Will Georgetown Go After 4-Star Class of ‘18 SF Saddiq Bey?

Saddiq Bey, a 4-star small forward (6-7, 195) from Sidwell Friends and the Washington D.C. area is back on the market after asking for his release from NC State.

The Bey-release-request news came after former Kentucky Sacha Killeya-Jones (6-10, F) announced plans to transfer to NC State and Eric Lockett, a 6-foot-5 guard/wing from Florida International, committed to the Wolfpack as a graduate transfer, available immediately.

So it looks like N.C. State will grant/process his release soon.

247Sports reports that “When Bey originally opted for NC State, he picked them over Miami, Pittsburgh, Xavier and Northwestern,” however Georgetown was in the picture at some point.

Casual contributor Alleninxis relayed that the former “2*” had a break-out year and Bey was very much on the Hoyas’ radar as of April last year. He reportedly had a huge growth in height and his game.

Last May (2017), we got to see that Bey was on campus with Coach Patrick Ewing (before Coach found a GU jacket more comfortable than his Hornets hoodie).

According to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post: “On May 10, he took an unofficial visit to Georgetown and Patrick Ewing pitched his vision as the Hoyas’ new head coach.” The article also discussed his recent growth spurt(s).

In November, WaPo reported:

At the end of the high school season, he had offers from Pennsylvania, Temple, Elon, Rhode Island and Towson. In April, he shined on the AAU circuit with D.C. Premier and was soon offered by N.C. State, Pittsburgh, Miami, Northwestern, Rutgers, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Florida and a host of other schools. He was a long forward who could handle the ball, sink threes and defend any player on the opposing team. His height allowed him to comfortably take contested shots. His feel for the game told him not to force them.

...

In mid-August, Bey announced a final six of N.C. State, Miami, Xavier, Pittsburgh, Northwestern and Princeton. He then took official visits to Pittsburgh, Xavier, Northwestern and, finally, N.C. State in Raleigh at the start of October. Pittsburgh Coach Kevin Stallings visited Bey a few weeks after his trip to campus. He said Xavier was “really up there” while making his final decision and that he was still considering all six schools this week.

Do Pitt or Xavier even have head coaches, now? I think Miami lost their assistant with the DC-connection.

To be honest, I have no idea if there’s a scholarship available for ‘18 still. By my scorecard, the recent signing of Omer Yurtseven as a transfer (from NC State) is the last spot (regardless of eligibility rule change), but the recruiting table says “It’s possible that Mourning and/or Malinowski will be walk-ons for 18-19.”

If Casual’s recent tweet is indicative of anything, it’s that... the topic needs further discussion and insight in the comments below.

Scouts love Bey’s shooting and his hustle on both ends. Also, they like his size. If there is a spot open on the team, and Ewing really does want to recruit hard locally, there should be another discussion or visit.

Here are some highlights: