2023 Men's Basketball Recruiting

[MChambers]

The lack of hype about MacKenzie makes me wonder whether expectations for him might need to be tempered. Based on what I had seen/read I was projecting him as a surefire OAD whose ceiling was the type of player we expected Dariq to be this year if healthy. It's also why I thought the speculation that we might look into a transfer at the 5 despite our potential returnees was odd, as Kyle at the 4 would seemingly squeeze MacKenzie out of the starting lineup (assuming Mitchell returns). The combination of all these things implies to me that maybe the staff views MacKenzie as best suited for a sixth man role and/or he may be a two year guy... I think the range on the contributions of all our incoming freshman is much wider than usual given how COVID impacted not only the evaluation of this class, but their development during HS.

You've got it all wrong. The lack of hype means that he's coming in with a chip on his shoulder!

[scottdude8]

You've got it all wrong. The lack of hype means that he's coming in with a chip on his shoulder!

I like how you think!

[gumbomoop]

You've got it all wrong. The lack of hype means that he's coming in with a chip on his shoulder!

I’ve no clue about Mgbako, but i’d guess another of our ‘23 recruits will have a chip on his shoulder: Caleb Foster. He seems to have been nudged out of the McD game be Bronny. A few weeks back someone (Tommy?) posted about Foster having had a couple of brilliant games v. Bronny’s HS team.

I don’t think Foster’s playing in any of the AS games — happy to be corrected if I’m wrong about that. I suppose one could conclude that he’s not really a top 20 senior, but that’s not the impression I have from scattered posts on EK about him.

Any updates on Foster, or opinion about chip-on-shoulder?

[proelitedota]

I have been struck as I read the reports from McD practices and scrimmages that I have not seen a single mention of Mgbako. McCain has been one of the top 5 players and his shot-making has been on full display. I've read good stuff about Stewart's motor and he is seen as a tenacious rebounder, but I have not heard boo about MM. In fact, the only thing I have seen at all is him standing there so Stewart could fly over him for that dunk last night.

Did anyone hear that MacKenzie might be banged up or something?

My theory is that MacKenzie is aware of the history that standouts at the events generally don't end up making much of an impact in college, with a few exceptions. He is holding back in order to give himself probabilistically / statistically the best chance to succeed at the next level.

[dukelifer]

Last thing I read about Mgbako was a 2024 mock(ish) draft by Givony... that didn't include Mgbako. Givony is about as clued in on high school bball as they come, so unless it was a massive brain fart on his part (which is possible), it might be that Mgbako's stock has fallen a bit. It's not like Mgbako was this worldbeater of a prospect. He's not super athletic, and appears to be more of a 6'8" version of a Filipowski-style player, minus some of the ballhandling and passing skills. So it's possible that Mgbako just isn't as exciting a prospect as it seemed a year or more ago.

Hopefully that's not the case, but his 2023 highlights don't show much that make him stand out as an elite prospect. He's definitely bigger, and seems to be a true PF now rather than a tall wing forward.

We shall see. He had a high ankle sprain in Feb and may not be pushing himself in All Star games. Like Flip- he may not impress in these games. Based on what I have read and seen, I suspect he is a better shooter than Flip- but probably not anywhere close to Flip in rebounding and taking hits to the head and face.

[CDu]

We shall see. He had a high ankle sprain in Feb and may not be pushing himself in All Star games. Like Flip- he may not impress in these games. Based on what I have read and seen, I suspect he is a better shooter than Flip- but probably not anywhere close to Flip in rebounding and taking hits to the head and face.

Oh for sure. I'm not saying Mgbako has definitely fallen off as a prospect. I'm just saying it's a possibility based on what Givony has said about the 2023 class... and the conspicuous absence of Mgbako from Givony's 2024 mock.

It's certainly also possible that Mgbako still has a monster freshman year and proves worthy of his top-10 ranking.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Last thing I read about Mgbako was a 2024 mock(ish) draft by Givony... that didn't include Mgbako. Givony is about as clued in on high school bball as they come, so unless it was a massive brain fart on his part (which is possible), it might be that Mgbako's stock has fallen a bit. It's not like Mgbako was this worldbeater of a prospect. He's not super athletic, and appears to be more of a 6'8" version of a Filipowski-style player, minus some of the ballhandling and passing skills. So it's possible that Mgbako just isn't as exciting a prospect as it seemed a year or more ago.

