By SAM LANCE
Class of 2026 four-star guard Ethan Mgbako has been a top scorer on the EYBL circuit this summer, currently sitting at No. 8 at the 17u level with 20.1 points per game.
Mgbako — the 6-foot-6 guard out of Oak Hill Academy (VA) — scores in a number of ways. He’s a confident shooter from the outside, knocking down 35.9% of his triples this summer, and he uses his larger frame to finish against guards in the paint.
“I think Team Melo letting me transition into my true position, which is the combo guard/point guard, it’s given me the versatility and availability to create not just for myself but for others, which opens up more of my game,” Mgbako told ZAGSBLOG. “I think I’m just a natural born scorer and tough-nosed player, so it’s easy to put the ball in the basket.”
Team Melo, with a 6-5 record so far, aims to boost their standing at the Session 4 live evaluation period (July 10-13) before Peach Jam (July 15-20). Mgbako said things have been going “stellar” this summer, but there are still areas for his team to improve.
“Defense and rebounding: I think if we come out and play the hardest and be the best defensive team, nobody can beat us,” Mgbako said. “For me, just being a leader. Not just leading offensively, but being the anchor on the defensive end. Just playing both sides. That’s what I need to work on.”
As far as his recruitment, Mgbako recently took an official visit to Pitt.
“It was great getting to know the coaching staff better, talking to them in person, visiting the campus,” Mgbako said. “I really enjoyed myself and I really enjoyed the Pitt community. Very wholesome. I feel like they welcomed me a lot.”
When Mgbako first touched down, he had a chance to talk with head coach Jeff Capel, director of player development Gilbert Brown and the rest of the staff. He also met a few players, went through the campus and saw all of the facilities.
“I think it’s a guard hungry program,” Mgbako said. “Great development on and off the court. Great academically. They see me fitting in, being a freshman that comes in and plays and is able to do a lot with my versatility and size. I really like what they were saying.”
Mgbako doesn’t have any other official visits scheduled at the moment, but he’s been talking with San Diego and Mississippi State about dates. Mgbako previously discussed his thoughts on Illinois, LSU and Stanford, and those schools are still in consistent contact.
The four-star guard’s reported offer list includes Creighton, Florida State, Georgetown, George Washington, Kent State, Pepperdine, Pitt and Quinnipiac. The most recent school to offer? Texas A&M, where his brother, former McDonald’s All-American Mackenzie Mgbako, is suiting up next season. Mgbako broke down some of these new programs in contact:
Texas A&M: “My brother just transferred over there, and I think that’s going to be great. The connection has really been built through him, and I’ve been talking to coach [Kyle] Keller. It’s pretty good. Family ties.”
How’s Mackenzie’s doing: “He loves it. I think he’s going to have a great season and coach Bucky [McMillan] is a great coach.”
Mississippi State: “I’ve talked to coach [David] Anwar and currently I’ve been talking with coach [Patrice] Days. He was down at NBPA live to see me play. I like their program. I watched them a couple times last season. They play really fast, really hard and I like their program and what they can bring.”
San Diego: “I’ve been talking to coach [Ryan] Devlin. He just really wants me down there, wants me to visit, wants me to really come down and see it. So it’s a great place.”
Vanderbilt is another program involved with Mgbako recently. We’ll find out more about where his recruitment stands when he’s able to think about schools after Peach Jam.
“As of right now, I’m just waiting until after Peach to get more offers and get more visits aligned before my senior season,” Mgbako said. “I’ve just been focused on Peach, trying to produce and do well. And after I do well, I know more offers will come in and more people will be interested. I’ll have time to narrow it down then.”
Mgbako is ranked the No. 71 overall prospect in the 2026 class by 247Sports. His high school and AAU coach, John Zito, has high praise for his game.
“He shoots the ball really well,” Zito told ZAGSBLOG. “Very strong, imposing guard. He can punish guys physically when he has the ball in that lane. Guys kind of bounce off of him. I think people don’t know that he sees the floor incredibly well. There’s been situations where we put him on the ball and he’s done some really good things in terms of finding guys and taking off a scorer’s mentality. Taking that hat off and then putting on ‘Hey, now I got the ball and I have to be responsible for the other guys on the floor.’ He has that ability to kind of play both roles.”
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