LINKS: The Hoyas Recruiting News is Flowing

The year was 1992. A seven-year-old whipple was running across the kitchen to help his father log into an “interactive personal service” called Prodigy by plugging a telephone extension cord from the PC into the phone jack. After a cacophony of beeps and chirps from the primitive modem, young whipple watched his father browse through “bulletin boards” for information about Georgetown Basketball. Speculation about a recruit by the name of Othella Harrington had about twenty hoops enthusiasts around the nation exchanging posts in a mad frenzy.

Fast-forward to June 15, 2020, when the “live period” of recruiting started at midnight and coaches were permitted to legally contact recruits from 2021 and beyond. In one of the strangest years ever—at a time with little to no sports being played—waking up to thousands of Tweets about college basketball recruiting was like Christmas morning for many basketball diehards. And not only was Patrick Ewing and his staff making calls to dozens of top recruits, they Zoomed with several prominent local recruits. The best part is that we all were able to read about it first hand and live!

We may take the modern Hoyas and basketball information overload for granted. Right now, there are a handful of websites and blogs written by students, alums, fans, and professionals. We have frequently updated Google docs for scholarships and recruiting. There are message boards, comment sections, Facebook groups, and Twitter conversations all dedicated to GU basketball. I see highlights clips of current players, recruits, and Hoya legends on Instagram. We can literally follow high school kids as they post appreciative thoughts on calls and offers from Ewing (as well as when they click “like” on twerking videos). Some fans might even roll their eyes when they see someone post a Patrick Ewing GIF after every recruit makes an announcement, but, I tell you, this fire hose of information is far better than the 14.4Kbps trickle of a faucet that I once had to use to quench my thirst. And now, we have podcasts and IG Live videos!

Bobby Bancroft and Co. have been marching Kente Korner to almost 60 episodes now, bringing on Rich Chvotkin for his second appearance. Not only have Gene Smith and Trey Dickerson started the Hoyas Locker Room talks, they spawned Chris Wright and Austin Freeman to pursue their own podcast. There’s a Georgetown Sports podcast. Former players such as Jagan Mosely, Rodney Pryor, and Mike Sweetney have made guest appearances across the podcast landscape. And during the season, there was a Patrick Ewing radio show available to any SiriusXM subscriber coast-to-coast.

So while some may still think of McDonough as the Kremlin in terms of how infrequent news tends to trickle out, enjoy this period of time with incredible resources and information. Because, frankly, sometimes off-season hope is all you get.

Here are the links:

Big East Basketball: Breakout players from each team for 2020-21 season | BUSTINGBRACKETS

not only must Ewing replace a suddenly devoid roster, that also includes losing center Omer Yurtseven to graduation, he needs to do so with just two seniors Jamorko Pickett and Jahvon Blair the only players returning that saw significant playing time. The Hoyas will need someone to step up and join the two seniors, and one guy who could be sophomore center, Qudus Wahab. The 6-11 Nigerian played in all 32 games as a freshman, with just under 15 minutes per game, making seven starts. In the limited time, he netted 5.5 points and 4.3 rebounds, but in early February his playing time increased and so did his numbers. In his final nine games, he registered his only double-double and averaged eight points and 6.4 rebounds.

Opportunity Knocking for Coach Ewing and Company in New Hoyas Chapter - Thompson’s Towel | THOMPSONSTOWEL

While almost every college basketball insider will no doubt write the Hoyas off for the 2020-2021 season, I beg to differ. The team finally has a tough non-conference schedule with West Virginia at home, Syracuse on the road, and two out of three of UCLA, Kansas, and Virginia in Anaheim for the Wooden Classic, among others. This will give the young Hoyas an opportunity to face off against top talent early on and will be great preparation for the Big East. Looking ahead to Big East play, the conference will likely not be as competitive as last season, and this should play in Georgetown’s favor. Villanova, Providence, and UConn are expected to be tournament teams. Creighton is also very talented, but they lost top scorer TyShon Alexander to the draft. Beyond that, however, the league is up for grabs.

The 10 best (and 5 worst) recruits at Georgetown | THEATHLETIC

3. Greg Monroe (2008, No. 6 RSCI) Everybody loves a good come-from-nowhere recruiting value, but there is something to be said for the value of landing an elite player. It legitimizes you; it lends your program an air of ascension. Such was the case when Monroe signed on in 2008 as the No. 6 player in a class that ended up being kind of disappointing overall. (Except for No. 15 Kemba Walker. He turned out to be pretty good.) Still, Monroe didn’t disappoint. He had a more than solid freshman season (12.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.5 blocks per game) and followed it up with a genuinely excellent campaign as a sophomore (16.1, 9.6, 3.8, 1.2, 1.5), the all-around style of which (a big guy who blocks shots and generates steals brings all the GMs to the yard) made him a pretty straightforward lottery choice when he left for the draft in 2010.

HOOPS: Top transfer Andrew Nembhard has USC in final six | 247SPORTS

The father of the former five-star prospect said Nembhard has cut his list to Duke, Georgetown, Gonzaga, Memphis, Stanford and USC and plans to make a final decision on Monday, according to Stadium’s Jeff Goodman.

