from terrapintimes.com
Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon is far from finished adding pieces in the 2018 class, but he’s already got a bead on the 2019 crop. On August 4, he snagged a pair of twin 6-foot-9 big men in Makhi and Makhel Mitchell. Both have shined at Bishop McNamara in Forestville, Md., as well as with the DC Blue Devils on the Nike EYBL circuit.
Makhi averaged 12 points and seven rebounds, while Makhel dropped in 10 points and nine rebounds. Makhel Mitchell also led the EYBL in blocks with four per game; Makhi posted about three per bout.
“Basically what happened is we met with the Maryland coaches [August 3] and decided this is where we wanted to be,” Makhi Mitchell said. “We didn’t want to come out with it right away, but after meeting with Coach [Mark] Turgeon we knew Maryland was our home. We told him around 6 p.m. [August 3], and he was really pumped. He can’t wait to see us both in College Park. Maryland is a great school for us. We’ve been watching them for years, and we’ve watched my friends like Melo [Trimble] play there. It’s awesome.
“We always planned on going to school together, and Maryland gave us that chance. If a school was interested in me and not him, we weren’t considering it. But the Terps did give us that chance and we both loved it. It’s always been a dream of ours to go to Maryland too. It’s been a dream to play at the hometown school.”
The twins have, from the jump, been a package deal. They had offers from the likes of UGA, Georgia Tech, Memphis, DePaul, GW, USF, Va Tech and a couple others, but Maryland represented their most significant suitor.
Assistant Kevin Broadus had been recruiting them when we was with Georgetown last year, and he continued the pursuit after arriving at UMD.
“Coach Broadus has been on us for a long time, and he’s a good guy,” Makhi Mitchell said. “We built a bond with him while he was at Georgetown and it didn’t end when he went to Maryland. He’s a nice dude and a good coach. And it’s like that with all the Maryland guys. Coach Turgeon, Coach [Dustin] Clark, Coach [Bino] Ranson, I have a great relationship with most of them. I mean, we’ve been going up there since the sixth grade, so we know those guys.
“Also, Coach Turgeon offered us loyalty. Not many coaches today will do that. But he told us from the jump he wanted us both and he kept his word. That’s one of the main reasons we committed early.”
The Mitchell twins appreciated the offense as well. They believe they can step in and score underneath the hoop right away, as well as protect the rim defensively.
“The way Maryland plays, we love it. They really understand how the game is played there,” Makhel Mitchell said. “The offense is great for us, because it allows us to be versatile and play in a variety of different ways. Also, it’s a really good school too. That’s important to us.”
The Mitchells went on to praise the aesthetic qualities Maryland offers. They loved Xfinity Center after taking in multiple games, as well as the campus and the dorms.
“First of all, we’re both team players. We defer to the team and do whatever it takes to help the team win,” Makhi Mitchell said. “We play our part to help the team win. But we both pass well, we can score at the rim, and we play hard on defense. We’re going to fit right in at Maryland.”
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