Biggest recruiting losses in program history

[jy826]

Hoya fans,

I'm going to start creating some lists about the Hoya program and wanted to see you what you all thought.

Here is a list of the school's biggest recruiting losses.

1. Kenny Anderson-Kenny wanted to be a Hoya, ever since he was in 7th grade, but Coach Thompson decided not to make a home visit. Coach Thompson why oh why didn't you drop by at the Anderson crib?

2. Grant Hill-Grant grew up as Georgetown fan also and attended games as a season ticket holder. However Mary Fenlon asks Grant Hill to read from a book aloud during a visit to campus and asks him to tell her what exactly she read. Insulted by the request, Grant decides he's not coming to Georgetown.

Any other big losses for the program that people recall?

Jay
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[NorthCarolinaHOYA]

jay, good post and is the story with Grant Hill really true? I thought i herd on radio show a few years ago make a comment about he loved Gtown and someone on staff asked him to read a book. I had no idea it was Mary Fenlon. If so I bet she feels stupid now

Ok I grew up in the DC area and been a big Gtown fan for years so here are some other rumors I have herd over the years:

Sharif Abdul Rahim- Wanted to attend GTOWN but was concerned about being a muslim student a at Catholic school with no Islamic studies programs

Korleon Young - Was slated to attend Gtown but went pro and we all know how that turned out.

This is not technically a recruiting loss but word on that street at the time was when Maryland went on probation after the bob wade years. Walt Williams and Jurad Mustaf were interested in transferring to Gtown but the Maryland People were NOT HAVING IT!

[idhoya]

One that comes to mind recently is Shan Foster, who was set to commit during his visit, but Esh put him on hold for the big kid that ended up at Oklahoma State. Essentially GU lost two recruits. Foster is 6'5, athletic and has gone on to be one of the best shooters in the country and one of the best players in the SEC. He would have been perfect for III's system.

[jacko]

Coulda shoulda woulda. Things are what they are, and we have a nice little program here.

But I'll indulge the thread the best way I can: imagine we hadn't inked Guibunda or Crawford (yes, I do realize his importance to the dynamic of the team, but stay with me) in '04 or Macklin in '06, but in their place had taken Georgetown wannabes Joakim Noah, Shan Foster, and Scottie Reynolds. Imagine last year's team with Noah or Hibbert coming off the bench and the other starting, no hoyatalk threads about how we needed a cut-throat point guard because of how much better Scottie is than our guys (not my idea), and better outside shooting and overall wing play (Summers coming off the bench). Not that everyone would have developed the same way (I think Reynolds would be better/more under control playing for III, but Noah may not have developed as much if he didn't have so much pressure to step up his soph. year), but you're talking about a pretty good team there.

[azarin]

I don't want to think about Noah wearing the Blue and Gray. I'm feeling a mite queasy now.

Thanks, Jacko. You ruined my morning.

[Boz]

Jan 12, 2008 11:22:50 GMT -5 azarin said:

I don't want to think about Noah wearing the Blue and Gray. I'm feeling a mite queasy now.

Come on, now, give Noah a break.

That would have been the biggest recruit in the history of the women's basketball team.

[757hoyafan]

NC, I'm almost positive this was Big John's policy for every recruit... I remember reading it somewhere..




Rasheed Wallace... he had us in his top 5 from what I remember...

[jerseyhoya34]

Larry Johnson reportedly had us high on his list, but, for whatever reason, Pops stopped recruiting him. I believe this much has been written in Tark's book.

[jy826]

I also forgot to put that heard Luc Richard Mbah a Moute of UCLA was set to become a Hoya but then decided to go to UCLA.

In regards to the Grant Hill-Mary Felon story, I actually heard Grant Hill tell that story during his rookie year in the NBA when he was being interviewed by Jim Rome on ESPN 2. I also read about that incident in a magazine-I think it was Esquire or GQ--where they were doing a feature story on Grant also during his rookie year in the NBA.

I had indeed always heard Larry Johnson was close to becoming a Hoya, OR would transfer to Georgetown if Jerry Tarkananian and his program ever got put on probation by the NCAA. But of course it never happened.

