McKenna Commits To Georgetown, Will Play in 2023-24 Ed Cooley and staff completed a busy month of recruiting adding a highly sought after junior forward.ADDITIONAL COVERAGE As has been the case throughout the spring, reporter Joe Tipton at On3.com was first on board with the signing. "I chose Georgetown because Ed Cooley is a very relatable coach, he told Tipton. "He understands me and my family and he matches how hungry I am. I love the passion and integrity he has as a coach." The signing begins a long held process by Cooley to reestablish Georgetown in local recruiting circles. Though Glenelg is closer to Baltimore than Washington, McKenna lives in Prince George's County, which many feel has surpassed the District of Columbia as a primary source of local college talent. "I am from PG County, Maryland," he said. "I like [Cooley's] vision about taking the talent from the area to make Georgetown great again. I think I'm the player to help him do that." "McKenna is just the the type of four-man that has historically thrived under Cooley," said 247Sports scout Adam Finkelstein. "He's strong, can be physical inside, but also a mismatch problem because of his ability to face-up and make some plays off the bounce." Of further interest to fans: McKenna, a rising high school senior, will reclassify to this year's class via a GED and will enroll at Georgetown for the fall. The only time Georgetown previously accepted a reclassified recruit was forward Stephen Domingo in 2012; Domingo struggled mightily in the college game and averaged just 0.7 points per game in two seasons at Georgetown (2012-14) and 2.0 ppg at California (2015-17). Given McKenna's stature in the 2024 class, he expects to be more prepared for a role in college. "I'm ready to help bring the program back to greatness," he said. Hoyas Add Fairfield Transfer Following the signing of Drew McKenna, Georgetown added depth up front with a transfer from Fairfield.A 6-9 forward from East Orange, NJ, Supreme Cook played high school basketball at St. Benedict's HS in newark and a prep year at the Peddie School. He originally committed to Columbia in the summer of 2019 before signing with Fairfield, where he averaged 10 points and 7.5 rebounds in three seasons with the Stags and collected a pair of 17 point, 17 rebound efforts in two games this past season. Cook was a third team all MAAC selection in 2022-23 and ranked 14th on a list of players still available once the transfer portal closed to new entrants.While Cook has two years of eligibility remaining, he will be a senior academically and may be an option to graduate on time in 2024, reopening the scholarship for the 2024 recruiting class, which has been a priority class for the Hoyas to date. Two For The Finals For perhaps the first time, a pair of Georgetown alumni will meet each other in the NBA Finals: its oldest NBA player, and its youngest.When Jeff Green made his NBA debut with the Seattle Supersonics in 2007, Omer Yurtseven was nine years old. Green is now 36, on his 12th NBA team, averaging 7.8 points per game off the bench for the Denver Nuggets. Across the floor Thursday night will stand Yurtseven, 25, undrafted after graduating from the Hilltop in 2020 and in his second season as a deep reserve for the Miami Heat."I'm not one to reflect on a season before it's over, so I'll keep this short and sweet. But this is a special moment, for Denver, for the Nuggets organization, for my teammates, and, yeah, I won't lie, for myself," Green said at a first person article in The Players Tribune. "It's a very cool feeling to be in this spot, especially with my path to get here. 16 years. 15 seasons. 1,000 plus games. 11 teams. (I count Seattle and OKC as one stop!) Some people, I know they probably look at 11 teams and see the negative. They see a journeyman, or whatever word you want to use. But for me I see the positive in that word: I see the journey I've had, and the perspective I've gained. I'm grateful for everywhere my NBA career has taken me. I'm proud it's still going. One of the two players will become just the fifth former Georgetown player to have won an NBA championship, joining Billy Hassett of the 1949-50 Lakers, Jaren Jackson of the 1998-99 Spurs, Alonzo Mourning in 2005-06 with the Heat and Otto Porter from last season's champions, the Golden State Warriors. 2023 Walk-On Announces Commitment An unexpected commitment arrived over the weekend, with a 6-1 guard from Kuwait announcing he will walk on to the Georgetown team next fall.Hashem Asad, a 6-1 guard from the American School on Kuwait City, announced a commitment Saturday on social media. Asad played in the Kuwait national prep team, averaging 8.7 points in the Asian U16 tournament, but high school sports do not exist in that country and so a comparison to other recruits is difficult.Georgetown does not comment on walk-on recruits, but if Asad arrives for the Kenner League in July, we may learn more about his potential contribution this upcoming season. On The Banks
Georgetown will make its first visit to central New Jersey in a decade, as part of the Big East-Big Ten Gavitt Games.As part of the series, the Hoyas will face Rutgers, potentially returning up to three starters from last season's 19-15 record. The game, scheduled for November 15 with a time to be announced, will be held at the Jersey Mike's Arena (formerly the Rutgers Athletic Center or RAC) and broadcast on an ESPN network.Georgetown owns a 29-16 advantage in the series. The last meeting was March 2, 2013 at Verizon Center, excerpted below: Other games in this year's series are as follows: Butler at Michigan State Iowa at Creighton Maryland at Villanova Marquette at Illinois Michigan at St. John's Wisconsin at Providence Xavier at Purdue Georgetown's Next Generation NIL
