Mackenzie Mgbako Opens Up Ahead Of New Season With Texas A&M

One of Texas A&M’s leaders is officially back, and he's in the gym shooting, hitting the weight room, and ready to get back to winning.

After a season-ending injury affected most of his season on the floor, Mackenzie Mgbako is getting healthier. This week, he reassured the public that he is getting healthy for sure and that he is excited to see what the group of men can do this upcoming season.

“I’m getting healthy for sure,” Mgbako said. “I think if we follow what coach Bucky expects of us and we try to shoot for our potential, the sky’s the limit. I'm really excited for the team and what we can do this season.”

This past season, Mgbako averaged 10.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He played only seven games, so he wasn’t fully able to experience his first year on the court in Aggieland, but he now has a bright future ahead in the Bucky Ball system.

Year 1 and Year 2

Two years of playing basketball for the Aggies will hold two different chapters of the story that the 6-foot-9 forward is writing as he gears up to have one of his biggest seasons as a collegiate basketball player.

A severe foot injury put an end to his first season with the Maroon and White after he underwent surgery and he walked everyone through what he experienced. Through thick and thin, Mgbako also mentioned the lessons he took from that entire rehab period.

“Last year taught me a lot, Mgbako said. “How to be a great teammate. How to cheer for the next man, and, you know, just be grateful to be even in this situation — Injuries are never easy, especially in the bulk of the season. Went to the doctor in New York. He got me right. Was in the boot for, I want to say about a month, two months, and then on the scooter, and then after that back in the weight room trying to get on the court, watching a lot of film.”

Despite only encountering bits and pieces of Year 1 under McMillan and Co., when asked if this unit is ahead of schedule this upcoming season, he said it is one he views as not hard to pick up as a returner because of a few reasons.

“Coach Bucky does a great job of meticulously putting sets in when he needs to, and to that, it's not hard to learn,” Mgbako mentioned. “It’s pretty simple. I think, but I'm a returner, so it's kind of my bias, but we have a group of really smart guys, and I don't think it would be hard for them to catch on.”

With a handful of new additions to the program, the transition from Year 1 to Year 2 saw some exits from the batch that set the tone for this culture moving forward but was also able to retain and convince other stars to participate for the Aggies.

Mgbako went down a list of players that came to mind who have impressed him and stood out.

“I feel like Jamie made a big jump from last year to this year,” Mgbako said. “PJ's obviously very talented on the court, on the ball and off the ball. Shelly, Lucas, just Zach coming back onto the scene as well. You know, everybody's just a really talented group of guys.”

No doubt about that as he credited his coaching staff as well.

“Coach Bucky and the staff, great people, very genuine, and I love their playing style,” Mgbako said. “I'm excited to see how we rank up against other SEC teams — I think across the board, we're a way bigger team, very more physical. A lot of shooters, and just very skilled. A very skilled team across the board, and very athletic for sure."

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