The Blueprint: How Georgetown Can Begin to Fix Its Local Recruiting Woes
Hilltop Hoops spoke with local DMV coaches at both the high school and AAU levels to get a sense for where Georgetown has gone wrong in recruiting the DMV, and how it can fix things.
When Patrick Ewing was hired as head coach of Georgetown men’s basketball, he was asked in his introductory press conference about the importance of local recruiting and how he planned to get top local talent to stay home more often and play for Georgetown— something that his predecessor, John Thompson III, struggled to do at the end of his tenure at Georgetown.
“The DC, Baltimore, Virginia area is the hotbed of great talent,” said Ewing. “I remember when we had things rolling here, none of the great players in this area were able to get out of DC, when Coach [Thompson Jr.] was at the helm. That’s my job to try and get us back to that level and make sure these great players try to stay home.”
Since Ewing took over, however, the local recruiting struggles at Georgetown have continued. In Ewing’s six recruiting classes that he has brought in, he has only received two commitments from Washington, DC players: Antwan Walker (H.D. Woodson) and Jamorko Pickett (Eastern).
If you want to be generous, you can include Terrell Allen, a DeMatha product who transferred in from UCF and played one year for Georgetown, as well as Don Carey (Prince George’s County) and Wayne Bristol (Prince George’s County).
Even so, the fact remains that Georgetown and Patrick Ewing have failed to keep the top local talent in DC and the greater DMV area home for college.
It’s no coincidence that Georgetown’s best teams in the last 15 or so years have been led by local talent. Take a look.
2021 (Big East Tournament Champions): Jamorko Pickett, Don Carey
2013 (Big East Regular Season Champions): Greg Whittington, Mikael Hopkins, Markel Starks
2007 (Big East Tournament Champions/Final Four): DaJuan Summers, Chris Wright, Vernon Macklin, Austin Freeman, Roy Hibbert
2006 (Sweet Sixteen): Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert
While correlation does not equal causation, it is impossible to argue that Georgetown couldn’t be doing more to recruit the area. The program’s refusal to focus more of its attention on the talent in its own backyard continues to perplex many in the area, especially as the program flounders.
Hilltop Hoops spoke with six coaches from the DMV area to get a sense of what those involved in the DMV grassroots basketball scene think about Georgetown.
The common themes? Georgetown is not visible enough in the community, and not putting the requisite work in to recruit the area. The program’s refusal to open its doors more to allow local coaches and players into practices and workouts is also something that was highlighted in multiple conversations with coaches.
Chris Douglas is an assistant coach at Gonzaga College High School in DC, a school that is 3.8 miles away from the Thompson Athletic Center. He also coaches for DC Premier, an AAU program that has featured several players Georgetown has recruited recently, including Christian Watson.
In Douglas’ eyes, Georgetown needs to have a staff that is younger, hungrier, and can relate better to the kids that are coming out of the area.
“I just think, even in the AAU scene, Georgetown wasn’t really everywhere,” said Douglas. “Pat would be there, but he doesn’t really have those dogs that would go out everywhere. They need to be everywhere. He needs guys that are willing to do what it takes.”
“[Robert] Kirby and Akbar [Waheed], they were a little older. They were great coaches but it’s just not where they used to be at, with recruiting and relating to the guys. I think Pat’s a good coach, I just think he needs some young blood in there to get that thing going again, especially locally.”
In Douglas’ eyes, Georgetown is just not the attractive option that it once was to kids, and the brand is losing the luster that it once carried.
“I just don’t think Georgetown is appealing to these guys right now,” said Douglas. “An offer from Providence is better than Georgetown. They’d rather play for [Ed] Cooley right now than go to Georgetown. St. John’s is starting to look attractive to these guys.”
“I just don’t think it’s an attractive situation right now. Maybe they switch the way the play. I don’t know. They got to spice it up over there.”
One well-connected coach at a high school in Maryland, who was granted anonymity so he could speak freely, said, “One of the biggest issues I’ve heard about Georgetown is that they are very lazy in recruiting. These guys don’t build relationships.”
