RUMORS: Has Georgetown Heard the Last of Local G Chris Lykes’ Transfer? (UPDATED 4/7)

Did we all wait long enough after the Hoyas thumped Marquette to talk recruiting?

The rumors are coming in hot regarding DMV-area point guard Chris Lykes who is potentially leaving Miami to come back to D.C. to play for Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas.

Aidan Curran of Hilltop Hoops grabbed a screenshot yesterday of an Instagram story from sbecollegehoops. The folks behind SBE reportedly have connections to University of Miami basketball.

Further speculation came when a well-respected Georgetown basketball alum (and DC-area high school coach) tweeted “The Chris Lykes show is coming back to DC ... he a Hoya now” before deleting it.

Lykes is well known in the DMV as an explosive 5’8” point guard Out of Gonzaga HS. Lykes played 3 years and 2 games at the University of Miami before an ankle injury that has prevented his return to the court.

The Miami Herald reported in mid-February that Lykes was “unlikely” to play this season:

Lykes, a preseason All-ACC selection, returned to full practice in recent weeks, and it appeared he would rejoin the lineup, but each time he is set to return, he suffers a setback. [Miami coach Jim] Larranaga confirmed Lykes will not play in Saturday’s noon home game against Georgia Tech, and said he probably won’t be back this season.

Asked about Lykes’ future with the team, Larranaga said: “I talk to Chris Lykes regularly. In recent conversations we’ve talked about him resting the remainder of the year. We’ve also talked about what his options are for the future. The three possibilities every player will have are turn pro, remain at the school you’re at because the NCAA has made it clear everyone gets a pass on this year, or because the transfer portal has made it very, very easy for players to transfer, there will be a major market for transfers.”

Lykes has not been seen on recent telecasts of the ACC Tournament.

Georgetown, under John Thompson III, was recruiting Lykes like his job depended on it (sorry):

Georgetown offered Lykes in early January and ever since then Coach John Thompson III and his staff have been very clear on how much of an impact he will make on their program.

“They have told me that I can be a game changer for them because they are looking to change their style of play,” he said. “Coach Thompson and his staff want to match the intensity of all the other big east teams in the conference. They want me to come in and be that factor that will change things for them.”

Our friend hoyasxa18 wrote extensively about Lykes for Casual Hoya:

I am a big fan of Lykes. When you watch him play, he jumps off the screen, and he brings a different type of explosiveness and excitement that Georgetown’s guards have not had in recent years. He would bring a different element to the Georgetown roster, an element that could be particularly useful in breaking press defenses and handling quicker guards in the mold of Creighton’s Maurice Watson, Jr.

There’s no doubt that Lykes’s size could raise question marks at the next level. I hate to keep harping on it, but it would be a big adjustment for him to play against the athleticism of Big East defenders. However, in my opinion, Lykes’s skill set, particularly his outside shot and his uncanny ability to release his floater at just the right moment, could allow him to overcome that obstacle at the next level.

Lykes appears to have one year left of eligibility, potentially more with a bonus year. The NCAA has not officially given the pass on transfer-waivers for this upcoming season quite yet, but it is bound to happen as a stop-gap before new legislation. Lykes could potentially have a graduate transfer situation, too.

Scholarships are bound to be a mess right now. Last fall, an NCAA official explained to the San Diego Union-Tribune that bonus eligibility “is available at another school ... but the scholarship will count against team limits” and that, for instance, “[i]f a student-athlete stays at their current school but has exhausted eligibility, their aid doesn’t count against team limits.” There’s no need to speculate on transfers out at this point, but that won’t stop anyone.

This is a developing story. We’ll see if this gets confirmed.

Until then, root even harder for the current players wearing Blue & Gray!

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UPDATE 3/27: Chris Lykes was reported to be going pro but has since announced that he will be transferring.

UPDATE 3/29: Sean Paul reports that Chris Lykes has relayed a list of those schools he’s been in contact with, including Georgetown.

UPDATE 4/2: Several folks hearing speculation that Lykes will go to Maryland.

UPDATE 4/4:

Lykes appears to be down to Arkansas and USC having eliminated Maryland after they added a point guard—and presumably eliminating Georgetown.

Chris Lykes on Maryland recruitment, final two schools | 247SPORTS

“Maryland was calling a lot, but then they got Fatts Russell in the portal,” said Lykes, a dynamic 5-foot-7 point guard from Mitchellville who averaged more than 15 points per game for the Hurricane in each of the past three seasons.

Turgeon’s successful pursuit of Russell seems to have ruled out the Terps for Lykes, a former star at Gonzaga High (D.C.), where he was a teammate of Mark Turgeon’s son, Will Turgeon. He missed nearly all of last season because of an ankle injury. Now healthy, he wants to go somewhere where he can be a full-time point guard.

“Yeah, because I feel like in my situation, I want to remind people and prove myself again. It wouldn’t be bad going there, but I feel like being with another ball-dominant point guard might not be the best opportunity for me,” he said.

UPDATE 4/7: Arkansas

Hilltop Hoops wrote about Lykes:

Per source, while the two sides did speak, Georgetown never heavily pursued the former Miami and Gonzaga (DC) point guard.

As we discussed earlier, Georgetown doesn’t have a need at the point guard position with Dante Harris firmly entrenched as the starter, and they will likely need the roster spot that Lykes would take up for an addition at another position.

The lesson here, for top recruits? Don’t say no to Georgetown when they recruit you the first time around.