Recruiting Roundup: Evaluating the Hoyas’ Top Targets In the Class of 2022

With this disappointing season all but over and next season’s recruiting class seemingly complete after the commitment of 5-star Aminu Mohammed (I will never get tired of saying that), there is much to look forward to in Georgetown’s future. So, let’s see where the Hoyas will stand after the 2021-22 season and who Coach Ewing and his staff are looking to recruit. 

PROJECTED 2022-23 ROSTER (Scholarship Players only)

Ah, just looking at this table gives me so much hope for the future of the program, but there are some hypotheticals that must be addressed before looking at the potential incoming 2022 class. The NCAA only permits 13 scholarships to be offered on a basketball team, and a quick glance at the table shows that next season Georgetown will be over this number, with 14 players expected to be on athletic scholarships. This could mean a couple different things, but it basically comes down to this: someone has to sacrifice their scholarship or someone is leaving early/transferring. Instead of playing out every possible situation, let’s just assume that there will be at least one scholarship available for the 2022 recruiting class. 

Positionally, the Hoyas are looking to have great depth in the 2022-23 season. Even with the potential departures of Wahab and Mohammed, the squad (as of now) will have 11 returning players. There is no doubt that these players will likely command most of the playing time, so don’t be surprised if this 2022 class is “weak” rankings wise, at least compared to the stacked 2021 class. Ewing and the staff have been in consistent contact with some very talented players, though.

Recently, top-25 guard Nick Smith included Georgetown in his top ten list. Smith is one of the best shooters in his class, as he averaged over 20 points as a sophomore while shooting over 35% from deep. In the table above, it is evident that the 2022-23 roster will be lacking a consistent three-point threat, with TJ Berger being the only true sharpshooter, so Smith’s scoring ability would be extremely beneficial for the program. While Smith’s commitment isn’t likely with programs like UNC and Kansas in the mix, it is good to see Ewing and the staff making a strong impression on more top recruits.

According to 247Sports, Georgetown has two players in the 2022 class listed as “high interest.” These two are wing Prince Aligbe and combo guard Zocko Littleton, who are both ranked in the top 200 of their class. Aligbe attends Minnehaha Academy in Minnesota, whose recent products include stars Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren. According to 247Sports, Georgetown and UCLA are the only two programs with “warm” interest with Aligbe, so his recruitment is probably going to be one to watch. Littleton hails from Albany, Georgia and possesses a solid jumper which would be a great addition to the Hoya backcourt. In an interview with Rivals, he said “I like how [Georgetown] play. I like how they let their guards. I watched them play a few times this year because they’ve been showing interest.”

Locally, Georgetown has been keeping a close eye on some of the more highly-touted recruits. DeMatha junior Rodney Rice is at the top of that list. The 6’4 guard has a versatile skill set for a guard: he can score from all three levels and has the ability to make plays from the backcourt. Georgetown has been recruiting him since the beginning of his high school career and back in June he said in an interview that he has “probably talked to Georgetown or Louisville the most,” but his recruiting journey still has a long way to go. 

Rice isn’t the only player to look out for in the 2022 class from DeMatha though, as wing Tyrell Ward is also high up on Patrick Ewing’s recruiting shortlist. The Hoyas offered Ward in September, and it’s not surprising that he is a top target for the staff. Ward has developed tremendously throughout high school. He can use his athleticism to punish teams at the rim, but he also possesses a solid jumper which can allow him to score anywhere on the floor. In an interview with Eric Bossi from 247Sports, Ward also said “I already love Georgetown and have wanted to maybe go there since I was a kid, so that could be a dream come true.” DeMatha is known to produce top talents, and it helps that there is a strong Hoya connection at the school; Terrell Allen was a DeMatha graduate and recent Hoya alum Austin Freeman is now on the coaching staff. 

Georgetown has also targeted a few other DMV recruits, which include the likes of guards Judah Mintz, Devin Dinkins, Rowan Brumbaugh and forwards Noah Batchelor, Cam Whitmore and Travis Roberts. Here’s to hoping there is a rekindling of the DMV recruiting pipeline for the Hoyas. 

While a lot of the recruits mentioned above are talented and ranked fairly well on recruiting websites, none of them come close to Jalen Duren, who ranks No. 2 nationally in his class per 247Sports and Rivals. Duren is a generational prospect, and he has the numbers to back it up. The Naismith Trophy Finalist (one of the two juniors to make the cut) is averaging a double-double in points and rebounds and also averaging almost two blocks per game. Oh, and he is also able to make plays like this. Duren’s presence would make an instant impact on any team, and the Hoyas have a (small) chance of landing him. According to Rivals, Georgetown is one of the seven schools to have offered him, and they are included in his “top interests.” There is no doubt that Ewing’s Hall of Fame career as a big man will serve as some sort of a pull for Duren, but there are going to be some programs in the mix that Georgetown might not be able to compete with.

All in all, there is still a long way to go before anyone from the class of 2022 starts to narrow down their top schools, but the recruits that Georgetown has been in good contact with are a promising sign that Ewing and the staff aren’t going to take their foot off the gas when it comes to recruiting.