Imagine this staring line up for the 1989-90 squad

1G-Kenny Anderson
2G-Mark Tillmon
3F-Larry Johnson
4F-Alonzo Mourning
C-Dikembe Mutombo

with players like Dwayne Bryant, Sam Jefferson, Johnathan Edwards and Anthony Allen coming off the bench. That could've been possibly the greatest college squad ever.

Also Sherman Douglas played high school basketball in the DC area and desperately wanted to come to Georgetown but Coach Thompson on decided taking on Charles Smith and Bobby Winston.

Also I had never heard Shareef Abdur-Rahim had interst in coming to Georgetown. If he had that would've been quite a squad also. Consider the starting lineup of:

1G-Allen Iverson
2G-Victor Page
3F-Shareef Abdur Rahim
4F-Jerome Wiliams
C-Othella Harrington

That would've been quite a team also and could've given Kentucky quite a run for its money in the national championship game.

Jay

[hoyarooter]

Corliss Williamson.

Also, this is incorrect:

"I also forgot to put that heard Luc Richard Mbah a Moute of UCLA was set to become a Hoya but then decided to go to UCLA."

It's Alfred Aboya who planned to be a Hoya, not Mbah a Moute.

[tribecahoya]

JY826 - what prompted you to start all these horribly negative threads? I nominate "top 10 ways for austin freeman to sprain his ankle against Pittsburgh" as your next thread.

[jy826]

I'm not trying to be negative and I apologize if I seem like I'm giving a negative vibe. I'm just trying to discuss team history and I think its fun to speculate what might have been--that's what's great about sports.. Have you seen my "Most Improved players" thread. or the best teams in school history thread? I'm coming out with some other threads that won't be seen as negative.

Jay
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[idhoya]

Alot of guys had hoyas on list back in the day:

Marcus Liberty
LaRon Ellis
Jim Jackson
Juwan Howard

Also, no way LJ plays the 3 in Thompson's system. And we see how the twin towers thing worked out.

Remember, Big John and the team were heroes in inner city america for the most part. If you hooped, were black, you wanted to go to Georgetown.

[Highsmith]

Jan 12, 2008 11:22:50 GMT -5 azarin said:

I don't want to think about Noah wearing the Blue and Gray. I'm feeling a mite queasy now.

Thanks, Jacko. You ruined my morning.

Yeah, I think this one belongs under recruits I'm happy we didn't get--I know Noah was a big part of Florida, but I can't imagine bringing myself to like him even wearing the gray unis. One of my most hated players never to wear Syracuse orange........

By the way, I was really confused with the thread name......"biggest recuring losses"....I had visions of the Esherick era and 2 point loss after 2 point loss dancing in my head!!!

[jacko]

I'm sure most will disagree with me on this point, but I honestly think we wouldn't hate Noah so much if he played for us. Not that I don't hate him as it is, but I just try to look at these things from an unbiased perspective - the bias being a result of how his career unfolded at Florida.

[kghoya]

rasheed wallace was down to unc and georgetown...i remember hearing a breaking update about his decision on local sports talk radio in dc

[azarin]

Oh, sure -- you're absolutely right, Jacko. If he had played for us, most of us would like him. Sure, we would have endlessly discussed whether he was developing properly or whether he belonged wherever he ended up in the rotation, but we would generally have liked him. With any luck, the team could have convinced him to cut his hair and quit being such a goofy @#$%^&*! For the most part, I think we're pretty supportive of our own.

All that said, I like the cast we've had here over the two years I've been at Georgetown.

[jerseyhoya34]

This one may get bashed, but I really wish we landed Anthony Randolph (LSU). That guy can play and may have started at the 4 this year.

[hoyaclap]

Jan 13, 2008 2:08:29 GMT -5 jy826 said:

I also forgot to put that heard Luc Richard Mbah a Moute of UCLA was set to become a Hoya but then decided to go to UCLA.

I think you mean Alfred Aboya, his fellow Bruin/Cameroonian. Aboya verballed his junior year under Esherick, but rescinded when he was fired. Thompson re-recruited him and was very close to convincing him to recommit but Mbah a Moute signing to UCLA swayed Aboya to go out west.

[jy826]

My bad on Aboya/Mbah a Moute. Thanks for the correction Hoya Clap. When I posted I thought it was Mbah a Moute who had committed.

Jay