Mitch McGary | Senior | Forward | Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.)
Mitch McGary is the top-ranked power forward in the ESPNU 100. Headed into his senior season at Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.), McGary, has narrowed his list of colleges to Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, Florida, Maryland and Michigan. McGary has agreed to give ESPNHS exclusive access by chronicling his thoughts on everything from his recruitment to pop culture in a blog.
What’s up, world! It’s your boy, Mitch a.k.a. “White Chocolate” a.k.a. “White Thunder.”
First, before I start I just want everyone to know that everything in this blog is 100 percent me. No one writes for me or speaks for me. People come up with the craziest rumors sometimes.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I started school about two weeks ago and so far everything’s going really well. I’ve got a pretty tough schedule, but I’m getting really good help from my teachers. They break it down really well so I’m learning a lot.
I’m so excited about the up-and-coming season because we are gonna be loaded. We’ve got Semaj Christon and Jaylen Reyonlds, and I think both of those guys are gonna have big years. Both are committed to Xavier and, trust me, Xavier got great pickups there. Then we’ve got one of my best friends Jakarr Sampson back with us. He recently de-committed from St. John’s, but he’s definitely gonna help us out a lot this year.
We’ve also got T.J. Warren, and I think he and I will be a deadly duo once we get our chemistry down pat. We’ve never played together and so it takes a little time to get on the same page, but it’s definitely gonna happen. Once our team gets on one accord we’ll definitely be ready to challenge for a national championship.
The last time I wrote, I’d gone on visits to Michigan, North Carolina and Duke.
I haven’t been on any visits since then.
I know there are a lot of rumors out there that I’ve already committed to certain schools, but I can honestly tell you guys that I don’t know where I want to go. I have not committed anywhere so that’s just not true.
I have had a lot of the schools on my list come to the school to see me.
Duke has been up here the most. I really like what Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski) has been talking to me about. He’s about to be the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history and that’s just really impressive to me. That’s something that stays on my mind. After Duke, Michigan has been here to see me the second most and I know that Michigan will be good too. They’re in the rebuilding stage and Coach (John) Beilein is another guy I really respect and like. They’re moving up in the rankings too.
Maryland has probably visited me the third most and I really like their program and think they’re headed in the right direction. Also, Coach (Billy) Donovan was up here a couple weeks ago and he’s done a really good job showing me what he’s done in the last few years developing talent. I really like what he’s been saying.
North Carolina has been up here too. They just got a commitment from Joel James, which will be a great situation for him. I want to definitely give Joel a shoutout.
As far as more visits, I don’t think I’ll be making any. I’m not gonna go to Kentucky’s Midnight Madness, I feel like I have all the information that I need to start to think about a decision. Within the next month I hope to have a decision made.
This decision will be really hard to say the least. I’m gonna let you guys in on a few things I’ll be thinking about throughout the process.
To start off, Duke has a lot to offer. They’ve got the Plumlees there, but Miles is a senior and Mason has a really good chance at going pro after this season. Then they’ve got their younger brother Marshall, who is very, very tall and skilled. I think I could go in there and make a great duo with Marshall and we could make a lot of noise together. I love that Duke likes to get out in transition and run too. That’s a big plus.
Then you’ve got Michigan. I look at who they’ve got coming in and I know they’re in a rebuilding situation, but I know that’s a situation where I could really come in and make a strong footprint. I feel like I could really help them and have a strong season there as a freshman. I like the Big Ten because it’s known for having blue-collar type players, but the pace tends to be a little slower. I love to go to work in the paint, but I like to get out and run more so with Michigan that’s something that I’ll have to really look at.
Then North Carolina has some great guys coming in with Marcus Paige and J.P. Tokoto and now Joel James. People think that me and T.J. have some sort of package deal going on for North Carolina, but that’s not true at all. I do think about playing with T.J. in college and of course we’re both considering North Carolina so I guess that’s where it comes from. I will say this though, I’ve definitely thought about it.
Carolina likes for their big men to get out in transition and run the floor, which is what I want to do.
With Maryland, I love that they fed the post a lot last year with Jordan Williams. They also get out in transition. Same with Florida, they play a really fast tempo.
So as you all can see, this won’t be an easy decision. I do know that whenever I commit I’m gonna be one of those guys that recruits for the school I pick. I definitely won’t force the school on guys I’ll just brag about it a lot.
OK, so you know it’s time for my music review and I’ve got to tell you all that Jay-Z and Kanye’s album “Watch the Throne” is definitely something that you’ve got to have on your play lists.
I just love the way they incorporate other artists like the song “Otis.” It gives you that old school mixed in with today’s music. I think that’s pretty dope.
Of course it’s Jay and Kanye so the lyrics are crazy too. I think that this one will go down as an all-time classic just because it’s a quality album and it’s by those two rap heavyweights.
The other album I want to tell you all about is J. Cole’s “Cole World: The Sideline Story.” I just got it recently, but that album is great. It’s one of those albums that you can just let play through and you don’t have to skip any songs on it.
J. Cole is a deep rapper and he raps about real life situations that most of us can relate to on some level. He’s a great lyricist too. That’s a definite buy so go pick that one up too.
OK, guys well as always I truly appreciate you taking the time to read my blog. As I said, I’m taking this time to talk things over with my family and weigh out what the best decision for me will be. You've got people out there saying I've decided and there's a leader and that's NOT true.
I want to shoutout all of my fans on Twitter. I appreciate you all cheering me on and sending me messages. That means a lot to me.
Take care everyone and check back soon for my next entry.
Don't forget to follow McGary on Twitter: @MitchMcGary33