At the time of hisNational Letter of Intent signing withMichigan Wolverines basketball,ESPN.com andScout.com ranked McGary as the number two player in the United States high school class of 2012, whileRivals.com ranked him as the number three prospect.[2] He was not only the consensus toppower forward recruit in the nation,[3] but also the topbig man according to most sources at the time.[4] After his signing, however, McGary fell down in the rankings as his underdeveloped offensive skills became apparent.
Mitch McGary was born on June 6, 1992,[6] and grew up in theChesterton, Indiana, area. He played inYMCA andAmateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball leagues as a youth, and his father, Tim, who had never played organized sports, coached him until fourth grade.[7] McGary's mother is named Valerie.[8] When McGary was younger, his father thought his athletic future was inbaseball.[8] McGary played on the 2007–08Chesterton High Schooljunior varsity team as a freshman, while eventual three-timeMichigan WolverinescaptainZack Novak was a senior on thevarsity team.[9] That year he also was a 6-foot-6-inch (1.98 m), 190-pound (86 kg) freshmantight end on thehigh school football team, but his father made him quit football as he continued to grow.[10] His local Indiana SPY Players AAU basketball team included future Michigan teammatesMax Bielfeldt andGlenn Robinson III, son ofGlenn Robinson.[8] McGary joined the varsity basketball team the following season and played two years. McGary is afflicted withattention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He eventually transferred toBrewster Academy, a prep school inWolfeboro, New Hampshire, to repeat his junior year because his parents thought the discipline would be good for him.[3] Before transferring to Brewster, McGary was the tallest kid in his school and in the basketball conference that he played in.[8] McGary shoots left-handed.[11]
As late as March 2011, McGary ranked 92nd in the national class of 2012 by Rivals.com.[12] During the LeBron James Skills Academy in July, McGary stood out as the best player in attendance.[13][14][15] He was invited to participate in the 5th annualNike Global Challenge the following month.[16] Due to an ankle injury he did not participate.[17] However, later that month, he participated in the Boost Mobile Elite 24 event,[18][19] where he shattered abackboard.[20] His other 2011 summer camps included Pittsburgh Jam Fest, theNational Basketball Players Association Top 100 camp and theUnder Armour Best of the Best Camp, where he was the most valuable player.[19] McGary scheduled his officialMichigan visit for the beginning of September.[21] McGary completed his official campus visits to University of Michigan, University of North Carolina, and Duke University,[9] in that order, by October 4.[22] However, due to injuries suffered a few weeks earlier while shattering the backboard, he only playedpick-up games at Duke.[20][22] He also made an unofficial visit to Florida prior to these official visits.[17]
His reported best friend,[23] Robinson had committed to Michigan on September 14, 2010.[24] In apress conference broadcast onESPNU on November 3, 2011, McGary announced his verbal commitment to Michigan over his other two finalistFlorida andDuke.[25][26][27] Within hours of the commitment, ESPN ranked Michigan's recruiting class the fifth best in the nation.[28] After several other schools announced their commitments, Michigan, which had been outside the top 25 at the end of October, ranked the number 7 class in the nation, according toESPN.[29][30] He waited until November 9 to sign hisNational Letter of Intent so that his parents, who were still living in Indiana, could be present.[2][4] Both of his parents had liked head coachMike Krzyzewski and had hoped that he would choose Duke.[8] At the time of their November 2011 National Letter of Intent signings,Nik Stauskas, Robinson and McGary gave Michigan a consensus top 10 entering class for its 2012 class.[31]
McGary was invited to participate in the four-team All-American Championship along with future teammate Robinson in New Orleans on April 1, 2012.[44] Six days later, McGary representedUSA Basketball at the 15th annual Nike Hoops Summit as part of the 2012 USA Junior National Select Team.[45] Following the season, he was named as one of 40Parade All-Americans.[46]
During his senior season, scouts became aware that McGary was less polished offensively than he had appeared. By January, his ranking had been reduced from number 2 overall to about number 20.[47] He eventually settled between 26th and 30th byScout.com, ESPN andRivals.com in the final class of 2012 overall rankings.
