Four-star junior Ryan Mutombo continues to rise

Ryan Mutombo started to emerge as a Division 1 prospect last summer during travel season, but his play during his junior season this year at Lovett School in Georgia has made him into a sure-fire high-major prospect.

The 6-foot-10 center in the 2021 class, who happens to be the son of former NBA star Dikembe Mutombo, has added several offers since the shutdown due to COVID-19. Florida, Florida State, Stanford, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest joined a list that already included Georgetown, Georgia Tech and Texas A&M.

“I’m assuming the offers came from schools watching my games from this year,” Mutombo said. “Now that everybody is stuck in quarantine and not able to go out, the coaches are starting to watch film this from this year. I think that really helped me because all my games are available to watch on my Hudl page.”

Mutombo took an official visit to Georgetown in February and has been on Georgia Tech’s campus multiple times for unofficial visits.

Mutombo discussed several of those involved with his recruitment.

Florida State: “It’s actually funny because two days before they offered me I was on the phone with my cousin [Mfiondu Kabengele] and he asked me if he should tell the Florida State coaches to offer me because they really like me but were worried I’m just going to end up at Georgetown. I told him to tell them to pull the trigger and we’ll see where it goes. I know Coach Leonard Hamilton really well. My cousin has said great things about the effort and time they put into him as a big man.”

Georgetown: “I loved it. The guys there were super cool. Coach [Patrick] Ewing kept it really honest with me. They made it bigger than just a legacy thing. They explained the vision they have for me in their program. That was really meaningful to me.”

Georgia Tech: “I love the atmosphere and I love that it is super close to my house. It’s a program in the ACC and they have major exposure opportunities for me as well and not to mention a world-class education. It’s basically an Ivy League education. Georgia Tech definitely has a ton of upside in my recruitment.”

Stanford: “It’s an interesting because almost no school in the country has that balance between academics and athletics. It’s definitely an unprecedented opportunity for me to get a world-class education and also become a great player.”

Vanderbilt: “I know that Darius Garland and Simi Shittu went there and obviously Simi got a lot of time as a freshman in the starting lineup and the opportunity to make an impact. Vanderbilt is obviously the best academic school in the SEC, so definitely a great opportunity.”

Mutombo’s recruitment remains wide open with all the new offers coming in lately and his current plan is to not make a decision until after his senior season. Trying to figure out where he will end up at this point is a pretty tough task.

Georgetown is his father’s alma mater and has one of his close family friends now running the program in Patrick Ewing. His official visit did nothing but help the Hoyas chances with the younger Mutombo. Georgia Tech is 10 minutes from his house and they too have done a great job selling him on their program and school during his time on campus. It doesn’t hurt that he’s playing for former Georgia Tech star James Forrest during travel season to answer any questions he has about playing for the Yellow Jackets.

Given that Mutombo is such a committed student in the classroom, an offer from Stanford is a huge deal. That also helps schools like Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt, but don’t assume that automatically means he’ll end up at a school with a top academic reputation.

“I’m a personal believer that if you’re working hard in the classroom, you’re going to get a great education regardless of which school you pick,” Mutombo said.

Florida State should be taken seriously in Mutombo’s recruitment as well. Not only do the Seminoles recruit the Atlanta area as well as any school, but having his cousin Mfiondu Kabengele in his ear about Leonard Hamilton’s program can only help.