The next generation of name, image, and likeness (NIL) for Georgetown student-athletes was announced Tuesday, but leaves a number of questions unanswered.The Supreme Court decision in Alston v. NCAA opened the floodgates on NIL, which allows third party support of student-athletes, but without specific guidelines schools have been struggling to deal with it and maintain NCAA compliance, which forbids schools from offering additional compensation beyond the cost of attendance. There is no federal statute on NIL and rules vary between states. (The District of Columbia has no NIL legislation in place.)In July 2022, Georgetown launched the Hoya Blueprint Exchange, described on this site as a "a public-facing portal to facilitate name image and likeness (NIL) inquiries". In is 10 months, it was largely unclear to the public if any significant deals had been facilitated through the portal. In 2023, following the lead of other universities, Georgetown has allied with a third party organization to raise interest - and dollars - for athletes." The new group is known as "Hoyas Rising", which debuted its web site Tuesday, announcing that "by raising funds through stand-alone donations, membership programs, and working directly with businesses interested in partnering with them through name, image and likeness activities." As a Delaware for-profit company, gifts to Hoyas Rising are not tax deductible nor credited to annual giving at Georgetown, as are gifts to the Hoya Hoop Club and Hoyas Unlimited. While Hoyas Rising is independent of the University, its roots are not far from the Hilltop. With a business address across the street from the Walsh Building, it is led by former MLB executive Tim Brosnan (C'80) and private equity advisors Robert Nolan (B'74) and Fred Powers (B'87); the group also lists former men's basketball player Nate Lubick (B'14) as an advisor. Its full time staffer is John Balkam (B'13), who founded the Third Win Group in 2019. Educating the Georgetown fan base as to what this group will and will not do is a fast follower for the group. "While fans have been conditioned for years to understand that paying student-athletes is prohibited, student-athletes can now be compensated for the use of their name, image and likeness," reads the web site. "Georgetown University and its athletic department staffers are barred from creating NIL opportunities for Georgetown University student-athletes or facilitating them. This is where Hoyas Rising will step in and do what the University or any of its affiliates are not allowed to do." With giving levels ranging from $240 to $20,000, amenities are distinct from any offered by Georgetown, though an invitation to a men's basketball practice is available at the highest giving level. It's part of an awkward dance for these organizations, which are supporting students but not working for the University, all in an unregulated environment. "The goal is to ensure meaningful, short-term and long-term opportunities for Georgetown student-athletes," said athletic director Lee Reed in a press release posted at GUHoyas.com. "Having Hoyas Rising as a partner in group licensing strengthens our hand as we build out this new program. Hoyas Rising's commitment to Georgetown University's value and mission is consistent with our Departmental approach, which includes both servicing and putting our student-athletes first." "Everyone at Hoyas Rising is committed to helping all of the nearly 800 GU student-athletes realize the full potential of their brands and to build the strength of their NIL both here at Georgetown and in their years beyond their athletic careers," said Brosnan in the release. "Our equally important task is to offer our student-athletes a transformational, as opposed to transactional, experience. This is also the best chance for all of our Hoya community, alumni, friends and corporate partners to have a direct and beneficial impact on our athletics programs." The group is referred to in the release as a "collaborative", a distinction from another phrase common in the sports industry, namely, a collective. "A collective is part talent agency, part extension of the school, and part rogue actor shaking up college sport," wrote Alex Kirshner at this link to Global Sport Matters. "Collectives negotiate agreements with athletes to pay them a monthly amount in exchange, officially, for the use of the athlete's name, image, or likeness in such ways as social media advertising, an appearance in a commercial, an autograph signing, or, in the case of collectives that have taken nonprofit status for tax purposes, an appearance at a charitable event." Kirshner continued: "Around 200 collectives have been formed nationwide, estimates Mit Winter, a Kansas City-based attorney who advises NIL collectives at the law firm Kennyhertz Perry." Georgetown has never publicly stated if it employs a collective to sign recruits, though some fans have assumed as much since Ed Cooley had an collective while at Providence College. (A request by this site to Hoyas Rising to clarify its status as a collective has not yet been returned.) It's also unclear if Hoyas Rising has any relationships in sports outside basketball, such as football, soccer, or lacrosse. Finally, a third party does not have to be sanctioned by a university to operate. This Twitter post provides an example of same.
