Top UCLA Men's Basketball Target Mark Mitchell Planning to Make Decision in December

The Kansas native is one of a few Bruin targets left on the board in the class of 2022.

One of the highest-ranked players left in the 2022 men’s basketball recruiting class is nearing a commitment.

Forward Mark Mitchell said he will make his decision in December, according to a report Monday from Sports Illustrated Director of Basketball Recruiting Jason Jordan. In the exclusive interview, Mitchell expressed that his recruitment will be coming to a close soon.

UCLA men’s basketball has been pursuing Mitchell for years, and is still alive in the fight for his services. The Bruins are in Mitchell’s final four options alongside Duke, Kansas and Missouri.

Mitchell, a five-star prospect according to both Rivals and 247Sports, provided an update about his recruitment in his talk with Jordan, calling the decision “tough.”

“Duke wants to build a super class for Coach (Jon) Scheyer’s first year, Kansas is close to home, Mizzou is a different type of program than all of them, UCLA is a really good program and my brother lives out there, so it’s a lot of different perspectives that make it harder,” Mitchell said. “Then I’ve got recruits in my class from all four schools that are recruiting me! Gradey (Dick) is my roommate, so I hear a lot from him on Kansas. I’d say it’s at about an eight stress level.”

Mitchell took his official visit to UCLA on Sept. 19 and has since visited Missouri and Kansas in October. Duke will be the senior’s final visit on Oct. 15, which aligns with their “Countdown to Craziness” event that marks the start of basketball season in Durham, North Carolina.

“That’s it, that’s all the visits I’ll take,” Mitchell told Jordan. “After that I’ll just watch the teams this season. I want to see how things are going with them and then weigh things out. I think I’ll have a decision by around December.”

UCLA recently received a crystal ball prediction for Mitchell from 247Sports basketball recruiting analyst Dushawn London. With the prediction coming on Oct. 9, it is the most recent crystal ball of the five that are listed, with the other four in favor of Duke.

Mitchell has been struggling with an elbow injury as of late, as it held him out for the summer. He told Jordan he was back to 100% though, and has been cleared since August.

The 247Sports Composite ranks Mitchell as the No. 16 player in the country, while Rivals has him at No. 11 and ESPN has him at No. 30.

Currently in the 2022 recruiting class for the Bruins is 247Sports Composite No. 3 player and five-star combo guard Amari Bailey, as well as four-star point guard Dylan Andrews. Both will be heading to Westwood next fall, and they will be allowed to sign with the Bruins as early as Nov. 10.

If Mitchell decides to commit to UCLA come December, the 6-foot-8 small forward would be quite the late addition to coach Mick Cronin’s 2022 recruiting class.

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