Dash Riley, We Hardley Knew Ye

After rumors flying for several days, Barker has retracted his report that Dashonte Riley signed with the Hoyas. He has instead decided to reopen his recruitment. Hollis Thompson has indeed signed, though.

Riley retracts commitment from Georgetown

Georgetown recruit DaShonte Riley informed coach John Thompson earlier this week that he will decommit from the Hoyas. The 6-foot-11, 220-pound center from Detroit Country Day (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) gave the Hoyas an oral commitment last summer but changed his mind after taking his official visit to Georgetown earlier this fall. "[Riley] just said after he returned from his official visit that he didn't feel like it was the right fit for him," Detroit Country Day coach Kurt Keener said. "I know his mother felt that he had committed a little too early in the process. They discussed the situation after he returned from his official visit, and he called the staff at Georgetown recently and informed them he would be reopening his recruitment.

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/21/riley-retracts-commitment-from-georgetown/

I have a few thoughts on this:

(1) We clearly don't want any player who has serious questions about whether he will fit in on the team or on campus. Transfers have been far too common under the JTIII era--although, unlike during the Esherick error, our best players are staying(!). If Dash was not going to fit in, then it is better he figured that out sooner rather than later.

(2) I wonder if the staff communicated to him in any way that he was not going to be getting immediate playing time. If Monroe doesn't leave after one year, Riley would have been third string, after Sims, presumably.

(3) Riley is clearly a talent and may have had a very productive career at Georgetown, but he is a top 150-type, not a top 25-type, so we Hoyas fans should not lose an inordinate amount of sleep over this. The coaches, however, will have to find some another big man to get up in the mix for 2010. Assuming Monroe only stays two years, we will be very thin up front at that point. If Summers leaves after this year, next year we will probably see a three man rotation in the 4 and 5 spots--Vaughn, Monroe, and Sims. If both Summers and Monroe jump, JTIII will have to start scanning the juco ranks or hope for coaching changes lead to de-commits.