Akoy Agau Commits to Georgetown

That was quick: Louisville transfer Akoy Agau has committed to Georgetown.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) January 7, 2015

It certainly was, as the below was just posted this morning:

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Potential Hoya: Akoy Agau

As Georgetown continues the early portion of its Big East schedule, we are all focused on the potential of this year's Hoya team. However, it is also important to keep an eye on the future of the program. To that end, I will profile Akoy Agau, a Louisville midyear transfer and potential Georgetown target.  Along with Georgetown, Agau is reportedly considering Marquette and Nebraska.

Basic Information:

Height: 6'8"

Weight: 230 lbs

Year: Sophomore

Stats:

2013-14 (Freshman): 19 Games Played, 5.0 MPG, 0.9 PPG, 1.1 RPG

2014-15 (Sophomore): 3 Games Played, 3.7 MPG, 0.0 PPG, 0.3 RPG

Recruiting Profile: Class of 2013

ESPN: 4-star recruit, #75 prospect

Rivals: 4-star recruit, #87 prospect

247Sports: 4-star recruit, #96 prospect

Scouting Report:

Agau hails from Central High School in Nebraska, and he was billed as a rugged power forward with strength and agility. Lauded for his athletic ability, he also played tight end and defensive end at Central, and also competed in the long jump, high jump, and triple jump. He was regarded as a consensus top-100 recruit, but his offensive abilities were raw. In high school and on the summer circuit, he scored most of his points on put-backs, dunks, and tip-ins. Still, he was regarded as a high-major power forward with excellent potential.

Recruitment:

Agau received scholarship offers from West Virginia, Nebraska, Baylor, Memphis, Mississippi State, Georgetown, and Louisville among other schools. At one point in his recruitment, he named Georgetown as his leader, citing John Thompson III's pitch about how he could fill a role similar to Jeff Green (a pitch that JT3 has used for several forward recruits).

He unofficially visited the Hilltop campus twice, and had scheduled an official visit for 2013 Midnight Madness. However, before Agau reached campus in October, he committed to Rick Pitino and Louisville, who had swooped into his recruitment during its later stages.

Since announcing his transfer, Agau visited Georgetown unofficially for a third time, and watched the Hoyas earn a comprehensive victory over Creighton. Clearly, as evidenced by his recruitment, there is at least some degree of mutual interest between Agau and John Thompson III and his staff.

Potential Fit:

As you can see from his stats, Agau failed to carve out a place in the Louisville rotation over the past two years. He is somewhat raw offensively, and the Cardinals have a packed frontcourt, including 6'8" junior Montrezl Harrell, 6'10" freshman Chinanu Onuaku, 6'10" redshirt sophomore Mangok Mathiang, and 7' freshman Anas Mahmoud.

As Hoya fans are well aware, next year's Georgetown frontcourt is less crowded. Mikael Hopkins and Joshua Smith, the team's two primary big men, will both graduate after this season. As a result, Jessie Govan, an unproven freshman, and Bradley Hayes, a senior who has done very little in his first three years on campus, will comprise the Hoyas' center rotation.

Although Agau has not received much game action at Louisville, he has spent two years practicing with a top-notch high major program. Montrezl Harrell is projected as a first round NBA draft pick, and any player would benefit from going up against a player of Harrell's caliber every day in practice. As a result, he is more experienced than most first-year additions to a program.

Listed at 6'8", 230 pounds, Agau might not have the size of a prototypical center, but he could man the pivot spot in Georgetown's system. Mikael Hopkins, the man Agau would effectively replace, is listed at 6'9", 239 pounds. Agau's mobility and size could allow him to fill Hopkins's role as a hybrid forward/center.

Agau does not come without questions. During his recruitment, he envisioned himself as a combo forward in Georgetown's system, in a role that could be similar to Jeff Green. He isn't a true center, but with Isaac Copeland, Paul White, Reggie Cameron, and Marcus Derrickson already in the fold, John Thompson III doesn't need another combo forward. Agau might not envision himself occupying the center role that he would presumably assume on the Hilltop.

In addition, he is unproven at the high-major college level, particularly as a center. Although Hopkins received a lot of flak for his lack of offensive ability, he does bring valuable shot-blocking and rebounding into the rotation. It is unclear whether Agau can provide those things.

Eligibility:

Because Agau transferred from Louisville before the end of the fall semester, he should have two and a half years of eligibility remaining when he arrives at his new school, provided that he enrolls before the start of the spring semester. Because of NCAA rules, Agau would have to sit out two full semesters, meaning that he would be eligible for the beginning of the 2016 spring semester. If all goes well, he should spend next season as a sophomore, giving him two more full seasons after 2016.

Edit: According to the same report that announced his commitment, Agau will apply for a medical redshirt this season. If it is granted, he will be eligible to play at the beginning of next season, and would have three full years of eligibility remaining. Because Agau has only played 11 minutes this season and was injured over the past off-season,  there is a chance that his request will be approved, which would allow him to integrate himself into the Hoya rotation during non-conference play next season.

Verdict:

Agau could fill a great need for next year's Hoyas team. Govan and Hayes are each unproven, and even if they are able to comprise an adequate center rotation, an injury would be devastating and could force a player like Isaac Copeland to fill in at center. Ideally, Georgetown would bring in another highly-regarded 2015 recruit. However, Ivan Rabb, Skal Labissiere, Tacko Fall, and Noah Dickerson have each crossed Georgetown off of their lists, and there are not many high quality recruits available at this point in the year.

In my opinion, Agau represents the Hoyas' best opportunity to add a relatively young big man to next year's roster. John Thompson III could add a graduate transfer to play immediately, but that player would be out of eligibility after the 2015-16 season, leaving the Hoyas with the same void at center.

It is important to maintain tempered expectations. In the best-case scenario, he could effectively fill Mikael Hopkins's role as an athletic big man, possibly with a more developed offensive game. Based on his time at Louisville, it's unlikely that he turns into a star big man, but he could be a solid addition to the Hoya rotation.

The addition of Agau leaves Georgetown with two open scholarships for 2015-16.

Here's a look at the updated scholarship table.

Welcome to the Hilltop, Akoy Agau!

Hoya Saxa.