Five-Star Prospect Makur Maker Committed To Howard With The Hopes Of Making ‘The HBCU Movement Real’

The basketball program at Howard University, an HBCU located in Washington, D.C., picked up the biggest commitment in its history on Friday morning. Makur Maker, a five-star center prospect and the No. 4 player at his position in the class of 2020, announced on his Twitter account that he’s decided to join the Bison.

Maker, the younger cousin of Detroit Pistons center Thon Maker, expressed his desire to start a movement among big-name college basketball recruits to attend HBCUs, and called on 2023 standout Mikey Williams to consider joining Kenny Blakeney’s program when the time comes for him to make the jump to the collegiate ranks. Williams, who reports indicate is considering Howard in his recruitment process, responded by praising Maker for his decision and saying “let’s shock the world.”

A former standout at Duke as a player, Blakeney has made it a point to try and bring elite talent to Howard since joining the program as its head coach last season. As he previously told ESPN, “Wherever a five-star lands, we can’t mess it up. If we mess it up, we may not have another opportunity to be able to do it.” The first half of that equation was accomplished with the addition of Maker.

Additionally, Maker thanked the coaches at the other three programs he was strongly considering: Kentucky, Memphis, and UCLA.

According to Jeff Borzello of ESPN, the Kenyan-born, Australian-raised big man is the highest-rated recruit to ever commit is the highest-rated recruit in the 13-year history of the worldwide leader’s basketball recruiting service. Makur currently attends Hillcrest Prep, stands 6’11, and is the No. 16 overall recruit in his class, according to ESPN. Should he get drafted, Makur would become the first player from an HBCU to get selected since former Norfolk State standout Kyle O’Quinn was picked by the Orlando Magic in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft.