Hoyas get their second commit from DeMatha (Md.) in 4 years, or 40 years, depending on how you look at it

On Tuesday we told you that DeMatha (Md.) big-man Mikael Hopkins had trimmed his list to seven schools, and would announce his decision on November 1st. However, news leaked today that the 6-foot-9 power forward had verbally committed to Georgetown. This is a huge-get for the Hoyas for multiple reasons.

Up until now, Georgetown had yet to sign any big-men from the class of 2011 or 2012, and after this season, the Hoyas will only return three players who stand 6'8" or above: the seldom-productive 6'10" center Henry Simms, 6'8" freshman center Moses Abraham, and 6'8" freshman power forward Nate Lubick.


The 210-pound Hopkins has bulked up a bit, but can still fill out his long frame. He runs the floor very well and his game meshes well with John Thompson III's Princeton-style offense. Hopkins best asset will be his shot-blocking ability. With the pace of play that Georgetown imposes, transition opportunities will need to be created, and blocking shots has always been an excellent way to start transitions. Not to mention that the presence of a quality shot-blocker will also force opponents to settle for outside jumpers which will clear out the paint for the Hoyas to grab rebounds, which the Hoyas have struggled to do at times.

Hopkins main weakness is that he has been known to disappear on the court from time to time. Greg Monroe had the same problem early on as a Hoya, but began to demand touches, which opened up the rest of the offense. Now, Hopkins isn't expected to the next Greg Monroe, but the four-star recruit definitely has the potential to be an impact player for the Hoyas.

But even more interesting than that or Hopkins' early decision, is the fact that he will become just the second DeMatha player to play for Georgetown (Austin Freeman being the other) in the past 40 years. The reason behind this is actually quite interesting.

You see, from roughly 1972 til 2002, no DeMatha basketball player ever continued on to Georgetown University. It's funny because, during that time span, nearly every senior who played for head coach Morgan Wootten received a D-1 scholarship. DeMatha had alumni on almost every college team in the country, except for Georgetown.

If you are unfamiliar with the name "Morgan Wootten", you might as well leave now and never come back. Ever.

Wootten is arguably the greatest high school coach in basketball history. His career record stands at an astonishing 1,192-274. He is one of only three high school coaches to be inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame. I can't even begin to tell you how many times his DeMatha team's won the WCAC championship or were ranked #1 in the D.C. metro area. He has coached a "who's-who" of players, coaches and commentators.

John Wooden once said about Wootten "I know of no finer coach at any level - high school, college or pro. I stand in awe of him." But Hoya fans certainly disagreed, because Wootten held a grudge. A really big grudge.

You see, back in the 60's, former-Georgetown head coach John Thompson, Jr., had been the coach at St. Anthony's High School in Washington D.C. His team annually faced-off against Wootten's DeMatha squad, building a rather intense rivalry. Things escalated to the point where games involved series of "oneupsmanship" between the two coaches.

Then, in 1972 Georgetown selected Thompson to be the man to turn their basketball program around instead of Wootten, who had been considered for the job. If that wasn't enough, in 1986 Thompson helped his friend, former Dunbar H.S. coach Bob Wade, get the coaching job at Maryland (Wootten's alma mater) after Lefty Driesell stepped down, a job that Wootten very much wanted. It was at this point that Wootten vowed never to provide Thompson's program with any of his stellar basketball players.

Wootten retired from coaching in 2002 and four years later Austin Freeman, DeMatha's star guard who achieved nearly every acclaim and accomplishment possible and became the first Stag to sign with Georgetown in over 20 years. Now Hopkins, roughly four years after Freeman's commitment, will do the same.

I bet when you woke up this morning you didn't think you would be getting a lesson in D.C. basketball history. But sometimes, in order to discuss the future, you have to take a look at the past.