The lack of relationship-building was something cited in many conversations with other coaches too as a major reason why Georgetown hasn’t had success in getting kids to commit from the DMV.
“If we get the right assistant coaches that have relationships, we’ll be fine, because this is a relationship business,” said the coach.
This writer saw firsthand Georgetown’s lack of presence in the local area during a WCAC showdown in February between Gonzaga and Paul VI at Gonzaga on a Thursday night.
Despite multiple players in the game being priority targets of Georgetown, such as PVI’s Deshawn Harris-Smith and Darren Harris, and the fact that it was possibly the biggest game of the regular season in the WCAC, no members of the Georgetown coaching staff were present at a game that was less than four miles away from campus.
The team was in the midst of a three-day break in between games, and sources close to the team indicated at the time that the absence from Gonzaga-PVI wasn’t due to members of the coaching staff attending another local game instead. It was a wasted opportunity to take an easy layup and make their presence felt locally at a big game featuring top local talent. Instead, it appeared the staff was simply off the trail that night.
One recruitment that serves as a perfect microcosm of Georgetown’s flawed strategy when it comes to recruiting DMV talent is the recruitment of Darren Buchanan, an athletic 6’7” Class of 2022 wing who recently committed to Virginia Tech, despite a late push from Georgetown.
Buchanan was named All-Met Player of the Year on Tuesday by the Washington Post, the honor given to the top player in the DC Metropolitan area. Georgetown didn’t enter the race for Buchanan until he was a senior at Wilson High School in Northwest DC, and only offered him when he had three games left in his season.
The late offer by Georgetown to Buchanan is part of a trend with the program in its local recruiting efforts, often waiting too long to offer kids, and not ramping up their pursuit of top players until it is too late to make any headway.
Angelo Hernandez was Buchanan’s head coach at Wilson for the first two seasons of Buchanan’s high school career, and is also a former coach at Team Durant, a premier AAU organization in the DMV. He said Buchanan was turned off by how late Georgetown tried to get in with him.
“Those guys take it personal when they are not recruited by the locals,” said Hernandez. “They take it personal with the timing of it, like when they came in late with Darren Buchanan.”
“He’s 6’7”, a hometown hero, he loves to be the hometown hero, which is known. Has been since he was a freshman, and they didn’t offer him until his senior year with three games to go, which in my opinion, when you are looking at talent, especially local, you get to see them a lot. So it’s not like you can’t watch. So he took it personally,” said Hernandez.
“He said, ‘Coach, they just came in so late. Virginia Tech is not here [locally], and they’re recruiting me hard, Coach. They’re coming in, they’re flying up, they’re talking to me at night, they’re following up, telling me my stats.’ Those are the types of things that kids like. I’m not saying that they’re [Georgetown] not doing that at all, but locally, every time I see an offer, they just come in so late. It’s like they expect the kids to just commit to them”
Chris Douglas was surprised to see Georgetown not go all in on Buchanan too, saying, “I think Darren Buchanan should have been a shoe-in to go there [to Georgetown], but he chose Virginia Tech. It’s just like, that guy who is right there, in your backyard, is probably going to be DC Player of the Year, is right there.”
Hernandez, who recently became the head coach at Anacostia High School, had this to add about Georgetown’s efforts locally: “There’s so much talent right here that Georgetown’s job should be easy to go get those kids. But I think they are flying out and not driving, and that’s the problem. Stop flying out so much and drive up the street. Wilson is literally three miles from Georgetown. And I can tell you on one hand how many times I saw them at my practices.”
Of course, Georgetown can recruit these kids as hard as it wants, but at the end of the day, the kids have to want to come to Georgetown too. And that’s an issue as well, because the Georgetown brand has taken a major hit in the area with the younger generations.
The coaches and parents still remember the Georgetown Hoyas of the 80s and 90s. They still recall watching Patrick Ewing and Allen Iverson suit up in the blue and gray. But the kids don’t. So how can Georgetown connect with these kids better and build the brand back?
