BREAKING: Mark Mitchell commits to Kentucky

Kentucky has landed Mark Mitchell after many lawsuits and hearings with the NCAA. High school graduates from 2022 weren’t grandfathered into the new five-for-five-year rule, which gave players who had not yet exhausted their eligibility a fifth year. Players entering in later recruiting cycles are eligible for the fifth year at their initial full-time enrollment in college, or at the beginning of the academic year following the student-athlete’s 19th birthday, whichever occurs first.

Mark Mitchell was thought to have played his last season of college basketball at Missouri until he entered the Louisville eligibility lawsuit against the NCAA. As a result, many other athletes joined to pursue an additional year of eligibility after having their eligibility expire. Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Brian Edwards granted a temporary restraining order and injunction siding with 13 college athletes after last weeks hearing. Additionally, he granted the TRO on Friday, Aug. 21st, around noon.

Bio Blast: Mark Mitchell

Mark Mitchell came out of high-school as a five-star committed to Duke. He was ranked as the 13th overall player in the country and the third-best power forward.

Mitchell played for the Blue Devils for two seasons. In that time, he averaged 10.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He also added 1.2 assists per game on 50.5/6.93/31.4 shooting splits. Mark Mitchell later entered the portal and chose the Missouri Tigers. He then played under Dennis Gates for the next two seasons. This past season, he put up career highs in almost every major category. Those accomplishments helped him earn recognition on the All-SEC Second Team as one of the best players in the conference last season.

Mitchell played Kentucky two times last season. In the first matchup at Rupp Arena, he finished with 21 points and four rebounds while shooting 7/15 from the field. Most Kentucky fans will remember his most recent game in the SEC Tournament. In that loss, he finished with 32 points and seven rebounds while shooting 13/21 from the field. He kept the Tigers in the game until the final minutes before Denzel Aberdeen put it away and Kentucky won 78-72.

What Does This Mean for Kentucky?

Kentucky is now a championship-caliber team featuring the M&M’s X3: Milan Momcilovic, Mark Mitchell, and Malachi Moreno. The Cats are now expected to compete with some of the best teams in the SEC this season.

With a now-completed roster of 15 players, this looks to be the deepest Kentucky roster of the Mark Pope era, with many fans expecting the Wildcats to reach the Final Four in Detroit.