Jessie Govan figured he didn’t need to wait any longer and so he is headed to Georgetown.
The 6-foot-10, 260-pound 2015 big man from Wings Academy committed to the Hoyas on Tuesday, choosing them over Seton Hall, UConn and Miami, according to New York Lightning coach Dana Dingle.
“What made him choose them now was him, his parents and everybody was sold on their development and the history of the big guys, the centers they’ve had in the history of the program,” Dingle told SNY.tv by phone. “They were pretty much sold on that and it was hard to overlook.
“And they have a need for a center. They don’t really have any centers after this year, so there’s an opportunity to come in and play early. And it’s not too far from home, in the Northeast.”
Ranked the No. 9 center in the Class of 2015 by 247Sports.com, Govan is averaging 15 points and almost 5 rebounds on the Nike EYBL circuit.
He visited Georgetown two weeks ago and came away impressed.
“The visit went very well,” he told SNY.tv then. “Coach [John] Thompson and [coach Tavaras] Hardy did a great job. I got to see the campus, play with the team, see the campus life. We went to the Verizon center, got to see the arena. I had a great talk with John Thompson II, as well, and that was very cool. All in all, it was a great visit.”
Govan recently had home visits with Georgetown, UConn, Seton Hall and Stanford, and Syracuse, N.C. State, Iowa State and Notre Dame had all just offered.
Just three days ago, Noah Dickerson, a 6-foot-8 power forward from Montverde (FL) Academy, committed to Georgetown, leaving the Hoyas with just one scholarship for a center.
Along with Fairfax (VA) Paul VI power forward Marcus Derrickson, Georgetown now has three pledges for 2015.
Dickerson’s commitment, Dingle said, triggered Govan’s pledge at this stage.
“They had a kid commit, so they really only had one scholarship,” Dingle said. “So once that is taken, then they’re out of the mix….It was like, is it worth waiting?
“Everybody felt it was the best situation for him, so he might as well just go ahead and commit. It’s not like he’s taking a huge risk with the history that they have.”
As for what Govan will bring to Georgetown, Dingle said, “He brings a low-post skilled big man that can score and rebound and is a true center.”
Seton Hall had hoped to land Govan, who plays AAU ball with 2014 commits Khadeen Carrington and Angel Delgado, but now he’s off the board to the Hoyas, who have a long history of developing great big men.
“I thought Seton Hall was a good fit as well,” Dingle said. “They needed a center and it was close to home.”
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