I hope you feel better about yourself Gilchrist. Using a tragedy at Va Tech as a scapegoat to want out of your LOI. It's all about Hibbert leaving. At least be honest with yourself young man.

He has the right to change his mind, given what has happened at Virginia Tech lately. You cannot minimize the impact of a massacre on someone's psych. I don't care what his next college is going to be. It should not matter.

He has the right to change his mind, given what has happened at Virginia Tech lately. You cannot minimize the impact of a massacre on someone's psych. I don't care what his next college is going to be.

Sorry, but using what happened on 4/16 to justify wanting out of the LOI is nothing but a smokescreen. There have been "handlers" in this kid's ear all along trying to influence him to do one thing or the other so that they will personally benefit. College basketball recruiting can be a very, very slimy business.

I'm sure that Coach Greenberg wil handle it the right way. But if it were up to me, I would most definitely hold the kid to the LOI that he signed. If he really wants out of VT, make him sit out a year.

For the record, it's been publicly revealed that certain schools (through intermediaries, of course) were in contact with Gus immediately after 4/16 trying to pry him away from VT. That's beneath contempt, and it will indeed be very revealing when the identities of these programs eventually makes its way into the public realm.

I agree...At least man up and tell the truth for the reason that you're not going to VT. Don't use the shooting as a crutch. Final comment on this situation is that I just lost all respect for Georgetown. Used to be a fan, not now.

G'town is in a much dangerous place than B'burg....Wake up people, Gus is getting used by scum!

I don't even like VT, but using the 4/16 tragedy as a grounds for release from his LOI is downright scummy. Isn't this the kid they couldn't get the Letter of Intent from during the signing period in November...it arrived just before the deadline or something? Yeah, go to DC, play for Georgetown, DC is so much safer than Blacksburg. Good reasoning. Apparently 18 year olds no longer know the meaning of the words COMMIT, and INTENT.

I follow both UVA and VaTech recruiting religiously, whether it be basketball or football. No school should have to put up with this kind of junk. Recruiting for Football and Basketball has become such a snake pit, it's ridiculous. Whisper this, whisper that...

Let him sit out a year after he's released, then he can watch as some incoming freshman concretes his position in the starting lineup ahead of him.

Hmmmm If I were picking a safe city to live in would I pick DC or Blacksburg? Nice excuse young man, but it doesn't float.

If Gilchrist does end up at Georgetown, will the Washington Post finally stop pretending that they run a class program over there?

This has nothing to do w/the 4/16 tragedy. It has everything to do with John Thompson III and Gus's handlers. JT3 is just like has dad when it comes to recruiting - shady and sleazy.

This whole episode smells.If this guy doesn't play for VT,he should not be allowed to play at any division one school.
Any excuse,including he did not qualify is now highly suspicious.Thompson should state that he will not recruit Gilchrist.

The GU haters have left their hellholes. They had been waiting for an opportunity to unload on Georgetown. The person who called John Thompson senior shady and a sleaze is himself a sleaze, because even under his tenure, Georgetown was one of the most respected schools in the country in terms of recruiting. I bet you that some of the people making these baseless accusations are UMD fans, whose school is one of the sleaziest in the country in terms of recruiting, and is the bane of NCAA basketball when it comes to graduating basketball players. GU does not need Gilchrist, because it is attracting the best players in the country. High school basketball players are not dumb, they known that Georgetown is the next giant in NCAA basketball, and is furthermore an elite academic institution. For you VT fan, the Georgetown area is one the most glamorous places, and one of the safest in the entire USA. Coach JT III should not make any remarks about Gilgrist, and should instead ignore all that is said by people like you, whose jealousy of GU is dripping from your contemptuous pens.

When Scottie Reynolds wanted out of his LOI, the Oklahoma board went ballistic, with most of the board's contributors accusing other schools of sleazy recruiting and of playing with their former recruit's mind. Georgetown came up as one of the villains.

Georgetown was innocent then and I suspect is so now. The accusations of some of the comments above, lodged without any evidence, against a good man and against a good program can much more appropriately be described as "sleazy" than anything Georgetown has done.