“The kids all say now that Georgetown isn’t the Georgetown of our parents,” said Chuck Henry, Director and Head Coach of the 17U team for Team Takeover.
“Realistically, a lot of them don’t look at the education component of the school because a lot of guys are just thinking about the NBA,” added Henry. “Well if that’s the case they just want to go to programs they think will get them to the NBA.”
“I don’t think a lot of the kids can really relate to Patrick Ewing, just because they haven’t seen him play. And realistically nowadays, kids aren’t historians of basketball. The generation has changed where nowadays kids coming up, they don’t really care about the guys who came before them. There’s very few.”
Henry did say that it is still helpful to the program that parents and coaches in the area still have an affinity for Georgetown. He didn’t discount that being a factor.
“I think it does play a big role for the parents, and I think that’s why they’ve been able to get kids on campus,” said Henry. “I think that’s a huge reason why they’ve been able to get some of the bigger names on campus, otherwise I think it would be a little more of a struggle to get guys up there.”
Lamar Butler, who is both an assistant coach at WCAC powerhouse Paul VI and a coach for Team Takeover, echoed Henry’s sentiments, saying, “If you are high school kid coming out, what can you chase at Georgetown? Because they’re not going to know about the legacy of Georgetown. They’re just not. They’re too young.”
“These kids now ask, what have you done lately for me? OK, you’re not winning, so then what is it? At the end of the day, these kids want to get paid to play [professionally],” said Butler. “So, what kid have you produced that you can say, ‘I want to model my game, my career after that to get to that level?’ Georgetown has to create that, but it’s tough because kids come in like a Mac McClung or James Akinjo and they leave after having a successful freshman year,” added Butler.
There are those that try and defend Georgetown’s lack of success with local recruiting by saying that top players in the area just want to leave the DMV for college and get out and explore. No coach that was interviewed for this article believed that. The consensus was that the DMV is no different than any other region in America. Sure, some kids may want to leave the area. But you can get top talent to stay if you recruit them hard enough. It’s not like there is anything specifically about the DMV talent where they want to leave the area moreso than kids from any other region.
“That’s not true,” said Hernandez, when asked about kids wanting to leave the area for college. “If they [Georgetown] did their job the correct way, and were consistent in doing that, no matter where it is, it doesn’t matter.”
Hernandez told a story about a player he used to coach, former Maryland Terrapin forward Ricky Lindo Jr., to explain why Georgetown isn’t doing its part to keep these kids in the area.
“Ricky Lindo had a chance to go to Georgetown when he left Maryland, and he didn’t go because he remembered how they recruited him before he went to Maryland,” said Hernandez. “They were in our practices, and they did not offer. Which, rightfully so, maybe he wasn’t ready. But he went on the circuit, played with DC Premier, had a great summer, and Maryland offers, he goes to Maryland.”
“And then when he left Maryland, Georgetown tried to jump in to the mix, and it’s just so late. It just happened so late that a guy you could have got, it just didn’t happen,” lamented Hernandez. “And I never got a call at all about him. So they didn’t do their part in being consistent about recruiting these kids, and that’s what it is.”
Hernandez continued, “I think any kid would love to play at Georgetown. Love. I mean who wouldn’t? It’s a Jordan school so they get all the Jordans. Just think from a gear standpoint. My goodness, who wouldn’t want to wake up to that. But they’re not consistent enough in what they do. I don’t think it’s no fault of Akbar, Kirby, or Pat. That’s just been the stigma for 15 years.”
“I think when Pat took over, everybody thought it was going to be all the local guys getting recruited. Who doesn’t want to play for Patrick Ewing? But a lot of these young kids don’t even know who Patrick Ewing is. And that’s a problem in and of itself,” said Hernandez. “They should know, but they don’t. And I think there is a big difference from who they are going after in the last regime and who they are going after now, and I think they’re getting it wrong.”
“When they got Jamorko [Pickett], I thought it was going to change. I thought everything was going to be back.”
