BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WDRB) — If you intend to follow Mackenzie Mgbako’s Indiana University basketball career, make firm plans for the upcoming season.
A year from now Mgbako intends to be working out at an NBA training camp.
Correct?
“Yeah,” Mgbako said.
I asked the IU freshman forward if that was indeed a “Yes,” to eliminate any and all confusion.
“Yes,” he said, without hesitation.
Traditionally, that has not been the pedigree of Indiana basketball recruits. The Hoosiers have produced 4 one-and-dones over the last 15 years. IU has not lived in the shark tank of high school recruiting.
Mike Woodson is not the kind of coach who believes Indiana cannot have what Indiana wants, especially in this era of NIL and the transfer portal.
“When I took this job I made it clear to my staff that we had to go and recruit the best players,” Woodson said.
“They, were like, ‘Damn, Woody, we just got here. You know, you can’t just go to the top.’
“And I’m like, ‘Why not?’ I think we have positioned ourselves to be able to sit at the table.”
Mackenzie Mgbako is not the traditional Indiana University basketball recruit. He came from the prime time table.
He grew up in New Jersey, not the Midwest. He was ranked among the nation’s Top 10 recruits in the Class of 2023, not the pool of Top 75 players where the Hoosiers typically swim.
Mgbako was supposed to appear for 2023 media day with Jon Scheyer at Duke University, where he was the headliner on another sparkling class of future Blue Devils.
But something happened on the way to Durham. Days after he scored 22 points to lead the World team at the Nike Hoops Summit in Portland, Oregon, Mgbako de-committed from Duke. He declined to talk about the reasons for that decision Wednesday afternoon at Simon-Skjodt Assembly Hall, where he participated in the third media day of Woodson’s career.
Mgbako said he did not have interest in joining his AAU teammates D.J. Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw at Kentucky and the Wildcats did not approach him.
He said that he did consider Louisville but never made a visit with the Cardinals.
That left Kansas, which thought it was in the lead to land him after an official visit; St. John’s, which generated a passionate push from new coach Rick Pitino and Rutgers, the home state New Jersey school.
Indiana?
It was not on Mgbako’s radar. His father is a native of Nigeria and accomplished triathlete. His mother grew up in Haiti and made herself a prominent force in his recruitment.
“My mom did her homework,” Mgbako said. “She’s very educated in the basketball world. She was definitely a top contender and reached out to the coaches (she wanted to talk to).”
She knew that Woodson once coached the New York Knicks, during an period when the Knicks were led by a player about the same size as her son — Carmelo Anthony.
She knew Anthony from the recruiting circuit. She talked to Anthony. So did Mackenzie. Anthony gave a glowing recommendation on Woodson.
“I was in contact with Melo for a little bit before I committed,” Mgbako said. “He had a lot of influence (on the decision) as well …
“... he said that he was a hard coach. Very old-fashioned. But the things that he does (in practice) translates into games. He’s all about helping his players out and putting them in the best position.”
After his visit to Bloomington in May, which included the shrewd placement of a Nigerian flag in Mgbako’s likely spot in the IU locker room, Mgbako gave his pledge — giving the Hoosiers their highest-ranked recruit at small forward since Troy Williams.
“The inclusiveness was really what sold me,” Mgbako said. “All the coaches were telling me the truth. I felt (the message) was very pure. It just flowed. From there, I committed.
“Coach Woodson has experience in that NBA realm and being a former NBA player and how it’s a business. It’s very cut-throat.
“I feel like being able to plan ahead and being able to learn from him and all the things that he has to offer, I couldn’t be in a better position.”
At 6 feet 8 inches tall and 217 pounds, Mgbako’s primary strength remains his versatility. He has the strength to play in the post. His ball-handling enables him to attack slower defenders.
One observer of Indiana’s summer workouts said Mgbako has the potential to become IU’s top 3-point shooter.
“He will give this team a lot of scoring,” said Xavier Johnson, IU’s sixth-year point guard. “He can shoot the ball really well. He’s very versatile.
“He can guard the 1, 2, 3 or 4. He’s a very, very good player. I think he has a chance to go to the next level as well next year but he’s got to concentrate on this year first.”
Before anybody suggests that getting to the NBA is the only thing that will drive Mgbako, it is worth noting that he has listened to Woodson’s persistent speech that the only reason that he returned to coach at his alma mater was to win a Big Ten title as well as a national title.
Woodson turned 65 last March. I’m not going to say that his career is in the fourth quarter, but it certainly isn’t in the first or second.
Mgbako was asked if he feels the urgency to win for Woodson this season.
“I feel like the urgency is now more than ever,” Mgbako said. “Why wait?
“We have the intangibles right now. We have a 7-footer (Oregon transfer Kel’el Ware, a center), we have talented guards. We have gifted wings to make it happen.
“So why not?”
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