Friday evening news Maryland announced both twin brothers Makhel and Makhi Mitchell were leaving the basketball program and entering the transfer protocol. According to Matt Levine of Testudo Times, Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon was set to suspend the Mitchell twins.
Following a meeting between Turgeon, the Mitchell’s and their mother, a mutual decision was made of the brothers transferring.
According to Levine’s sources the root of the suspension may be due to a fight between the Mitchell’s and a Maryland teammate.
There has been unconfirmed talk that there was an altercation involving the Mitchell’s and teammates, which was likely a factor leading to the possible suspensions.
— Matt Levine (@MattLevine__) December 28, 2019
Nonetheless, both are leaving the program just 12 games into their freshman season. The two committed to Maryland during their junior season in large due to their relationship with then-assistant coach Kevin Broadus, who has since left the program to become the head coach at Morgan State.
The Mitchell’s departure leaves the Terrapins extremely thin in the frontcourt with just one player taller than 6-foot-8 that has played in a game this season.
Maryland will take the floor Sunday against Bryant in the final non-conference tune-up before they get into the Big Ten schedule. The Terrapins are coming off back-to-back losses to Penn State and Seton Hall.
Saturday Turgeon addressed the mental of the players remaining after back-to-back losses and the roster turnover with the Mitchell’s leaving.
“Kids are more resilient than we are, so they move on. There’s some guys in that locker room real excited that they’re going to get a chance to play,” Turgeon said per Andy Kostka of The Diamondback. “There’s maybe a new energy about us because this is it, this is what we’ve got, just got to move forward.”
