COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Following a common trend for freshmen post players, the Mitchell twins — Makhel and Makhi — have had slow starts to their collegiate careers at Maryland. But the 6-foot-10 Washington, D.C., natives have started to heat up for the No. 5 Terps as they prepare to play in the Orlando Invitational this later week.
Both Makhel and Makhi were four-star recruits coming out of high school. However, Makhi entered College Park with slightly higher expectations after being ranked 57th in the country for his recruiting class — Makhel ranked 127th. Makhi started two of Maryland’s first three games but squandered away the opportunities with early foul trouble.
Makhel appeared to be developing at a quicker rate for the Terps, having played 16 minutes against Oakland and posting five points, four rebounds, and a steal. But after Makhi posted a career-high 12 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks in 10 minutes in Maryland’s last outing against George Mason, it seems both brothers are gaining confidence and are ready to be mainstays in Maryland’s frontcourt.
“It was great to see because we need low post scoring, we need low post physicality,” Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon said after his team’s 23-point win over George Mason. “We don’t have a lot of it unless the twins [Makhi and Makhel Mitchell] are giving it.”
Coming off the bench against George Mason, Makhi scored more points against the Patriots than he had in Maryland’s four previous games combined. He excelled as the first big off the bench for the Terps, but that role could certainly evolve as he continues to grow as a player.
“Makhi is a tremendous player,” Terps’ sophomore forward Jalen ‘Stix’ Smith said. “He’s one of our backup bigs so he knows if anybody gets in foul trouble he’s going to be one of the main bigs to come in. So it’s just a big confidence boost for him.”
As the Terps prepare to play Temple in Orlando, Florida, on Thanksgiving morning, Turgeon has seen the Mitchell twins’ stellar performance over the last few games carry over into this week’s practices.
“They’re really coming fast,” Turgeon said. “Makhi was terrific; Makhi has had two back-to-back really great days of practice. Makhel has been a really pleasant surprise to our team. Defensively, they’re starting to figure it out. That’s really the furthest they have to come because offensively they’re really skilled, they can really pass. I think they’re getting more comfortable every day, so they give us great depth.”
As the Mitchells continue to develop their individual games, Turgeon is navigating the many challenges that come along with coaching a set of twins while also realizing and appreciating the innate chemistry that is involved in their relationship.
“Just trying to figure out who’s who when they don’t have their numbers on [laughs]; that’s the hard part,” Turgeon said. “They’re so identical and they care about each other so much. It’s like when you’re talking to one the other one is listening. Sometimes, when you’re talking to this one, the other one is listening more because he’s concerned about his brother.”
Turgeon’s approach for now: kill two birds with one stone as a head coach by meshing together the Mitchells’ learning curve.
“I treat them as one, so that when I’m correcting one, I’m correcting the other,” Turgeon said. “Because eventually, they’re going to be separate and be their own guys. So if we’re breaking down film and I want to show Makhi something, I want Makhel there too so he can learn from it. So that’s really kind of where our relationship is and teaching is with them right now.”
Turgeon said the Mitchell twins have been fun to coach and that he is seeing their consistency improve. He listed depth, length, size, and toughness as attributes the twins bring to the table for the Terps, but they also provide ideal practice partners to get the best out of each other.
“We push each other, and we have high expectations for each other too,” Makhel said. “We know what we’re capable of.”
