Recruiting Report: William Mfum (2019)
Just days before the beginning of William Mfum’s (2019) sophomore season at Columbus Northland, we spoke with him about goals, playing style, and recruitment. Since, his situation has changed, in large part to added confidence and basketball IQ.
The 6’2” point guard has always had the physical tools to be a Division I prospect. But it was only in recent months that Mfum established himself as that level of prospect, by earning his first D-I offer from Youngstown State.
“They were talking about offering me before I came on a visit. But they wanted me to come in and play with the team. From tip-off, I just started shooting and scoring, making good passes. Every time I hit a shot it would be on one of their best players. I’d be screaming, like, ‘You can’t guard me,’ and the whole staff would be laughing. I showed them I was quicker than the players, stronger, playing physical,” Mfum explained.
He’s taken strides on the mental side in the past several months also.
“I didn’t really have a good IQ. I had the other stuff but I wasn’t going to be good if I didn’t add the IQ part. So I just had to sit down and watch a lot of film.”
Given his performance with Pro Bound in the spring, it’s no surprise to us that he’s received an offer during that time. In addition, Robert Morris, Detroit Mercy, Dayton, Wright State, Indiana, and Bethune-Cookman, have all expressed interest in Mfum.
Mfum singled out Robert Morris and Detroit Mercy as teams he believes are close to offering a scholarship, pending how he plays this weekend in Louisville at the All In Hoopfest.
With all of the teams listed above coming to see Pro Bound 16U this weekend, we expect Mfum to bring his best.
“Every time the spotlight is on me, you got to look for me to do good because I’m not playing with nobody,” Mfum told Prep Hoops.
Overcoming tough circumstances has molded Mfum’s approach to the court.
“I grew up with a lot of people from the Linden area who wish they were in my position. But they couldn’t make it because they were caught up in drugs, went to jail, or died. So, for me I just play with this hunger. I do it for them,” Mfum said.
“I just want people to know that basketball, I love this sport and all, but I have to play it. There’s no other way out for me … I do this for Taurico. He died a couple years ago and we were real close. He was in the streets and stuff. But he had a football dream and he was real good. So everybody was waiting for him to make it out and he was killed, so it put this anger in me.”
Outside of team camps and campus visits, scouts haven’t seen Mfum on the court since May, as Pro Bound took last weekend off. In the meantime, he’s been focused on physical conditioning, saying that he works out three times a day usually.
As he continues adding court awareness, which he’s clearly doing, the explosive lead guard will rack up plenty of D-I offers. He’s supremely talented and wants to be great — a combination that usually works out for guys.
Northland '19 G William Mfum delivers a posterizing statement dunk to a couple unfortunate cougars.@DatBoyShifty @NorthlandBB @270Hoops pic.twitter.com/vvkYjYXVNS
— Ron Waugh (@Bigron12r) January 21, 2017