2023 Summer Recruiting
Georgetown is one of a number of Big East schools still recruiting for its 2023-24 roster.The transfer portal may be closed to new entrants, but with over 600 players in the portal without a new destination, the influx of new graduates to whom a transfer may be executed without the portal, and a May 31 deadline for eligible NBA draft candidates to return to college, there are a lot of unknowns out there, not to mention the gray area of NIL.Not surprisingly, a number of teams have held open one or two scholarships for returning players. Georgetown's need is more apparent, with just nine of 13 scholarships filled for 2023-24 and no preferred walk-ons announced to date. Here is the rundown of rosters among Big East schools, with the number of NBA draft candidates from that school (that still have college eligibility) in parentheses:
Congratulations Class of 2023   Graduation Gift
2024 Center Commits To Georgetown
Georgetown's drive for future talent continues this week, with a verbal commitment from high school junior Thomas Sorber, ranked 51st overall for the Class of 2024."I chose Georgetown because when I first stepped on that campus, it just felt like home," the 6-9 Sorber told Joe Tipton at On3.com. "It's a great program for both basketball and academics."Sorber averaged 17.8 points and 11.2 rebounds last season at Archbishop Ryan in Philadelphia, PA. Sorber is the first Georgetown signee from the Philadelphia Catholic League since Bill McGarrity in 1967. Georgetown has two verbal commitments for the high school class of 2024, with Sorber joining guard Kayvaun Mulready, from Worcester Academy (MA). Four scholarships remain open for the upcoming season. The Lost Generation
The last of eight entrants to the portal committed elsewhere this weekend, ending a run where 26 of former coach Patrick Ewing's 41 recruits have transferred.It's the legacy of the Ewing era: the lack of player retention which decimated rosters for the past six seasons. In his 13 seasons from 2004 through 2017, John Thompson III had 15 transfers; in Craig Esherick's five seasons from 1999 through 2004, just eight.The NCAA transfer portal is an accelerant, but not the cause. Georgetown had a perception of not developing players and the outbound exodus grew every year: just two departures after Ewing's first season, but 15 over the last two seasons combined. Over the same two seasons, Villanova had just one scholarship athlete enter the portal. The challenge for Ed Cooley and his staff is to manage the portal without being overwhelmed by it. Portal entries can restock the roster (four of Cooley's five recruits to date come from other schools) but building recruiting from the 2024 and 2025 high school classes is the future. Here are the statistics from the 26 expats from the Georgetown program since 2017, including those who entered the portal this spring:
Former Player Alleges Trafficking
In a rambling series of messages posted earlier this week on Twitter, an account identified as former Georgetown center Chris Sodom alleges he was a victim of trafficking prior to his enrollment in college.Sodom, a 7-3 center in the 2017-18 season, was dismissed from the team after one semester.The messages, posted under the account "@YannickSodom1", began his story as follows: "[After] 4 months in America, my school was the target of an DHS investigation and my school...was shut down leaving me home[less] for the rest of the school year. The following summer this man, Aaron Harrison, came to the bros we were living with and offered to become my guardian, enroll me in school and in return I'll play for his Houston Defenders on the Under Armour circuit. That's how my boy and I were sent to him in Houston. When we arrived he passed us forward to this man, Albert Dill, to take care of us in exchange of his son going to college with me on a package deal."(Dill's son, Jakobe, did not follow Sodom to college. He signed with UTEP and played in two games there, attended junior college for two seasons, and completed his eligibility at Jarvis Christian College, a NAIA school in Hawkins, TX.) The posts allege Harrison then sent Sodom to live with a Houston anesthesiologist, Dr. Kenneth Alo, who Sodom called his guardian. The doctor then sent him to Tennessee Prep, a basketball-only school in Memphis. Offered by Kansas, Florida, Purdue and Texas A&M, Sodom committed to the University of New Mexico, but decommitted following a coaching change in April 2017 and was signed by new coach Patrick Ewing three weeks later. The posts also claim Alo "cancelled the rest of my college visits" upon visiting Georgetown and broke off the relationship after Sodom's dismissal. The 7-3 center played in only six games as a freshman before being dismissed from the team for what was designated as "a violation of team rules," as noted at the Georgetown Basketball History Project. "Sodom transferred to George Washington, but by the end of the summer, however, he left for what he termed "family reasons" and announced a second transfer to Iowa Western Community College, but never enrolled there. After participating in various NBA G-League tryouts, Sodom resurfaced at Delaware State, averaging 2.3 points in 54 games over three seasons. In 2022, he was listed as a grad transfer to Southeastern University, a NAIA school in Lakeland, FL; however, he apparently left school prior to the start of the season." The account also alleges injuries suffered in high school which were never treated. Sodom posted X-rays of various injuries to his neck, hands, and feet and has opened a GoFundMe account to address these. At no time did Sodom take a redshirt year for medical reasons while in college, however. Having completed college but without a pro contract, Sodom is awaiting a work permit to remain in the United States. Bradley Ezewiro To Saint Louis
