2023 five-star forward Mackenzie Mgbako has requested a release from his National Letter of Intent with Duke University, per Joe Tipton of On3. The former McDonald’s All-American has been committed to the Blue Devils since April 8, 2022.
NEWS: 5⭐️ Duke signee Mackenzie Mgbako tells me he has requested a release from his National Letter of Intent and will reopen his recruitment.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 11, 2023
Story: https://t.co/17sFuHXkol pic.twitter.com/0vT5VeHekZ
Coming out of high school, the University of Kentucky made a huge push for Mgbako but was edged out by Duke. Now, Kentucky has the No. 1 overall recruiting class in college basketball with four five-star recruits and one four-star recruit.
Once it was announced that Mackenzie Mgbako requested a release from his NLI, speculation began to circulate quickly tying him to the Wildcats. But, Kentucky Sports Radio’s Jack Pilgrim quickly dispelled those rumors.
Kentucky is not expected to be involved for Duke signee Mackenzie Mgbako, sources tell KSR.
— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) April 11, 2023
John Calipari exploring veteran options to complement five-man recruiting class in 2023
Expect Louisville to make a push with North Carolina looming, as well.
In this same tweet, he acknowledged that Louisville could be involved in pursuing the highly-coveted five-star. Kenny Payne has had success in recruiting former five-star recruits who recently requested a release from their NLI with a different Division I program. Ask Dennis Evans.
The other connection to Mackenzie Mgbako that Louisville has is Assistant Coach Nolan Smith, who used to be an assistant at Duke. While he was there, he initially made contact with Mgbako prior to his committing to the Blue Devils. This connection led Jack Pilgrim’s colleague to utter similar words:
"“Don’t count out Louisville though and Mgbako’s relationship with assistant coach Nolan Smith, who initially recruited Mgbako to Duke before taking a job on Kenny Payne’s staff. North Carolina is also expected to get involved.”"
To wrap all of this up and tie it in a bow perfectly, Nolan Smith recently stated in an interview,
"“We have some big-time players coming in. I can’t say any names yet.”"
If Nolan Smith was referencing Mgbako with this statement, then Louisville’s already talented recruiting class would skyrocket even higher. Plus, Kenny Payne should be returning from Senegal sometime soon, if not already, as the NBA Academy Showcase officially ended this past Sunday.
It will be exciting to watch his recruitment unfold.