Osman Bangura is one of the most prominent figures in the DMV grassroots basketball scene. Bangura’s resume is lengthy: He is the director of Team Durant and also the head coach of its 17U team. In addition to that, he is associate head coach at Archbishop Carroll, and the Director of Basketball Events at The St. James, one of the top basketball facilities in the DMV.
Bangura agreed that the Georgetown name doesn’t resonate with local talent like it used to, saying, “It’s not highly thought-of by the kids, but for us, for the older generation, the 30s and over, yes, Georgetown is still up there, struggling, but you have your diehard fans still.”
“The younger fans know nothing about Georgetown. They see the last couple years and it hasn’t converted to any wins. When you’re not winning, kids want to win. What are you selling?” asked Bangura.
“You can sell the campus, but if you’re from this area, the sell has to be different. What I mean is, a lot of these kids are looking at facilities, they’re looking at the coach, what the coaching style is, the relationships, and I don’t think the relationships were there with the previous staff.”
“There were kids inside of Team Durant that wanted to go to Georgetown, but it just didn’t turn into anything. So right now these kids are going to ACC schools. They were high GPA kids, the parents asked about Georgetown, and wanted to see about that opportunity. And that message was relayed, but nothing came out of it,” said Bangura.
Georgetown’s relationship with prominent local AAU programs such as Team Takeover, Team Durant, New World, and DC Premier, have come under scrutiny during this ongoing cold streak for the program with local recruiting. In talking with coaches from three of the four aforementioned programs, no coach felt there was any particular reason for the disconnect, or that there even was a disconnect at all. Most attributed it simply to Georgetown not putting in the work, rather than there being any particular animosity existing.
“I don’t know that there is an icy relationship,” said Henry, the Takeover 17U coach. “One thing, just from a Takeover side, I know we pride ourselves on relationships. Our director, Keith Stevens, is big on that, making sure we create relationships with the high school players, the parents, the college coaches, so I’m not sure there is an icy relationship. I just think those guys are trying the best they can, but they haven’t succeeded in getting any Takeover guys right now. We’ve had some talented guys, and they find homes that fit them best, and that’s just where we are right now. There’s going to be ebbs and flows to it.”
“It comes down to seeing the program having success, seeing guys get to the league, seeing guys graduate— all those success milestones that people are looking for when we go to kids and give them advice to consider schools. As Georgetown continues to have a little bit more success in those areas, I think they will see more of those guys.”
Henry added, “Sometimes a relationship isn’t bad because everyone from the outside looking in might think it’s bad, but realistically, it might just be bad because you haven’t spoken in a while, and I think that’s where we are as a community. Maybe we just need to reconnect.”
“It’s no different than a family reunion in the summer time. You’re not angry at your family members; that’s not the reason you haven’t spoken. You just haven’t spoken because life carries you in different directions sometimes. I feel like that’s maybe where Georgetown and the local community might be.”
“What does Georgetown consider themselves?” asked Osman Bangura. “A high major basketball program, right? So if your program is one of the elite of the elites, and has the prestige that it’s had for so many years, then you should go and have conversations with the high school and AAU programs that have these high level guys. Go build relationships with them.”
“What you want your program to be, you got to go recruit that. I think there are more than enough high-level guys that can play at Georgetown that have bypassed Georgetown because— and I’m telling you, if you ask any one of these parents or these kids they will tell you one of two things: they either came in late, or they just didn’t recruit them hard enough and they didn’t feel like winning was enough of a priority, that they were just bringing in guys to bring them in.”
One thing that was brought up by multiple coaches as a way to build back relationships with AAU and high school programs is to allow local coaches and players to sit in on Georgetown practices, to get a sense for the program and its culture.
“Georgetown doesn’t do a good job of promoting the program,” said the high school coach from Maryland. “You have a great tradition but you don’t ever have open practices. Everything is like a jail. You can’t be so private these days. You have to open up your doors and let kids and fans in. You have alumni that don’t even feel welcomed up there.”
“I’ve been to more Duke and North Carolina practices than I have Georgetown practices,” he added. “That’s crazy. That doesn’t sound right.”
