Interest in Mucius rising; UConn jumps into hunt
Four-star wing Isaiah Mucius, long a target of Xavier and Wake Forest, has picked up offers recently from UConn, LSU and Temple.
And while Xavier and Wake may lead for his services, the offer from UConn caught the attention of the skilled junior.
“(The offer) means a lot,” he said. “Growing up and watching Kemba Walker and seeing UConn play, they are always in the tournament. I know two kids that go there now with Christian Vital and Terry Larrier. It means a lot to me because they are kind of like brothers to me. I talked to Christian a little while back. He told me to come up on a visit; I would like to get up there this summer.”
Helping lead his team to a 7-1 record through the first two sessions of the Nike EYBL, Mucius has been one of the catalysts for his squad’s success. An exceptionally talented and skilled wing, the 6-foot-7 small forward has continued his ascent as one of the top small forward prospects on the east coast.
Stepping into the giant shoes left by five-stars Mohamed Bamba and Quade Green on the PSA Cardinals this spring, Mucius exhibits the proper mindset in putting his team atop of its division’s standings.
“We have all held our heads high; we don’t have really that star guy on our team like last year with Mo and Quade, so I think we just came in and were ready to play,” Mucius said.
In addition to the above mentioned schools, Mucius said Oregon, Rutgers and Penn State have also been reaching out.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Mucius gave his thoughts on two of the schools that have been in the hunt for the longest.
Xavier: “They just want me to come in and be the guy. They are losing a lot of seniors so they’re telling me to just kind of come in and get the starting spot; become the face of their program and lead and be that scoring wing that they need from my class.”
Wake Forest: “They were my second offer. They contact a lot, Coach Randolph (Childress) and Coach (Danny) Manning. They really don’t have a lot of wings that can handle the basketball and make shots, but also facilitate and score. They are looking for me to come in and do that.”
WHAT'S NEXT
Mucius has no plans on making a college commitment for the next few months as he will finish out his final travel season with the PSA Cardinals program this summer.
He does have a plan in place for what may occur following his travel season. “I will probably commit in the fall before my school season starts,” he said. “I don’t know when, but I will figure it out after the AAU season when I sit down with my parents and spread everything out and see what we got.”
RIVALS REACTION
A native of New York but playing at St. James School in Maryland, a bevy of top programs along the east coast will likely zero in on the talented small forward. Wake Forest and Xavier may have the best shot though, as each are have invested a plethora of time and effort in the four-star junior.