LINKS: Ryan Mutombo on ‘Family’ Legacy, Recruiting News

You’re free to disagree, but I’d like to nip the Mutombo “Family Legacy” discussions in the bud.

Fans of the Georgetown Hoyas should strive to let Ryan Mutombo be his own man, for now. That means limiting the allusions to “finger wags,” not requesting he wear the number 55, and minimizing repetition of urban legends about Dikembe’s days partying on Prospect Street. Ryan is a highly rated recruit on his own—and likely will be better than Dikembe was in college.

The legacy of Ryan will be part of the much larger Big Man U family than the Mutombo name. Simply put, Ryan is coming to the Hilltop to learn from one of the best centers to ever play the game, not just choosing his “uncle’s” program.

Ryan’s high-talent-ceiling should mean a lot more to Georgetown’s basketball program and its fans than just “family.” The media will eventually catch on.

Here are the links:

Caleb Houstan’s decision, Ryan Mutombo to Georgetown and more recruiting notes | The Athletic

Ryan is also a gifted shot-blocker, and on Sunday, he committed to his pop’s alma mater, Georgetown. They are not, however, the same player.

“Even though he’s going to Georgetown, he wants to blaze his own trail and leave his own mark,” Lovett coach Mike Harner says. “He really did take a look at other (colleges) just because of that. At the end of the day, he is going to set his own path.”

So far that path has been on an upward trajectory...

“He has a knack for blocking shots and keeping it in play,” Harner says. “Very rarely does he block a shot and it goes out of bounds.”

NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 357 D-I head coaches for 2020-21 season | Busting Brackets

117. Patrick Ewing (Georgetown) (Last year: 81)

Overall record: 49-46

Ewing was a legend as a player at Georgetown and in the NBA, returning to the Hoyas as their head coach in 2017. A longtime former NBA assistant, the Hoyas haven’t exactly broken out under Ewing’s leadership, sitting at just 19-35 in Big East play. He’s brought talent to Georgetown, but significant roster turnover and coaching questions have the Hoyas’ future looking not as bright as it once was.

(Cf. last year’s optimism)

When does 2020-21 college basketball season start? | NBC Sports Washington

Georgetown went through a turbulent 2019-20 season full of unexpected, high-profile transfers and poorly-timed injuries. There’s some talent on the roster, and the backcourt projects to be solid. The frontcourt is very raw, however, so Patrick Ewing will have to put forth a strong coaching effort to develop his team throughout the course of the season.

How Allen Iverson Changed Villanova Home Games Forever | The Villan*van

Iverson recently went on “All the Smoke,” a sports podcast hosted by former NBA champions Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, to recount the story of a road matchup against Villanova in the old Pavilion.

“We were playing Villanova,” Iverson said. “A dude had a sign that said ‘Allen Iverson is the next MJ.’ It had MJ crossed out and it had ‘OJ.’ It was four dudes in the stands and they all had on four orange jumpsuits with chains and shackles…and coach Thompson was like, ‘No. If y’all don’t get them out of here, out of this gym right now, we’re not playing.’ And they escorted them out of there, and the game went on.”

2020 NBA Draft Profiles: Omer Yurtseven | Grizzly Bear Blues

It does not matter where he is on the floor, Yurtseven is a threat to score. He can shoot the three (50% his sophomore year on 1.3 attempts), the mid range, run the floor in transition and be the roll man in the pick and roll. He was also one of the top offensive rebounders in the NCAA and is a solid rebounder overall, averaging almost 10 per contest.

He can score.

But can he defend?

Georgetown Class of 2022 Recruiting Preview | Hoyas 247 (Aidan Curran)

Patrick Ewing has managed to rebound from a rough 2019-20 season, and has begun to re-stock the program’s talent base, with the Hoyas’ 2021 class currently ranked 14th in the nation, per 247Sports.

Now, Ewing will look to continue the momentum he and his staff have built with the Class of 2021, and try to carry that over into 2022. Currently, Georgetown has just one scholarship spot open for the 2022-23 season, but it is fair to expect that at least 1-2 spots will open up by the time the 2022 season rolls around.

The following is a ranking of the top 25 targets for Georgetown in 2022, factoring in talent level, fit, and likelihood of committing.

Jake’s Take: Alabama/Gonzaga, 2021 recruits, and more. | Stockrisers

Aminu Mohammed and his guardian Shawn Harmon have done an excellent job at keeping his recruitment close to the vest. Programs like Georgetown, Georgia, Indiana, all have done an excellent job at remaining heavily involved and recently we’ve seen things heat up with their recruitment of Mohammed.

I reported on Friday, Indiana’s Archie Miller completed a zoom call with his staff and Mohammed and discussed the possibility of enrolling in January if Mohammed were to choose the Hoosiers. For months, Miller has made it clear that he’s all-in on landing Mohammed and if that meant him enrolling early, Miller would take him.

(Enters Patrick Ewing)

The Georgetown Hoyas landed a major target in Ryan Mutombo but have their sights set now on the program’s other major target in Mohammed. The staff is in contact daily, according to Shawn Harmon, and even spoke with him after the commitment of Ryan Mutombo to let him know that he’s still a priority. The Hoyas are one of my dark horses and we will continue to watch the hot-pursuit from the staff.

Top-60 junior Prince Aligbe discusses his recruitment | Stockrisers

Minnehaha Academy’s 6-foot-6 wing and hidden gem Prince Aligbe is now entering his junior year as well as his third-consecutive year on varsity. Aligbe has been teamed up with two Top-10 prospects in Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren but with the departure of Suggs, Aligbe is expected to contribute even more on offense, adding on to his 11 points per game in which he averaged last season....

Georgetown has been heavily involved, what is the pitch from them?

Aligbe: “Coach Ewing and Coach Waheed from Georgetown have really been picking up the pace with my recruiting. Calling me almost every week for about the past 1 month.”