In the third game of the season and the third of his career, McGary posted a game-high 9rebounds in 17 minutes of play off the bench againstCleveland State on November 13. McGary also went 3-for-3 on hisfield goals.[52][53] McGary reached double figures in scoring for the first time December 4 againstWestern Michigan (Michigan's eighth game of the season) when he scored 10points on 5-for-5 shooting in 14 minutes of play off the bench.[54][55] He had his first 10-rebound game on December 11 against theBinghamton Bearcats.[56][57] On December 20, he posted his firstdouble-double with a then career-high 11 rebounds and 10 points as well as a then career-high 3steals in just 18 minute of play againstEastern Michigan.[58][59] On December 24, he was recognized as Big Ten Freshman of the Week.[60] On January 6, McGary tied then career high with 11 rebounds, tied a then career high 2assists and set a career high with 3blocked shots againstIowa.[61][62] On January 28, Michigan was ranked number one in theAP Poll with 51 of the 65 first place votes.[63] It marked the first time Michigan ranked atop the AP Poll since theFab Five1992–93 team did so on December 5, 1992.[64]
McGary played a career-high 29 minutes, tallying then career highs of 14 points and 4 steals, along with 6 rebounds, on February 5 in anovertime victory againstOhio State.[65][66] For his efforts in two overtime games during the week, McGary earned his second Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor on February 11.[67] On February 12 in Michigan's 25th game of the season, McGary made his first appearance in thestarting lineup in therivalry game againstMichigan State. Michigan lost 75–52 with McGary posting a team-high 4 rebounds.[68][69] On March 14, in the first round of the2013 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament against Penn State, McGary posted his second career double-double, reaching 10 points and 10 rebounds in the first half, but only adding one more rebound in the second half.[70][71]
Prior to the2013 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, Jeff Goodman ofCBSSports.com named Michigan with McGary first among tournament teams in terms of having the most futureNBA talent on its roster (in the absence ofKentucky who was relegated to the2013 National Invitation Tournament).[72] As a number four seed, Michigan defeated its first NCAA tournament opponent,South Dakota State, 71–56 on March 21 with McGary making his third start of the season and contributing 13 points and 9 rebounds.[73] The 27th victory of the season gave the team its most wins in 20 years and matched head coachJohn Beilein's career high.[74] Two days later McGary made his fourth career start, adding career highs of 21 points on 10-for-11 shooting and 14 rebounds againstVCU in a 78–53 victory.[75][76][77] His 10–11 (90.9%) field goal percentage is the best shooting performance by a Wolverine in the NCAA Tournament (min 10 attempts).[78] In the first two tournament games combined, he shot 16-for-20.[79] On March 29 againstKansas, McGary earned his third consecutive start and 5th start of the season.[80] He scored a career-high 25 points and career-high tying 14 rebounds, marking his second consecutive and fourth career double-double.[80] He shot 12-for-17 in the game.[81] McGary joinedBlake Griffin (2009) as the only two players in the last 15NCAA Division I men's basketball tournaments to achieve 14 or more rebounds and 21 or more points in back-to-back games.[82] With his tournament run, McGary became the Big Ten Conference leader infield goal percentage (although he slipped just belowVictor Oladipo at the end of the season).[83] In the regional finals on March 31 againstFlorida, McGary contributed 9 rebounds and 11 points, including 8 points as Michigan opened up a 13–0 lead to start the game.[84] McGary also added a career-high 5 steals during his fourth consecutive start.[85] 5 steals tiedRickey Green (1977) and Tom Stanton (1977) as the best single-NCAA Tournament game performance in school history, but was surpassed byDerrick Walton in 2018.[78] McGary and Stauskas joined Most Outstanding PlayerTrey Burke on the 5-man South All-Regional team.[86] Following the regional championship postgame prayer and with Mrs. Beilein's consent, McGary andTim Hardaway Jr. gave head coachJohn Beilein agatorade shower.[87] In the April 6 national semifinal againstSyracuse, McGary contributed 10 points and 12 rebounds along with a career-high 6 assists.[88][89] Two nights later, Michigan lost in the championship game toLouisville by an 82–76 margin as McGary contributed 6 points, 6 rebounds, a steal, a block and an assist.[90] McGary made the 7-man All-Tournament team (which was revised multiple times) along with teammates Burke and Albrecht.[90][91] In his six NCAA Tournament starts, he averaged a double-double with 14.3 points and 10.8 rebounds.[92] McGary finished the season as the Big Ten conference freshman leader in rebounding and placed second toVictor Oladipo infield goal percentage (59.87% vs. 59.82%).[93]
