Available Senior Spotlight: Kuluel Mading

<p>We can go on and on with reasons that players in the 2021 class got cheated in their chance to earn scholarships to play in college next season. They lost out on most of an AAU season this summer and the traditional high school season as well, division one coaches still haven’t been permitted to go out and watch prospects in person since the coronavirus pandemic started and to top things off, the NCAA granted all players an extra year of eligibility and waived the one year waiting period for players who decide to transfer, meaning most schools will return their already seasoned players or go looking for replacements in the transfer wire.</p> <p>Because of all of this, we are left with a crop of prospects going into March that are as talented as any year that we’ve had, and we will take a look at some of them in our new series “Available Senior Spotlight.”</p> <p>There aren’t many big men on the east coast, let alone in the country, that are still available with the type of long term potential as Burlington School big [player_tooltip player_id="838020" first="Kuluel" last="Mading"]. The 6’11” big man was originally committed to Howard University over the summer, but decided to decommit and has become one of the most sought after 2021 players in the area.</p> <p>His Burlington team, which has been one of the top teams in North Carolina regardless of classification, came down to Richmond last month and got a win over a very talented Blue Magic team in which Mading dominated scoring 21 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and blocking 6 shots. Afterwards, we talked about the schools that he has been in contact with and he mentioned just a few that have stood out.</p> <p>“Right now, I have a lot of interest from schools like Georgia, Georgetown, NC Central and there’s been a lot of schools that have been hitting up my coaches,” Mading said. “Right now it’s all up in the air, but hopefully soon I’ll be able to sit down and make a decision.”</p> <p>One problem with the recruitment process right now is not only are coaches not allowed on the road due to the pandemic, many schools aren’t allowing visits, especially during the season. Like most players, Mading wants to be able to visit the schools he’s considering before making a choice, even if that means it’s virtually on zoom calls. He says once the season is over for both his team and the programs recruiting him, he’ll be looking to make a decision shortly after that. </p> <p>“Hopefully I can take some visits, if not in person than obviously on like zoom calls,” he said. “Like I said everything is really up in the air right now but once their seasons start to slow down I’ll start to do all of that.”</p> <p>Even with some of the high major stuff coming in for him, Mading is still considering the HBCU route like he was originally planning, as he says one MEAC school has been in contact with him more than anyone else.</p> <p>“North Carolina Central most definitely keeps in contact the most,” Mading said. “We have a really good connection, we had a good connection before I committed [to Howard] and even after. So they hit me up the most but like I said there’s a lot of other coaches that have been hitting up my coach Ryan [Bernadino].”</p> <p>As far as what will be the deciding factor, Mading says he wants to feel at home both on the court and off the court. A high academic kid, he’s aware that this decision has much more effect than just what he does on the basketball court.</p> <p>“I want it to be a good fit academically, socially and obviously on the court. I want my parents to feel like they have a coaching staff that will take me in as a family so they are ensured that they have great academics so that I am set for life after basketball and after college.”</p> <p>At 6’11”, the big man is long and athletic with a good skill set that has improved over time and will only continue to improve more and more over the next few years. He has touch out to the three-point line, he’s a good athlete that can finish above the rim and protect the rim on the defensive end and he plays with good energy and a good feel for the game as well.</p> <p>In a couple of years, he will have the chance to be one of the top players on whatever team he chooses to play for, and he’s a guy you’ll definitely be hearing more about here soon.</p>