We originally had a very strong four-player class headlined by Elzie Harrington, a top 50 shooting guard who would have been our best recruit ever (and whose dad is good friends with Amaker). Since then, three of those players, including Harrington, have decommitted. (Harrrington is going to USC; Ebuka Okorie, a score-first point guard, is headed to Stanford; and Douglas Langford, a 6’7" power forward, is going to San Jose State). Maybe this is players getting picked off in what’s effectively a pre-frosh portal … or maybe Amaker has told them that he’s stepping down this year or the next, as has been rumored.
We still have Alex Touomou, a 6’7" power forward from Gonzaga High School in DC (the same school Batties went to), who looks like a very solid Ivy prospect. We’ve also added two replacements so far. The first is Ryan Sullivan, a 6’8" bouncy-looking power forward from Worcester, and the second is Frankie Mannino, a 6’5" SG/SF from … Landon in DC.
Getting a guy from Landon is particularly interesting because that’s where Christian Webster went to school, and he’s rumored to be Amaker’s replacement if/when he steps down. DC hoops used to always be about the Catholic schools, but there’s so much talent there now that almost all the private school leagues have been producing a lot of really good players nowadays. (Kino Lilly was another Landon guy).
The Elzie Harrington saga might not be over! He just decommitted from USC after decommitting from us to go with USC.
The important thing to remember is that his dad is good friends with Amaker. So if the reason he decommitted from us was that Amaker told him he was going to retire next year—which would explain all our other decommits too—then maybe we have a chance to get him back now that Amaker has decided to stay (which he clearly has).
The most likely story, of course, is that he thinks he can get a bigger NIL offer from someone else other than USC … but we might have a chance again. Maybe.
I believe Elzie Harrington is going to San Diego State. Considering that he’s now bailed on two programs in the span of six months before even graduating high school, I’d consider this a bullet dodged.
Very fair point. I’m letting the prospect of a Hinton-Harrington backcourt cloud my better judgment, but you’re right: there are all sorts of red flags with a guy who decommits twice.
It turns out we were unfair to Harrington. The San Diego Union-Tribune had a story about him after he officially committed to San Diego State last week.
His father was diagnosed with brain cancer two years ago, and started doing a lot worse last fall. Harrington decommitted because he didn’t want to go to school so far away. Just an incredibly difficult situation, and it makes sense why he did what he did. Wish him and his family the best.
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We rounded out our 2025 class with a 6’9" Israeli guy named Avner Dror. A couple of things stand out:
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Dror’s NIL agent is the one who confirmed the move … which would seem to imply that we have some alums who are in fact willing to pay players something
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Dror has completed his three years of military service, and will be turning 22 next season. He should be ready to at least be a rotation player right away.
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From what little I’ve been able to find online, he looks like a low ceiling/high floor prospect. Not a bad athlete for his size; has range out to the three-point line, but does have a low release; and didn’t have much in the way of a low post game from what I saw. Still, 6’9" is 6’9", and after last season, we know we need that. At this point, we should have plenty of options up front actually. Luca will be back; Parrish, who didn’t play at all last year due to what I assume was an injury, should be too; and now we have Touomou, Sullivan, and Dror coming in to give us a lot of frontcourt depth.