2023 Mackenzie Mgbako COMMITS TO INDIANA UNIVERSITY!!!

[cthomas]

5 minutes ago, tdhoosier said:

Please. Why should he be loyal to IU or any other school?

Kid’s have always made the best decision for them. It’s not selfish, it’s smart. 

How many decisions do you make in life that go against your self interest?

Not my point. We, as fans, get caught up in kids should pick us based on our pedigree. They don't. At this point IU basketball is no different than an NBA franchise shopping for the best players we can afford.

[Artesian_86]

5 minutes ago, cthomas said:

Not my point. We, as fans, get caught up in kids should pick us based on our pedigree. They don't. At this point IU basketball is no different than an NBA franchise shopping for the best players we can afford.

[FKIM01]

2 hours ago, DC2345 said:

MM and his family really liked Mike Woodson, JHS really sold the family on how IU could develop 1 and done players, and IU presented a very strong NIL package 

If I'm Woodson, I'd make sure MM and his family saw that cheesy/douchebaggy video of Hunter Dickinson telling Dollar Bill he was committing.  That was more awkward than Mormons filming amateur porn. (hypothetical illustration...I promise.)

[tdhoosier]

7 minutes ago, cthomas said:

Not my point. We, as fans, get caught up in kids should pick us based on our pedigree. They don't. At this point IU basketball is no different than an NBA franchise shopping for the best players we can afford.

My apologies then. It just came off in a disparaging manner. 

I also think loyalty is a two way street. And I also think loyalty needs to be earned. MM is looking for scraps of loyalty too. And I’d have to imagine that he’s a bit jaded. It was probably sold to him that Flipkowaki was one and done. And the guy that recruited him to Duke is now on Louisville’s staff. Just saying, let the kid figure out where is the best fit for him and respect the decision…whenever it may come. 

[dgambill]

2 hours ago, Artesian_86 said:

I would say we were the bride when we got JHS and Reneau. You are correct though, we’ve been the bridesmaid a lot.

Those are great recruits but they weren’t one of those top 10 5* kids. JHS probably should have been.

[Initial79]

3 hours ago, SawatchHoosier said:

 

I might be wrong but I thought it was Mgbako's family that sent these to Slater not Mgbako himself. 

I mean, same thing. Point was, it wasn’t the school. 

[Hoosierfan1901]

1 hour ago, tdhoosier said:

Predictable. Or was everybody going to be led down this road again? 

 

Type of recruitment that he was going to all his visits 

[Initial79]

2 hours ago, Between2Halls said:

I’ve always assumed he would take all visits. Just seems like that type of recruitment.  

Agreed, he said he would all along. 

maybe I am crazy (likely) but feel he whole recruitment has actually been easy to read 

still think IU has always made the most sense on this one and they sure didn’t hurt themselves.

[KDB]

[IUCrazy2]

If we were to lose out to Louisville, then c'est la vie.  Out of all the choices available to him, that one is the worst.  If the relationship to that one assistant overrides the ineptness of the actual coach and how in the dumps that program is now, then none of the other 3 ever had a chance.

[Between2Halls]

21 minutes ago, IUCrazy2 said:

If we were to lose out to Louisville, then c'est la vie.  Out of all the choices available to him, that one is the worst.  If the relationship to that one assistant overrides the ineptness of the actual coach and how in the dumps that program is now, then none of the other 3 ever had a chance.

His five stars are more than their wins from last year. 😂

[IUFLA]

10 hours ago, KoB2011 said:

Yes, and Mgbako doesn’t play those positions and none of those guys are what I would call bucket getters despite how good they may be.

From a basketball perspective, Mgbako has more of a chance to step in and be the missing piece at his preferred position than any of the other schools.

And once again, you're missing the point. I said I thought IU was a longshot because both St Johns and Louisville not only can give him time, but a bigger role in the offense." I mentioned the other positions simply to say we have much better scoring options available than either Louisville or St Johns do...If you can't see that, I don't know what to say..

 

10 hours ago, KoB2011 said:

Talking about their legacy across generations and competition levels is subjective, yeah. That’s not a part of the Mgbako discussion.

A  component of that discussion was Romeo's transition to college which you called "underwhelming." Although I think Romeo's freshman season could have been better, he put up some pretty good numbers...That's not "subjective" at all, it's fact. My point, again, was if this kid would chose IU and equal those numbers, I think we'd all be thrilled...If he equaled JHS's scoring numbers, I'd be thrilled...

11 hours ago, KoB2011 said:

That’s great, it’s also not the standard. This will be a deeper and more balanced team. I doubt anyone scored 17 PPG next year if we add Mgbako and Dingle. 

Wait...I thought you said he would be a "massive addition"? I'm a little confused in what your expectations of him are?

Is he a "massive addition" or just a "piece of the puzzle?" 

