Mackenzie Mgbako, a projected second-round pick, will withdraw from the NBA draft and spend his junior season at Texas A&M, he told ESPN on Tuesday.
“I decided to withdraw to focus on becoming a lock first-round pick next year,” Mgbako said. “I am committed to making the improvements to my game based upon feedback from NBA teams.”
The NCAA deadline for players to withdraw from the NBA draft and maintain college eligibility is Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Mgbako, a top-10 high school recruit in 2023 and former McDonald’s All American, spent his first two seasons at Indiana, averaging 12.2 points and 4.3 rebounds in 26 minutes over 65 games.
He elected to enter the transfer portal in late March and committed to Texas A&M several weeks later. However, he also announced his intentions to explore the NBA draft process, being invited to the G League Elite Camp in Chicago earlier this month.
Mgbako led the camp in scoring — posting 41 points and 11 rebounds in 41 minutes — to earn an invite to the more prestigious NBA draft combine. He continued to score there, too, adding another 31 points and 16 rebounds in 43 minutes. He finished the week shooting 13-of-26 from 3 while drawing free throws in bunches, significantly improving his outlook as an NBA prospect after also measuring just under 6-foot-9 in shoes.
“I look forward to building off of my experience at the combine and team workouts and translating that into a full season’s worth of basketball at Texas A&M,” Mgbako said. “I look forward to playing in Coach McMillan’s system, doing whatever is asked of me to help our team win, play in the NCAA tournament and go deep into March.”
Leave a Reply