Gerorgetown's basketball program lowering their ethical standards to gutter level to steal a recruit? I'm shocked!

It seems legitimate to want out of his commitment to VTech. If he does not feel uncomfortable on campus, then, like any other applicant, he should be able to choose a different school where he does feel comfortable.

Wow. You people act as if this is the first time a kid had second thoughts about his college choice. Maybe he really was spooked by the 4/16 tragedy or maybe it's an excuse to get out of his LOI. Grownups typically give 18-year old kids the benefit of the doubt. Besides, would you really want a kid to come to your school who who didn't want to be there?

Any high division 1 program who didn't talk to this kid if he said he wanted out of VT would be nuts because he's a player. Do you think Seth Greenberg would pass on Austin Freeman if he said he wanted out at Georgetown and really wanted to come to Blacksburg?

I know this is a blog, but how about presenting some facts before suggesting that JTIII has done anything nefarious? Be specific and tell us your source - otherwise this sounds like a case of sour grapes.

Schools like VT, and UMD need and rely on handlers. GU does not rely upon them, and does not need them. Indeed, Georgetown University has more to offer to prospective players than any school I can think of. There are universities which have basketball mystics; there are others which have academic elite status, and still more which have glamorous locations. Only Georgetown University has all of these assets. And more: JT will one day be called the best coach in the USA, and he is a man of great integrity, charisma, intelligence, and class.

The rumors about JT III's interest in Gilchrist are pure propaganda. Actually they are a form of preemptive attack, whose aim is to discourage Coach Thompson from going after Gilchrist, now that he is no longer interested in Virginia Tech. This technique was used last year when Reynolds made it known that he wanted out of his LOI. But Coach Thompson was not interested in Reynolds, even though GU was his favorite school. Regarding Gilchrist, Coach Thompson should do what is best for his program, especially since he has nothing to do with Gilchrist's changing his mind.

Those who accuse Coach John Thompson III of improprieties are beneath contempt. I agree with bkfan, the rumor mill about Gilgrist is a preemptive attack from GU's competitors. My advise to JT III: don't fall into this trap.

I guess I just missed it, but is/was there a link connecting Gilchrist to Gtown? Reading the comments it seems out of left field so I assume I just missed something...

Georgetown needs to be investigated by the NCAA for this. Using 4/16 to get in a kids head is beyond any recruiting slime I have ever heard of or seen. It's sad that JT3 is such a POS, to take advantage of 32 people who were killed. Georgetown has no honor.

"Schools like VT, and UMD need and rely on handlers. GU does not rely upon them, and does not need them."

Which is why Georgetown is about to hire David Cox whose credentials are: 1 yr as a Bball Ops manager at Pitt and a former DC Assault coach. Why are they hiring him?

Because DC A$$ault players following ex-A$$ault coaches. Just this year 3 A$$ault players - Beasley, Sutton, and Jamar Samuels - decided to join up with Dalonte Hill in Manhattan, KS.

If you want to talk sleazy look into A$$ault.

"But Coach Thompson was not interested in Reynolds, even though GU was his favorite school"

He was very interested, but didn't have a scholarship to give.

Sure Ya Boy. Major D1 basketball programs like Georgetown should just ignore the AAU circuit and the influence those coaches have on recruiting. Hiring David Cox (which is only a message board rumor right now) after losing two assistant coaches to head coaching jobs would be a very smart move. It's not rocket science.

As for the post above stating that Georgetown has no honor...prove it. Enlighten us all with the facts that demonstrate how GU pursued this kid after he signed an LOI at VT. I'm sure Josh Barr is more on top of this than anyone. His sources suggest that Gilchrist simply didn't want to go to Tech - AND that he intends to prep for a year.

Spreading baseless rumors, inuendo and vitriol like what's going on here and on the Tech basketball message boards...that's dishonorable.

Yaboy,

Georgetown had 12 students on scholarship at the beginning of the most recent season, and 2 more opened up shortly thereafter due to transfers. There most certainly was room for Reynolds if JT3 wanted him.

