Key Departures: Jahvon Blair (Grad); Jamorko Pickett (Grad); Chudier Bile (Grad); Qudus Wahab (–>Maryland);
New In Town: Tre King (<–E. Kentucky); Kaiden Rice (<–Citadel); Aminu Mohammed (#23); Ryan Mutombo (#116); Jordan Riley (#129); Tyler Beard (#145); Jalin Billingsley (#220)
State of the Program:
It was a wild ride to end the season last year for Georgetown as they entered the Big East Tournament 9-12 and then rattled off 4 straight wins to earn a bid to the big dance, only to immediately get bounced by 23 in the first round. The jury is definitely still out on Patrick Ewing as the head man at his alma mater but entering year 5 there isn’t a ton of positive momentum in this program. Yes they went on a run to get into the tournament, but the overall season was mostly a disappointment in year 4. The 1 positive you can pick out is the improvements on defense, as they’ve gone from 119th in year 1 to 49th last season and if that can become something they can hang their hat on that can help to buoy a program that is going through a lot of turnover. Ewing does get back Dante Harris (SO) and Donald Carey (SR) who both started games and 7-footer Timothy Ighoefe (JR) who should step in to the starting 5 spot. Other than that Ewing will be relying on a couple of transfers and a large Freshman class with a couple guys who will need to have a large role on this young team.
What’s New:
A couple of transfers are coming in, the best of which is 2x All-OVC selection 6’9” F Tre King (SR). King put up 15 ppg and 6 rpg and he’s a solid athlete that has evolved his game to now include an outside jumper. He has ability to attack off the bounce and run in transition, but the increased consistency of the jumper should allow him to have a solid role with the Hoyas this season. He has the best shot to be the starting 4 for Ewing. The other transfer is via the Citadel in wing Kaiden Rice (SR), who was an All-Southern selection a year ago after averaging 17.5 ppg. Rice was a high volume shooter and playmaker for the Citadel and shot 35% on over 10 attempts per game from 3. He is going to have a role for the Hoyas, whether as a starter or off the bench as his scoring ability will earn him minutes undoubtedly. The real difference maker in this class is 5-star Freshman 6’5” G Aminu Mohammed (#23), who has all of the tools offensively to break down his defender and attack the basket and he can shoot the ball well too. He has ability off the bounce to get separation and get his shot off and has a pretty catch and shoot stroke. Mohammed absolutely has the ability to come in and be the star for the Hoyas and could have one of the most productive seasons of any freshman just due to the need his team has. He will start and very well could lead them in scoring. Next in is big man Ryan Mutombo (#116), and yes this is the son of Dikembe Mutombo and he, much like his dad, has great length and feel for shot blocking. He has a ways to go on the offensive end as far as a skilled inside game, but is solid defensively and a rebounder at this stage. He will have to work to develop his game, but what better person to learn from than a legend like Patrick Ewing. Next in is 6’4” G Jordan Riley (#129) who is a pretty powerful athlete that is known for his highlight reel dunks, making him dangerous in transition. He has some ability to attack the basket off the bounce, and his strength and athleticism make him a promising prospect as a defender as well. Where he needs to improve is his consistency shooting the ball, and if he does so then down the road he should be a stud for Ewing. Another G is incoming in 6’2” CG Tyler Beard (#145) who is a bit undersized to be an off guard but hasn’t developed as a lead guard to this point. He has good bounce and is pretty quick, so it will ultimately be up to this staff and Beard to determine if he’ll play off the ball or on, and if it’s on he’ll need to develop a little bit before he gets a major role. The final Freshman in this class is 6’11” big man Jalin Billingsley (#220), who is a good athlete but will need to develop his skills as a big man, especially offensively, and will likely redshirt in his first year on campus.
Prediction:
Ewing has another tough task ahead of him, and while Mohammed coming in to be a star as a Freshman helps it will still be an uphill battle with all of the losses they endured. The improvements defensively last season will hopefully be built upon and if it is they will at least be competitive, and with the interior guys they have they should continue to be solid on the glass. The issue really is the lack of experience and when you have that you really have to have a loaded class of FR who can come in right away and contribute, and while this group has promise, outside of Mohammed none of these guys are sure fire stars and all need to develop. I would expect another tough season for Georgetown and they’ll likely need a repeat performance in the Big East tournament to qualify in March.
5-STAR BETS 