2023 Mackenzie Mgbako COMMITS TO INDIANA UNIVERSITY!!!

[RoadToZion]

26 minutes ago, Beamerball said:

$$$$$

All 4 schools can give him plenty of money so I don't think its just that. Relationships matter. 

[Beamerball]

1 minute ago, RoadToZion said:

All 4 schools can give him plenty of money so I don't think its just that. Relationships matter. 

Agree but maybe not the relationships we think of, maybe more behind the scenes relationships than his with the assistant coach who was already at Louisville when he committed to Duke

 

[Hoosierfan1901]

We will see how this one goes next week (assuming he makes a decision), maybe he surprises everyone 

[13th&Jackson]

16 minutes ago, RoadToZion said:

All 4 schools can give him plenty of money so I don't think its just that. Relationships matter. 

He already has NIL deals

As a high school athlete in the state of New Jersey, he is also allowed to begin building his NIL brand. 

He signed with CAA for representation in June. He’s promoted the Google Pixel, appearing in a commercial next to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum and Candace Parker in October. And now Mgbako has signed with the energy drink company G Fuel, 

[IndyResident16]

11 minutes ago, RoadToZion said:

All 4 schools can give him plenty of money so I don't think its just that. Relationships matter. 

Been saying this for weeks. Yeah locker rooms with juice bars and granola stations are nice perks and so are NIL packages (especially when one school has a clear advantage)…but in the case of Mgabko where each school can offer plenty, it comes down to relationships.

There’s been a lot of noise here the last couple weeks from a certain individual, but at the end of the day, 99% of recruits are going to commit to a coach/staff that they have built the best relationship with and feel most comfortable playing for. Been that way forever and don’t foresee it changing even in the new landscape.

[Drroogh]

1 hour ago, bluegrassIU said:

Same. I don't know if it's just PTSD, or what. I have no information at all. But I have the same feeling.

Hoping.to be wrong for sure.

No matter how this turns out, you have to remember CAM is no longer here! We may need somekind of anonymous program to get us back on track!

[Artesian_86]

7 minutes ago, IndyResident16 said:

Been saying this for weeks. Yeah locker rooms with juice bars and granola stations are nice perks and so are NIL packages (especially when one school has a clear advantage)…but in the case of Mgabko where each school can offer plenty, it comes down to relationships.

There’s been a lot of noise here the last couple weeks from a certain individual, but at the end of the day, 99% of recruits are going to commit to a coach/staff that they have built the best relationship with and feel most comfortable playing for. Been that way forever and don’t foresee it changing even in the new landscape.

Totally agree! Let's hope that Ya and Coach Woodson have done their best to establish that strong relationship with MM, far better that others. I hope that TJD, JHS and others were able to weigh in somehow on MM's recruitment this past weekend.

[IUCrazy2]

14 minutes ago, IndyResident16 said:

Been saying this for weeks. Yeah locker rooms with juice bars and granola stations are nice perks and so are NIL packages (especially when one school has a clear advantage)…but in the case of Mgabko where each school can offer plenty, it comes down to relationships.

There’s been a lot of noise here the last couple weeks from a certain individual, but at the end of the day, 99% of recruits are going to commit to a coach/staff that they have built the best relationship with and feel most comfortable playing for. Been that way forever and don’t foresee it changing even in the new landscape.

I can see both, yeah you need the relationships but some of that other stuff might be the door to building those relationships.

There may be a coach at Bumtucky Southwest State who is just the greatest guy and personality ever but most people don't know that because nobody is giving BSSU a look to begin with.  Your personality may be great but most people need something going on in the looks department that the other person finds at least somewhat attractive in order to showcase that personality.

Edited May 8, 2023 by IUCrazy2

[Initial79]

3 minutes ago, Artesian_86 said:

Totally agree! Let's hope that Ya and Coach Woodson have done their best to establish that strong relationship with MM, far better that others. I hope that TJD, JHS and others were able to weigh in somehow on MM's recruitment this past weekend.

