Elbert Robinson Set to Announce

Class of 2014 center Elbert Robinson is set to cut his list today to his final few schools ahead of a commitment announcement that will likely come in November.

I will release my list Thursday

— ✨ER_3-SlowMo!!!✨ (@ElbertRobinson8) September 16, 2013

Georgetown remains heavily involved in the pursuit of coveted Class of 2014 big man Elbert Robinson, and is (or at least was) regarded as a frontrunner to land his commitment. 247sports.com released its updated Top247 rankings for the class of 2014 earlier this month and Robinson jumped up 10 spots to number 56 overall.

Though Georgetown was involved early in his recruitment, programs from all over the country have since taken notice of the big man as one of the top true centers still available in the Class of 2014. In addition to Georgetown, Robinson's list is expected to include Ohio State and a few newcomers to his recruitment which likely include Texas A&M, LSU, Nebraska and SMU.  The addition of the newcomer schools has raised more than a few eyebrows, and one can't help but wonder whether or not Robinson's recruitment has now been, for lack of a better word, "tainted" by the involvement of his AAU coach Lawrence Johns.  Johns heads the Dallas Seawolves AAU program, and was the reason why Baylor was forced to suspend former Seawolves star Perry Jones after it was revealed that he had received impermissible benefits from Johns.

Standing at a monstrous 7'1'', and weighing 320 pounds, Robinson, who is entering his final year at Lakeview Centennial High School, averaged 16 points and 15 rebounds as a junior last season. He is far more advanced than Georgetown-great Roy Hibbert was at this age, and unlike Hibbert, Robinson won't need to be trained from ground zero in the art of toughness or physicality. What the two centers do share in common is an advanced passing ability that very few players of their size have, as well as a soft touch around the rim. These skills would allow Robinson to shine within the pass-heavy Princeton offense, often initiated by the center from the high post, that Georgetown employs. Robinson is also a great offensive rebounder and general low post presence due to his mass. Check out this video of Robinson at an NBPA top 100 camp from this past summer; it does a good job of illustrating the above:

Considering his plans to sign at the beginning of this upcoming season, it's likely that the last college basketball game he will have attended as a recruit was on his March 7^th visit to Georgetown, where he witnessed the Hoyas annihilate Syracuse in front of a packed Verizon Center. You really couldn't really ask for better timing on that one.

Here is a look at Robinson's up-to-date recruiting calendar:

As each recruit is given only 5 official visits and Robinson will have used 2 on Georgia Tech and Nebraska, the pressure is certainly mounting for Georgetown to secure one of the final visits. From what Robinson has said in the past, this seems very likely.

If Robinson were to eventually decide on Georgetown he would be joining an almost-certain consensus top-10 recruiting class for 2014 that includes 6'9 F Isaac Copeland, 6'8 F Paul White, 6'5 wing L.J. Peak  and 6'2 point guard Tre Campbell.  The addition of a center like Robinson would give Georgetown a de facto starting lineup of exclusively '14 recruits. This is the type of well-rounded and talented recruiting class that could springboard the Hoyas into contention for a national championship in '15 alongside D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera and a healthy Greg Whittington, as well as seniors Jabril Trawick, Mikael Hopkins, and, perhaps Josh Smith. Robinson is a large piece, literally and figuratively, that would allow this dream scenario to come to fruition. Elbert Robinson might very well be the next in a long and growing line of great Hoya big men. Hopefully we'll get the chance to find out.

Georgetown doing it big four big time commits!!!!

— ✨ER_3-SlowMo!!!✨ (@ElbertRobinson8) September 15, 2013

Indeed, Mr. Robinson. Indeed.