Former Missouri basketball star Mark Mitchell picks Kentucky after court ruling

PJ Green, The Kansas City Star on Aug 24, 2026

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Former Missouri star and Kansas City, Kan., native Mark Mitchell has chosen to spend his fifth season of college basketball with the Kentucky Wildcats, his agent and brother Brandon Mitchell of BAM Sports and Entertainment told media outlets over the weekend.

Mitchell is one of dozens of “former” college athletes from the class of 2022 who have circumvented the NCAA’s newest 5-in-5 eligibility rules by getting temporary restraining orders from local courts. Starting next year, Division I athletes will get five years to complete five seasons of eligibility. The class of 2022 was deemed to have exhausted their eligibility, the NCAA said in June.

Last week, a Kentucky judge granted Mitchell a TRO against the NCAA to play a fifth season of college basketball and allowed him to transfer to another school. Mitchell was not selected in the NBA draft in June, but he signed an Exhibit 10 contract to play for the Denver Nuggets' summer league squad.

Given that Mitchell filed his lawsuit in Kentucky, the widespread hunch was that UK would be his choice. Some athletes, like Mitchell, have been in training camps with NBA or NFL teams before hitting the courtroom to get back into the college game.

A separate ruling at the federal level put a stay on a judge’s order that would have granted thousands of athletes an extra season of eligibility. But because it applied to a federal class action lawsuit, it does not apply to local lawsuits against the NCAA, allowing athletes like Mitchell to be eligible for a fifth season.

The 22-year-old will have a remarkably unique path when he suits up for Kentucky after having played for Duke, another of college basketball’s blue bloods.

Mitchell was a DiRenna Award winner as a junior and led Bishop Miege to the Kansas Class 4A state championship in 2021. He transferred to nationally renowned Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan., for his senior season and was one of the most sought after five-star recruits nationally.

The 6-9 forward was a two-year starter for Duke, helping the Blue Devils reach the Elite Eight as a sophomore.

For the Tigers, Mitchell was a two-time All-SEC honoree and led Mizzou with 18.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game as a senior last season. They reached the NCAA Tournament where they fell to Miami in the first round.

Mitchell is the second player in school history to lead MU in all three statistics. His 18.3-points-per-game average was the best in 12 years of Missouri hoops. He is also one of just two Tigers to earn All-SEC recognition twice.

If the decision holds, Mitchell will get to face Kansas in the season-opening Champions Classic on Nov. 10 as a Wildcat. He’ll get a welcome back to Columbia on Jan. 9.

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