Q&A with 2022 Forward D'Ante Bass

After taking an official visit to Georgetown, D'Ante Bass spoke with Aidan about his trip, what stood out to him, and when he will be announcing his decision.

D’Ante Bass, a 6-foot-7 wing out of Savannah, Georgia, recently completed an official visit to Georgetown on Monday and Tuesday. The 3-star prospect, who was offered by Georgetown in December 2020, took the visit after getting a visit from Patrick Ewing and Louis Orr to his high school, Windsor Forest, in late September.

While Bass emphasized that a decision has not been reached yet, he did say that he intends to announce on Friday, November 5. The Hoyas look to be in prime position for a commitment.

The following conversation is lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

How was your visit to Georgetown? What were your impressions of the school and the team?

It was real good. I did my own research [coming into the trip] and it seemed pretty good, and the visit overall was good.

Georgetown first offered you back in December 2020, and then Coach Ewing and Coach Orr visited you in late September. What has your relationship with Georgetown been like during this time?

Throughout my whole recruiting process they’ve just stayed the most genuine, for the longest period of time. Even when there would be times I wouldn’t respond or something, Coach Kirby still talked to me like I was part of the family already. So it’s just been real good.

What was it like when Coach Ewing paid you a visit at Windsor Forest? Had you met him in person before?

No, that was my first time meeting him, but it was real good. At first, when I saw him, I was sitting down in my parents’ office, and I saw him Coach Orr coming around first and I didn’t think anything of it, but then I saw Coach Ewing come through and I was like, “Dang, it’s really happening.” It’s just a blessing.

Who did you get to talk to on your Georgetown visit? What were some of the activities you did while there?

At first when I got there, I was greeted with open arms. I felt real comfortable right away, just because of the bonds that we built over the phone, consistently communicating in October.

The things that we did, we had lunch and dinner, and that was pretty good. I met the team. The team, I’m hoping that they have a good year this year. The player I’d say that they had alongside me most was Dante Harris, and that was real good.

The visit, I didn’t even really care about, going to see the school, because I was like, “Yeah, this is where I want to be at.”

On Day 1 I was like, “I don’t got to see no more. Just take me to the gym.”

He [Dante Harris] was with me the whole time. I was just picking his brain, asking him how school was, how everyone is, and it was pretty good overall. I really enjoyed it. He’s a good person. Everyone there is good, but for him to take me openly and tell me how everything is, I really did appreciate that a lot.

Dante is only a sophomore but is quickly becoming one of the faces of this program. Did that mean extra to you to have Dante take the time out to show you around?

It did mean a lot to me. Because he’s already solidified his spot on the team and he did that through being consistent. I just picked his brain and he actually gave me some things that he wants to get better at, that I think I can help him with. So the bond is just being made already.

Was NIL discussed during your visit? Is that something that is a priority to you in choosing a school?

I wouldn’t say priority. I didn’t really think much about it. My goal there is just to be the hardest worker and maintain good grades. The NIL stuff, it’ll be good. It’s all going to be based on how you do [on the court]. So with that being said, I just hope to do good on the court and everything else will take care of itself.

Did the coaching staff discuss what position they see you playing if you were to commit to Georgetown?

Coach Ewing said I’d mainly be playing the 3 and the 4, but I don’t really get caught up in any of that. I don’t want to be at a specific position, I just want to play. No matter if it’s 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, I’m going to come in there and help my team get the W.

What do you think are your strengths as a player?

I think my strengths are my defense, and I can score at will. There are a lot [of strengths].

What do you hope to improve on this season?

My communication skills with my team, being more of a leader and just trying to continue to help everyone buy in, like my coach and I have talked about.

In Savannah, Georgia, I’ve always been one of those hidden gems that got lucky. I wouldn’t even really call it luck, because of how much I had to go through to get to where I am right now, and I still get overlooked. I just try and try to continue pushing my team and continue finding ways to keep myself motivated. Because even if things aren’t going the right way I still got to try and find a positive in any negative situation.

You mentioned being a hidden gem. You’re ranked in the 200s by 247Sports but your tape says otherwise. What do you think has contributed to you being so under-the-radar?

I don’t know. I think everything in the dark is going to come to light. I’ve played against some of the top five players in the nation, Keyonte George, all those kinds of players, and I held my own guarding them. And I’m doing this on a [Atlanta Celtics] team where I wasn’t their guy. They’re going to always look out for their guys no matter what. But even with the circumstances being like that, I still found ways to make myself look good, even in bad situations.

The rankings, I’ve never been one to care but it does at times get disappointing because you feel like, I’m in high school, and every high schooler dreams of being ranked top-50 in the nation. For me to put in all this work and they say there are 250 kids better than me who are my age, like come on. That’s blasphemy.

Everyone who knows, they know that I can hold my own with the best of the best, because I am the best of the best. But me being me, I stay humble and I’m always giving. What I don’t have, I feel like I don’t need at that point in time.

Has that led to a bigger chip on your shoulder? How has that helped you grow?

It has, but I’m always going to have a chip on my shoulder, no matter how big I get, because I know where I come from. I know that, what I’m trying to do is different than everyone else. Everyone else is trying to make it to the NBA, this and that. I want to do more than that. I want to have businesses. I want to use basketball for everything that I was created for. That’s just me doing everything I can.

One of Georgetown’s main recruiting pitches is the deflated basketball, going back to the John Thompson Jr. days. Did they discuss that with you, and knowing your goals now, did that resonate with you?

Yeah, they showed me the video, and that was pretty good. That was the thing that I was looking forward to. I was telling Dante, even on some days I’m not perfect, so some days I’m going to be up and ready to work, some days I’m going to be slow and I’m going to have to pick it up. I said coming here, I just wish that I’m going to push you, so I hope that you’re going to push me, because I only want to see you get better. I want to see everyone on the team get better, so I’m going to do this to everyone on the team. I just said that I’m always going to bring the good energy.

There was an interesting clip I saw last night of you fouling out in a high school game and going over to the opposing team and shaking the coach’s hand before you walked to your bench. Can you explain that clip and what was going through your mind there when you made such a classy gesture?

I’ve always been improving mentally and maturing. That was just maturity. I was just real. You can see in the video, I was real upset, but I stayed neutral and made sure I didn’t leave with a bad reputation. Because before that game, I was ready. My team wasn’t buying in. Two hours before the game they were shooting around and horseplaying in the gym, and I’m trying to lock it in. But it makes me look like the oddball because I’m the one listening to music and trying to focus before the game, and all my seniors and upperclassmen were playing around and horsing around.

The other team was there, and they were focused. They were sitting out in the bleachers focusing, getting ready for the game, and my team wasn’t doing that.

I came in the game with a mindset, no matter if we win or lose, I’m going to give my all, and that’s what I did. Afterwards when I fouled out, someone just told me to go over there and shake his hand. I didn’t really expect it to do what it did, but I guess it made an impact.

So you just took an official to Georgetown. What’s next for you? Do you know when you’d like to make a decision?

My commitment date is November 5. I’ll be announcing it on Instagram and Twitter.