Georgetown Basketball 2022-23 Team Preview
Hope springs eternal, especially for a team coming off a winless Big East season last year. Can Patrick Ewing save his job this season, and get Georgetown back on the right track?
For most high major college basketball programs coming off an 0-20 conference record with a struggling head coach who has a career record of 68-84 (.447), you might be inclined to call the upcoming season a “last stand” of sorts for a once-great program like Georgetown men’s basketball.
And you’d probably be justified in making such a claim. Georgetown has made the NCAA Tournament just once under Patrick Ewing (a first round 23-point blowout defeat to Colorado) and only four times in the last ten years. This is no longer anywhere close to what the Georgetown Hoyas were under John Thompson Jr., or under John Thompson III either, at least in the first half of his tenure at Georgetown, where NCAA Tournament appearances were almost a given, and the Hoyas were a regular contender for Big East titles.
But it’s hard to call this season any kind of last stand when all the evidence points to the decision makers at Georgetown being OK with letting Patrick Ewing be the one to decide when he goes at Georgetown, no matter how low this program sinks under his leadership.
Ewing’s predecessor, John Thompson III was fired after going 29-36 in his final two seasons, which came after 11 straight winning seasons before that. He also had eight NCAA Tournament appearances, one Final Four appearance, and a winning percentage that is 20 points higher than Ewing’s.
Despite Ewing not coming even close to what JT3 had accomplished before he was fired, the powers that be at Georgetown decided to run it back with Ewing, even after suffering the complete embarrassment of an 0-20 combined Big East record.
Many high major programs would have parted ways swiftly with the head coach of a winless Big East team with a 68-84 career coaching record, including a 26-63 (.292) record in the Big East. Instead, Georgetown turned its head and tried to make changes everywhere else but at the head coach position, bringing in nine new players to this year’s team and completely revamping the coaching staff around Ewing.
Will changing everything around Ewing, but keeping the big man himself in charge, be enough to address the root causes of this program’s collapse? Is upgrading the talent on the roster and the coaching staff enough to mask the flaws of the head coach? We are about to find that out this season.
With all that being said, turning away from the reality of just how bad of a position this program is in right now…There is hope for a turnaround this season.
Will it be enough of a turnaround to really inject some long-term hope into a dying fanbase? That remains to be seen. But the talent on this roster is a significant upgrade from last season, and in a Big East conference that is undergoing something of a transition overall right now, Georgetown could be poised to surprise some people, IF (and it’s a big if, based on historical precedent) Patrick Ewing and his new coaching staff can get this brand-new team to gel together quickly.
This year’s team has the versatility, athleticism, shot-making ability, and rim protection to be able to compete with any team this year. Led by LSU transfer and DMV native Brandon Murray, Georgetown should have more firepower on offense, and a go-to scorer in Murray that can help them close out games.
Defensively, the return of former Georgetown center Qudus Wahab to the program after a one-year spell at Maryland gives the Hoyas one of their key players back from the 2021 NCAA Tournament team.
Wahab will team up with UConn transfer Akok Akok to form an imposing defensive frontcourt for Georgetown that should offer up much greater resistance at the rim this year to opposing scorers, compared to last year’s team which saw Georgetown struggle to generate any sort of protection at the rim with its poor depth at the center position.
With so many new faces coming in to the team this year, the range of outcomes for this team is logically going to be greater because of the uncertainty of how these new pieces will fit in once the ball is rolled out.
Below is our comprehensive preview to this year’s team, to get you ready for the season to tip off on Tuesday, November 8th against Coppin State.
Team Statistics
A snapshot of last year’s team, according to the numbers
PPG: 70.7 (185th in the country)
RPG: 37.3 (68th)
APG: 11.8 (273rd)
TOV: 13.4 (106th)
FG%: 40% (341st)
3P%: 34.2% (158th)
FT%: 74.4% (88th)
Opp. PPG: 77.0 (336th)
Opp. RPG: 37.1 (310th)
Opp. FG/A: 60.5 (301st)
Opp. FG%: 45.9% (314th)
Opp. 3PA/G: 25.2 (322nd)
Opp. 3P%: 36.9% (336th)
Georgetown was 1-5 in close games (343rd in the nation), according to Bart Torvik.
Georgetown was 0-12 (358th in the nation) in quality games, according to Bart Torvik.