A number of people posting on this site have decided that GU and JT3 are playing a dirty game without offering any evidence. Without any evidence to the contrary, even if GG ends up playing for GU, it is an enormous leap to assume that JT3 acted inappropriately at any time.

The facts as we now it are:
1. The kid has never seemed to be entirely committed in the first place;
2. From what we can tell, he was spooked by 4/16;
3. He may be seeking a release from his LOI; and
4. There is no indication about what would happen to him if he does not go to VT.

That's all we know.

Let the kid sit out a year, maybe he'll grow up and it'll teach him a lesson about what signing contracts and giving your word really means.

Not a fan of VT or GU so don't start that crap.

I know that if I was any student heading to VATECH, that I'd rethink my matriculation after the shootings. The Gilchrist kid should only go to a school where he feels comfortable, and I support his decision to find a place where he does feel comfortable.

I'm still waiting to hear why Georgetown is getting bashed in this? Did Gilchrist announce he's going there? I don't understand the connection? I saw an article dating back to mid April that mentioned Gilchrist was looking at Providence/Pitt--but where Georgetown got the blame for this is yet to be proved? Has Greenburg said anything implicating Hoya program? Has Gilchrist said that is where he's going?

Until it's proven to be fact--I think it's wrong to throw a coach/program under bus for something that hasn't been proven to be true. Georgetown has 2 coaches on staff--with Dave Cox being mentioned as a possible addition--but up until today--JT III and Coach Burke have been running program and recruiting '08 and beyond--which means going to tournaments. If Gilchrist has someone in his ear and mentioning 4-16 events--who is to say it's those two men? Could it be AAU handlers, or other schools? Either way, Greenburg needs to come out and mention the school(s) that bashed Tech/used the tragedy to dissuade Gilchrist or he needs to shut up--because that is something that should be mentioned-if you bring it up, tell us who did it. It's just as unfare to let a school get bashed for possible non-involvement as it is to do what the schools were doing to the kid/Vtech.

Yeah i really don't understand these accusations. Georgetown and VT seem to have a pretty good relationship. We scrimmaged VT preseason. Deron washington played in the Kenner league he is good friends with roy hibbert. This definetly doesn't sound like somethign georgetown would do.

"Georgetown had 12 students on scholarship at the beginning of the most recent season, and 2 more opened up shortly thereafter due to transfers. There most certainly was room for Reynolds if JT3 wanted him."

Bill Baxter - They had 12 on scholarship at the beginning of the season but Reynolds didn't make his decision at the beginning of the season. He made it in the spring, 6 months before - when GU had all 13 filled. Thornton transferred 2 weeks before the season started.

1. Sead
2. Hibbert
3. Green
4. Ewing
5. Wallace
6. Crawford
7. Sapp
8. Egerson
9. Thornton
10. Spann
11. Macklin
12. Rivers
13. Summers

Do you think JTIII would pass on a McDonald's All-American if he had a scholarship open?? Hes smarter than that.

"Sure Ya Boy. Major D1 basketball programs like Georgetown should just ignore the AAU circuit and the influence those coaches have on recruiting."

You can play the AAU game without hiring from one of the shadiest AAU programs out there.

but I see no reason to call out JTIII on this (not yet anyway). Something fishy is difinitely going on (4/16 may be part but only minor), but unitl something concrete comes out, accusing one coach or school very inappropriate.

S/F

Well, there is certainly no concrete link between Gilchrist and GTown at this point, so all the accusations seem baseless. But, to hold the GTown bball program up as some shining beacon is absurd. Not one of their bballers would be allowed to walk on that campus if they weren't ballers. Sell your soul and people start to wonder about you.

"...sell your soul..."?!

I thought Georgetown University was about education? Are basketball players not getting one? Was Green and Hibbert lying when they said they wanted a Georgetown degree? What about the students from broken DC schools who attend Georgetown (students who, by the way, don't play sports and don't have the prep school transcript that other Gtown students do): are they also a sign that Georgetown has sold its soul? Isn't the issue simply this: is Georgetown faithful to its task of giving its students -- students of differing talents and socioeconomic classes -- a good education? If it is, I say more power to them.

