Kansas cracks final four for 5-star forward Mark Mitchell

By Matt Tait     Aug 21, 2021

Kansas University basketball recruiting

It’s down to Kansas, Duke, UCLA and Missouri in the recruitment of five-star small forward Mark Mitchell, who trimmed his list down to four on Saturday.

Mitchell, a 6-foot-7, 190-pound wing ranked No. 8 overall in the 2022 class by Rivals.com, released his trimmed-down list on social media on Saturday afternoon.

The posts featured images of Mitchell in all four uniforms along with logos of his finalists and a bigger image of Mitchell, wearing a question mark jersey, in the middle of all of it.

Earlier this week, Mitchell arrived at Sunrise Christian Academy near Wichita, where he will play his senior season of high school. The decision to head to Sunrise, which was the result of Mitchell seeking higher-level competition and greater exposure, comes after a stellar three-year career at nearby Bishop Miege High.

At SCA, Mitchell will team with Class of 2022 KU commitment Gradey Dick, who committed to Kansas in March.

“Kansas is a place for perimeter players,” Mitchell told Zagsblog.com. “I think that could benefit me if I decide to go there. Also, my roommate (at Sunrise, Gradey Dick), is a KU commit, so that could be a factor.”

Known as an athletic combo forward with do-everything skills, Mitchell is a natural lefty who can score inside and out.

The scouting report on Mitchell offered up by 247 Sports Director of Scouting, Jerry Meyer, focuses on several aspects of Mitchell’s athleticism.

“Has long arms, plays with a motor and is a terrific two-foot jumper,” Meyer writes. “Explosive in a crowd. Does most of his damage around the basket as a slasher, post-up player and rebounder.”

Meyer also classifies Mitchell as a “solid and versatile defender,” who has good feel for the game.

The five-star prospect told Zagsblog he hopes to make his final decision in December.

The early signing period for the 2022 basketball class runs from Nov. 10 to Nov. 17. The regular signing period for 2022 prospects runs from April 13 to May 18 of next year.

Kansas currently has three commitments in the 2022 class — Dick, Zuby Ojiofor and M.J. Rice — but could have room for as many as two or three more players before things are finalized, depending on who stays or goes following the 2021-22 season.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.