No. 1 senior commits to Hoyas

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Georgetown consummated the most impressive recruiting weekend in school history by garnering a commitment yesterday from Greg Monroe, the consensus No. 1 high school senior in the nation.

Monroe, a 6-foot-10, 225-pound power forward from metro New Orleans, was the most coveted gem among a cast of 15 blue-chip prospects who visited Georgetown this weekend in conjunction with the school's Midnight Madness festivities. Monroe was scheduled to make official visits to Texas next weekend and Duke on Oct. 28 but likely will cancel both trips in the wake of his weekend on the Hilltop.

"He sat down with his mother [yesterday] morning and told her Georgetown was where he wanted to be," said Tyron Mouzon, Monroe's coach at Helen Cox High School in Harvey, La. "He felt so comfortable up there that he committed to coach John Thompson III on the spot and said he wasn't going to take any more visits."

Monroe is the first national No. 1 to commit to the Hoyas since Othella Harrington signed with Thompson's Hall of Fame father in 1992. Cementing that ranking earlier this summer at USA Basketball's Youth Developmental Festival in Colorado Springs, the versatile left-hander averaged 24.0 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.6 blocks and 2.8 assists in his five games at a camp, which featured 30 of the top high school juniors and seniors.

"He's not a back-to-the-basket plodder," Mouzon said. "What makes him so special as a player is his versatility. He can get the rebound and push the ball up the court with any guard. He has great vision, an extremely high basketball IQ and he's an uncanny passer."

Monroe's skill set resembles that of former Hoya forward Jeff Green, the fifth pick in this year's NBA Draft, parlayed into Big East Player of the Year honors last season — his third under Thompson's tutelage.

According to Mouzon, he's also a National Honor Society student with a 3.7 or 3.8 grade-point average in honors courses.

"He's a very, very special young man," Mouzon said.

Monroe is now the centerpiece of what could end up as the nation's top-ranked recruiting class. After signing a backcourt of McDonald's All-Americans last season (freshmen Chris Wright and Austin Freeman), Thompson has focused on frontcourt talent for next season's class.

Monroe joins previous top-100 commitments Henry Sims, Chris Braswell and Jason Clark. A 6-10 center from Baltimore, Sims is a shot blocker, while Braswell is a 6-8 bruiser who recently transferred from DeMatha to Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va. Clark is a combo guard from Bishop O'Connell.