Prior to the Final Four, McGary stated that he would not enter the2013 NBA draft,[94] but a few days later said he had been caught off guard and would prefer to respond after he has time to reflect on his season.[95] On April 9 before boarding the airplane to return from the NCAA Final Four, Beilein met with Burke, Hardaway, Robinson and McGary to direct them to seek the advice of the NBA advisory committee. The draft board has until April 15 to develop each individual report and the players have until April 28 to enter the draft.[96] On April 12, ESPN journalist Myron Medcalf described McGary's likelihood of entering the draft as "borderline," noting that his NCAA tournament performance may have given him a sudden chance to be a lottery selection.[97] Several sources regarded him as a likely first round draft choice in the NBA Draft,[5][98] so there was much speculation about him entering his name into the draft. On April 18, he and Robinson held a joint press conference to announce that they would not enter the draft.[99] This came after Burke and Hardaway entered the draft on the 14th[100][101] and 17th,[102] respectively.
On April 30, ESPN's Eamonn Brennan named him a first team 2013-14 pre-offseason All-American selection.[103] In June 2013,Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy named McGary the best center for the upcoming season.[104] McGary declined an invitation to try out for theUSA Basketball team that competed at the2013 Summer Universiade, opting instead to attend the Nike Skills Academy for big men featuringAmar'e Stoudemire andAnthony Davis and theLeBron James Skills Academy.[105][106]
On September 6,Sporting News named McGary to its preseason All-American first team (along withDoug McDermott,Marcus Smart,Jabari Parker andAndrew Wiggins), as well as the best overall player in the Big Ten Conference after he led Michigan to the championship game by averaging 14.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game in the tournament.[107][108]NBC Sports named him a second team selection.[109] Later that month, McGary joined McDermott, Smart, Wiggins andJulius Randle as first team preseason All-Americans byUSA Today Sports 2013-14 College Basketball Preview Magazine.[110] However,USA Today sports staff later selected him as second team.[111]Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook named McGary a preseason second team All-American.[112]Lindy's Sports selected McGary to the preseason All-Big Ten second team and named him the nation's second best power forward.[113]Athlon Sports selected McGary to its preseason All-American second team and preseason All-Big Ten first team.[114][115]CBS Sports selected McGary as a second team preseason All-American.[116]Dick Vitale selected McGary to his All-Solid Gold preseason first team (along with McDermott, Smart,Russ Smith andAaron Craft).[117] On November 4, McGary was named first team preseason All-American by theAssociated Press along with Mcdermott, Smart, Wiggins and Smith.[118][119] McGary was on the 50-manNaismith Award andWooden Award preseason watchlists.[120][121]
In September, McGary experienced an unspecified lower back condition that impaired his basketball activity.[122] He sat out the firstexhibition game on October 29 againstConcordia University.[123][124] McGary was a preseason All-Big Ten selection in both the official media poll released by the Big Ten Conference and the unofficial media poll released by theBig Ten Network.[125][126] He was also on the 15-manOscar Robertson Trophy Preseason Watch List.[127]
McGary sat out the season opener on November 8 due to his back problems.[128] By November 11, head coach Beilein stated that McGary had begun participating in limited full-speed workouts.[129] After missing the preseason and first two regular season games, McGary returned to play againstIowa State on November 17 posting 9 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals.[130][131][132] McGary posted a 14-point and 12 rebound double-double in his third game, which was the November 22Puerto Rico Tip-Off semifinal againstFlorida State.[133] With leading scorer Stauskas sidelined with an injury, the November 29 contest againstCoppin State was McGary's first start of the season.[134] On December 3, McGary had 15 points and 14 rebounds againstDuke.[135][136] McGary tied his career high with 6 assists as Michigan defeatedHouston Baptist by the 54 points on December 7.[137][138] On December 21, McGary sat out againstStanford due to assorted ailments.[139][140] On December 27, McGary announced that he would have back surgery.[141] On January 3, the surgery date was announced as January 7.[142] By March 15, he had progressed to running on hardcourt surfaces, after some time spent running on an underwater treadmill. He was nearing jumping activities.[143] The2013–14 team advanced to the elite eight round of the2014 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament before being eliminated byKentucky on March 30.[144] He ended his career with a 67.9% NCAA Tournament careerfield goal percentage, which is a school record (min 20 attempts).[78]