Georgetown’s defensive efficiency of 104.22 was ranked 245th in the country last year
Georgetown’s FGAR (FG Attempts Allowed per 100 poss.) of 84.57 was 225th in the country (Source: Haslametrics.com)
Near-Proximity FG Attempts per 100 poss.: 29.22 (203rd) (Source: Haslametrics.com
Potential Quick Points Allowed Off Second Chance Attempts: 14.5 (259th) (Source: Haslametrics.com)
Percentage of shots allowed that were three-pointers: 40.79% (284th)
Georgetown has lost the following from last year’s team:
Their top two scorers, and four of their top five scorers.
Their top three rebounders, and five of their top seven.
Their top two most accurate shooters, six of their top seven overall shooters, regardless of attempts
Major Questions
Will the defense be improved?
Patrick Ewing can bring in all the new players he wants, but if the defense doesn’t get fixed, it will all be for naught.
Consider this, in Patrick Ewing’s five years as head coach at Georgetown, this is how Georgetown’s defensive efficiency was ranked each year.
2017-18: 125th
2018-19: 146th
2019-20: 126th
2020-21: 38th
2021-22: 244th
This is how their 3PAR (Three-point FG attempts allowed per 100 trips upcourt, via Haslametrics.com) has fared under Ewing.
2017-18: 273rd
2018-19: 254th
2019-20: 312th
2020-21: 277th
2021-22: 297th
And finally, this is how their three-point percentage allowed to opponents has been under Ewing.
2017-18: 208th
2018-19: 139th
2019-20: 275th
2020-21: 125th
2021-22: 320th
Last season, Georgetown still could not defend the three-pointer even a lick, could not protect the rim, and could not stop guards from attacking from the perimeter. Other than that, everything was fine.
The addition of Kevin Nickelberry, who will be running the defense this year primarily, should hopefully have a positive effect on the outcomes on that end of the floor for Georgetown.
Kevin Nickelberry (Credit: Benny Sieu / USA Today) Having Qudus Wahab and Akok in the frontcourt, two major shot-blocking threats, should also be a significant boost for the Hoyas’ defense as well.
The question remains though, will the Hoyas still let up a billion three-pointers like they have done every season under Patrick Ewing? Until improvement is shown, it has to remain a major concern for this team.
What happens with Jay Heath?
The status of Arizona State transfer Jay Heath’s waiver to play this season was still inexplicably undetermined as of last week’s Georgetown Media Day. Typically, waivers to play for transfers do not take this long, but Heath’s situation appears to be an exception.
One holdup? Bobby Hurley. According to multiple sources, Hurley has not been entirely accommodating of Heath in getting his waiver to play right away, and that has contributed to the delay in a decision.
At this point, with the regular season starting on Tuesday, it has to be assumed that Heath will not be able to play immediately, until we hear otherwise. People close to the program have mentioned the possibility of Heath only needing to sit out the fall semester if he doesn’t get his waiver to play, and being ready to go for Big East play in the spring semester. We’ll see if that is indeed what happens, if Heath loses his bid for a waiver.
How will Patrick Ewing defend mobile centers this year?
With Qudus Wahab back as this team’s starting center, Ewing must come ready this season with a plan for how his defense will handle teams with a mobile center that plays out on the perimeter.
Wahab’s glaring weakness on defense is his ability to guard out on the perimeter, something that was badly exposed in Georgetown’s loss to Colorado in the NCAA Tournament. With Akok Akok on this year’s team, Ewing has a player who can handle minutes at the center position, and can stay with quicker opponents at the center position. The same goes for LSU transfer Brad Ezewiro. Will Ewing be quick to turn to smaller lineups that can defend smaller opposing centers though, if Wahab gets attacked again? That remains to be seen.
Who backs up Primo Spears at the point?
At Georgetown’s Media Day, it was revealed by Patrick Ewing that junior point guard Dante Harris is away from the team right now due to “personal stuff”. Ewing had said earlier this summer that Harris and new Georgetown point guard Primo Spears would be competing for the starting point guard position, so it’s safe to say that Spears will be the starting point guard.
The situation with Harris now evokes memories of the “personal reasons” that had former Georgetown point guard Jalen Harris step away from the team back in 2020 after losing his starting job to…Dante Harris. Jalen Harris never returned to Georgetown.
While Dante Harris still could return to the team until we hear differently, it’s fair to wonder who would back up Spears at the point guard position.
