BREAKING: Hogs land transfer twins from Rhode Island
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Eric Musselman has dipped into the portal once again — and this time it’s a double-dip.
Arkansas added its second and third transfers Wednesday afternoon, landing twin brothers Makhi and Makhel Mitchell from Rhode Island. Both players have signed.
They join Missouri transfer Trevon Brazile, who signed last week, in providing much needed size and rim protection.
Out of high school, both Mitchell brothers were four-stars recruits and Rivals150 prospects in the 2019 class. Makhi checked in at No. 57, while Makhel was ranked 127th overall.
The Mitchells chose to stay close to their hometown of Washington D.C. by signing with Maryland, where they saw some early playing time as true freshmen.
Makhi actually started five games and appeared in seven others, averaging 3.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 9.3 minutes. Makhel played in 10 games and averaged 1.0 point and 2.3 rebounds in 6.8 minutes.
The pair entered the transfer portal just 12 games into their freshman season at Maryland and eventually ended up at Rhode Island. Listed at 6-foot-9 and 6-foot-10, respectively, Makhi and Makhel instantly became the two tallest players on the Rams’ roster.
Their new home produced instant success, as the twins more than tripled their scoring averages in their first season at Rhode Island. Makhel averaged 9.6 points and 5.6 rebounds as sophomore, starting 23 of 25 games. Makhi averaged 5.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in seven games - including two starts - before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
In their third year of college basketball, the brothers took yet another step forward. Each appeared in 31 games and started 27. Makhel posted an impressive stat line with 10.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, and Makhi averaged 9.9 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 30.4% from three.
This is the second time in Musselman’s career that he’s landed a heralded pair of twins from the portal. During his time at Nevada, Caleb and Cody Martin had tremendous success and are now in the NBA.
With three portal additions — all forwards — Arkansas has bolstered its size and rim protection. The Razorbacks now have exactly 13 scholarship players on next season’s roster, including Jaylin Williams, who is testing the NBA Draft waters.
Click here for an updated look at the 2022-23 roster, which has evolved quite a bit in less than two weeks since the end of the season.