NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Pros and cons of Mark Mitchell’s final 4 teams

With top class of 2022 NCAA Basketball prospect Emoni Bates reclassifying to play this upcoming season. The depth of small forwards in next year’s class took a little hit. But there are still some quality wings to look out for, including Duke commit Dariq Whitehead, Chris Livingston, Brandon Miller, and Mark Mitchell.

Mitchell’s recruitment has been in the spotlight for this Summer, originally with a larger list of contenders. He’s one of the best available players in the 2022 class, a consensus five-star prospect that 247sportsComposite has at No. 10 overall.

The 6’8 forward is an elite athlete and shooter, capable of scoring from anywhere on the court. Mitchell projects to be a “one and done” NBA Draft pick, as his game translates well to the next level. He also has the potential to be an elite defender due to his size and measurables and plays with good effort and energy.

There have been rumored frontrunners for Mitchell’s services and now we have an official set of finalists to watch out for in Duke, Kansas, Missouri, and UCLA. That’s three “blue blood” programs and one in the Tigers that has a head coach in Cuanzo Martin with a history of landing big-time recruits.

But which one of them has the best chance to land the five-star prospect? Each of them has some positive and negative traits to consider, so in this piece, I’ll be looking closely at what the four programs have to offer for Mitchell in his likely lone season in NCAA Basketball.