Jay Heath certainly could play point guard, and Murray is capable of bringing the ball up the floor too, but if Heath isn’t cleared to start the season, this would thrust freshman guard Denver Anglin in to a key role early on in his Georgetown career. How he handles minutes as the team’s backup point guard would be a major storyline to begin this season for Georgetown.
Will Dante Harris play for Georgetown this season?
The situation that Dante Harris finds himself in, really since his sophomore season began, is just plain unfortunate. When you look at his numbers, it’s not immediately clear that Harris had that bad of season. He played more minutes, increased his scoring average, along with his rebounding and assists per game, and saw his assist rate increase and his turnover rate decrease.
But Harris didn’t make quite the big leap that the team was banking on him making after his impressive postseason run as a freshman that saw him win the Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player award. Certainly, injuries played a part in his sophomore slump, but Harris’s struggles as a shooter continued in Year Two, and impacted his ability to lead the team offensively as a result.
Dante Harris (Credit: Brad Mills / USA Today Patrick Ewing’s non-answer when asked about Harris’s absence from the team will only increase speculation about Harris’s future with the team, especially since the last time Ewing pulled this card, with Jalen Harris, Harris wound up never returning to the team.
In talking to people involved with the program, it would surprise me if Dante Harris returns to the team this season, although I wouldn’t rule it out completely.
If Harris is going to be absent this season, it will be interesting to see how quickly Denver Anglin is thrown into the fire.
Can Akok Akok’s body hold up for a full season?
Everything I have heard about Akok Akok this summer and into the preseason continues to be extremely positive. But Akok has never made it through a full college basketball season healthy, and what occurred in Kenner League this summer, getting hurt just five minutes into his Kenner debut, raises concerns about Akok’s durability.
There’s no question that Akok is going to play a major role for this Georgetown team this year. But history tells us, fair or not that Akok’s body has not been able to hold up physically over the course of a full season. If he misses time this season, the Hoyas could be in trouble, because they don’t have anyone that can replicate Akok’s skillset at the 4.
What can Brad Ezewiro provide for the team this year?
We got a sneak peek of the Mystery Man during Kenner this summer, and what we saw was a tantalizing mix of athleticism and force, with a dash of lazy effort mixed in every now and then.
It was enough to leave us wanting to see more from the California native, and ex-LSU Tiger. Now, Ezewiro will look to push for minutes off the bench as the team’s backup center, fighting with fellow sophomore center Ryan Mutombo for the role.
If he can play with consistent energy and effort (Patrick Ewing’s favorite phrase!), then there is a role for Ezewiro to play, as an energetic big man who can run the floor and play above the rim. But there is still a lot unknown about him. It will be interesting to see how this season plays out.
What role will the freshmen play?
Denver Anglin looks primed to play a significant early-season role for this team, especially if both Jay Heath and Dante Harris are out. The Jersey sharpshooter had a solid performance in Kenner League, and his outside shooting will be needed to open up the floor for players like Wahab, Murray, and Spears to operate.
For D’Ante Bass, this likely will be a developmental year for the Georgia native. Bass showed impressive defensive potential in Kenner League, but offensively still has some things to work on. However, if Akok Akok picks up an injury this year, Bass may be thrust into a playing role sooner than expected.
Player Profiles
Primo Spears
Sophomore, Point Guard, 6’3”, 185 lbs.
Primo Spears initially didn’t even have Georgetown in his top three schools after transferring from Duquesne, but quickly changed course once his close friend from high school, Brandon Murray, reached out to him about coming to Georgetown.
Spears who averaged 12.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game last year as a freshman, is a shifty point guard who can score in a hurry, but is a very strong passer too. He presents upgrades in shotmaking, passing, and ball-handling, compared to Dante Harris, and while Patrick Ewing said early in the summer that Spears and Harris were competing for the starting job, Spears has always been the odds-on favorite to start on November 8th for the Hoyas.
While Spears had a strong freshman year for Duquesne last season, leading the Dukes in scoring, he could stand to improve his efficiency this year. Spears shot just 30% from three-point range for the Dukes and was ninth on the team in effective field goal percentage, at 40.6%.
With other scorers on this team, Spears will need to learn to balance when to score versus when to get his teammates involved, especially his buddy, Murray. The good news is Spears led Duquesne last season with a 20.3% assist rate, and was also third-lowest in turnover rate (12.7%) despite being second on the team in usage rate at 25.9%.
