Shorthanded But Unshaken: Georgetown's Culture Shines Through in Gritty Win Over Washington State

Despite missing key players, Georgetown fought through adversity to advance in the Crown, showing that the culture Ed Cooley is trying to instill in his program is beginning to take root.

In an era of major college athletics where players and coaches can change programs at a moment’s notice (hello, Kevin Willard!) and player participation in postseason tournaments is entirely subjective based on the quality of the tournament, it was hard to know what to expect when Georgetown faced off against Washington State on Monday night in the first round of the College Basketball Crown.

With their star freshman center, Thomas Sorber, out for the season due to injury, and the status of their best player, Micah Peavy, in question as he prepares to go through the draft process, Georgetown was expected to be shorthanded in this game.

And that doesn’t mention the forthcoming roster turnover and relative uncertainty that hangs over most programs in the months of March and April, where player movement is as unencumbered as it has ever been.

Drew Fielder already announced his transfer from the program, meaning that Georgetown would be without a healthy center on Monday night against Wazzu. It would be foolish to think Fielder will be the only player to depart from this year’s roster as players across the sport, including at Georgetown, look for better opportunities (and more minutes) at other programs.

Despite the looming uncertainty with the composition of Georgetown’s roster, Georgetown’s performance on Monday night was more than enough to show that despite the question marks that exist about what next year’s roster will look like, the establishment of a real culture in this program under Ed Cooley has been a major success story this season. The foundation for long-term success appears to visibly be taking hold heading into an important third season for Cooley and his coaching staff.

In a game that saw Georgetown trail by double digits in the first half while running out lineups that featured walk-on players such as Austin Montgomery and Michael van Raaphorst, the Hoyas kept fighting from start to finish, and eventually wore the Cougars down.

Georgetown’s first lead came at the 19:19 mark of the first half. It didn’t lead again until late in the second half with 4:47 to go when two Caleb Williams made free throws broke a 72-72 deadlock between the two teams.

After that, this severely-depleted Hoyas team successfully landed the plane, thanks in large part to a career-high 37 points from sophomore point guard Malik Mack.

Mack’s performance in this game was emblematic of this team’s season overall. Mack, who came into Georgetown this season as a highly-touted guard transfer from Harvard, has had a rocky season, one in which he has seen his season averages in most per game statistical categories decline from his freshman year.

In a game without his backcourt mate, in Jayden Epps, along with Peavy and Sorber, one hardly could have blamed Mack for coasting through this largely meaningless game.

But instead, just like his team has done for much of this year, Mack kept going and gave his all for his team, stepping up to deliver the best performance of his Georgetown career at a time when his team needed every single one of those 37 points to eke out the win over Washington State.

Mack wasn’t the sole contributor in this win, though. Jordan Burks was another name who stepped up in the absence of Sorber and Fielder, finishing with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Burks saw his playing time fluctuate for much of the season until Sorber’s injury. Since Sorber was injured though, the Kentucky transfer has elevated his game and answered the bell to help his team, averaging 10.4 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 42.1% from three-point range on 2.1 attempts per game.

Like Mack and Burks, this Georgetown team has faced its fair share of ups and downs this season. But they keep picking themselves off the mat and delivering tough performances when they have every reason to check out and move on. That means something. And for a coach that is trying to build a lasting culture like Ed Cooley is, never-say-die attitudes like that go a long way.

Next year’s roster may look nothing like this year’s. But taking the 30,000-foot view of this program right now shows a program that is continuing to trend in the right direction.

Challenges remain, and the coaching staff still has work to do in upgrading the talent level on the roster to become a consistently competitive team heading into next year and beyond. But building a culture matters in the long run, and there are clear signs of that culture continuing to take hold on the Hilltop.

One only needs to watch the postgame interview with Malik Mack and his teammates, or the postgame locker room celebration to see how this team has come together and rallied around each other.

Georgetown’s win over Washington State may not alter the trajectory of this season, but it’s another brick in the foundation that Ed Cooley continues to lay with this program. Culture isn’t built overnight, and it isn’t measured solely by wins and losses—but it is forged in moments like these, when a short-handed team refuses to fold and keeps finding ways to fight through adversity.

The Hoyas still have a ways to go before they are competing at the highest level again, but Monday night was proof that the mindset and attitude needed to get back to that level are starting to take root.