Mitchell twins eligible to play at URI this season

Makhi, Makhel transfered from Maryland after freshman year

Two reinforcements got the green light for the University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team on Monday.

Maryland transfers Makhel and Makhi Mitchell received waivers from the NCAA and will be eligible for the upcoming 2020-21 season. The twin big men should provide immediate help for a roster that had looked precariously thin with eligibility fate unknown for the Mitchells and three other transfers.

“In Makhi and Makhel, we are talking about two young men who can have an immediate high impact for us,” Rhode Island head coach David Cox said in a statement from the school. “These are Top 100 recruits out of high school who are coming to us from the BIG 10. Makhi and Makhel are versatile talents who bring so much to both ends of the floor. We just added significant depth for this year.”

Before Monday’s news, URI had just eight players who were set to be eligible this season, three of whom are freshmen. The Mitchell twins make 10, with URI also awaiting word on waivers for transfers Jalen Carey from Syracuse and Malik Martin from Charlotte.

Among the transfers, the Mitchells fill the biggest need for the Rams, who lost standout big man Cyril Langevine to graduation. Junior center Jermaine Harris and junior forward Antoine Walker were the only frontcourt players back with experience. Six-footseven forward D.J. Johnson sat out last year and profiles as more of a wing player anyway. Makhel Mitchell stands at 6-foot-10 and Makhi checks in at 6-foot-9, and their presence gives URI one of its biggest frontlines in recent memory.