“They still want to uphold the prestige of the school, so you can’t do things like Maryland where those guys do a big team camp every year, and everyone goes to that camp,” said Chuck Henry. “But there’s no reason why Georgetown can’t do an elite camp and bring in specific kids. They could do a team camp but it would have to be really targeted. For instance, I believe Villanova does a team camp every year, and they invite teams. They only invite teams that have kids on their team that they are recruiting. Georgetown could do something very similar to that.”
“The culture is something that is so important, and from the top down,” added Henry. “I couldn’t tell you what Georgetown’s culture is like. I know a couple of the guys over there and they’re very respectable men. I appreciate those guys and love those guys to death for the mentorship they’ve given me, but I’m not sure what the culture is there. I couldn’t even venture a guess what it is like inside the locker room… I think that’s something that could help, is to open the doors up and let the local coaches in and see what it is they are doing.”
“I think those guys can find a happy medium of what works for them on the Hilltop, to invite some people in and really build those relationships back,” Henry concluded.
Georgetown has an opportunity now to chart a different course locally, and right its wrongs as it assembles a new staff around Patrick Ewing. Hiring Kevin Nickelberry was an excellent start, as a proven DMV recruiter who consistently brought in top talent for LSU, and at previous stops too.
Nickelberry has drawn some scrutiny for a lawsuit that was filed against him and Howard University in 2018 by two of his former players, from his time as head coach at Howard University. The lawsuit alleged gross negligence that led to “physical, emotional, and financial harm.”
In talking with multiple sources however, Hilltops Hoops learned that Nickelberry’s name was dropped from the lawsuit shortly after it was filed, and Nickelberry’s name was cleared of any wrongdoing. Certainly, it has done little to tarnish his reputation in local DMV circles, as he is still widely respected in the area.
Osman Bangura has a close relationship with Nickelberry, dating back to his time on Nickelberry’s staff at Howard. He gave a glowing review of Nickelberry upon the announcement of Nickelberry’s hire by Georgetown.
“I’m telling you, I think they hit a home run. I’ve seen Nick work. The guy doesn’t go around in these different places just by accident,” said Bangura.
“For Georgetown, I want Georgetown to do well. So for that, you root for guys, especially where I think they have a situation where they can really start building this thing and make this area proud. You bring the right guys in, you can absolutely change the program within a year. That’s just my opinion.”
“Go back and look at Nick’s history in terms of everywhere he’s been. He recruits kids. And I’m telling you, he’s probably one of the best recruiters I know. Take aside me working with him. Nick does a phenomenal job.”
Bangura continued, “Folks say, ‘OK, well, LSU, Will Wade did this, did that,’ right? OK, Will Wade, but if you remember, Nick was only there for two years. So it’s not like he was there when everything happened. But Nick came in not even as the first guy, and when he came in he was able to get 4-5 star players to commit there. So that says a lot.”
“Nick is an absolutely phenomenal recruiter and I’ll say the reason you see or hear some of the negativity [about Nickelberry] is because of the fear of people of Nick being a terror [in recruiting the DMV]. I think it’s more of a fear factor there.”
Nickelberry had offers to join other high major programs this offseason, including programs that appeared in the NCAA Tournament this season. However, the DC native grew up a Georgetown fan, and despite the tough situation the program finds itself in currently, Nickelberry finds the challenge of bringing Georgetown back to prominence appealing. Now, he’ll get his chance to put Georgetown back on the map with recruits, both locally and nationally.
There is a lot for Georgetown to correct this offseason. In terms of its local footprint, there is opportunity to expand, and return to being the local powerhouse that Georgetown men’s basketball once was. Kevin Nickelberry is one piece of the puzzle, but a big one at that. It will take more than just one assistant to start rebuilding the relationships with local programs, however. Where Georgetown goes from here, and how its revamped staff will do things differently on the recruiting trail, will be interesting to watch. Make the right moves, and it does appear to be possible to get this thing back on track sooner rather than later. Time will tell.
Get out there and recruit hard Patrick, alot of players want to be wanted an needed to come play Georgetown basketball....Recruit Hard
Offer every Freshmen in WCAC ASAP