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Top Basketball Recruit Makur Maker Chooses Howard Over UCLA

The highly-touted basketball recruit, Makur Maker, announced his commitment to Howard University on Friday, “becoming the highest-ranked college basketball prospect to commit to a historically Black college or university since the ESPN recruiting database started in 2007,” ESPN reported.

According to ESPN, “Maker chose the Bison over UCLA,Howard Bison Wordmark 2015 Web although Kentucky and Memphis were also on his final list of four schools.”

Maker “is ranked No. 16 in the ESPN 100 for 2020. He also entered his name into the NBA draft, but he is likely to withdraw if he’s not expected to be a first-round pick,” said ESPN, adding that “Maker is the first five-star prospect to commit to an HBCU since the ESPN recruiting database began, and if selected in the NBA draft, he would be the first such HBCU product since Kyle O’Quinn (Norfolk State) in 2012.”

Maker is the cousin of Detroit Pistons forward Thon Maker and was born in Kenya before moving to Australia. He then moved to California in 2015. According to ESPN, Maker “averaged 14.7 points and 7.9 rebounds while shooting 73% on 2-pointers last spring and summer with Dream Vision on the Adidas grassroots circuit.”

A New Track: Fostering Diversity and Equity in Athletics
American sport has always served as a platform for resistance and has been measured and critiqued by how it responds in critical moments of racial and social crises.
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A New Track: Fostering Diversity and Equity in Athletics