Four high school seniors have signed national letters of intent to enroll at Georgetown and play basketball for the Hoyas next fall.

“We’re pretty happy with those four and I really think we’ve improved our team despite the fact that I think we’re going to lose a lot next year,” Head Coach Craig Esherick said.

The first of three players from Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Md., is Harvey Thomas. The 6-foot-8 small forward, who chose Georgetown over Connecticut, North Carolina, Duke, North Carolina State and Kentucky, can also be used as a power forward, according to Esherick. Last season Thomas averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds and 6 blocks for Montrose.

Drew Hall, a 6-foot-2 point guard described as a “classic floor general,” averaged 14 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists last season. He decided to attend Georgetown over Georgia Tech, North Carolina State and Notre Dame.

Tony Bethel averaged 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists last season. The 6-foot-2 combo guard was ranked one of the top 50 players by scouting services, according to a Georgetown press release.

According to Esherick, he had no intention to recruit three players from the same high school.

“It was a total accident that it happened, because all three of them that we were recruiting were at other high schools at the time,” he said. “In the middle of the summer the three of them all decided they wanted to play with each other. I think it will enable them to blend in fairly quickly.”

The fourth recruit, Darrel Owens, is from Napoleanville, La. The 6-foot-6 wingman averaged 18 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists last season at Assumption High School. He selected the Hoyas over Arkansas, Louisiana State and Tulane. According to Esherick, Owens is a versatile player and can be used as a point guard, shooting guard and small forward.

In selecting this recruiting class, Esherick anticipated losing four seniors – Anthony Perry, Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, Lee Scruggs and Nat Burton, so the most important objective was to find people to replace the great amount of offense these players contribute.

“What we were trying to do was bring in some people who can score, people who can shoot and people who can handle the ball,” Esherick said. “I think all four of those kids are able to do that.”

Recruiting for the 2001-2002 season has concluded and Esherick anticipates that all four will be eligible to play next season and make significant additions to the Hoyas’ offense.

“We need some outside shooters and I think all four can shoot the ball from the outside,” Esherick said.

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