Recruiting Report: Alex Mangold (2020)
At 6’7” 210-pounds, Lakota East forward Alex Mangold (2020) combines physical force with a versatile skill-set. Away from the court Mangold has an early Division II offer, a 3.95 GPA, and scored a 24 on his practice ACT run almost a year ago. It’s a promising résumé and he’s ambitious enough to continue aiming high.
“I want to look forward to getting more D-I looks in the summer,” Mangold said. “That’s my main goal is to get my recruiting up to that level by the end of the summer.”
He expanded on his ideal school, adding, “I’d definitely say the success of the team and if it’s good academically.” He continued, “And I want to go to a school that’s not super small. … Like the student life is good and they support the team.”
Christian Brothers was the first to offer Mangold, they did so in mid-April along with Lakota East teammate Bash Wieland. The program has remained in contact with Mangold since.
Additionally, he acquired interest from Penn, Findlay, Hillsdale, Fairmont State, and Indiana Wesleyan through elite camps and grassroots ball with the Mid Ohio Pumas.
“I’m talking to pretty much the colleges that former East players have gone to,” he said. “I’m going to a visit to Findlay on Tuesday. Offer from Christian Brothers. Hillsdale. I went to the University of Pennsylvania camp and they thought I was impressive, so both of their coaches have been texting me.”
Mangold is a high-academic recruit pending the ACT score, a test he says he will likely take this winter. This season at Lakota East, he will be used as a mainly a post-up guy who can facilitate offense while being a team leader alongside Wieland, a senior. A three-level power scorer, though, is his long-term projection as a player, according to Mangold.
“In three years, I see myself being a powerful three-way scorer — getting the ball to the rim, shooting from the outside like I do now, but especially improving on my game driving and finishing strong through contact and being more comfortable with the ball,” Mangold said. He shot 38 percent on 3-pointers last season.
The final piece of Mangold’s appeal is Lakota East’s reputation of preparing prospects for the next level.
“A coach was there [Thursday] from Urbana and he said it’s kind of like a D-I program,” Mangold said. “We take everything seriously and there’s actually a lot of kids who aren’t fit for the program and they end up quitting. … You have to be 100 percent in to the program or someone will take your spot.
“Players from the past have come back to the program and they say that it prepared them for the next level really good,” he said.
Until the season begins, Mangold and the Hawks have team work-outs every day of the week. They head into the season as one of the most promising collections of talent in the Greater Miami Conference and Southwest Ohio as a whole after last season’s 16-9 record.