LINKS: Georgetown Still on Pause, Recruiting Updates

The Georgetown Hoyas are still on pause due to a player or coach apparently having COVID-19. We certainly wish everyone health and safety, but it’s tough to watch other basketball without Georgetown participating.

Be sure to commiserate with our friends on Kente Korner.

Possibly jeopardizing the health of young people is always a delicate subject, but there’s little doubt that these student-athletes would prefer to be competing. We want safe Georgetown and BIG EAST basketball.

Still, during this hiatus, my boss and wife is each pleased with my recent productivity in their respective non-basketball departments.

Here are some links:

The Latest: Wizards-Bucks game postponed | LANCASTERONLINE

Georgetown’s men’s basketball game at Xavier scheduled for next week has been postponed because of a coronavirus-related issue in the Hoyas’ program. The game was supposed to be played Tuesday. No makeup date was announced immediately. This marks four games in a row called of for Georgetown because of COVID-19 and six overall this season. Coach Patrick Ewing’s team is 3-8, 1-5 in the Big East. Georgetown has lost its last five games. Its next scheduled game is Jan. 30 against visiting Providence.

NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Top-30 2022 G Nick Smith Jr. releases top 10 | BUSTINGBRACKETS

The consensus top-30 prospect in the 2022 class is down to a final 10 of Oral Roberts, Baylor, Arkansas, North Carolina, Auburn, Texas Tech, Georgetown, Kansas, Florida, and Ole Miss. A high-level scoring threat for Brad Beal Elite (MO) on the Nike EYBL circuit and Sylvan Hills HS (AR), Nick Smith Jr. notched 23.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game as a sophomore. Not to mention he converted 52% of his attempts from inside the arc, 35% behind it, and 85% from the free throw line.

Despite the level of production that rivals some of the best prospects nationally, Smith didn’t receive a huge lift in his recruitment until last summer. The pursuit by top tier college programs, let alone in the same week, didn’t occur for Smith until the week of Christmas. A bit shocking for a player that boasts tremendous court vision to make plays on the fly. Smith is extremely efficient at creating space and setting up his shot attempts playing off of what the defense gives him. At 6’4”, he has a long frame and a very quick first step to put defenses on their heels in a hurry.

Four schools prioritizing four-star junior Dug McDaniel | STOCKRISERS

Breakdown each program briefly:

Michigan: “I’ve got a really good relationship with the coaches and some players on the team, feel as if I can fit into their system.”

Florida: “Great coaching staff, all coaches involved in recruitment, they have a very fast-paced play style that I love to play at.”

VCU: “Nice coaching staff, Scrappy guards, a really good running team which is a key aspect of my game.”

Georgetown: “They have a great coaching staff, a very experienced team with tons of potential and I can see myself in their system.”

Breakdown your game to the fullest? “I’m a very pass-first guard, I love when my teammates are involved and are prospering. I can score as well and that is my main focus this season, scoring the ball at a high rate, and I think I’m headed in the right direction finishing both games with a double-double.”

Syracuse Basketball: Four-star Tyrell Ward is ‘dripping with upside’ | INSIDETHELOUDHOUSE

The 6-foot-5 small forward played quite well at the St. James NIBC Invitational, a tournament recently held in Springfield, Va., for his squad, DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md. Annually, DeMatha Catholic is one of the premier high-school teams across the country, and that is holding true so far in the current campaign. Ward’s latest offer is from fellow Atlantic Coast Conference foe Virginia Tech, according to a review of several recruiting services. Others to offer him include Georgetown, Providence, Seton Hall, Wake Forest, St. John’s, Georgia, LSU, Iona and George Mason.

Recruiting Report: Tyrell Ward (2022) | Prep Hoops | PREPHOOPS

“I feel like it’s not really difficult to me. I really love the experience,” Ward stated. “Coach Jones makes it tough on us. I wouldn’t want a coach that makes it easy on me. I like when a coach gives me a challenge. At first, I wasn’t playing a lot. So I had to put my nose in the dirt and just work.” One thing Ward evidently worked on this summer was his shooting. His form is more compact, and the results have been positive despite a small sample size. Ward shot 54% from the field, 40% from three, and 80% from the foul line at the NIBC per Legit Stats. Schools such as Georgia, Seton Hall, Georgetown, LSU, and Virginia Tech are currently involved in Ward’s recruitment.

