LOOK: Arkansas announces addition of Makhi, Makhel Mitchell
Arkansas officially landed two more players from the transfer portal on Wednesday.
Former Rhode Island guards Makhi Mitchell and Makhel Mitchell signed with the Razorbacks on Wednesday, Arkansas coach Eric Musselman announced on Twitter. The brothers — who began their college careers at Maryland — started 27 games for Rhode Island last season as the Rams went 15-16 overall and 5-12 in Atlantic 10 Conference action.
Makhel led Rhode Island in scoring with 10.7 points per game while Makhi came in right behind him with 9.9 points per contest. The two entered the transfer portal and declared for the NBA Draft, but ultimately decided to transfer to Arkansas and join an impressive 2022 recruiting class for Musselman and Co.
Both four-star recruits out of high school from the Class of 2019 and top-three prospects in Washington D.C., according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Makhi was the No. 1 prospect in D.C. that year while Makhel was No. 3.
Arkansas coach Eric Musselman on new transfer rules: It’s a game-changer
Since Eric Musselman moved to Arkansas in 2019, he’s been active in the NCAA transfer portal. Over the last three seasons, he brought in more new players via transfer than through the high school ranks. When the NCAA granted all student-athletes a one-time, penalty-free transfer, Musselman was already one of the best coaches in the country at finding pieces from other schools to bring in — and ways to fit them all together. He believes the new rules are a “game-changer.”
“I think that it’s kind of been a game-changer,” Musselman said of the NCAA’s new rules. “There’s been a lot of coaching changes, and as my wife and I were talking, it’s much like the NBA now. As a coach, because of the ability to change your roster quickly, obviously, in the NBA, it’s free agency, and then you might have a draft pick or two.
“Well, college basketball has turned into a little bit where a lot of programs are only taking one or two freshmen, much like a first-rounder and a second-rounder. And then they’re filling in with free agents, whether it be a transfer who is a second-year player or maybe a grad transfer. I think it’s leveled the playing field.”