Hopefully that's not the case, but his 2023 highlights don't show much that make him stand out as an elite prospect. He's definitely bigger, and seems to be a true PF now rather than a tall wing forward.

I've been wondering about Mgbako lately. He has consistently been a top 10 player in his class. It's weird that Givony left him off his 2024 NBA Draft. He had Bronny at #10, though, which seems like total clickbait.

I wouldn't describe Mgbako as a Filipowski-type player at all, but he is probably playing the same sort of role at Duke and the NBA - a big that can score around the rim or stretch the floor. I wonder if he thinks that shooting is going to get him that big contract in the NBA. He's got good size and above-average athleticism for that jumbo wing role that Duke and the NBA like. Jayson Tatum had this reputation of taking inefficient shots while he was in high school. Maybe Mgbako is just trying to polish that shot because he thinks it is the key to his future in basketball.

It'd be a big bonus to Duke if he can reliably hit a corner or baseline jumper as well as attack closeouts. In a more structured setting, my hope is that Coach Scheyer and the staff can get Mgbako to see the value of attacking the rim. He is, by all accounts, an excellent finisher around the rim. With the right sets and coaching, he could get going downhill more often and then pick his spots to hit the jumper at the right time.

[JasonEvans]

These All-Star games are notoriously bad at really showing what guys can do in college. I mean, only a year ago Flip looked slow and unathletic in his All-star appearances. Now he is ACC Rookie of the Year.

In the 2016 McD game, Frank Jackson was one of the top guards on display, scoring 19 points on 7-11 shooting. He vastly outplayed, for example, De'Aaron Fox, who had just 2 points.

And who can forget how great Jordan Brown looked in 2018 when he scored 26 points and grabbed 8 rebounds... far better than the mediocre 8 points (on 4-9 shooting) and 5 boards for some dude named Zion Williamson. That was the same year that the East squad had a PG who shot 0-7 from the floor and committed 5 turnovers. There was no way Darius Garland would even turn out to be a good player after a performance like that!

I could go on and on...

[KKDL19]

I have been wondering about Mac too. With that said, he is extremely talented and maybe he just doesn't display that alpha personality in these type of All Star settings. There are a lot of players these days that are his size and have his skill set that are on most teams. Where he needs to establish himself is to bring that dog mentality when at Duke. Remember this time last year, Mark Mitchell was the unspoken of guy in the class too and he turned out to be very good for Duke. I think Mac is going to be fine next year, it's just a matter of how long it takes him to transition to college hoops. The luxury, is Duke doesn't need him to rely on him if players return.

The guy I have been watching the most Is Power. Although he is of similar size as Mitchell, Mac, Steward, he might be more well rounded as a player than all of them. If you watch him play in his games from this year, he is a tough kid that isn't afraid of getting in the paint to defend or grab rebounds. His skills of shooting, passing, ball handling and reading the game is very good. The only question is his athleticism defending players in space. But again, that was a question they all had about Flip too...

[DavidBenAkiva]

These All-Star games are notoriously bad at really showing what guys can do in college. I mean, only a year ago Flip looked slow and unathletic in his All-star appearances. Now he is ACC Rookie of the Year.

In the 2016 McD game, Frank Jackson was one of the top guards on display, scoring 19 points on 7-11 shooting. He vastly outplayed, for example, De'Aaron Fox, who had just 2 points.

And who can forget how great Jordan Brown looked in 2018 when he scored 26 points and grabbed 8 rebounds... far better than the mediocre 8 points (on 4-9 shooting) and 5 boards for some dude named Zion Williamson. That was the same year that the East squad had a PG who shot 0-7 from the floor and committed 5 turnovers. There was no way Darius Garland would even turn out to be a good player after a performance like that!

I could go on and on...

There are so many examples of these All-Star games where guys get big time buzz and then fizzle out next fall (Nassir Little, anyone?) or look awful but are actually very, very talented. I put as much stock in them as the Blue-White game. We are still talking about Christian Reeves and how he looked in the Blue-White game!

I do find the games interesting if only to get a better sense of the players. McCain's release looks really nice on his jumper, for example. Sean Stewart is really bouncy if not the flashiest player. That's about it, though. I've seen too many of these to put much stock in them.

