With the month of June arriving next Tuesday, prospects in the 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes are starting to look ahead to campus visits now that things will be opened up again following the extended dead period brought about by the pandemic.
Among the notable KU targets expected to visit next month are Bishop Miege junior Mark Mitchell, a 6-foot-8, 205-pound small forward ranked No. 9 in the 2022 class by Rivals.com.
Mitchell recently told Shay Wildeboor of JayhawkSlant.com that he was planning to visit KU on June 16.
“I don’t know what capacity (official or unofficial), but I’m taking a visit on June 16,” Mitchell told Wildeboor. “I’m also planning to attend Late Night.”
The talented junior who has been on the high-major recruiting radar since he was in eighth grade recently led Miege to a Class 4A state title, averaging 18 points and 6 rebounds along the way.
In addition to Kansas, which was his second scholarship offer back in 2019, Mitchell holds offers from Arkansas, Duke, Kansas State, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Texas, UCLA, USC, Wake Forest and others. He told Wildeboor he plans to visit UCLA on June 6, Missouri on June 12, KU on June 16, Oklahoma State on June 19 and Duke at the end of the month.
Those are not likely to be his last visits, as Mitchell may take advantage of another round of visits — official and unofficial — during his senior year.
His trip to Lawrence certainly will not be his first, as Miege’s close proximity to KU’s campus has allowed the 2021 DiRenna Award winner (he shared it with Lawrence High’s Zeke Mayo) to come to KU for a handful of unofficial visits throughout his prep career.
Mitchell recently told Tipton Edits that Duke, UCLA, UNC, KU, Oklahoma State and Missouri were the schools currently recruiting him the hardest.
Combo guard Nick Smith Jr., who is ranked No. 36 overall in the 2022 class by Rivals, is also scheduled to visit KU the weekend of June 21-22.
The 6-5, 175-pound versatile guard hails from Sylvan Hills High in Sherwood, Ark.
Don’t expect these to be the only visitors coming through Kansas next month. After a quiet summer in 2020 that featured the rise of the virtual visit, things should be back closer to normal for coaches and recruits throughout the upcoming summer.