"shining beacon"?

So...good schools aren't allowed to have good athletic teams? Gee, somebody tell that to Duke, Stanford and Michigan. Do you have something against giving athletic scholarships? What about need-based scholarships?

By GU "selling it's soul" you must be referring to the hiring or JTIII. There must be a deal made with the devil to take a team wallowing in irrelevance and turning it into the hottest team in America in such a short period of time. Or perhaps Thompson III is just a good coach and recruiter.

Let us face it, it is the Hoyas' resurgence that disturbs people, and Gilchrist is a mere excuse for these people to blow off steam, and to berate Coach JT III and Georgetown University. Some of these people are VT fans, but the vitriolic attacks are coming from UMD fans. I reached this conclusion on the basis of those fans' postings in the Washington Post since November 2006. UMD fans are trying to poison the atmosphere, hoping that some of their ridiculous attacks will stick. But they can't change the fact that the local balance of power has changed, that JT III is a rising star in the coaching profession, and that the Hoyas are going to be a perennial top 5 program.

Ya Boy, you sound like a fool. To imply that Cox is unqualified to be an assistant coach at Georgetown means you really don't know what you're talking about.

Do you realize that one of the two GU assistants that just left had NO coaching experience before joining JT III's staff? He left to take the hehead coaching reins at Princeton!

Check out Co's bio from the Pitt website: Cox arrives at Pitt after serving seven years as an Assistant Principal at his alma mater St. John's Preparatory High School in Washington, D.C. His many duties at St. John's Prep from 1999-2006 included oversight of the school's athletic department, supervision of all extracurricular activities and serving as school disciplinarian. Prior to his tenure at St. John's, Cox coached at Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington D.C. from 1996-99. One of his former players was ex-Georgetown star Ruben Boumjte-Boumjte.

He served seven years as an assistant coach with the Washington D.C. Assault AAU program where he helped guide the team to the 2004 Under-16 national championship.

Yeah, he really sounds like he's unqualified. Probably unscrupulous, too. Right!!

"Not one of their bballers would be allowed to walk on that campus if they weren't ballers." Bill

How about Jonathan Wallace, the Hoyas starting point guard for past three years? Jonathan was President of his class in high school and accepted to Princeton before deciding to follow coach Thompson to Georgetown. Wallace was a National Honor Society member and Red Cross volunteer in high school. Guess he would never get accepted to Georgetown on his own merits.

Something fishy is definitely going on here, but this sounds more like a Jim Calhoun tactic than a G'town one.

Georgetown fans need to take a step back though and focus on the reality of alligning themselves with DC Assault -- that program is notorius for selling to the highest bidder. If taking a hit reputation-wise is the price JT3 wants to pay for taking the team to that next level, then that's his choice. But it would be unrealistic to suggest that cementing a relationship with Assault does not raise a red flag.

dblur - Sydney Johnson played professional basketball for 7 years...A slightly better qualification than 7 years as an asst principal and rolling the balls out for a shady AAU program.

You all are so stupid, for one GU is not in the mix never was. Gus commited in his jr yr to Vatech. You people are selfish.

I have been reading people on these boards for the past couple weeks, laughing at the sheer ignorance displayed. You all do not know the sheer pull of a guy like Cox. I know him personally, first off, so I know more than any of you are acting like you really know. Cox, coached all of the best DC area kids, which all happened to be a group of 10-12 players a year that also ALL happened to be some of the BEST RANKED PLAYERS IN THE COUNTRY! He was the asst coach of the major team, the teams with Beasley and Nolan Smith, but before they get there is shaping these kids into exceptional athletes, because he was there coach BEFORE they got to that level! Beasley was NOT a NBA prospect in 9th grade when Cox got him, but in his 10th grade year, there was mumblings of him being a #1 Draft Pick....go figure. You all only know what you see, if you had some sort of clue, the only people who really know that type of pull a guy like Cox has is guys like Jamie Dixon who HIRE a "assistant principal"...its all a cover people...your just to blind to read between the lines...