Indiana Hosting 2023 Five-Star Recruit Mackenzie Mgbako This Weekend

Following visits to St. John's and Kansas, class of 2023 five-star recruit Mackenzie Mgbako is visiting Indiana University this weekend. The 6-foot-8 McDonald's All-American will also visit Louisville.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It's graduation weekend in Bloomington, and one visitor could have a huge impact on Indiana's future.

Mackenzie Mgbako, a five-star recruit in the class of 2023, is scheduled to visit Indiana's campus this weekend. The versatile 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward recently wrapped up visits to St. John's and Kansas, and he's expected to take a fourth and final visit to Louisville next.

Originally committed to Duke, Mgbako requested a release from his National Letter of Intent on April 11, re-opening his recruitment. He participated in the McDonald's All-American game and is ranked No. 8 by Rivals, No. 9 in the ESPN Top 100 and No. 12 by On3.

Mgbako first played at Gill St. Bernard's Gladstone, N.J., but he transferred to powerhouse Roselle Catholic for his senior year. A lot can change by next summer, but Mgbako is already projected to be a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

If Indiana is able to land Mgbako, he'd join an incoming freshman class that currently consists of four-star guards Gabe Cupps and Jakai Newton. Coach Mike Woodson has been busy in the transfer portal this offseason, replenishing Indiana's front court with Kel'el Ware from Oregon, Payton Sparks from Ball State and Anthony Walker from Miami.

With two available scholarships for the 2023-24 season, Mgbako's skillset would fit well with the Hoosiers. His versatility and 3-point shooting prowess allows him to excel at multiple positions, and Indiana has plenty of available minutes after losing seven scholarship players from its 2022-23 roster. Woodson has had success with this type of recruitment, landing Malik Reneau and Tamar Bates 

Director of scouting for 247Sports Adam Finklestein wrote this about Mgbako:

"His shot-making from behind the arc is his best asset. He can also make the types of shots that translate to the next level - pick-and-pop threes, slipping out of ball screens to make shots on the move, or creating space with a series of side-step or step-back shots. The mid-post has long been a staple of his individual offense, but now he’s getting some easy points by moving without the ball more freely. Physically, Mgbako appears to be in the best shape of his career to date and was also productive enough on the glass to hold his own at the four. His swing skills are his defensive versatility and shot-creation abilities, both of which are rooted in his mobility, footspeed, and ability to play low to the ground when necessary. If those two areas develop, both his versatility and overall projection will go to new levels."

True of any top recruit like Mgbako, Indiana has serious competition. 

Kansas is consistently a national powerhouse under coach Bill Self, who's had a strong offseason in the transfer portal. All-American center Hunter Dickinson announced his decision to transfer to Kansas on Thursday after averaging 18.5 points and 9.0 rebounds for Michigan in 2022-23. Kansas has also landed Texas guard transfer Arterio Morris, a five-star recruit in the class of 2022, and Towson guard transfer Nick Timberlake, who averaged 17.7 points on 41.6 percent 3-point shooting last season. 

St. John's hired national championship-winning coach Rick Pitino this offseason to revive a program that's reached the NCAA Tournament just three times in the last 21 seasons. Pitino has refreshed the roster with transfers Glenn Taylor Jr. (Oregon State), Nahiem Alleyne (UConn) and three of his players from Iona, Daniss Jenkins, Cruz Davis and Quinn Slazinski. If Mgbako wants to stay close to home, St. John's would make the most sense, geographically. 

Following his visit to Indiana this weekend, Mgbako will reportedly take his final visit to Louisville. Assistant coach Nolan Smith helped recruit Mgbako to Duke, and Smith is now an assistant at Louisville under coach Kenny Payne. Louisville went 4-28 last season, but Payne's 2023 recruiting class consists of incoming freshmen Trentyn Flowers (No. 22), Dennis Evans (No. 27), Kaleb Glenn (No. 72), Curtis Williams Jr. (No. 76) and Koron Davis, as well as transfers Danilo Jovanovich from Miami and Skyy Clark from Illinois.

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