What is he looking for in a college program? “I like a school that plays at a fast pace. Let me play my game in the open court and do what I do.”

Q/A with 2022 four-star Otega Oweh | TIPTONEDITS

Describe your game in a sentence or two. I would describe my game as very versatile, a very unselfish player, and I have a very competitive nature.

What does the game of basketball mean to you? In other words, why does it mean so much to you? The game of basketball means the world to me because growing up it always kept me out of trouble, so once I realized that I could really do something with this sport I started to really lock in.

How do you feel about your current ranking? When I saw my ranking I wasn’t upset because that doesn’t reflect my basketball ability or skill... Rankings don’t have that great of an influence on me at all, because they’re just someone else’s opinion who isn’t on the court with you. Do you have a current list of schools you’re focused on? No I haven’t started to narrow my schools down.

What schools reach out to you the most? The schools who are in contact with me the most are UConn, Georgia, Providence, Georgetown, Seton Hall, And George Washington.

UNC Basketball Recruiting: Top 100 recruit calls Tar Heels “dream school” | KEEPINGITHEEL

With a total of 13 offers in his recruitment, Noah Batchelor is drawing significant interest from some big schools. Then 6-foot-6, 185-pound Batchelor is ranked No. 98 overall, No. 22 small forward and No. 15 in the state of Florida per 247 Sports. But for the Top 100 player, he has a few dream schools in mind that he hopes to land offers from in the future. Batchelor recently spoke with Tipton Edits about his recruitment and the teams that have offered him so far. But at the end of it, he was asked about his dream schools growing up where he named a pair of Tobacco Road programs: Did you have a dream school growing up? “Growing up it was Duke and UNC.”

Now, neither Duke or UNC have offered Batchelor at the moment and he did reveal that Memphis, Marquette, Maryland, Georgetown, Georgia, Virginia Tech, Purdue, Pittsburgh and NC State are the schools that contact him the most...

Hoop Hogs recruiting notebook: Warren, 2 Moores, Wolfenbarger, & Ware updates | NWAHOMEPAGE

Bryson Warren (6-foot-2 and rated by ESPN as the 11th-best point guard in the nation point) scored a career-high 37 points...

2022 Arkansas offer Braeden Moore (6-8 wing / small forward, Christ Presbyterian Academy in Nashville, Tenn., 3-star prospect) has been “blowing up” in high-major recruiting circles. It was Saturday before last (on Jan. 9) when UA assistant coach Clay Moser phoned Moore to extend the Hog offer, and since that time Moore has picked up new offers from Kansas, Missouri, Houston, Ole Miss, West Virginia, Georgetown, and Auburn...

2022 Arkansas offer Kel’el Ware (6-11 forward / center, North Little Rock, national No. 32 / 4-star prospect according to 247Sports.com) picked up an offer from Georgetown on Friday. On Tuesday, Jan. 12, Ware was 1 blocked shot shy of a triple-double as he finished with 19 points (on 9 field goals and 1-of-1 free throw shooting), 10 rebounds, and 9 blocks in the Charging Wildcats’ 82-36 win over Little Rock Southwest. In addition to the Hogs and Hoyas, Ware holds offers from Kansas, Texas Tech, Illinois, Florida, Auburn, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, TCU, and Virginai Tech, among others.

KU, MU included on hoops recruiting list of high school small forward from Nashville | KANSASCITY

Braeden Moore, a 6-foot-8, 210-pound junior small forward from Christ Presbyterian Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, has received scholarship offers from Kansas and Missouri, he reported recently on Twitter. Moore has a list of KU, Mizzou, Tennessee, Memphis, Arkansas, TCU, SMU, Auburn, Georgetown, West Virginia, Houston, Cincinnati, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Vanderbilt, St. John’s, USC, Ohio State, Rutgers, Boston College, Nebraska, Arizona State and others. Moore is ranked No. 125 in the recruiting Class of 2022 by Rivals.com.