Since I can still see good old Indy when people quote him. This is soooo far from how most top recruits decide. Relationship is the given and required.  You are not going anywhere without the relationship built. But once you have 3 or 4 schools you feel comfortable with…. Then it is about - 

How he fits, playing time, how can you get me to NBA fast, how will you develop me, NIL beyond what I can already do myself or any school and yes facilities, etc are 1 part of all these factors.  See Kentucky going nuts over Hunter comments in another thread (it ALL matters) 

In this case, personal feeling, I think everyone is overthinking it. It was always Louisville in the beginning but he added more visits when things didn’t go well with them (missed visit or something) however, I truly believe IU outdoes Louisville on all fronts for this particular recruit. 

[IndyResident16]

Just now, IUCrazy2 said:

I can see both, yeah you need the relationships but some of that other stuff might be the door to building those relationships.

There may be a coach and Bumtucky Southwest State who is just the greatest guy and personality ever but most people don't know that because nobody is giving BSSU a look to begin with.  Your personality may be great but most people need something going on in the looks department that the other person finds at least somewhat attractive in order to showcase that personality.

Right which is why I said it could potentially play a part in a situation where one school has a clear advantage over the other...but we're talking about Indiana, Louisville, and Kansas here. All three are top 10 programs of all-time. All three have top of the line facilities and amenities  and all-three can handsomely offer lucrative NIL packages. But, as it appears, there's one school where this particular recruit has a well established relationship with a current staffer that extends much further than the 24-48 hour visits with staff to some of these other schools. 

If and when Mgabko ultimately chooses Louisville you'll know the reason why; Nolan Smith. 

[IndyResident16]

7 minutes ago, Initial79 said:

In this case, personal feeling, I think everyone is overthinking it. It was always Louisville in the beginning but he added more visits when things didn’t go well with them (missed visit or something) however, I truly believe IU outdoes Louisville on all fronts for this particular recruit.

With the exception of the previous built in relationship with a member of the Louisville staff which at the end of the day is going to be the deciding factor, something you've struggled with for a month now. 

Edited May 8, 2023 by IndyResident16

[13th&Jackson]

2 hours ago, 13th&Jackson said:

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

 

2 hours ago, btownqb said:

from that article? 

I wasn't clear, I guess. From the article, it sounded like his HS coach favored STJ and KS. Not that he was saying who Mgbako favored.

[IndyResident16]

6 minutes ago, Initial79 said:

Since I can still see good old Indy when people quote him. This is soooo far from how most top recruits decide. Relationship is the given and required.  You are not going anywhere without the relationship built. But once you have 3 or 4 schools you feel comfortable with…. Then it is about - 

Lol...you can keep living on the Instagram pages of 17-18 year old high school kids and I'll continue to live in reality. 

[Initial79]

9 minutes ago, Initial79 said:

Since I can still see good old Indy when people quote him. This is soooo far from how most top recruits decide. Relationship is the given and required.  You are not going anywhere without the relationship built. But once you have 3 or 4 schools you feel comfortable with…. Then it is about - 

How he fits, playing time, how can you get me to NBA fast, how will you develop me, NIL beyond what I can already do myself or any school and yes facilities, etc are 1 part of all these factors.  See Kentucky going nuts over Hunter comments in another thread (it ALL matters) 

In this case, personal feeling, I think everyone is overthinking it. It was always Louisville in the beginning but he added more visits when things didn’t go well with them (missed visit or something) however, I truly believe IU outdoes Louisville on all fronts for this particular recruit. 

Apparently relationships, NIL, playing time etc don’t matter. The agent is deciding so 🤷‍♂️

[MoyeCowbell]

I'm really impressed with the trajectory of the reactions to this recruitment. We are hitting every. single. checkpoint. with NASA-level precision.

We're now in the "logical explanation/downplay of likelihood" phase, which is performed to lessen the sting of an undesired outcome.

Next is the "looking in the mirror" phase, where there will be intense criticisms of what we lack, how we need to change, etc.

