In this Hearings newsletter:

1. The Mackenzie Mgbako story 😖

2. New names KU hoops fans should watch for 👀

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EVERYTHING IN THIS NEWSLETTER IS BASED UPON WHAT I AM HEARING FROM PEOPLE I TRUST. PLEASE DO NOT MISTAKE THIS FOR FACT OR FOR ACTUAL JOURNALISM, WHICH HAS VERIFICATION STANDARDS THAT I HAVE NOT ADHERED TO. I DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT.

What Happened with Mackenzie Mgbako?

All week I had predicted five-star recruit Mackenzie Mgbako would be a Jayhawk. That prediction, at it’s core, was wrong. I’m sorry for getting your hopes up. I don’t think you’ll see this from other folks who predicted the same result.

Still, I think it’s interesting to dig deeper into what happened, why I was wrong, and why I think Bill Self was wrong, too. Two days before Kansas lost Mgbako to Indiana, I wrote:

I’m glad I included the bit about last-minute shenanigans because that’s exactly what I believe happened. First, a rundown of the timeline.

Saturday, May 6: Kansas held a “Rock Chalk Forever” event at Sporting KC’s Children’s Mercy Park. During this event, I’m Hearing Bill Self indicated he expects another “great'“ week ahead for KU. The Jayhawks had just signed Hunter Dickinson and originally hoped Mgbako would commit early in the week.

Sunday-Thursday: While the Mgabko announcement got pushed to Friday, I continued to Hear confidence around KU and in the recruiting world that Mgbako would commit to Kansas.

Thursday, May 11: I’m Hearing Kansas is told Mgbako will be a Jayhawk. It’s believed Indiana was told this as well.

Friday, May 12. Commitment Day: I’m Hearing Self tells donors over a Zoom call at 1:00 pm that it would be a “great” day. The KU staff and athletic department believe Mgbako will commit.

Meanwhile, Mgbako starts following Indiana players — and then he and Mark Cuban followed each other. Cuban graduated from Indiana’s business school and is a widely known Hoosiers fan.

Then the true shocker happened: Mgbako committed to Indiana.

I’ve Heard the Kansas staff wasn’t told about Mgbako’s change to Indiana until ~10 minutes before he announced the decision.

It’s a stunner in the KU athletic department. I picked up on both confusion and frustration after the announcement. It also added a ton of stress to the KU coaching staff.

Something noteworthy here: Cuban is represented by talent agency Creative Arts Agency (CAA), as is Indiana coach Mike Woodson… as is Mgbako himself. In the tweet below, hoops analyst Ant Wright references the CAA connection after the Phoenix Suns parted ways with coach Monty Williams.

Based on what I’ve Heard, it sounds like something happened Thursday night or Friday morning that convinced Mgbako to change course and pick Indiana. Of course, Hoosiers fans will say they had Mgbako all along. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle: Kansas was in good position, but Indiana was never truly out of it.

Mgbako visited Indiana after his trip to Lawrence. It doesn’t matter what Mgbako told KU during his visit — the recruitment remained open while he visited the Hoosiers. Indiana had all the connections it needed to keep the door open through the final hour.

This kind of late change has always been possible in college hoops recruiting. In the NIL era, it’s going to happen even more frequently. KU benefited from stunning UCLA when it landed Marcus Adams Jr., for example.

This time, it just didn’t work out in KU’s favor.

I’ll keep sharing what I’m Hearing. Most of the time, it’ll be right. Sometimes it’ll be wrong. Sometimes things will change at the last minute. This was a mix of all of them.

Names to Watch for Kansas

Kansas needs a backup big man and a wing with size to complete its roster. The Jayhawks have three open scholarships but may only fill two slots due to its self-imposed scholarship reduction.

I’d expect to Hear word about a visitor soon, and I’ll update you as soon as I can.

For now, here are the players to watch:

Grant Nelson | North Dakota | Big Big Wing | Super Senior

• Nelson is a top target for KU, but he’s going through the NBA Draft process. The 6’11” big man would be a star addition for the Jayhawks.

• With Hunter Dickinson on the roster, Nelson would likely start at the “four“ spot for KU. He’s mobile enough to make it work.

• He averaged 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game on 52.1% shooting last year.

Kevin McCullar | Kansas | Wing | Super Senior

• Rumors about McCullar’s possible return spread throughout social media last week. I’m Hearing this is more hope than a possibility, still.

• McCullar will go through the NBA Draft process, and I believe his preference would be to play professionally next year (even if he could make more money in Lawrence).

• I don’t think McCullar’s return is too likely at this point. This could change quickly depending on the NBA feedback he receives.

Julian Phillips | Tennessee | Wing | Sophomore

• Phillips was a surprise entry to the transfer portal. The former McDonald’s All-American is going through the NBA Draft process and would be a monster pickup for any college.

• Phillips averaged 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game on 41.1% shooting his freshman year.

Arthur Kaluma | Creighton | Big Wing | Junior

• Kaluma is a proven big wing who can provide quality minutes for the Jayhawks. Kaluma is a solid pickup for whoever gets him, but he’s considered an Arizona lean right now. The 6’8” wing would fit KU’s roster needs well.

• While he struggled to shoot from three, Kaluma averaged 11.8 points and 6 rebounds per game on 42.3% shooting for the Bluejays.

Parker Braun | Santa Clara | Big | Super Senior

• Kansas needs a backup big man, and Parker Braun is in the portal. Bringing in Christian Braun’s 6’10” brother makes a lot of sense, depending on how the Jayhawks feel elsewhere. Bringing in Braun makes life easy for the staff to focus on other impact players.

• Braun averaged 7.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game his senior year at Santa Clara.

Adrame Diongue | Washington State | Big | Sophomore

• If Kansas wants to add a project with potential, Diongue is its guy. The 7-footer with a 7’6” wingspan included KU in his final five schools when he first committed to Washington State.

• Diongue didn’t do much as a freshman for the Cougars, but was a top 100 player in high school and was a likely starter for Wazzu this coming season.

Alexis Yetna | Seton Hall | Big | Super Senior

• Yetna immediately fits as a capable big man wherever he lands. I’ve Heard Kansas has taken a look here. However, he’d need a waiver as a two-time transfer and has had injury issues throughout his career.

Isaiah Miranda | NC State | Big Wing | Redshirt Freshman

• Miranda is an intriguing 7’1” freshman who spent half of last season redshirting at NC State, an Adidas program. He could fill the “big wing” role for the Jayhawks.

• We haven’t seen him play at the collegiate level yet, but he’s thought to be another big project with major talent. Miranda is going through the NBA Draft process, and has heard from Kentucky, Villanova, Florida State and more, according to 247Sports.

Mac Etienne | UCLA | Big | Redshirt Sophomore

• Etienne also fills KU’s need for a backup big man. He was highly touted out of high school, and the Jayhawks were among his many offers out of Brewster Academy.

• Etienne tore his ACL as a freshman at UCLA. After redshirting, he returned to play just 6.8 minutes per game on a talented Buins team last year.

Aziz Bandaogo | Utah Valley | Big | Junior

• I’ve mentioned Bandaogo as a player to watch before. The former WAC Defensive Player of the Year is a two-time transfer and isn’t assured eligibility next season. He’ll also want a spot with more playing time.

Ernest Udeh | Kansas | Big | Sophomore

• Kansas would love to convince Udeh to come back. While it’s not impossible, I think it’s pretty unlikely.

Zuby Ejiofor | Kansas | Big | Sophomore

• The same as Udeh. KU can try, but it seems unlikely right now. I think he lands at St. John’s.

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It’s Gonna be OK, Scoopsmafia 💪😂