“Moore is an elite spot-up shooter with great size. He’s even shown he can shoot off a curl from deep and seemingly has unlimited range. He can hit contested shots regularly and calmly and his shooting form is fundamentally sound, though could be sped up a bit,” wrote Jackson Collier of arkansas.rivals.com.

“Moore has pretty decent ballhandling skills for his size and age and can drive with ease against his competition. His body control and finishing through contact are next level. Moore has enough touch to score at the midrange level, but mainly score around the rim or behind the three-point line.”

For coaching diversity, Big East puts bigger conferences to shame | SPOKESMAN-RECORDER

“They are great coaches and great ambassadors for the league,” declared Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman in an MSR phone interview. “I think there is a good track record here, led by [the late] Coach [John] Thompson and other Black coaches over the years.” Thompson died last August at age 78. He was Georgetown’s first Black coach, went to three Final Fours, won the 1984 national championship, and twice finished runners-up, along with five conference titles during his tenure (1972-99). “He was an important part of my life when he first started recruiting me to the day he died,” admitted Ewing, one of Thompson’s first big-time recruits in the 1980s.

Top-30 junior Julian Phillips discusses his recruitment | STOCKRISERS

South Carolina has had tons of talent come through the state over the past few years. That doesn’t stop now. Blythewood’s Julian Phillips is currently ranked as the No. 1 player in the state and is ranked in the Top-30 incoming junior prospects in the country. Currently standing at 6-foot-7 and weighing in at 180 pounds, Phillips is a coaches’ dream and is a major upside prospect. I watched him at the Battle At The Rock (virtually) event recently and watched him earlier on in the year prior to the COVID-19 halt and he continues to dazzle and improve his overall game. His recruitment has also seen major leaps in the past few months.

Wisconsin basketball recruiting: UW offers fast rising 2022 PG | BUCKYS5THQUARTER

Rowan Brumbaugh has other offers from Georgetown, Virginia Tech, Saint Louis, Richmond, George Washington, Richmond, Princeton and others. He is receiving interest from Davidson, Virginia and Xavier among others. The Badgers had a Zoom with Brumbaugh on Friday according to 247Sports ($) and then extended an offer on Saturday after beating Rutgers. Currently unranked by both major recruiting services, Brumbaugh is 6-foot-3 (or 6-foot-4, it’s hard to say) and weighs around 180 pounds.

Pro Hoyas: Week of 1/24-1/30 - The Georgetown Voice | GEORGETOWNVOICE

Believe it or not, the NBA is not the only professional basketball league that exists. Many Georgetown men’s basketball alumni have played long and successful careers abroad, and Pro Hoyas is the space where you can track when and where they are playing. [Linked] is a list of which players are playing this week, with all tip times in Eastern Standard Time

COMMENTARY | Men’s Basketball Should Put the Home Back in Home Game and Play at McDonough | THEHOYA

Georgetown’s team is also projected to be the best it has been since Patrick Ewing (CAS ’85) returned to the Hilltop as head coach in 2017. The Hoyas currently have the No. 11 recruiting class for the class of 2021, according to 247 Sports. However, one thing students aren’t looking forward to next season is the dreaded 3-mile bus ride to the home gates at Capital One Arena. In order to increase school spirit and encourage more fans to attend games, Georgetown men’s basketball should begin playing home games in the McDonough Arena on campus in 2021. Georgetown’s incoming first-year class is one of the best in school history and currently one of the nation’s 10 best.

Led by guard Aminu Mohammed, the program’s first five-star recruit since 2014, the talented five-player class looks to bring the Hoyas back to national relevance and March Madness, though the team will not be able to do that from Georgetown’s beautiful campus if the games are played a long bus ride away.

Be sure to check our friend LCPolo18’s recruiting tracker and feel free to add any recruiting or BIG EAST news below.