[Hoosierfan1901]

Read on BTB, seems like the Agent is pretty much saying you should play at Louisville

[DC2345]

1 minute ago, Hoosierfan1901 said:

Read on BTB, seems like the Agent is pretty much saying you should play at Louisville

Yeah the situation seems odd. The same agency represented JHS. That said we've been warned to not believe any rumors involving this recruitment and yet people continue to freak out. 

[Between2Halls]

We all have our opinions as to how this will play out. Regardless, my takeaways are as follows:

1. We were given a shot with a top level recruit from what seemed out of nowhere. 
2. We made a GREAT showing during his visit. 
3. With all of the chatter surrounding this recruitment I only see it as a positive for IU. 
4. The steep hill we have been climbing for years is becoming less steep all the time. 
5. I am pleased with the leadership we have in place for our basketball program. Haven’t felt that in a while. 
6. Our time is closer than we realize. 

[FKIM01]

2 hours ago, IU Scott said:

For some reason I am getting the vibe of UL on this one. I think they can offer him a lot in NOL but more importantly the opportunity to showcase his skills more than IU and KU. I feel like the most important part for him is being the man and getting the lime light. If it was about being on TV and winning he would have just stayed at Duke. From this article I could see St. Johns as well.

They can't offer any coaching or development ability.  If I'm looking at the dumpster fire at Louisville last year, they would definitely be the highest risk pick of the four.  Four and twenty-eight...how in the world do you sell that?  Smart players know that there was more talent on the team last year than 4-28 projects.  That's on the staff's incompetence.  I'd almost guarantee Tom Crean would have won more than four games with that roster.

Edited May 8, 2023 by FKIM01
typo

[Hoosierfan1901]

1 minute ago, DC2345 said:

Yeah the situation seems odd. The same agency represented JHS. That said we've been warned to not believe any rumors involving this recruitment and yet people continue to freak out. 

Also, that Trilly account did say a lot of misinformation was coming from Louisville too

[RoadToZion]

The agent "deciding" makes no sense. Why visit the other schools then? It would have been UL from the start. I still think his relationship with Nolan Smith is the thing that matters most. 

[IndyResident16]

1 minute ago, FKIM01 said:

They can't offer any coaching or development ability.  If I'm looking at the dumpster fire at Louisville last year, they would definitely be the highest risk pick of the four.  Four and twenty-eight...how in the world do you sell that?  Smart players know that there was more talent on the team last year than 4-28 projects.  That's on the staff's incompetence.  I'd almost guarantee Tom Crean would have won more than four gams with that roster.

Payne was a 10 year bench coach under Calipari that sent almost 50 guys to the NBA. I don't think his camp is worried about Mgabko's ability to get to the NBA with Payne at the helm. Really the only way Mgabko isn't a first round pick next year is if he gets injured, he's that talented. Louisville is likely selling MM on the idea that they went 4-28 last year because they didn't have a player of MM's caliber on the roster. MM instantly becomes the face of that Louisville program and likely their best player next year. He'll get the usage and whatever shots he wants. Add all that in with his familiarity towards Nolan Smith and it's the likely landing spot. 

[02Hoosier]

1 hour ago, btownqb said:

1901 I don't believe anything, anyone tells me. I don't trust any of you f***ers. 🤣

Not to mention the story of this recruitment has changed idk how many times within the past 4 days. I won’t believe anything I read on here until I see him post his commitment himself lol.

[IndyResident16]

2 minutes ago, RoadToZion said:

The agent "deciding" makes no sense. Why visit the other schools then? It would have been UL from the start. I still think his relationship with Nolan Smith is the thing that matters most. 

Nolan Smith is definitely the deciding factor but couldn't hurt Mgabko or the agency to visit two other high profile basketball schools to leverage an even bigger NIL deal. Throw in hometown St. John's who has donors on deck (one being Mike Repole who owned Derby favorite Forte before he scratched) and MM's NIL package is probably a digit bigger than what it originally was. 

[IUFLA]