Nerlens Noel: Why Georgetown Would Be Best Fit for Elite Center Prospect

With 6'10" center prospect Nerlens Noel expected to announce his college choice at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, there is plenty of speculation with regard to where he might end up.

According to Rivals.com, his final three choices are Kentucky, Syracuse and Georgetown, and while Georgetown may seem like the underdog in this case, it is the right landing spot for Noel.

Noel is considered to be the No. 1 or No. 2 prospect in this recruiting class by essentially every outlet, so regardless of where he goes, he's going to play a big role immediately.

It is well-documented how much success Kentucky has had with freshmen under John Calipari, and Syracuse just heavily utilized Fab Melo at center last season. But if Noel truly wants to develop, then Georgetown makes the most sense.

When you think of centers in the collegiate game, it's difficult not to think of the Hoyas.

Going back to the 1980s and 1990s, Georgetown produced the likes of Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo. While that may not seem pertinent to the present day, the Hoyas continue to churn out quality NBA centers like Roy Hibbert and Greg Monroe.

Under legendary coach John Thompson and his son, current head coach John Thompson III, the Hoyas have always gotten the most out of their centers. All signs seem to point to Noel declaring for the NBA draft after one collegiate season, and although that would rob him of a chance to develop properly under Thompson, he can learn a lot in just one season.

There is no question that Noel would be under the spotlight much more at Kentucky and probably even Syracuse, but Georgetown seems to be a much better fit.

There isn't much question that he would be the main man at Georgetown, whereas he would have to share the spotlight at both Kentucky and Syracuse with other elite recruits and returning players.

For whatever reason, Georgetown doesn't seem to have the same mystique that it once did, but it is still a top-notch program in the competitive Big East conference. Because of Kentucky's incredible run of success over the past couple of years, it is viewed as the ideal landing spot, but Noel is likely to get more out of going to Georgetown.

Perhaps the Hoyas won't contend for the national championship like Kentucky or Syracuse might, but all three of those teams are fairly barren right now, so wherever Noel goes, he'll be charged with being one of the main guys.

Despite that, Kentucky and Syracuse are expected to be contenders, so if he takes them deep, then it wouldn't have the same effect as if he brought Georgetown back to prominence.

We can pretend that Noel intends to stay in school beyond his freshman year, but if he lives up to the hype, then he could very well be the No. 1 overall pick next season.

With that in mind, Noel's main goal in terms of his college choice would have to be getting prepared for the NBA as quickly as possible. There is no doubt that Calipari has proven that he can do that, but Thompson knows how to refine and harness talent at the center position.

Right now Noel has a lot of raw talent, but if he wants to be NBA ready, then he needs to go to Georgetown and allow Thompson to work his magic.