Mawot Mag becomes third member of 2020 class to sign with Rutgers men’s basketball

Rutgers men’s basketball added the third member of its 2020 recruiting class on Wednesday, as 6’7” wing Mawot Mag announced his commitment to the program.

Mag is from the Sudan and attends school at Prolific Prep in Napa, California. He also held an offer from Cal State Fullerton, but ultimately chose to sign his national letter of intent on Wednesday with Rutgers. He is a 3-star prospect per Rivals.

While Mawot doesn’t have any star ranking as of yet, he received a ringing endorsement from Aaron Torres of Fox Sports on Wednesday:

Mag fits the mold of they type of player that head coach Steve Pikiell loves as he is versatile and able to play multiple positions and defends. While Mag plays for a school that has several Division I players, he flew under the radar after missing part of his junior season with an injury.

From a recent article from Matt Agnoli of 247 Sports’ ScarletNation.com, he spoke to Philippe Doherty, Co-Director of Prolific Prep, who had this to say about the wing:

“We have coaches that come specifically for one guy and then they’re like, ‘Oh, what about him?’ So with Mawot, he’s kind of under the radar but at the end of the day, it’s going to be about fit and style. So, from the outside looking in, he seems to be their type of player. He can really shoot but he’s a physical wing.”

“He’s a relentless worker. He’s a Sudanese war refugee who was born in the Sudan that experienced some of the worst civil wars and immigrated to Australia. It’s just in his DNA. Very quiet. Tough. Tough, tough kid. Very physical. His body, he’s built like a tight end.”

“Mawot is a guy that probably plays like three positions. He’s like a 2/3/4. He’s a really good shooter but he plays unbelievably hard, so he’s really physical.”

The article referenced Oregon State, Washington State and Nevada as schools that had shown interest in Mag, but that’s a moot point now the he has signed with Rutgers.

As for the rest of the 2020 recruiting class, Rutgers announced earlier this week the signings of 3-star prospect Dean Reiber, a 6’10” stretch four, and Oskar Palmquist, a 6’8” wing. We previously profiled the two commits here and here.

Based on the current roster, there is one scholarship still available in the 2020 recruiting class. The fall signing period is now over and the staff still have hope their most sought after target of this cycle and top 50 recruit Cliff Omoruyi commits in the spring. Landing a big man is an absolute must with the final spot and the 6’11” center from Roselle Catholic would be a program changing recruiting win. However, the competition remains fierce with Arizona State and UConn pushing hard, along with the likes of Kentucky lurking on the outside without offering as of yet. Omoruyi is Rutgers’ last hope in landing a top ten recruit from New Jersey in this cycle, as he is ranked 3rd but all others are committed elsewhere.

It is clear that Rutgers must produce a winning record this season to show continued progress in Pikiell’s fourth year to prospective targets in this recruiting cycle and beyond. While the staff has been diligent on the recruiting trail, the current class is ranked just 12th in the Big Ten and 73rd nationally per 247 Sports so far. That can change of course in the months to come.

Here are highlights of Mag from his junior season at Prolific Prep.