[UrinalCake]

How I interpret the high school all star games:

- if one of our guys does well, it shows he's going to be a star
- if one of our guys struggles, it's because the format is not conducive to their style of play and these games don't mean anything

[budwom]

There are so many examples of these All-Star games where guys get big time buzz and then fizzle out next fall (Nassir Little, anyone?) or look awful but are actually very, very talented. I put as much stock in them as the Blue-White game. We are still talking about Christian Reeves and how he looked in the Blue-White game!

I do find the games interesting if only to get a better sense of the players. McCain's release looks really nice on his jumper, for example. Sean Stewart is really bouncy if not the flashiest player. That's about it, though. I've seen too many of these to put much stock in them.

Yes, though our Blue Devils have done rather well in the past with kids who have won the three point shooting contest.

[lotusland]

I’ve no clue about Mgbako, but i’d guess another of our ‘23 recruits will have a chip on his shoulder: Caleb Foster. He seems to have been nudged out of the McD game be Bronny. A few weeks back someone (Tommy?) posted about Foster having had a couple of brilliant games v. Bronny’s HS team.

I don’t think Foster’s playing in any of the AS games — happy to be corrected if I’m wrong about that. I suppose one could conclude that he’s not really a top 20 senior, but that’s not the impression I have from scattered posts on EK about him.

Any updates on Foster, or opinion about chip-on-shoulder?

How is the last name pronounced? Is anything silent? Working on a nickname.

[DavidBenAkiva]

How is the last name pronounced? Is anything silent? Working on a nickname.

The g is silent. "Mm-bah-koh"

[dukelifer]

These All-Star games are notoriously bad at really showing what guys can do in college. I mean, only a year ago Flip looked slow and unathletic in his All-star appearances. Now he is ACC Rookie of the Year.

In the 2016 McD game, Frank Jackson was one of the top guards on display, scoring 19 points on 7-11 shooting. He vastly outplayed, for example, De'Aaron Fox, who had just 2 points.

And who can forget how great Jordan Brown looked in 2018 when he scored 26 points and grabbed 8 rebounds... far better than the mediocre 8 points (on 4-9 shooting) and 5 boards for some dude named Zion Williamson. That was the same year that the East squad had a PG who shot 0-7 from the floor and committed 5 turnovers. There was no way Darius Garland would even turn out to be a good player after a performance like that!

I could go on and on...

I recall that Zion got hurt in that game- I think it involved Nassir Little, who won MvP and had a meh season at UNC.

[MChambers]

These All-Star games are notoriously bad at really showing what guys can do in college. I mean, only a year ago Flip looked slow and unathletic in his All-star appearances. Now he is ACC Rookie of the Year.

In the 2016 McD game, Frank Jackson was one of the top guards on display, scoring 19 points on 7-11 shooting. He vastly outplayed, for example, De'Aaron Fox, who had just 2 points.

And who can forget how great Jordan Brown looked in 2018 when he scored 26 points and grabbed 8 rebounds... far better than the mediocre 8 points (on 4-9 shooting) and 5 boards for some dude named Zion Williamson. That was the same year that the East squad had a PG who shot 0-7 from the floor and committed 5 turnovers. There was no way Darius Garland would even turn out to be a good player after a performance like that!

I could go on and on...

Yep. A couple of friends went to the 1988 Capital Classic. They told me how great Crawford Palmer was going to be, but they weren't impressed by Duke's other big, some guy named Laettner.

[gumbomoop]

How is the last name pronounced? Is anything silent? Working on a nickname.

M-bako, silent g, I think. Unless you meant Foster....

[lotusland]

M-bako, silent g, I think. Unless you meant Foster...

Well that’s unfortunate unless Silent G can be recycled upon transfer.

[DevilHorse]

M-bako, silent g, I think. Unless you meant Foster...

The G is silent in Foster too.

Larry
DevilHorse

[scottdude8]

From 247: https://247sports.com/college/basket...ded-207459179/

Nice quote (emphasis mine):

"I try to go into these new situations with no expectations, I just love to compete. Whoever comes back, I'm not worried about not playing. I couldn't care less about that. I just want to go in and compete, play my game and develop over these next few years. With coach Scheyer he's been my biggest supporter since he offered me, since he started talking to me and the whole coaching staff I just fell in love with how they treated me. They keep saying the truth."