Defensively, Spears could be picked on this season, if Kenner League is any indication. While Spears is listed at 6-foot-3 according to his Georgetown bio, his slight build means that he will get picked on by bigger guards, especially Big East guards, which could lead to some potential trouble for the Hoyas’ defense this season.
Ultimately, Georgetown should be better this year with Spears at point, but he does have weaknesses that could lead to some frustrations for Hoyas fans, including shot selection and defensive ability. If he can improve his shot selection, keep his teammates involved, and work to compete defensively, it could be a very successful season for Spears, thanks to his playmaking ability, chemistry with Murray, and ability to beat his defender one-on-one.
Brandon Murray
Sophomore, Guard, 6’5”, 225 lbs.
The crown jewel of Georgetown’s incoming class of new players this season, Murray comes in to this season as the unquestioned top dog on this year’s team. His ability to score from all three levels, excel in transition, and limit opponents on the defensive end will make him a two-way star for Georgetown, and will go a long way in replacing (and likely exceeding) the production of Aminu Mohammed from last season.
Murray is a solid all-around shooter who had splits of 43/34/68 as a freshman at LSU, and was sixth on the team in effective field goal percentage at 49.5%. His percentages could take an even higher jump if Murray cuts out some of the unnecessary forced midrange jumpers that he likes to take from time to time. With his ability to use his size to attack the rim, and his three-point shooting, Murray can be more selective with his shots this year, and use his athleticism and ball-handling skills to generate more efficient looks for himself.
Don’t be surprised if Murray is the primary ball-handler for the team at times during games, especially late when his team needs a bucket. Murray has shown glimpses of being able to create for his teammates, as evidenced by his 12% assist rate last year, and one of the reasons why the situation at Georgetown is so attractive for him is because he will be the unquestioned closer for this team, compared to his time at LSU when he was more of a fourth or fifth option on offense.
Jay Heath
Junior, Guard, 6’3”, 200 lbs.
At present, Heath is the wildcard for this team. Whether he can play or not will go a long way in determining how this season goes for Georgetown. His elite shot-making and ability to play on-ball or off-ball unlock a lot of lineup versatility for Georgetown, who could throw him in the starting lineup or bring him off the bench as a super-sub and let him cook against other team’s second units.
Heath shot a scorching 43% from three last season at Arizona State, and was third in offensive rating at 102.2. He led the Sun Devils in true shooting percentage (54.1%) and was third in eFG% (51.6%). Like Murray, Heath also is comfortable with the ball in his hands, and showed impressive burst in Kenner League in getting by defenders to attack the rim.
Whenever Heath is good to go, Georgetown will likely employ a three-guard starting lineup with him, Spears, and Murray. If Dante Harris doesn’t return to the team, Heath could see more time at point guard when Spears is off the floor, which isn’t a bad thing by any means.
Akok Akok
Junior, Forward, 6’10”, 205 lbs.
As covered above, there is little question that Akok Akok is primed to have a big year, IF he can stay healthy. The coaching staff have loved the toughness that Akok has brought to practice, and his partnership with Qudus Wahab in the frontcourt could be Georgetown’s best defensive pairing up front in a long time.
The worry with Akok is that his litany of past injuries takes away from his freakish athleticism that made him the tantalizing prospect that he used to be when he first debuted at UConn. If he can get back to averaging close to the 2.6 blocks per game he averaged as a freshman at UConn, that would bode well for the Georgetown defense.
On offense, Akok’s ability to stretch his game out to the three-point line will be something to watch this season. Akok knocked down 13-of-28 (47.6%) three-pointers attempted last season at UConn, and if he can shoot the three at a higher frequency and keep that percentage even around 38%, that would significantly elevate the ceiling of the Georgetown offense.
Qudus Wahab
Senior, Center, 6’11”, 245 lbs.
Let me just take you back to 2020 and remind you how good Qudus Wahab was for this team.
Top rebounder (8.2 rebounds per game)
Second leading scorer (12.7 points per game)
Top shot-blocker (1.6 blocks per game)
Fourth in defensive rating (99.4)
First in offensive rating (113.3)
First in PER (22.1)
Third in block rate (6.1%)
Fourth in rebound rate (15.9%)
Top in win shares per 40 (.160)
I think a lot of Georgetown fans, including myself, will always be a little scarred from how Wahab was picked on defensively by Jabari Walker and Colorado in the NCAA Tournament. It’s clear that there will always be limitations for Wahab defensively against certain opponents. There’s no escaping that reality.
