LINKS: Georgetown, Ewing Pushing Onward with Recruiting

Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas have not had the best time during the covid-19 quarantine, but like the rest of us, they are marching forward.

The staff has still been “testing the waters” on a few last transfers and 2020 recruits to potentially fill the last open scholarship and there are four open spots for 2021 as things stand. Ewing’s quest to score a top recruit and make a big splash is well underway.

Be sure to check out the roster discussion, which was hastily updated after jinxing the latest transfer, and always stay up to date with your friends on Kente Korner.

Here are the links:

Patrick Ewing Works to Rebuild for Upcoming Season | THE HOYA

“I don’t see it as being any different. Even though I didn’t recruit those guys, they were mine. Last year was definitely a trying year for us in the fact that we had to grow from mistakes that were made, but we try to move past that,” Ewing said in an interview with The Hoya. “I thought that my guys did a great job of rallying around each other and persevering” ...

“With the new guys, they won’t be here until the pandemic is over, so once school is able to come back to campus, we’re going to have to hit the ground running,” Ewing said. “Everything is going to be condensed. It’s going to be all about getting to know each other better, getting those new team members focused both academically and athletically” ...

“My daily routine is getting up, getting a workout in, getting on a Zoom call with coaches and recruits,” Ewing said. “I’ve been talking to the players a few times a week, making sure they’re doing what they need to do to finish up strong. It’s not like they can go out and workout or anything like that, but we want to make sure their mental well-being is intact.”

1-on-1 Interview with T.J. Berger On Committing to Georgetown | Hoyas247 (Aidan Curran)

“[Coach Kirby] had mentioned me to my dad - not that he was expecting to recruit me - but he had just mentioned that I could really play, so, when I initially de-committed, that was one of the first people that my dad reached out to. So they already had a relationship, and I got to get on the phone with Coach Kirby a bunch. They had a lot of stuff going on with transfers and stuff. I just hopped off of Zoom earlier today with the whole coaching staff, and got to know them really well, so it’s good...

I’m willing to play any position that Coach wants to play me at. That was part of the conversation that we had today. Where ever he thinks he needs me, and where ever they think I can help the most is the position I’m willing to play. So whether that’s the 1 some possessions, the 2 some possessions, or the 3 some possessions, I’m willing to fill that role.”

Twitter Tuesday: Patrick Baldwin, Moussa Cisse, Georgetown | Rivals/Corey Evans

There’s nothing new on the Moussa Cisse front ...

The Hoyas are involved for a slew of Rivals150 prospects but who are they in the best position for? [] Ryan Mutombo, the son of former Hoyas great Dikembe Mutombo, would be my best guess ...

[GU] could potentially host Chet Holmgren in the fall, made the final 10 for Patrick Baldwin and is a finalist for Jaden Hardy, Benny Williams and Ike Cornish.

Don’t sleep on the Hoyas chances with Aminu Mohammed, Gabe Dorsey, Franck Kepnang or Mac Etienne, either. Georgetown will enroll an expansive class this fall but the 2021 group is where they may have to find its greatest success.

UNC Basketball: Will Tar Heels extend offer to Ryan Mutombo? | KEEPINGITHEEL

A 6-foot-11, 215-pound center from Lovett School in Atlanta, Georgia, Mutombo has grown two inches and put on 25 pounds over the past year-plus. He’s also seen his recruiting ranking improve dramatically in that time, rising 136 spots to No. 62 in the 247Sports Composite. The progression of his game and body have impressed coaches and scouts so much, in fact, that he’s risen 66 spots just in the last three months. Don’t be surprised if that number continues to climb, particularly once he’s able to get back out onto the court.

Mutombo is also a fan of the Tar Heels, having stated on multiple occasions that North Carolina was his ‘dream school’ as a kid. [fake news]

Starting Five: Sarr, White biggest transfer prizes on market | Rivals

Four-star junior wing Benny Williams is down to a final four of Georgetown, Maryland, Miami and Syracuse. A skilled 6-foot-8 wing with versatility, Williams can stretch the floor some, defends multiple positions and is still just scratching at the surface of things. As he adds strength, he’s a guy I could really see taking off in college.

I wouldn’t expect any kind of immediate announcement from Williams, but I don’t expect him to drag things out either, so we could be looking at a mid-to-late summer decision here. Local programs Georgetown and Maryland have had Williams on campus plenty and he’s also been to Syracuse both officially and unofficially.

5-Star Prospect Chet Holmgren Talks G League, Interviews with UNC, Georgetown | BLEACHEREPORT

Most recently, the five-star recruit held Zoom meetings with Michigan, Georgetown, UNC and Memphis to learn more about their programs.

“They’re basically like a group FaceTime,” Holmgren told Daniels. “They have like a couple minute presentation to emphasize points of what they have with the school, about their recruitment with me. Every school is different, some have more staff and some have other staff. Georgetown went all the way down with the nutritionist on the call. They’re pretty cool and tend to be about two hours, two-and-a-half hours, not much else to do so can’t really complain.”

One school who may have a leg up at this point is Memphis. Holmgren mentioned to Daniels he feels a connection with head coach Penny Hardaway—though Patrick Ewing and Georgetown aren’t far behind.

Patrick Baldwin talks top 10, which schools are prioritizing him | 247SPORTS

[Georgetown has] been one of the few schools to have come to as many games as they have come to for me. They came to about two or three high school games of mine and have been to a lot of my AAU games so they have been active about getting me on board. Just their activity and coach [Patrick] Ewing is just a big figure head in sports especially in basketball so just someone you can really learn from and talk to and relate to. He’s been in my position so he can help me out a lot.

Georgetown Basketball Looks for Light at the End of the Tunnel ... | THE HOYA

There is a more optimistic way to see this situation for Georgetown fans. Last season was supposed to be Georgetown’s breakout season, but it was sullied by transfers and injuries — factors out of Ewing’s control — that seemed to be the result of bad luck. The cause for the four transfers in December was an unprecedented issue for Ewing and there is no reason to believe it will happen again ...

[T]he hope is that [it] is the last domino to fall among the issues of the past season and not a sign of continuing systematic issues with the once-great Hoya basketball program. Ewing was receiving media acclaim as recently as February after the Hoyas beat then No. 19-ranked Butler on the road despite only having six scholarship players available to play ...

Georgetown fans should not forget that Ewing has demonstrated an ability to win even with subpar talent.

These guys get it. HOYA SAXA

Which 2021 recruit(s) do you want to see in the blue, gray, and teal?