In a pivotal offseason for Mike Woodson’s tenure at Indiana, the Hoosiers just landed one of two remaining uncommitted five-star recruits in the class of 2023 in dynamic Roselle Catholic (New Jersey) wing/forward Mackenzie Mgbako.
Mgbako’s recruitment was a wild ride. Early speculation had Louisville in the lead, given current Cardinals assistant Nolan Smith had a hand in Mgbako’s prior commitment to Duke. He initially set a visit with Louisville as his last scheduled visit, but canceled and decided to choose between the Hoosiers and Kansas instead. All this came after Mgbako decommitted from Duke in the aftermath of surprise returners from talented freshmen like Mark Mitchell and Kyle Filipowski, who could have blocked Mgbako’s path to minutes had he matriculated in Durham. Eventually, he picked Indiana in a huge coup for a team that desperately needed wing talent.
There may not be a more traditionally talented player in this down 2023 recruiting class than Mgbako, who at times on the EYBL circuit looked like he could rise to the top of the recruiting rankings. His skill set is tantalizing as a long, athletic wing with the ability to shoot off the catch, though his percentage on that circuit from beyond the arc was a rather bleak 20%. He’ll get to play more as a traditional wing at Indiana than Kansas, where he profiled more as a power forward.