With that being said, Wahab was really, really good for this team back in 2020, and he can be just as impactful this year. Wahab wasn’t Georgetown’s first choice at the center position in the transfer portal this offseason, but his return to this team is a critical one, nonetheless. Personally, I’m excited to see him back manning the paint for Georgetown. He never should have left.
Bryson Mozone
Graduate Student, Forward, 6’6”, 210 lbs.
This year’s Kaiden Rice-type swingman whose role will be to spot up on the perimeter and knock down threes. Unlike Rice, Mozone also has the ability to take his man off the dribble and get into the paint. Whether he will do that as much at Georgetown as he did at USC-Upstate will be the question though.
Mozone has been a very consistent three-point shooter in his career, shooting 38.6% from three last year, and 38.5% for his career. He also averaged 12.5 field goal attempts per game last year, so it will be interesting to see how he handles fewer shots in this offense.
Defensively is where Mozone will have the chance to separate himself from comparisons with Rice, who was a defensive sieve, to put it kindly. Frankly, it’s a low bar, so there should be an upgrade there.
Denver Anglin
Freshman, Guard, 6’1”, 185 lbs.
Hopes are high in the program for their top freshman this year. Anglin was expected to come off the bench as an off-ball guard early this season, and slowly get worked in throughout the season as a backup ball-handler as he developed. Now, with Heath potentially missing, and Harris’s status unclear, Anglin may be thrust into the backup point guard role right away.
Anglin has plenty of experience playing point guard on his high school team, but obviously doing that in college is a different beast. How he handles the pressure early on, if he does start out as the backup to Primo Spears, will be something to watch for.
Brad Ezewiro
Sophomore, Forward/Center, 6’9”, 255 lbs.
While his performance in Kenner League may have given fans reason to expect a key role for Ezewiro this year, the reality of the situation is that his ceiling this year, barring injuries to other players, is as a backup center who will play 8-12 minutes per night.
Ezewiro’s value will come on defense, as a mobile center who can defend ball screens. The coaching staff knows that they need a big man who can defend out on the perimeter against certain matchups, and Ezewiro is a player who has shown the ability to do that, in limited minutes last year at LSU. The team is hoping that he can be an energetic player off the bench who focuses on rebounding and running up the floor, where his athleticism can be an asset in transition.
What he is not going to do for this team is some of what people saw in Kenner: Spot up from three, face up on his defender, dribble excessively, etc. His role will be much smaller in-season, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have an impact still. It will be curious to see how he fares with the opportunity that he is given.
Wayne Bristol Jr.
Junior, Guard, 6’6”, 195 lbs.
Bristol has a role to play on this team, if he can get his shot to fall down consistently. In Kenner League this summer, it was not going in much in the games that I saw, which gives me pause about the impact he can have for the Hoyas this season, if that troubling trend continues into the season.
Bristol did hit 40% of his three-point attempts as a freshman at Howard, so you would hope that he can regain that form now as a Georgetown Hoya, once the games start counting. With Jay Heath likely out to start the season at least, Bristol will likely back up Brandon Murray at the 2, and occasionally spell Bryson Mozone at the 3.
Bristol is at his best when he doesn’t think, meaning he gets the ball and goes, either driving to the rim, taking a three, or moving the ball quickly. He isn’t a very shifty player, but has good straight-line burst that can help him attack closeouts. If Denver Anglin struggles early this year, Bristol will have a lot of pressure to perform as the veteran reserve who can steady the second unit for Georgetown.
Jordan Riley
Sophomore, Guard, 6’4”, 200 lbs.
Before Jay Heath’s difficulties getting his waiver, it was hard to see how Riley could carve out a significant role for the team this season, at least early on. Injuries have played a role in Riley’s struggles to earn a rotation spot, with Riley missing most of last season due to shoulder surgery, and missing a little bit of time this fall due to a concussion.
Now with Heath looking to miss at least the nonconference portion of the schedule though, Riley may have an opportunity to impress.
Offensively, what I saw from Riley in Kenner League this summer was much of the same from freshman year. He is an impressive athlete who does well in the open floor, but struggles when operating in the halfcourt. If he can improve his dribbling and reads in the halfcourt, that would go a long way.
Defensively, Riley’s best opportunity to earn minutes this season will be as a defensive stopper who can guard 1-3. With his limited offensive game, Riley can still impact games on the other end of the floor, and use his athleticism to generate steals and attack in transition.
