New Staff, New Hustle: Flurry of Incoming Visits to the Hilltop

Some big names have visited - or will visit - the Hilltop this month. Can the Hoyas' new coaching staff seal the deal with several of them?

Georgetown’s new-look staff has hit the ground running in the last couple weeks. While Brandon Murray is in the fold, a steady stream of visits have continued to pour in, as Patrick Ewing and his assistants look to completely revamp the talent on this team’s roster for next season.

Here’s the breakdown of the visits that we know have happened recently, or will happen soon, from players who are still on the market:

April 17-18: Jahmir Young (Charlotte, PG)

April 20-22: Akok Akok (UConn, PF)

April 21: Antoine Davis (Detroit, PG)

April 23: Tyrell Ward (DeMatha, SF) and Manny Bates (NC State, C)

April 26: Primo Spears (Duquesne, PG)

April 27-29: Frank Anselem (Syracuse, C)

April 29 - May 1: Jahnathan Lamothe (St. Frances, CG) and Marvel Allen (Calvary Christian, PG)

Now, look, it’s not time to pop bottles just yet because Georgetown has been able to bring in some really talented players for visits. Georgetown has had good players visit campus before, and more often than naught, those players end up somewhere other than Georgetown.

But this is an aggressive start for the new coaching staff, an approach that is unusual by Georgetown’s standards in recent years. That they can line up this many visits from top players in this short of a stretch (especially coming off an 0-19 Big East season) is a departure from how the old staff did things, and gives reason for optimism that things really will start to pick up with Georgetown and its ability to land true impact talent moving forward.

As tempting as it is to start counting our eggs before they hatch, it’s still to be seen how this new staff is at sealing the deal with players of this caliber. Marcus Hammond, who was seen as an attainable target after Rutgers dropped out of the race for him, committed to Notre Dame right after his visit to South Bend. That was a blow for Georgetown with a player who they coveted.

The race for Jahmir Young is still open, and Georgetown sources feel they are still in the race there. However, the thought among people in the DMV is that Maryland still leads for Young. Expect Jordan Brooks to push hard for Young in the coming days, as Georgetown looks to make up ground on the Terrapins.

If Georgetown can’t leapfrog the Terps for Young, they are going to have to pivot to some backup options at the point guard position in the portal, which wouldn’t be ideal. I would not expect Antoine Davis, who did visit Georgetown, to commit to Georgetown, as things currently stand with his recruitment.

The news that every Hoya fan is waiting for right now is the decision of 2022 DeMatha wing Tyrell Ward, which will becoming this Saturday at 4 PM ET. Ward was spotted on campus on Saturday with Jordan Brooks, as reported by Thompson’s Towel.

Every sign currently points to Ward committing to Georgetown. Reliable recruiting experts such as Andrew Slater and Marc Fiscarelli have both said that Ward will be a Hoya, and there have been multiple predictions logged for Ward to Georgetown between Rivals and 247Sports.

However, intel received last night indicates that this may not be a done deal just yet. Word on the street is that Virginia Tech is still pushing for a commitment, and while the Hoyas are favored, this may not be a lock for Georgetown with Ward just yet, especially with Mike Jones on the Hokies’ staff. If I had to guess, Ward will still commit to Georgetown this weekend, but I am less certain than I was 24 hours ago. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Mike Jones pull off an upset with his former high school player.

Akok Akok, who is currently visiting West Virginia, will take his final scheduled visit to Pittsburgh this weekend, and will likely make his decision shortly after that. With former Oklahoma State forward Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe committing to Georgia, Georgetown would do well to push extra hard for Akok, and right now, it does appear the Hoyas are still the favorite for the former UConn forward.

This weekend will feature visits from two of the top guards in the 2023 class, Jahnathan Lamothe and Marvel Allen. The Hoyas have been after Lamothe (#89 overall in the Class of 2023) for a long time, and it’s a good sign that Lamothe’s first official visit of the summer will be to Georgetown. Kevin Nickelberry recruited Lamothe at LSU, so Georgetown shouldn’t miss a beat with Nickelberry now on staff. This could shape up to be another recruiting battle between Georgetown and Maryland, as Maryland assistant Tony Skinn has a close relationship with Lamothe too.

LSU de-commit Marvel Allen, a five-star point guard rated #22 overall in the Class of 2023, will also join Lamothe this weekend on the Hilltop. Allen, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, would give the Hoyas an electric point guard of the future who would pair well alongside both Denver Anglin and Lamothe, if Lamothe were to commit to Georgetown. It will be interesting to see if Georgetown can make an early splash with either highly-regarded guard recruit to open up their 2023 recruiting class.

There are a lot of balls up in the air right now for Georgetown. The next step for this coaching staff is to close with several of these names. Let’s see if they can get it done.