[Artesian_86]

With the Louisville visit apparently still on, I feel it's going to be a slow day at work today!....... What am I going to do, not refreshing and checking this board every 5 minutes? lol 😉 

 

......unfortunately, I'm still going to check and refresh my computer every 5 minutes!....🤪🙄😵

 

[KoB2011]

37 minutes ago, IUFLA said:

And once again, you're missing the point. I said I thought IU was a longshot because both St Johns and Louisville not only can give him time, but a bigger role in the offense." I mentioned the other positions simply to say we have much better scoring options available than either Louisville or St Johns do...If you can't see that, I don't know what to say..

Yeah I don’t see that at all. Unless what you’re saying is he wants 20 shots per game, I think we offer as big of a role as any school in the running for him. He’s look at 30+ minutes and probably being our go to scorer when we need a bucket here. 

 

37 minutes ago, IUFLA said:

A  component of that discussion was Romeo's transition to college which you called "underwhelming." Although I think Romeo's freshman season could have been better, he put up some pretty good numbers...That's not "subjective" at all, it's fact. My point, again, was if this kid would chose IU and equal those numbers, I think we'd all be thrilled...If he equaled JHS's scoring numbers, I'd be thrilled...

Saying Romeo had a successful time I. Bloomington is pretty subjective. I don’t think I’m close to the only one on this board that would have mixed feelings on his season here, which shows the lack of objectivity there. I don’t understand how it relates to Mgbako other than you grasping at straws to be argumentative.

I at least take solace in knowing if he commits that you will quickly be a staunch defender of his and stop with this silly talk about him.

37 minutes ago, IUFLA said:

Wait...I thought you said he would be a "massive addition"? I'm a little confused in what your expectations of him are?

Is he a "massive addition" or just a "piece of the puzzle?"

He would be a massive addition, I’ve not said otherwise. You can be the best player on a really good team and not score 17 PPG. My expectations if he were to commit right now are that he’d be one of our two most talented players, our go to scorer when we need a guy who can go get a bucket (not necessarily our leading scorer), and he would play over 30 minutes per game. The go to scorer might change if we get Dingle.

Edited May 8, 2023 by KoB2011

[IUFLA]

5 minutes ago, KoB2011 said:

Yeah I don’t see that at all. Unless what you’re saying is he wants 20 shots per game, I don’t think we offer as big of a role as any school in the running for him. He’s look at 30+ minutes and probably being our go to scorer when we need a bucket here. 

You try to use hyperbole to get your point across...And it's failing..."Bigger part of the offense" doesn't mean "20 shots per game." 

You've never watched this kid play beside maybe a highlight reel here or there...And neither have I...Yet you call him our "go to scorer" when we have XJ, Reneau, and Ware...Neither St John nor Louisville have close to our talent at this point...He'd definitely be the "go to" at those 2 schools...The kid averaged 16 ppg against high school defenses, and he's not a superior athlete according to scouting reports...Those comments aren't to disparage the kid...they're stark facts...

Once again, I'll say if Woody wants him, and he wants to come, fine...I've had confidence in Coach Woodson since day one...Not something a lot of people, you included, can say...And from what I've seen so far, Mike Woodson has lived up to what I thought he'd be...Excellent coach, that can recruit at high levels and bring IU back to prominence...

I hope Mackenzie can be a contributor to a successful team if hew chooses IU...

But my expectations of what he'll lend if he does come aren't nearly as high as some...

And if he chooses a different school, I'm not going to jump off of a cliff...

That said, I'm really tired of having to explain everything I post to you...I'll depart this conversation and leave the field to you...

 

[KoB2011]

2 minutes ago, IUFLA said:

You try to use hyperbole to get your point across...And it's failing..."Bigger part of the offense" doesn't mean "20 shots per game." 

Or you’re not understanding really basic modern basketball roles. I’m not using hyperbole, the kid will be a massive get for whoever is lucky enough to land him and on any team besides maybe Kansas he’s going to have a huge role in the offense.

None of the other guys we have are really the type of guy that you just give the ball to and say “go get a bucket”. That’s not a knock on any of them, it’s just not the type of players they are. Mgbako is that type of player - he can get to his spot and score at all three levels. 

[KDB]

https://www.zagsblog.com/2023/05/08/five-star-mackenzie-mgbako-visits-indiana-ahead-of-final-trip-to-louisville/

[Euroclydon]

The new hyper free agency in the college game is untenable. I give it another season or two of insane bidding and teams imploding season to season before something is changed. 

As for the kids in this moment, you can't blame them. If you're MM, let the bidding war continue.

