Coach Patrick Ewing secured his first recruit for the class of 2020 with power forward Terrance Williams’ commitment Monday night; the nation’s 81st ranked recruit according to ESPN100, Williams chose the Hoyas over both Michigan and Notre Dame.
Not only this, Williams’ commitment represents a big psychological win as well, and hopefully the reversal of a trend of local stars leaving the District for college. Williams attends Gonzaga College High School in D.C., which, despite being a basketball hotbed, has not had a scholarship player join the Georgetown program since the 1990s.
After 4-star swingman and Maryland native Earl Timberlake cut Georgetown from his list of schools on Sunday, Williams’ commitment was all the more necessary to prove that Georgetown could keep sought-after recruits from leaving home to join other top-tier programs. Williams’ decision shows that Ewing and his staff have the ability to attract local talent and convince them to stay close to home.
With rising sophomores Mac McClung and James Akinjo anchoring the Georgetown backcourt, and a pair of 7-footer centers joining the team this fall, Terrance Williams fills in an important gap in the Georgetown roster. Williams is a versatile 6’6” power forward who can score from both inside and out. This summer, Williams’ all-around game was on full display as he posted a slew of efficient outings for AAU squad, Team Takeover.
The D.C. native was able to post an impressive 15.1 points per game on 56 percent shooting, including 37 percent from behind the arc. Although relatively undersized at only 6’6”, Williams’ ability to knock down open jumpers opens up driving lanes and allows him to utilize his strength around the rim.
With new Michigan coach Juwan Howard offering Williams just a few weeks ago, it appeared as if the Big 10 powerhouse could pose a real threat. However, Ewing’s eye for identifying talent early and recruiting from the get-go seems to have paid off in the end. Should Ewing and his staff be able to continue this recruiting hot streak and bring top target RJ Davis to the Hilltop, the Class of 2020 may very well be Ewing’s best batch of recruits to date.
