The former LSU and Howard coach gets elevated 116 days after Ewing hires him

On the heels of some very good news regarding recruiting, as well as a solid spring in the transfer portal, the Georgetown Hoyas have announced that Kevin Nickelberry has been elevated from Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator to Associate Head Coach for Patrick Ewing and the Hoyas.

Kevin Nickelberry has been officially working with Ewing and Georgetown for 116 days (since March 24, 2022) and the Hoyas have only had a few weeks of practice to go along with Kenner League games. One may speculate that this promotion is a kudos based on Georgetown recruiting and transfer success.

A lot has happened at Georgetown since March, including the additions of Brandon Murray, Primo Spears, and Jay Heath in April. Clinton Crouch was elevated to Assistant Coach. Akok Akok announced his intent to join Georgetown on May 2nd. Then news broke of Bradley Ezewiro transferring to GU, Donald Carey transferring to Maryland, Bryson Mozone committing to Georgetown, Aminu Mohammed signing with an agent and staying in the NBA Draft, Qudus Wahab rejoining the Hoyas, and Pat Baldwin reportedly hired as the third assistant.

Perhaps the most recent commitment, 2023 4-star or 5-star guard Marvel Allen, is the direct cause for the promotion.

GUHoyas press release:

Ewing Elevates Nickelberry to Associate Head Coach

WASHINGTON – Georgetown University Head Men’s Basketball Coach Patrick Ewing announced the elevation of Kevin Nickelberry to associate head coach on Monday. The announcement comes on the heels of an offseason that saw some big moves on the recruiting trail and in the NCAA transfer portal following the hiring of Nickelberry in late March.

ON THE RECORD

“I’m happy to announce that I have elevated Kevin Nickelberry to associate head coach. He is a person who immediately makes an impact on and off the court wherever he goes and that has been no different here. In a short time he has proven that he deserves this promotion and is helping deliver the pieces we need for success.” – Head Coach Patrick Ewing

NICKELBERRY ON THE HILLTOP

• Since joining Ewing’s staff on March 24 as an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator, Nickelberry was quick out of the gate and has already made strong moves in the NCAA transfer portal while also hitting the recruiting trail hard for future classes.
• Nickelberry’s success comes as no surprise as he brings in 25 years as a collegiate coach and the D.C. native has been part of seven programs to reach postseason play. In each place he has been, defense and strong recruiting classes are a consistent presence.
• Nickelberry put together a transfer class that includes Brandon Murray (LSU), Primo Spears (Duquesne), Jay Heath (Arizona State), Akok Akok (UConn), Bradley Ezewiro (LSU), Bryson Mozone (USC Upstate) and Qudus Wahab (Maryland).
• The class was ranked as high as No. 2 on 247sports.com’s Transfer Portal Class Rankings following the signing of Wahab.
• Prior to signing with the Hoyas, Murray was one of the most sought after transfers in the portal following his freshman season at LSU that saw him named to the 2022 SEC All-Freshman Team after appearing in 33 games with 32 starts to his credit. He averaged 10.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.9 apg and 1.1 spg while shooting 42.6% (123-289) from the field.
• Spears appeared in all 30 games with a team-high 28 starts. He averaged 12.7 ppg and 3.0 apg and his 381 points were the seventh-most all-time by a DU freshman.
• Heath appeared in 28 games at Arizona State with 17 starts to his credit while averaging 10.6 ppg.
• Akok spent the previous three seasons with UConn before committing to the Hoyas. He appeared in 23 games during the 2021-22 season averaging 3.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 1.1 bpg.
• Ezewiro spent the 2021-22 season at LSU, averaging 1.6 ppg and 0.9 rpgs in a reserve role.
• Following four years at USC Upstate, Mozone committed to Georgetown. He averaged a season-best 15.8 ppg and 5.7 rpg as a senior.
• Part of the 2021 BIG EAST Tournament championship team, Wahab averaged 7.7 ppg and 5.6 rpg during the 2021-22 season at Maryland.

HOYA SAXA