NCAA Scholarship Changes Could Affect Georgetown
A reported change to NCAA scholarship limits could have an impact on men's basketball and a number of Georgetown sports.
As reported at Yahoo Sports, the NCAA is planning to increase the number of athletic scholarships available by team. Men's basketball would increase its limit from 13 to 15 scholarships in 2025-26, the number it had from the 1950's through 1991. The men's basketball budget can account for two additional grants without much effort, or stay at 13, but a competitive imbalance looms for most of Georgetown's other teams.According to its campaign web site, Georgetown funds just 128 scholarships across 733 student athletes. Its four most prominent sports (men's and women's basketball, lacrosse, soccer, and track), which are assumed to be fully funded, would account for as much as 83 percent of this total, leaving a small number of scholarships across the remaining 22 teams, some of which have none (football, field hockey, sailing, rowing, squash) and others with a handful, relying on need based financial aid to stay competitive in the Big East.
Here are the proposed NCAA changes for sports sponsored by Georgetown:
| Sport (# at GU) | Current Limit | New Limit |
| Baseball (40) | 11.7 | 34 |
| M Basketball (14) | 13 | 15 |
| W Basketball (17) | 15 | 15 |
| Field Hockey (20) | 12 | 27 |
| Football (101) | 63 | 63 |
| M Golf (10) | 4.5 | 9 |
| W Golf (7) | 6 | 9 |
| M Lacrosse (52) | 12.6 | 48 |
| W Lacrosse (40) | 12 | 38 |
| M Rowing (64) | Not an NCAA sport | |
| W Rowing (71) | 20 | 68 |
| Sailing (51) | Not an NCAA sport | |
| M Soccer (28) | 9.9 | 28 |
| W Soccer (36) | 14 | 28 |
| Softball (21) | 12 | 25 |
| M Swim (30) | 9.9 | 30 |
| W Swim (29) | 14 | 30 |
| Squash (15) | Not an NCAA sport | |
| M Tennis (10) | 4.5 | 10 |
| W Tennis (10) | 8 | 10 |
| M Track/CC (111) | 12.6 | 45 |
| W Track/CC (83) | 18 | 45 |
| Volleyball (19) | 12 | 18 |
The increase in scholarships limits would open the opportunity for immediate disparity between Georgetown and other schools. Some examples:
- Baseball: With a small number of scholarships, Georgetown advanced to within a game of its first NCAA bid in school history this past spring. A Big East or nonconference opponent who jumped to 34 full scholarships would overwhelm a minimally funded program.
- Men's Soccer: Georgetown is a regular Big East champion with nine scholarships spread across 28 players, but would have difficulty competing against an opponent if that school had 28 full scholarship players.
- Track & Field: Nearly 200 student athletes field teams for Georgetown on roughly 30 scholarships. How do they compete against teams that could fund as many as 90 full scholarships across men's and women's teams?
Georgetown lists just five endowed men's basketball scholarships. By contrast, Duke University has endowed all 13 men's basketball scholarships and each of its basketball coaching positions, including a $5 million endowment for its head coach.
Georgetown Signs 2025 Prospect
With three open scholarships remaining in the 2023-24 recruiting cycle, Georgetown has added a 6-8 center with an eye to the future.
For reasons unknown, the basketball office no longer announces its recruits, but Joe Tipton at On3.com once again had the scoop on 6-8 Seal Diouf, a native of the Netherlands who prepped at the Dunn School in Santa Barbara, CA. Diouf averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds at Dunn (16-10 in 2023-24), which competes at the smaller Division IV level of California high school play. A three-star recruit ranked #254 nationally, he played alongside his brother, Latif, who signed with Tennessee-Chattanooga.In comments, Diouf said that "Coach Cooley and his staff provided a sense of genuine care and commitment, not just to the game but to the players overall growth. From our first meeting, they were open about their vision for the program and how I fit into that plan. I felt an immediate connection with their approach and philosophy."
"The school's academic reputation and its rich basketball history are its own thing. Georgetown has a legacy of developing top-tier talent and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to be part of something great. Additionally, the location in Washington D.C. offers a unique experience both on and off the court. I'm blessed with the chance to be part of such a vibrant and diverse community." Per reports, Diouf chose Georgetown over offers from San Francisco, UC-Santa Barbara, Colorado, and Washington. He is Georgetown's first prep signing from California since James Akinjo in 2018.
Given Georgetown's current lack of depth up front, there is speculation whether Diouf, a rising senior at Dunn, will seek to reclassify to this year's freshman class or pursue a greenshirt year in January, similar to what Drew McKenna did last season. (McKenna arrived in January, practiced with the team, but did not see any in-game action.) However, a Twitter post Friday identified Diouf as possibly enrolling at Utah Prep Academy for his senior season.
Looks like there's a possibility that Georgetown commit Seal Diouf is transferring to Utah Prep next year. He's currently listed on their website under the "our student athletes" section. Either way it looks like he'll be moving on from Dunn School. https://t.co/Gbz9NSD8Rd
— YaBoyNYP (@yaboynyp) July 26, 2024