D’Ante Bass
Freshman, Forward, 6’6”, 200 lbs.
Like Riley, Bass will have to earn minutes with his defense. Due to his impressive length and ability to guard— in my opinion— 2-5, he could be called upon in certain matchups. He looked lost at times in Kenner League offensively, but did seem to make improvements in a short amount of time as the season went on.
Overall, I’m bullish on Bass’s potential long-term, but do think he needs some more time to develop before you can trust him on the offensive side of the ball. With Akok Akok starting at the 4, and Mozone likely to play at the 4 a fair amount too, I wouldn’t expect to see much Bass this year. But things can always change, especially if Bass— who might be the best athlete on the team— develops quickly enough.
Ryan Mutombo
Sophomore, Center, 7’2”, 265 lbs.
With Qudus Wahab starting at center, and Brad Ezewiro offering a different skillset as the backup big, it’s hard to see Mutombo having much of an impact for the team this season. If Ezewiro isn’t on the floor when Wahab is on the bench, I would rather see the Hoyas go with Akok at center, and Mozone at the 4. Mutombo presents the same matchup issues defensively as Wahab, without the same efficiency that Wahab has on offense to make up for it. Unless he has made massive strides in playing strength, his vertical leap, and mobility, Mutombo’s role likely will be limited as a sophomore.
Dante Harris
Junior, Point Guard, 6’0”, 175 lbs.
I discussed Harris plenty above. Overall, it’s a sad situation to see a player whose career started so spectacularly at Georgetown begin to show signs of fizzling out, at least at Georgetown. Whether it be as a Hoya, or elsewhere, I genuinely hope Dante gets back to the player we all know he can be. I hope that is as a Hoya, but the signs right now are pointing in another direction.
Projected Starting Lineup and Rotation
(Assuming Jay Heath does not obtain his waiver, and Dante Harris does not begin the season with the team)
PG: Primo Spears (Backup: Denver Anglin)
SG: Brandon Murray (Backup: Jordan Riley)
SF: Bryson Mozone (Backup: Bristol)
PF: Akok Akok (Backup: Mozone, Bass)
C: Qudus Wahab (Backup: Brad Ezewiro)
Looking at the Georgetown rotation without Jay Heath in it can lead to some concerns emerging. For example, with Heath in the starting lineup, you can have Bryson Mozone split time off the bench as the backup 3 and 4. With Mozone starting however, that exposes Georgetown’s depth at the power forward position when Akok is off the floor. The Hoyas may have no choice but to turn to D’Ante Bass in those situations, unless they want to shift Mozone to the 4 when Akok comes off, and put someone like Bristol in at the 3. This would present a shooter-heavy lineup that would leave plenty of room for Qudus Wahab to operate on his own in the paint, which is intriguing.
At some point though, Mozone will need a break too. Perhaps the Hoyas stagger Akok and Mozone mostly with Heath out. Either way, without Heath, Ewing will have some tinkering to do to make these lineups work.
Another issue with no Heath is the lack of depth at both guard spots. The backup to Brandon Murray would likely be Riley, or the more experienced 6-foot-6 Bristol, who is a much different player from Murray, and not a creator either. If you want to put Anglin at the 2, then you’re left without a backup point guard. The solution here may just be riding Murray for 33-35 minutes per game until Heath is eligible. That way you only have to survive a little bit with Murray off the floor, when Spears can stay on. This allows Anglin to be the backup point guard to Spears when Spears heads to the bench.
Heath returning to the team will unlock a lot for Georgetown. They can go big, like they will be to start the season without Heath anyways, or they can go small with a three-guard lineup of Spears-Heath-Murray.
The most intriguing lineup option, to me, will be putting Akok at center. Then you have Spears-Heath-Murray-Mozone-Akok, which is a long, fast lineup that can get up and down in a hurry, and also shoot the three very well. Against smaller teams, this lineup could have a lot of success, and I hope we see it used early and often from Patrick Ewing this season.
Season Prediction
Predicted Nonconference Record: 7-4
Predicted Big East Record: 8-12
Predicted Overall Record: 15-16
Hope springs eternal in the fall, and that is no different than my evaluation of this team as it currently stands. I predicted Georgetown would finish 7th in the Big East in our Big East preview, which is higher than the projections from many writers and outlets that are not affiliated with Georgetown, but I also believe that this is a very hard team to handicap for national writers and other Big East journalists who may not follow the team as closely. I think the stink of last year’s abject failure is still affecting people’s thoughts about this year’s team.