Former Georgetown center Bradley Ezewiro will transfer to Saint Louis, according to an interview with Ezewiro by 247Sports.com."I committed to St. Louis because they have a great coaching staff and head coach in coach [Travis] Ford," he said. "They also have great assistants, player development, location, fans, and are in a good conference."A transfer from LSU that followed former assistant coach Kevin Nickelberry to the Hilltop, Ezewiro averaged 4.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 27 games as a backup to Qudus Wahab this past season. "I don't have to play with my back to the basket anymore and I can just get it out and go,", he said. "I have the chance to really excel in a fast pace offense that coach Ford likes to run." Ezewiro is the last of eight outbound transfers which announced for the transfer portal following the end of the 2022-23 season. Alumni Team Returning In 2023
Following its success in a exhibition game last summer, the Dawg Talk alumni team will return this summer.In addition to an exhibition scheduled against Syracuse alumni this summer, the team, led by former Georgetown guard Chris Wright (C'11) will play as "Dawg Town" in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a 64 team knockout tournament with a winner-take-all $1 million prize.A previous Georgetown entry in TBT, known as "Jack Attack", was eliminated in the first round in 2018.
Siena Asst. To Join Georgetown Staff
Former Siena assistant coach Greg Fahey is the latest addition to the Georgetown coaching staff.Fahey, who coached high school basketball in New Jersey after graduating from Marist in 2013, was a graduate assistant for Ed Cooley at Providence in 2018-19 before joining the staff at Siena, with two years as its director of basketball operations and two years as an assistant coach through the 2022-23 season. Fahey completed a masters degree at PC in 2022.CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported Wednesday that Fahey will serve as a special assistant to the head coach, which is an assistant-level bench position who does not recruit on the road, a position at Georgetown last held by the late Louis Orr.
Transfer Portal Closes Thursday
Thursday marks the last day players can enter the NCAA transfer portal. How many more, if any, from Big East rosters will make that call?To date, 56 of the 1,711 transfer entrants to date have come from Big East schools, with Georgetown and St. John's combining for 19 of its 56 exits. While the portal remains open for those who remain, which is about 55 percent of the total, any last minute entrants must declare by end of day Thursday.Georgetown still has some work to do, with four open scholarships after Ismael Massoud's commitment on Friday. None of the four inbound recruits to date are ranked in the top 45 as per CBS Sports.com, but head coach Ed Cooley has been candid about building with 2024-25 in mind. Cooley inherited only one incoming recruit from Patrick Ewing, guard Marvel Allen, who decommitted last week. Kenner League To Resume July 1
Another sign of changing times: the annual intrigue about when the Kenner League would begin operations in the summer was answered early: a July 1 opener, per a social media announcement.— Nike Pro City - DC (@KennerLeague) May 9, 2023 Jordan Riley To Temple
Former Georgetown guard Jordan Riley will transfer to Temple, according to a report by Adam Zagoria.The former Mr. New York Basketball and Gatorade State Player of the Year in 2021, Riley suffered through injuries as a freshman and started just nine games a sophomore, averaging 4.2 points over two seasons.In other news, former Georgetown recruit Marvel Allen, who decommitted April 28, is on his way to Dayton, according to reports. Coach Cooley Appears On Hoya Locker Room
It's a new day, yes it is.There was a time when the mere thought of a Georgetown basketball staff member, much less the head coach, appearing on a podcast would have been rejected by the basketball office within mere moments. But two weeks ago, while appearing at a panel discussion at John Carroll Weekend in San Francisco, head coach Ed Cooley was invited by Board of Governors member and Hoya Locker Room co-host Markhum Stansbury Jr (C'91) to appear on the show.In its first broadcast since that meeting, the popular podcast welcomed Cooley to the show for a lively 40 minute discussion on the work ahead for the 2023-24 season and beyond. "Don't call it a rebuild," he said. "We are reestablishing the Georgetown brand." A link to the broadcast is below. Recommended viewing.
