NCAA Basketball: Predicting best player from top 2021 recruiting classes
By Ian Mumm
16. Georgetown Hoyas
Recruiting Class: Aminu Mohammed, Ryan Mutombo, Jordan Riley, Tyler Beard, and Jalin Billingsley
An unlikely Big East Tournament title led to Patrick Ewing’s first berth in the NCAA Tournament as coach of the Hoyas. It was a big feat for the former Georgetown star and NBA Hall of Famer in his coaching career and the hope is for continued success heading into next season. The team’s momentum throughout the off-season remains mixed however due to the outgoing transfer of stud center Qudus Wahab to Maryland and Ewing signing his best recruiting class with the program.
Joining the team are joined by forward Jalin Billingsley and guards Jordan Riley and Tyler Beard. The class is headlined by 5-star guard Aminu Mohammaed and 4-star forward Ryan Mutombo. The overall composition is well-balanced and provides depth in all positions for the Hoyas to utilize, but this year’s roster is still incredibly young after losing top-end production from Wahab, Jamorko Pickett, Jahvon Blair, and Chudier Bile.
These losses leave a huge void in offensive production for Georgetown and will require a “next man up” mentality this season. However, Aminu Mohammed is the best candidate from this year’s class to immediately step up and carry the offensive load for the Hoyas. Much like his former Boo Williams grassroots teammate, Cam Thomas of LSU, and a recent selection of the Brooklyn Nets, Mohammed was an electric scoring threat on the EYBL Circuit in 2019. As a sophomore, he poured in 18.1 PPG on 59.6% shooting and displayed a lot of quality shot creation.
While Thomas produced more in the scoring department in the same season, he and Mohammed both featured a lot of quality shot creation on their own merits. Thomas carried that style over to LSU in his freshman season to be a reliable threat for the Tigers. Mohammed will bring the same qualities and offensive command for the Hoyas next season.
Prediction: Aminu Mohammed