Putting the pieces together for IU’s 2020-21 schedule | CRIMSONQUARRY

One of those contests could be a matchup with a Big East opponent in Bloomington. According to college basketball writer Adam Zagoria, Butler, Creighton, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John’s, Villanova and Xavier are all participating in this year’s Gavitt Games event. Given that IU is already locked in to face Butler in the Crossroads Classic, it has already faced Creighton and Marquette in the Gavitt Games, and Providence is part of the Maui field, it would seem that one of Xavier, Villanova, St. John’s or Georgetown is most likely to pay Indiana a visit. At least, that’s the best guess.

De intentar un suicidio a cambiar el mundo: la historia de Mike Sweetney | BASQUETPLUS

But since that was not enough, Mike took courage and gradually became a voice for the underdog. He was one of the predecessors to the importance of mental health in the NBA and in basketball around the United States. Currently, the former player lectures and talks to boys who suffer from the same as him. Use his story as an example of how you can overcome internal battles to be happy again and enjoy loved ones at peace with yourself. It also created its own foundation to reach more young people, as it aims to make people aware that mental health is an issue that concerns everyone and that no one should be judged for it. The pursuit of happiness “Right now my life is great, I have a wife, three children, and strong relationships with friends and family. I would have loved to continue my NBA career, but I think it all happens for a reason. I’m excited to be where I am now,” confessed Mike.

Arizona Wildcats offer scholarship to four-star son of Dikembe Mutombo | TUCSON

The 6-foot-11, 215-pound Ryan Mutombo has also recently tweeted that he’s received offers from Georgia, North Carolina A&T and Tennessee State. According to 247 Sports, he also has offers from Georgetown, Stanford and Georgia Tech. Analyst Evan Daniels of 247 called Mutombo a “late bloomer with major upside,” noting his length, strong frame, good hands and touch around the basket.

Michigan State Basketball Offers 2022 Center Donovan Clingan | SI

The 7-foot-1, 255-pound big man is a top-50 player in his class, according to Rivals150 and an absolute stat-sheet stuffer. Last year he averaged 24.8 points, 17.2 rebounds, and 6.4 blocks per game while playing for Bristol Central High School in the state of Connecticut. Clingan features offers from Boston College, Connecticut, Georgetown, Iowa, Massachusetts, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, Yale, and Syracuse.

Beginning Monday, June 15, college basketball coaches were permitted to start contacting prospects from the 2022 class while student-athletes were able to get in touch with coaching staffs beforehand. However, when the NCAA extended the recruiting dead period through July 31, they ensured coaches would miss out on their usual evaluation periods, which would have taken place on June 17-21, June 26-28, July 9-12, and July 21-26.

Orlando Magic’s coaching continuity has helped team grow | ORLANDOMAGICDAILY

Head coaches always want their assistants to get jobs. They want them to interview for jobs. An assistant coach with head coaching capabilities is an asset for them too. Stan Van Gundy was always an advocate for Patrick Ewing and his assistant coaches to take interviews and go for head coaching jobs. It is still not clear where Delany lands in the pecking order of Knicks candidates. They are expected to interview 8-10 candidates — including Ime Udoka, Kenny Atkinson and possibly Becky Hammon. Tom Thibodeau still seems the popular pick because the Knicks usually settle on a name.

The staff continuity has been a huge benefit to the Magic. That may change at some point. But Steve Clifford has been able to build and grow his team because, like a team, everyone knows their role and knows how to execute his plan.

WTF Vandy? Round 2: (1) JEFF GREEN TRAVELED vs. (4) Murray State | ANCHOROFGOLD

Vanderbilt got out to an 18-6 lead early on, and led 32-24 at halftime. The Hoyas battled back, though, and led 64-61 with a minute left. Derrick Byars cut the lead to one with a pair of free throws, and then, after Patrick Ewing Jr. missed at the other end, Dan Cage got fouled on the rebound and sank two free throws to give Vanderbilt the lead with 19 seconds left. And then, well...

The History of Georgetown Men’s Basketball: The Iverson Years | 247SPORTS

Thompson had Nike add a kente cloth pattern to Georgetown’s uniforms prior to the 1994-1995 season. It was meant to pay homage to who they were: black America’s favorite college basketball team. Along with the kente, Georgetown also was the first team to sport the Air Jordan XI Concords on the court. The shoe became one of the Jordan Brand’s most popular releases, and continues to be one of the most coveted sneakers on the market today.

“We were the first team to rock the Jordan patent leathers and we had these new uniforms,” said Jerome Williams. “It was our own identity. It was about the Georgetown brand and what it represented...We definitely had a serious swag about us.” Like their predecessors, the Iverson-era Hoyas connected with the black community in a way that most other college basketball programs didn’t, but they put their own spin on it, with uniforms that paid tribute to their African ancestors.

The Vault: Allen Iverson vs. Ray Allen in the ‘96 Big East Final | NBCSPORTS

Call it waxing poetic about the past, but watching this game was a reminder of how much better college basketball used to be. This game was loaded with talented players beyond Allen and Iverson, two future Hall of Famers. There were five players in this game who would be first-round picks just months later: Allen and Iverson, plus Othella Harringon and Jerome Williams of Georgetown and Travis Knight of UConn. There was also Doron Sheffer, who was picked in the second round that June. Also in this game was future Wizards big man Jahidi White, who played for Georgetown. And also Victor Page, who was good for the Hoyas but never made it to the NBA. With guys leaving school early so often, you rarely see a college game with that many established stars and future pros.

Be sure to check out LCPolo18’s recruiting tracker, especially for classes of 2022 and 2023, as he updates regularly.