Five-Star High School Basketball Prospect Makur Maker Commits to Howard University
The Howard University basketball team has made a huge acquisition as five-star high school prospect Makur Maker out of Hillcrest Prep has announced that he has officially committed to the University. Makur Maker is from Nairobi, Kenya who has Kenyan and Australian nationality. He is the cousin of Detroit Pistons’ center Thon Maker and G-League player Matur Maker. Maker’s final colleges he was considering committing to, along with Howard, were UCLA, Kentucky, and Memphis.
Maker’s decision to commit to Howard University comes a month after fellow top-ranking high school recruit Mikey Williams tweeted, “Going to an HBCU wouldn’t be too bad.” In a series of tweets following his announcement, Makur Maker expressed his desire to make the HBCU movement a desirable destination for another top highly recruited basketball players while also thanking the coaches of the respective universities that he was considering committing to.
I was the 1st to announce my visit to Howard & other started to dream “what if”. I need to make the HBCU movement real so that others will follow. I hope I inspire guys like Mikey Williams to join me on this journey. I am committing to Howard U & coach Kenny Blakeney #MakerMob
— MK (@MakurMaker) July 3, 2020
I want to thank Coach Cal and Coach KP of University of Kentucky Coach Cronin of UCLA and coach Hardaway of Memphis for considering me. It was a tough choice.
— MK (@MakurMaker) July 3, 2020
Since joining Division I in Howard is coming off a season where they finished with an overall record of 4-29 and a 1-15 MEAC conference record. They have not finished with a record above .500 since the 2001-2002 season and have only had a record at .500 twice in the seasons since. They have not won the MEAC since 1992 and have only appeared in the NCAA Tournament twice. Although, two of the last five MEAC Players of the Year have come from Howard (James Daniel, 2016; RJ Cole, 2019).
Makur Maker’s decision to commit to Howard University could be the first step to bringing prominence back to HBCU sports, allowing schools to have more leverage when recruiting top prospects, and bringing in more revenue to improve athletic programs. Here’s hoping Makur is able to not only help make Howard a top contender in the MEAC, but also put them in a position to make the NCAA Tournament as a team with a chance to pull off an upset in the first round.
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