Hoyas Add 2023 Grad Transfer
One day short of his 23rd birthday, 6-8 forward Ismael Massoud announced a commitment to join the Georgetown Hoyas in the 2023-24 season.Born in Spain and raised in New York, Massoud attended Berkeley-Carroll School and Cardinal Hayes HS before graduating from the McDuffie School in Granby, MA, earning all-NEPSAC honors in 2019.Like many contemporary basketball prospects, Massoud's road is a winding one. In 2019, he chose Wake Forest over offers from Harvard, Georgia Tech, Auburn and Rutgers. He played in 53 games in two seasons at Wake Forest, averaging 6.2 points per game with a career high 31 versus Pitt in January 2021. He transferred to Kansas State after that season, starting 18 of 31 games as a junior and coming off the bench in all 32 games for the Wildcats last season, averaging 5.4 points and 1.7 rebounds. "I chose Georgetown because I loved the chance to play for a coach like Ed Cooley," he told 247Sports.com. "Coach is a proven winner and he's done great with people in my position, and my skill set of being able to shoot the ball. He really values what I do so I'm grateful to go to such a prestigious university like Georgetown, play in the Big East, and be close to home. This decision checked so many boxes for me." Massoud appears to be playing a role for the Hoyas most recently filled by the likes of Kaiden Rice and Bryson Mozone: the all-in outside shooter. Though Massoud shot just 34 percent last season from two point range for the Wildcats, he shot 41 percent from three. A 15 point effort on 4-6 three point shooting versus Michigan State in the 2023 NCAA regional semifinals was a season high. "Coach told me he has always done well with the forward position especially the ones that can shoot with the sets he runs for them. He told me he really values what I can do because I fit how he wants to play. My shooting ability, height and size is something that is extremely valuable for him. He sees me being able to flourish in his system." Scheduled to graduate next week from Kansas State with a bachelor of science in human development, Massoud has one season eligibility remaining and would be eligible for the 2023-24 season as a graduate transfer; without it, he would have to sit out the 2023-24 season as the NCAA has ended immediate eligibility for second transfers. A grad transfer also would give head coach Ed Cooley an additional scholarship to recruit with for the 2024 recruiting cycle. "Fans can expect a good student, person, someone who's going to be involved in the community and someone who's always going to walk around with a smile on his face," he added. "I'm looking to be a warming and welcoming leader on the court and represent the University in the best way possible." Men's Basketball APR Improves, Still At Risk
Academic performance metrics for men's basketball showed improvement in 2021-22, but still faces the possibility of penalties in a future NCAA tournament, according to NCAA data released Tuesday.ADDITIONAL COVERAGE A perfect score is 1,000, met by 15 Georgetown teams this past year. The men's basketball totals on a per year basis are as follows:
"The minimum APR academic standard for each team is 930," reads an NCAA release. "Typically, teams that scored below the benchmark would have to face penalties that encourage an emphasis and prioritization on academics. However, due to the current penalty suspension in place, teams falling below the minimum 930 score will not be subjected to penalties this year." For now. In February 2023, the NCAA announced that "The Division I Committee on Academics...voted to resume normal Academic Performance Program operations after portions were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This means program penalties and the possible loss of access to post season competition will resume based on the four-year-cohort scores released in spring 2024." To meet a minimum 930 APR for the four year average in 2024 as mandated for NCAA tournament participation, Georgetown must score a 950 with this year's team or it will be subject to possible penalties in the 2024-25 season, which could include scholarship restrictions, reductions on practice time, or ineligibility for the 2025 tournament. A change in coaching staffs does not mitigate penalties. The Big East multi-year results among men's basketball are below:
The Georgetown multi-year results among all sports are below (note that men's rowing and sailing are not included in that they are not recognized NCAA sports.)
D'Ante Bass To Alabama State
The early moves into the transfer portal are now settling at new destinations, with former Georgetown forward D'Ante Bass announcing a transfer to Alabama State."All I needed was an opportunity!" Bass wrote on his Instagram page announcing the move.Opportunities were in short supply for the 6-5 forward, whose 28 minutes of in-game action in 2022-23 was the fewest of any scholarship player since Chris Sodom, who was kicked off the team nine games into the 2017-18 season. Bass' two points in the season opener versus Green Bay were his only points of the season, playing behind forwards Bryson Mozone and Wayne Bristol. Outbound transfers yet to announce a destination include Jordan Riley (4.6 ppg in 2022-23) and Bradley Ezewiro (4.3 ppg). |