Georgetown Looks to Turn Page After Qudus Wahab's Transfer
With Qudus Wahab entering the transfer portal, how will Patrick Ewing and Georgetown address the starting center position next season?
Georgetown’s offseason got off to a shocking start on Thursday, as the program announced that sophomore center Qudus Wahab would be transferring out of the program.
The departure of Wahab, the Hoyas’ starting center this season who averaged 12.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game, makes this the second year in a row that Patrick Ewing has lost one of his best young players to the transfer portal.
It’s an unexpected and major setback for a team that was looking to roll into next season with some real momentum after being crowned Big East champs just a couple short weeks ago.
Wahab was first on the team in offensive rating (113.3) and fourth in defensive rating (99.4). He also led the team in Player Efficiency Rating (22.1) and win shares per 40 minutes (.160)
Now, the Hoyas have another box to check off on their offseason to-do list, as Wahab’s transfer leaves them with a shaky depth chart at the center position, consisting of Timothy Ighoefe, Malcolm Wilson, and incoming freshman Ryan Mutombo. The team has already begun reaching out to transfers at the center position, and they will almost certainly need to make a move at the position now.
Here are the major takeaways from the shocking news of Qudus Wahab transferring from Georgetown.
Welcome to the new world of college basketball.
As of March 25, there were 862 college basketball players in the transfer portal. And there will certainly be many more to come once the NCAA Tournament has concluded.
Losing a top young talent like Wahab is not a problem unique to Georgetown. There are plenty of other elite players who have decided to move on from their current programs, for a variety of reasons, both big and small.
The days of the four-year college basketball player who stays and develops at one program are quickly coming to an end. In Wahab’s case, he is choosing to leave a program that built its defense around him, and featured him heavily in its offense as well.
The Nigerian native may find a team that is in a better position to win more games than Georgetown, but there is no other program in this country that will give Wahab the on-court opportunity that Georgetown provided him.
Nevertheless, Wahab still decided to transfer. Alright then.
All signs point to this being a decision that was made for Wahab, not by him.
Where do we start? Maybe the lack of any announcement from Wahab himself about something that was supposed to be, well, his decision? Or maybe his guardian/handler, Duval Simmonds speaking for him on Twitter, and using words such as “we’ll”?
While the exact reasons for Wahab’s transfer are not known, it’s not hard to see this as a decision that, at best, was not made solely by Wahab.
Ron Bailey of HoyaReport.com reported on Sunday that “Communication was lacking,” between Georgetown and Wahab, and that “apparently there is a gulf that got too big.”
Bailey also added that he heard Wahab’s “development was questioned as it’s believed his game hasn’t branched.”
Simmonds, who was rumored to have personally steered Wahab to Georgetown over Pittsburgh when Wahab committed as a senior in high school, appears to be the one running the show here.
Here’s hoping he truly has Wahab’s best interests in mind, because on paper, this is not a good decision by Wahab or Simmonds.
What does Patrick Ewing doing at the center position now?
Ighoefe and Wilson have done nothing to show they are anywhere near a starting-caliber center for a high-major Division 1 basketball team. In fact, before Wahab’s transfer, you could have made the case for Georgetown to attempt to upgrade at the backup center position via the transfer portal.
In Ighoefe’s case, this summer will be his first real opportunity to get a full offseason of work in, after losing his summer last year to COVID-19 restrictions. For a player who is still so new to the game of basketball and brimming with physical talent, it would be unfair to write him off completely heading into next season. He did have a few nice moments this season for Georgetown, and will surely have a chance to compete for a starting spot.
But it would still be a massive, massive risk for Georgetown to head into next season with its depth chart as is at the center position. Even if Ighoefe were to take a huge leap next season, it’s not realistic to expect Wilson and/or Mutombo to be ready to become major contributors next season too. You can only strike gold so many times.
So where does Georgetown turn to for help? It’s already reached out to the following centers that are currently in the transfer portal:
Tre Mitchell, UMass
Cam Martin, Missouri Southern
AJ Wilson, George Mason
John Harrar, Penn State
Of that group, Mitchell and Wilson would be the most impactful if they came to Georgetown.
Wilson, who is familiar with Georgetown, having played in Kenner League before (where he was named MVP two summers ago), is an elite shot-blocker and dunker, but is not the traditional center that Ewing has brought in in the past.
At 6-foot-7, 230 pounds, Wilson would be a smallball center who is essentially a better Josh LeBlanc for Georgetown. He could play center for the Hoyas, but it would require a shift in roster makeup for Ewing’s team. With next year’s team already looking to be a fast-paced, versatile squad, Wilson would add even more athleticism and explosive play to the team, and is a good fit, if Ewing wants to make that switch.
The 6-foot-9 Mitchell, on the other hand, is less explosive than Wilson but a more skilled offensive player overall. He would be a massive offensive upgrade over Wahab, with his ability to play in the post and also stretch out to the three-point line and knock down some threes. Mitchell averaged 18.8 points per game for UMass this season, and shot 37.5% from three.
Fair or unfair, Patrick Ewing is struggling to shake the narrative that he can’t retain star talent.
It’s hard to criticize Ewing at all for Wahab’s transfer. Ewing featured Wahab prominently on this team, gave him all the minutes he could handle, and clearly was a fan of Wahab’s game.
Hell, Wahab himself seemed pretty damn happy at Georgetown just a few months ago.
But Wahab now joins a growing list of young cornerstones of the Georgetown program that decided to leave after two seasons on the Hilltop. James Akinjo, Mac McClung, and Josh LeBlanc were all top talents that chose to move on early from Georgetown, and now Wahab has elected to do the same. That is not conducive to building a winning program.
It could also make some top recruits hesitate about coming to Georgetown moving forward.
Player retention continues to be a weakness for Georgetown under Patrick Ewing. Part of that is simply where the game is heading today, in terms of players going into the transfer portal so quickly. But you just can’t let talent leave your program at the rate that it has at Georgetown. It’s another hurdle that Ewing will need to overcome.
The development of Ryan Mutombo now becomes a key storyline for next season.
Mutombo, who is a four-star center in the Class of 2021, was not expected to play a major role for Georgetown next season with Wahab and Ighoefe ahead of him on the depth chart.
Now, with Wahab gone, and the starting center position uncertain at this stage, Mutombo’s number may get called sooner than expected next season.
Whether he is ready for that responsibility is another question. Mutombo will be a good player in time, and projects to be this team’s starting center in 1-2 years, but he needs to improve his foot speed on defense and get stronger first. Whether he can do that in time to provide this team minutes right out of the gates as a freshman will be something to watch for.
This summer will be key for him to improve his conditioning and lateral ability. He will need time to develop.
Will Georgetown recruit a center for its 2022 recruiting class?
The Hoyas had no need to bring in a center for the Class of 2022 when Wahab was on their team, but now could shift their focus back towards the position with Wahab gone, and with questions still remaining about the long-term viability of Ighoefe and Wilson.
Favour Aire (#63 nationally, per 247Sports), Donovan Clingan (#57), Dereck Lively II (#46), Demetrius Lilley (#162) and Christ Essandoko (N/A) are some 2022 names to watch at the center position who have been previously connected with Georgetown.
Wahab transferring is disturbing considering what took place last year. Why Did he transfer?
Excellent writing and site Aidan. It's a big treat.
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