A Way-Too-Early 2021 Georgetown Preview

With Aminu Mohammed now in the fold, we take an early look at what next year's Georgetown team will look like, and what questions still remain.

Now that Aminu Mohammed has committed to Georgetown, we have a decent idea of what next year’s Georgetown team will look like.

The Hoyas now have 14 scholarship players for next year, which is one scholarship over the 13-scholarship limit. However, Don Carey is a prime candidate to leave the team and begin his professional career after this season, despite having two additional years of eligibility after this season, so the Hoyas should not have too much difficulty getting under the 13-scholarship limit.

Of course, one factor that may come into play is the extra year of eligibility for winter athletes after this year. It is technically possible that any of Jahvon Blair, Jamorko Pickett, Jalen Harris, or Chudier Bile could decide to return to Georgetown next year. However, it is difficult to gauge the likelihood of those players returning for another go-round at this point in the season, so for the sake of this article, we will assume all four of those players will move on after this season.

Let’s take a look at what next year’s roster currently looks like, with some thoughts about where the roster stands.

Guards (3)

• Dante Harris, Sophomore

• T.J. Berger, Sophomore

• Tyler Beard, Freshman

Wings (6)

• Aminu Mohammed, Freshman

• Jamari Sibley, Sophomore

• Kobe Clark, Sophomore

• Jordan Riley, Freshman

• Jalin Billingsley, Freshman

• Collin Holloway, Sophomore

Big Men (4)

• Qudus Wahab, Junior

• Timothy Ighoefe, Junior

• Malcolm Wilson, Junior

• Ryan Mutombo, Freshman

Starting Lineup Options

Harris-Berger-Mohammed-Sibley-Wahab

Harris-Berger-Riley-Mohammed-Wahab

Harris-Riley-Mohammed-Sibley-Wahab

Harris-Beard-Mohammed-Sibley-Wahab

Thoughts

• Georgetown’s guard depth is very shallow heading into 2021, and adds context to the team’s pursuit of 2021 point guards while they were still pushing hard for Mohammed’s commitment.

  Of course, if Carey were to return for a second year at Georgetown, that would go a long way in helping solve the depth issues here.

  While Dante Harris with another year under his belt should be a capable starting point guard, that puts a lot of pressure on incoming freshman guard Tyler Beard to come in and be the backup to Harris. While Beard is a talented scorer, strong defender, and a capable distributor of the ball, he is more of a combo guard at this stage, and is still learning how to be a true point guard during his postgrad year at Hargrave Military Academy. Expecting him to handle point guard duties from Day One may be a big lift for a freshman who is more of combo guard at this stage.

  If Georgetown starts two of Harris, Berger, and Beard, that leaves only one true guard to come off the bench for Georgetown. With so many wings, Georgetown could push a player like Riley, Mohammed, or Clark to the 2, but outside of Mohammed, that would hurt the team’s perimeter shooting ability, as Riley and Clark have not shown the ability to be consistent outside shooters yet.

  It makes sense, therefore, for the Hoyas to continue to pursue a point guard before next season. While the team has no open spots for next season, that will likely change with Carey, and potentially one other player as well, perhaps Collin Holloway or Malcolm Wilson, who face an uphill climb for minutes next year at their respective positions.

  While the team could continue to pursue a point guard from the Class of 2021, such as Khalil Brantley from Brooklyn, New York, it makes sense for the team to shift their focus to the transfer market to bring in an experienced point guard to complement their extremely young roster.

  Jahmir Young from Charlotte, a preseason All-Conference USA player this season and last year’s C-USA Freshman of the Year, could be one player to keep an eye on this offseason— Young graduated from DeMatha Catholic, and would be a strong fit for next year’s roster.

• Georgetown has a hole at the power forward position. Ideally, Jamari Sibley steps in as the starting 4 next season, but Sibley’s slow start this season makes that no certainty. While the Wisconsin native showed some promise against Seton Hall this past week, he still has a long way to go to show that the Hoyas can count on him as a starter next season.

  Other than that, the Hoyas’ options for a starting power forward are limited. Freshman Jalin Billingsley will likely need some seasoning before he is ready to be a rotational player for Georgetown, and it’s hard to see him being a starter from Day One. Aminu Mohammed has the strength to guard smaller players at the 4, but at 6’5”, Mohammed doesn’t have ideal length to be a full-time stretch-four, and he is more valuable to Georgetown as a 2 or a 3.

  This is why playing Sibley more this season should be a priority for Georgetown, no matter the results. Sibley’s development for next season will be crucial, and is why Ewing should give him more minutes moving forward this season.

• How Patrick Ewing deploys Aminu Mohammed and Jordan Riley together will be fun to watch. Both players bring an element of explosive athleticism that Hoya fans will enjoy watching, and will make Ewing’s offense even more fast-paced than it already is.

  While Mohammed is expected to start from Day One, what Ewing does with Riley remains to be seen. While the Long Island guard can get to the rim at will, and is an improving ball handler, how he is as a shooter remains to be seen, and could mean he starts out on the bench if his shot still needs work. Riley, undoubtedly, is a key part of this team’s future, but he is still raw, and may not be ready to be an immediate contributor. Having a full offseason for Riley will be key.

  Mohammed’s ability as a playmaker means that Ewing should surround Mohammed with as many shooters as possible, for Mohammed to kick the ball out to when he attracts help on his drives to the basket. If Riley can knock down open shots from the perimeter, he could certainly be a candidates to start. But T.J. Berger, who will likely be the best shooter on next year’s team too, could be a better option to pair with Mohammed.

• Georgetown has a lot of interesting options for who to start at shooting guard. Berger, as a sophomore, should be the leader in the clubhouse due to his experience and ability as a shooter. But Riley and Beard could also be options as well.

  Riley is more talented than Berger, but may need some time early on to work on the finer points of his game before he is capable of starting. Beard could form a two-headed monster in the backcourt next to Harris, and is a better ball-handler than Berger, but lacks the shooting ability that Berger brings to the floor.