His options really depend on what his priorities are all about. If it's money - highest bid wins. If it's being on tv on the biggest stage maybe kansas is the safe bet but he will have to beat out others to get on the floor. If it's playing time he can be a big fish in a small pond with the 'ville but not sure the tourney/big tv stage is waiting for them this season. Close to home - St Johns will take him and he gets playing time. Not going to win much. IU can offer a bit of all options. Playing time, money, tv, NBA coach, and facilities are all available. He could be a big reason why they make the tourney. It's all perspective and who's in the kid's ear. 

 

 

Edited May 8, 2023 by Euroclydon

[Tru123dt]

35 minutes ago, IUFLA said:

You try to use hyperbole to get your point across...And it's failing..."Bigger part of the offense" doesn't mean "20 shots per game." 

You've never watched this kid play beside maybe a highlight reel here or there...And neither have I...Yet you call him our "go to scorer" when we have XJ, Reneau, and Ware...Neither St John nor Louisville have close to our talent at this point...He'd definitely be the "go to" at those 2 schools...The kid averaged 16 ppg against high school defenses, and he's not a superior athlete according to scouting reports...Those comments aren't to disparage the kid...they're stark facts...

Once again, I'll say if Woody wants him, and he wants to come, fine...I've had confidence in Coach Woodson since day one...Not something a lot of people, you included, can say...And from what I've seen so far, Mike Woodson has lived up to what I thought he'd be...Excellent coach, that can recruit at high levels and bring IU back to prominence...

I hope Mackenzie can be a contributor to a successful team if hew chooses IU...

But my expectations of what he'll lend if he does come aren't nearly as high as some...

And if he chooses a different school, I'm not going to jump off of a cliff...

That said, I'm really tired of having to explain everything I post to you...I'll depart this conversation and leave the field to you...

 

Mgbako right now is considered a first round to a lottery pick in next year’s draft.  Some say he has the highest ceiling in the draft, so if he is on our team then he will be the best player on the team.  

[Hoosier987]

2 minutes ago, Tru123dt said:

Mgbako right now is considered a first round to a lottery pick in next year’s draft.  Some say he has the highest ceiling in the draft, so if he is on our team then he will be the best player on the team.  

Yep. He would be a giant get.

[5fouls]

6 minutes ago, Tru123dt said:

Mgbako right now is considered a first round to a lottery pick in next year’s draft.  Some say he has the highest ceiling in the draft, so if he is on our team then he will be the best player on the team.  

I saw reviewing mock drafts last night and found one from December that had Ware in the lottery for this year's draft. It's a little early to say Mgbako immediately becomes the best player on any team, 

[Tru123dt]

4 minutes ago, 5fouls said:

I saw reviewing mock drafts last night and found one from December that had Ware in the lottery for this year's draft. It's a little early to say Mgbako immediately becomes the best player on any team, 

He would be the best scorer without a doubt but best player could be debatable.  With his athleticism, height, and shooting; he is a true beast and a game changer for our team. 

[KoB2011]

46 minutes ago, Euroclydon said:

The new hyper free agency in the college game is untenable. I give it another season or two of insane bidding and teams imploding season to season before something is changed. 

As for the kids in this moment, you can't blame them. If you're MM, let the bidding war continue.

His options really depend on what his priorities are all about. If it's money - highest bid wins. If it's being on tv on the biggest stage maybe kansas is the safe bet but he will have to beat out others to get on the floor. If it's playing time he can be a big fish in a small pond with the 'ville but not sure the tourney/big tv stage is waiting for them this season. Close to home - St Johns will take him and he gets playing time. Not going to win much. IU can offer a bit of all options. Playing time, money, tv, NBA coach, and facilities are all available. He could be a big reason why they make the tourney. It's all perspective and who's in the kid's ear. 

 

 

Is Kansas anymore featured or on TV than us? I really don't think so.

To your point, I think we offer a bit of everything, sans being close to home. He's seemingly going to get a lot of money anywhere he goes of the four because of Adidas, not sure there is any big lean there.

He's going to get 30+ minutes per game anywhere except for maybe Kansas. His shots would likely be a little lower at IU and especially Kansas than they would at SJU or UL, but I don't know that his importance would. KD averages a few less shots per game when he is on a title contender as opposed to OKC or Brooklyn, but I don't think he was more important on those two teams. 

Kansas is the safest bet to win big, but IU with him is a pretty dang good bet on that too.

The x-factor is going to be the relationships anywhere, but we probably are the best total package when you isolate out that (none of us can really know much about the relationships at all four schools). 

[13th&Jackson]

56 minutes ago, KDB said:

https://www.zagsblog.com/2023/05/08/five-star-mackenzie-mgbako-visits-indiana-ahead-of-final-trip-to-louisville/

Sounds like his HS coach has St Johns and Kansas above IU

[btownqb]

7 minutes ago, 13th&Jackson said:

Sounds like his HS coach has St Johns and Kansas above IU

from that article?