transfers can be risky, but there might be some ingredients here for Indiana to be successful this season. 

[Tom White]

11 hours ago, HoosierFan1994 said:

.......While it's "stressful" for us fans.........

Yep. Just imagine the level of stress coaching staffs must feel.

[schoosier]

Welcome to Indiana basketball MM! Just think less than 2 years ago, we wouldn’t have had a chance with him. Kansas would have and they never stopped cheating since their 1988 championship. We didn’t since ours but this NIL puts us on the same playing field as the biggest cheaters in clouding Kansas, UK, and the rest of the SEC. We will continue to win more of these recruiting battles moving forward.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

7 hours ago, hper50 said:

Can we get a confirmed pronunciation of Mgbako?

This is how Rabby described it.        Uhm-Bock-oh

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Landing this caliber of recruit has got to get the attention of some '24s and '25s we've offered but who kind of just shrugged us off initially.