Time to Portal: Offseason Plans and Names to Watch For Georgetown

The first year of the Ed Cooley Era is nearing its conclusion, and there is a lot of work to be done this offseason. Here's what to look for this offseason as Cooley's Georgetown rebuild ramps up.

Originally I was going to wait until the end of the season to publish this article. I don’t want to distract too much from the players on the team currently, and Lord knows there will be plenty of time to talk portal when the season is over.

But considering some information has already begun leaking out, and the staff is well underway in working the back channels to ensure they hit the ground running when the transfer portal opens, I’ve had a change of heart.

To put it bluntly, this offseason is massive for Georgetown. After punting on their first offseason last summer after whiffing on Hunter Dickinson, Ed Cooley and his staff have left themselves minimal wiggle room this summer when it comes to building a competitive, Big East-caliber roster. With a full year under their belt to get their ducks in a row, there are little to no excuses this summer.

And the staff knows it too. They are acutely aware of the need to hit the portal hard and reel in better talent this offseason.

Despite the poor results this season (and that’s putting it kindly), there is a lot of confidence on the Hilltop heading into the offseason. And they have good reason to be.

Georgetown is expected to have an NIL budget of around $5 million this offseason. This would put them comfortably in the top 10 in the nation for NIL budgets among college basketball programs. It’s a really big number in this new NIL era of college athletics.

Georgetown AD Lee Reed told donors last summer that the program had identified $3 million as the annual number for a high major college basketball program to be competitive in this era of college basketball.

Georgetown’s roster this season, according to two sources, is believed to cost a little over $1 million in NIL. After Georgetown missed out on Hunter Dickinson and a couple other highly-touted transfers, Cooley decided to pool a majority of this year’s budget and push it to next year’s budget, when the roster would already have a couple of pieces (ideally) and be in better position to contend in Year 2.

People around college basketball say that Georgetown has made it very well known in AAU and high school circles, as well as with other power brokers in college basketball, that they are ready to spend big this summer.

Mark Fox, Director of Student-Athlete Relations and NIL Partnerships, is set to play a big role in getting Georgetown off on the right foot when the portal opens on March 18. A source close to the program says that Fox has been intently focused on putting together a detailed and specific plan of attack for Georgetown this offseason when it comes to its NIL spending strategy.

With Fox running point, Georgetown’s NIL infrastructure is in a much better place this offseason, and should help them as they pursue blue-chip talent in the portal.

Before we get into what names to look out for this summer, one more thing to note: the status of Georgetown associate head coach Ivan Thomas.

There has been a lot of buzz over the last few months about Ivan Thomas potentially taking a head coaching gig this offseason. I had heard a couple months ago that Thomas was a name to watch at Old Dominion if that job were to open up. Now, Trilly Donovan is saying that Thomas is a contender for the Hampton head coaching position.

From what I have gathered from people close to Thomas, the Norfolk, Virginia native does want to become a head coach sooner rather than later, but he is not expected to take a head coaching job this offseason.

One source close to Thomas said that his focus is on wrapping up a strong 2025 class for Georgetown.

A source with knowledge of Georgetown’s plans in the portal says that Georgetown is looking to add at least four players through the transfer portal. That group is expected to consist of one point guard, one shooting guard, and two frontcourt players, per a team source.

Here are some names to monitor as portal season kicks off.

Judah Mintz

Combo Guard, Syracuse

Mintz, who originally starred at Gonzaga College High School in DC before transferring to Oak Hill, was recruited by Patrick Ewing and his staff. Now, after two seasons at Syracuse, the rumor mill has Mintz poised to enter the transfer portal this spring, with Georgetown the runaway favorite to land the Fort Washington, Maryland native.

A source tells Hilltop Hoops that Mintz, while expected to end up at Georgetown, is still expected to declare for the NBA Draft to test those waters and receive feedback. This could make his final decision to return to college and transfer to Georgetown take a little longer.

The 6-foot-3 Mintz is averaging 18.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game as a sophomore at Syracuse. Mintz, who is shooting 29.6% from three this season, is known as a downhill attacker who can score at the rim with ease. He will surely be looking to improve his perimeter shooting ability this offseason as he looks to boost his future draft stock.

Dug McDaniel

Point Guard, Michigan

McDaniel, who starred at Paul VI in Fairfax, has had a tumultuous sophomore season at Michigan that involved a six-game suspension only for road games after he was caught having a tutor do his schoolwork while on the road.

While Mintz is generating the loudest buzz right now with Georgetown, McDaniel’s interest in Georgetown has been known for several months now, and sources close to the program indicate that the coaching staff is aware of McDaniel’s interest too.

Maryland, who will need a veteran point guard in the portal after Jahmir Young graduates, is expected to pursue McDaniel too. If I had to guess, McDaniel lands at Maryland while Mintz goes to Georgetown.

Danny Wolf

Center, Yale

Another player that has been connected to Georgetown for 2+ months now. Wolf, a sophomore, is averaging 14.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists for Yale this season. He also played high school basketball with Georgetown point guard Rowan Brumbaugh, which could help the Hoyas’ pursuit here.

