Georgetown Hoyas Player Profiles: Bradley Hayes

Our 2012-13 Georgetown Hoyas player profiles feature rolls on with a look at freshman center Bradley Hayes.

High School Stats: 13 PPG, 12 RPG, 4 BPG

A Look Back:

Bradley Hayes was a late bloomer in high school, mostly due to the fact that his body shut down on him while transforming into a 7 foot behemoth. His coach said that he grew over half a foot in just a half a year – and as a result he missed all or most of his sophomore and junior years as his body adjusted. In his senior year, he emerged as one of the best players in his league, as seven footers who can run well, catch the ball, and dunk quite frequently are wont to do in high school. JT3 and staff jumped full throttle into the race for Hayes after the unfortunate (tainted?) Nerlens Noel recruitment, and beat out high D1 offers from the likes of Florida, Texas A&M UConn and Memphis. Hayes missed the entire Kenner League season with what appeared to be minor knee injuries, but he sat on the Tombs bench throughout the summer getting to know his teammates.

Outlook for 2012-13:

Bradley "BJ" Hayes has the best frame for a center on the Hoyas since Roy Hibbert. Listed by Georgetown as 7 feet, 248 lbs., he has the size to be a true NBA big man. While Moses Ayegba and Tyler Adams have the necessary build to develop into quality college centers, Hayes has the potential to be the type of player that overwhelms opponents with his presence. There are so many questions that it's hard to project his impact as a Hoya: coaches say he "runs like a deer" and can shoot out to 17 feet. Can he shoot free throws? Does he have any post moves? So on and so forth.

Best Case Scenario:

Hell, we haven't even seen him scrimmage in a Georgetown uniform so it's hard to gauge just how much of a project he truly is. He was able to progress very quickly in his senior year, so it's possible that he's continued that trajectory during his time at Big Man U (though let's be honest, we're now Lean-Skilled-Forward U). With Henry Sims now in the NBA, Georgetown is desperate for someone to provide quality minutes at the center position – and Hayes will have the opportunity to fight for playing time. With success, Hayes is Georgetown's starting center by the end of the season, or gets the equivalent in minutes and anchors the defense in the paint.

Worst Case Scenario:

Tyler Adams or Moses Ayegba redux. Despite the clear opportunity for playing time, Hayes could very well be held back by health. While it is also possible that he is just too raw to make a meaningful impact on the team and perhaps takes a redshirt, those balky knees that kept him out of summer league play are by far the greater concern. If Hayes stays healthy it's hard not to imagine him down the road as at least a serviceable center in the Big East, but if he doesn't commit to defense he could find himself in JT3's doghouse and lingering on the bench, finding minutes here and there when other bigs get into foul trouble.