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What Legend Geeter Brings to Providence

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The long wait is over.

Legend Geeter, a 6’8, 220 pound forward out of Detroit, MI committed to Providence on Friday afternoon, becoming the first member of Providence’s class of 2021.

Ed Cooley and the Friars continue to be all-in on players that fit this physical prototype. Two years ago, PC landed the coveted Greg Gantt out of North Carolina, while this past January brought a commitment from Delaware all state performer Jyare Davis. Gantt is listed at 6’8, 220 on the school’s website, while Davis is 6’7, 215.

The year prior, Cooley and his staff brought in forwards Jimmy Nichols (6’8, 220) and Kris Monroe (6’8, 215).

While these players, and others before them like Alpha Diallo and Rodney Bullock, fit the Cooley prototype physically, their games are different in some senses. The springy Nichols is all limbs and was brought to Providence with the understanding that it would take time for him to add weight and strength.

The hope with Monroe is that he will become a needed shooter as a junior after not seeing much playing time in his first two seasons.

The active Gantt has the highest upside of them all, with Cooley praising his defensive potential and ability to “be around the ball” at all times.

Davis handles the ball well for a prospect his size.

Few who cover or follow the Friars have a deep understanding of Geeter’s game beyond highlight reels and articles, yet when doing research on Geeter the thing that continually popped up first (dating back to the summer of 2018) is his passing ability.

I watched Diallo a good amount during his time at Brewster Academy and thought he had potential to turn into a great passing wing, but that never truly materialized during his PC career. That being said, Diallo is the only Friar forward other than Isaiah Jackson in 2019 to average more than two assists per game in the Cooley era. Maybe Geeter becomes the best passer of the bunch.

Some of that passing ability, and his soft touch at the rim, were on display in the summer of 2018 during EYBL playing for The Family.

The summers haven’t been kind to Geeter since. He suffered an injury last summer and was unable to make an impact in AAU play, while this summer he did not play due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

That did not stop offers from coming in this spring and summer, including one from Rhode Island. Geeter’s finalists included PC, Missouri, Georgetown, Duquesne, and Western Michigan. Additional offers came from Cleveland State, Bowling Green, East Carolina and Long Island over the summer.

Geeter felt like a PC lead in recent weeks and officially committed Friday. He averaged 16 points and 10 assists at one of the best high school programs in Michigan, River Rouge (winners of 14 state titles).

Geeter caught the attention of locals with wins in back-to-back seasons over Emoni Bates and Ypsilanti Lincoln. Bates is considered by many to be the best high school prospect since Kevin Durant.

Geeter finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in a 63-53 win over Ypsilanti Lincoln in last year’s season opener. A year prior he scored 18 points versus Bates and Co. and had this to say about the matchup, “They’ve got the best ninth-grader in the world so everybody expected him to go out and show up… I told myself I couldn’t let him do his thing, I had to do something, too. In my mind, I had to go out and work and play and that’s what I did. I went out and did what I can do.”

Last December’s performance versus Bates was not enough for Michigan head coach Juwan Howard to pull the trigger. He was in attendance that night, and had been in touch with Geeter, but never offered a scholarship.

Friar fans will naturally point to the success of LaDontae Henton, another Michigan native who was overlooked by Michigan and Michigan State. He ended up being one of two Friars to finish with over 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in his college career. Those numbers are beyond lofty, but perhaps Providence will get lucky once again.

Geeter’s coach at River Rouge, LaMonta Stone was disappointed that Michigan had not offered, as he explained to The Detroit News in July, “I’m kind of disappointed with Michigan with the Legend thing (recruiting process)… Legend has two Big East offers with Georgetown and Providence and the SEC offer with Missouri, but I don’t get why they (Michigan) haven’t offered him yet.”

Stone got emotional when speaking about Geeter’s selflessness and willingness to come off of the bench as a sophomore.

Here is a good look at Geeter, who flashes shades of Diallo when scoring inside.

He was tall for an underclassman, so Geeter has begun developing his guard skills in recent seasons, but there looks to be good versatility here.

Cooley and his staff will look to find a big man and a lead guard to complete the 2021 class. A true big looks to be a necessity with the Nate Watson and Noah Horchler entering their season seasons.

For now, Geeter becomes the latest in a long line of PC commits who fit the Cooley mold.

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