Wolf’s stock has shot up rapidly as the season has gone. When he enters the transfer portal, expect a high volume of teams to pursue him, including a couple of blue bloods even. Georgetown is well-positioned here though, and Wolf’s name is one to watch for Hoya fans.

Brycen Goodine

Shooting Guard, Fairfield

Goodine originally began his career at Syracuse back in 2019, before transferring to Ed Cooley and Providence, where he spent two seasons, from 2020-2022. Since leaving Providence, he has spent the last two seasons at Fairfield, where he has averaged 12.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.

With one season of eligibility left, Goodine, who is shooting 46.7% from three on 5.2 attempts per game, could be the veteran shotmaker that Georgetown has sorely lacked this season. If and when Goodine enters the portal, expect the Hoyas to come calling.

Garwey Dual

Guard, Providence

Dual, who originally committed to Providence when Ed Cooley was head coach, and then kept his commitment to the Friars after Cooley and Georgetown wouldn’t meet his NIL asking price last offseason, is leaning towards transferring from Friartown, as things currently stand.

Dual, who came in as a highly-touted recruit from Southern California Academy, where he was teammates with Drew Fielder, has massively struggled in his freshman season under Kim English at Providence. Several reputable NBA Draft experts were mentioning Dual as a possible one-and-done candidate before the season, but instead he is averaging 3.2 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, and his shooting numbers are ghastly, shooting just 29.9% from the field, 25.6% from three, and 63.2% from the free throw line.

Sources say that the Georgetown staff has been in touch with Dual’s camp as recently as a couple of weeks ago. Despite Dual’s struggles this season, his combination of length and athleticism make him an attractive long-term prospect if he can fix his shot and find the right system for his skillset.

Bryce Hopkins

Power Forward, Providence

I don’t know if I’ve heard people in and around the Georgetown program be so confident about landing a player than they were about getting Hopkins to enter the portal and come to DC this coming offseason. What is very clear is that without the two-time transfer rule that was in effect last offseason, Cooley would have brought both Hopkins and Devin Carter to Georgetown quite easily.

But things have become complicated in the aftermath of Hopkins’ ACL tear that occurred in early January, and the confidence regarding Hopkins transferring to Georgetown has become more muted.

I’m not ruling out Hopkins to Georgetown quite yet, but it’s much more of a question mark than it was at the start of this season. Cooley has maintained very strong relationships with both Hopkins and Carter (who is expected to declare for the NBA Draft after this season).

In a recent press conference, Hopkins did tell Providence media that he intends to return to the Friars next season. He wouldn’t be the first player to flip-flop on past statements and wind up transferring, but it’s still a notable statement.

Rodney Rice

Shooting Guard, Virginia Tech

Rice announced his transfer from Virginia Tech early in the season, and some Hoya fans (myself included) have been hoping that the Hoyas would pursue Rice, a sharpshooter who played at DeMatha, this offseason. However, I’m reliably told that Rice, who has heard from the Hoyas since he entered the portal, will not wind up at Georgetown.

Ugonna Onyenso

Center, Kentucky

Onyenso almost entered the portal last season, but decided against it at the last minute. His name has once again popped up in recent weeks, and Georgetown is expected to show interest once again if Onyenso does go portaling.

Seydou Traore

Forward, Manhattan

A name that is a bit out of left field here. Traore, a 6-foot-7 freshman wing, is averaging 11.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists for the Jaspers this season. A New York native, Traore played for NY Lightning on the AAU circuit, and I’ve been told that the staff has an AAU connection there that could help them in pursuing Traore.

However, if St. John’s gets involved here, the Johnnies will likely be the odds-on favorite for Traore, due to proximity and relationships. It’s unclear right now what their level of interest is in Traore, though.

Ish Leggett

Point Guard, Pittsburgh

Haven’t heard this myself, but Trilly Donovan said that Georgetown could show interest in Leggett if he enters the portal this offseason. The two sides were in touch a little bit last offseason, but nothing serious ever materialized. With Mintz likely to join the program, it’s hard to see Leggett signing on too.

Taylor Bol Bowen

Center, Florida State

Cooley recruited Bowen out of high school, and word is that Bowen may transfer from Florida State this offseason after receiving scant playing time this season as a freshman. Georgetown is in need of frontcourt help, especially with rim protection, and Bowen, who originally played his high school ball at St. George’s in Rhode Island, could help out here.

Malik Mack

Point Guard, Harvard

Mack, who played at St. John’s College HS in DC, is going to have his pick of schools this offseason, if he wants to leave Harvard. But sources familiar with Mack’s thinking say that he very well may stay at Harvard, as education is very important to him. Not expecting a ton of action here with Georgetown and Mack.

Erik Reynolds

Point Guard, St. Joe’s

Another talented point guard who hails from the DMV, Reynolds could potentially enter the transfer portal, per Trilly Donovan. Ed Cooley has had success before with recruiting St. Joe’s point guards to his team (Jared Bynum) and Reynolds would be a top-notch addition. With Mintz coming in, there would be questions about Reynolds and Mintz’s fit together on the court, but sources expect Georgetown to be in play here for the former Bullis School and Team Takeover star.