I believe that the talent on this team has been significantly upgraded. I also believe that Georgetown now has two players that it can go to late, in Brandon Murray and Qudus Wahab, that can get a bucket and help them close out the tight games that they were losing last year.
The Big East is also full of question marks this year. There are certainly talented teams, like Creighton, UConn, and Villanova, but that middle of the conference from 5-9, is pretty damn open, in my opinion. It’s anyone’s guess how things wind up at the end of the season. Because of that, I think there is a chance that Georgetown can surprise people, IF Patrick Ewing can make the pieces fit together quickly.
That leads me to my next point, which is more pessimistic. Bear with me.
While I believe all that I listed above, I also believe that Georgetown has a deficiency at the head coaching position, relative to a majority of the other head coaches in the Big East. That also matters, when predicting wins and losses. Patrick Ewing hasn’t shown a strong ability to get a roster full of new faces to gel quickly in the past, so I’m not confident that will change this season.
Now, maybe a new coaching staff around him will change things! It’s possible. Ewing did in fact allude to giving up some authority during Georgetown Media Day. So let’s see if his in-game coaching decisions improve, starting with his rotation management and timeout-calling. It would also be swell if this coaching staff could teach the team how to guard three-point shooters this year, but I don’t want to ask for too much too soon.
The optimist in me sees Georgetown getting out to a 3-0 start before heading to Jamaica for the Jamaica Classic, but this is Georgetown, so I’m going to predict one infuriating loss to one of Coppin State, Wisconsin-Green Bay, or Northwestern to start the year that will have this fan base melting down immediately.
In Jamaica, I’ll take Georgetown getting past their opening opponent, Loyola Marymount, but falling in a close one to Wake Forest on the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
Despite playing Texas Tech without their top transfer, Fardaws Aimaq, who is out until February due to injury, I can’t see Georgetown going to Lubbock and getting a win against what is still a really good Red Raiders team, even without Aimaq.
Ultimately, I have them going 7-4 in nonconference, including a win against Syracuse on the road.
What happens in the Big East is anyone’s guess. Another sub-.500 record in the Big East, which is what I am predicting for the Hoyas, would not look good on Patrick Ewing’s record, but an 8-12 conference record after going 0-19 last regular season will be spun by the program loyalists as a major win for the program. I will let others decide if they are right in believing that or not.
If Jay Heath can miraculously gain his waiver to play at the start of the season, that would be a big boost for Georgetown, and I could see them perhaps picking off Wake Forest in Jamaica, or maybe even upsetting Texas Tech in what would be a major feather in the cap for Ewing and the Hoyas to start the season. Hopefully, waiver or not, Heath can be cleared to play in the second semester regardless.
If Georgetown doesn’t have Heath for the whole season…my projections for this team would significantly fall off. Then, I could see a 10th or 11th place finish. Could Patrick Ewing survive another season finishing in the basement of the Big East? Honestly, probably. We know now that this university has no expectations or standards to hold this program to, as long as Ewing is head coach. Hopefully, it does not come to that, and Heath gets cleared quickly. This team needs him.
I said last year that that season would be a pivotal one for Ewing at Georgetown. He went on to lose every Big East game and still kept his job. Everything you think about what this program is can be thrown out the window after that. We are in uncharted territory now, and it’s hard to know how things will end now.
Hopefully, major talent upgrades across the board will be enough to steady this program and begin to repair it. If you’re an optimist, you’re banking on that. If you’re a pessimist, you see that the underlying problems off the court that have gotten this program to where it is now still exist.
For now, with this jaded and somewhat weary writer, cautious optimism reigns supreme, because at the end of the day, talent trumps all in college basketball.
Here’s to Jay Heath getting his waiver ASAP, and the Hoyas getting back on track starting on Tuesday. Enjoy the ride, everyone.
Tremendous, thoughtful, honest analysis, Aiden. Who would have ever thought that Patrick would have brought us both our greatest joys and misery?
Like you, I am cautiously optimistic (I think I’ve said that before) about Georgetown, but very pessimistic about Patrick’s ability to coach this group of nine new players. Also, this program seems to be indifferent to its fans, and the University doesn’t seem to care, either. We better hope the Big East doesn’t ask us to leave the conference
Really good article! Incredibly thoughtful and insightful. Here’s to a better year than last year.