Following the season, McGary, who had slipped from a projected 2013 first round selection to a projected 2014 second round selection, stated that he had to evaluate whether he was mentally and physically ready to pursue a professional career.[145] Many in the press felt he should return to "rebuild his draft stock".[146][147][148] Upon learning that he had tested positive formarijuana following the Sweet Sixteen victory over Tennessee and was facing a one-year suspension, McGary declared for the draft,[149] following teammates Stauskas and Robinson who had declared ten days earlier.[150] Of Michigan's prior 14 early NBA draft entrants, 10 were selected in the first round and 3 in the second.[151] McGary was tested 18 days before the NCAA decided to reduce the automatic punishment for marijuana use to a half a season and his appeal for lenience was unsuccessful.[152] During his two years with Michigan, the school enjoyed its winningest two-year stretch in school history marked by a total of 59 wins.[153] McGary signed withsports agent Mark Bartelstein (along with teammate Stauskas).[154][155]
On July 5, 2014, McGary signed with the Thunder and joined them for the2014 NBA Summer League.[160][161] On October 8 during training camp, McGary fractured the secondmetatarsal of his left foot, causing him to be sidelined for an estimated six weeks.[162][163] This occurred three weeks before the team's October 29 season opener and meant McGary was expected to miss the first 14 games of the season.[164][165] After missing the first 14 games, he began to be a limited participant in practices.[166] McGary debuted with the Thunder on December 14 with 4 rebounds and 3 points in seven minutes of play against thePhoenix Suns.[167][168][169] Subsequently, McGary was sidelined for 2–3 weeks withperiostitis (inflammation) in his lefttibia.[170] On February 8, in his third NBA game, McGary posted a double double with 19 points and 10 rebounds against theLos Angeles Clippers.[171][172] He was one of the finalists for NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month during March.[173] On March 13, McGary made his first start against theMinnesota Timberwolves in place of an injuredSerge Ibaka,[174] scoring 12 points in 22 minutes.[175] On March 16, McGary established a new career high by nabbing 11 rebounds in his first 6 minutes of play before going on to post a double double with 13 rebounds and 12 points in 17 minutes againstDallas Mavericks.[176][177] In the April 15 season finale against the Minnesota Timberwolves, McGary posted a season-high 4 blocked shots in just 14 minutes of play.[178][179] During his rookie and sophomore seasons, he had multiple assignments withOklahoma City Blue, the Thunder'sD-League affiliate.[180][181]
On October 16, 2015, McGary suffered a loose ball collision withMatt Barnes of theMemphis Grizzlies that resulted inconcussion-like symptoms.[182][183] On October 21, the Thunder exercised their third-year team option on McGary's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2016–17 season.[184] On October 26, he was cleared for the October 28 season opener.[185] However, McGary did not appear in the game.[186] He went on to play limited minutes in 20 games before leaving the team prior to the end of the season for "personal reasons".[187]
On July 8, 2016, McGary was suspended for five games by the NBA for a failed drug test.[188] Two months later, he was suspended an additional 10 games for non-compliance with the league's drug policy, bringing the number of regular season games he is suspended without pay for to 15.[187] On October 24, 2016, following preseason, McGary was waived by the Thunder.[189][190]
By 2017, McGary returned tobowling, a sport of his youth and that his mother competed at for 29 years, but still felt more basketball might be in his future.[191]
McGary's father is a Chesterton High School alumnus and his mother worked there as the school treasurer.[7] McGary is an avidskateboarder, with a set ofskateboard ramps built by his father in his backyard.[192]
Rivals: 
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