Simply put, Georgetown’s backcourt isn’t “back.” I don’t mean that in a way that throws shade at the Hoyas’ guards for this upcoming season, I mean it in the sense that their guards from last season are mostly gone.
After Tyler Beard and Donald Carey left the program and Aminu Mohammed went undrafted after declaring his intentions to go pro, Coach Patrick Ewing was forced to bring in a number of transfers to mitigate the damage. However, even after a relatively successful off-season that saw the addition of Arizona State transfer Jay Heath, Duquesne transfer Primo Spears, and freshman four-star recruit Denver Anglin, the Hoyas are still thin in the backcourt, and here’s why:
At the team’s Media Day last week, Coach Patrick Ewing announced that junior point guard Dante Harris is not currently with the team due to “personal reasons,” but that he hopes the 2021 Big East Tournament MOP will return soon. Ewing gave no firm timetable for Harris’ return, but with the season opener just a week away, it appears as though the team will be without its starting point guard from last year to start the season.
On top of that news, there is still no update on the status of Arizona State transfer Jay Heath’s waiver. Heath, who has been practicing with the team, figures to slot in as the Hoyas’ two guard to start the season, should his waiver be granted. However, at this point, that’s far from a sure thing.
By now, if you’re reading this article and you don’t feel this way, well, you probably fall into one of two categories. Category one, you’ve got way too much hope that’ll soon be demolished, or, Category two, you were so perturbed by last season that you simply could not care less. Either way, you have my respect.
With that being said, let’s assume at the moment that Primo Spears and Denver Anglin are your starting backcourt on November 8th against Coppin State. Will that be devastating in the moment? Probably (God I hope) not.
But if things remain status quo well into the non-conference slate, Ewing & Co. will certainly have limited options off the bench, with sophomore Jordan Riley and Howard transfer Wayne Bristol Jr. the only guards remaining on the roster. Additionally, neither of those two can firmly play the point guard position.
One could argue that having three or four playable guards to start the season is a less-than-ideal scenario for Patrick Ewing’s sixth season manning the bench. With that being said and all signs pointing to Spears bringing the ball up for the Hoyas at 8:30pm at Capital One Arena next Tuesday, let’s dive into what a Spears & Anglin backcourt would look like.
Firstly, expect A LOT of threes. Although he obviously has not logged any minutes as a college basketball player, Anglin’s claim to fame coming out of Gill St. Bernard’s (NJ) was his ability to knock down perimeter shots. Often heralded as one of the best shooters in the 2022 class, Anglin figures to play a key role in creating offense for the Hoyas, whether he’s starting or not.
Similarly, while Primo Spears shot just 30% on his three-point attempts last season, he logged 100 attempts for the season. Additionally, Spears knocked down 35.7% of his threes in the final two games of Duquesne’s season last year in which he logged a combined 79 of 80 possible minutes, a figure he seems likely to repeat should Harris and Heath remain unavailable.
Secondly, expect them to play A LOT of minutes. I mean, this one’s self-explanatory, but expect to see shades of the 2019-2020 campaign when Georgetown literally sent 6 guys out in a road game against #23 Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse and walked away with a 73-66 win. Now, while their current situation isn’t nearly as dire, Spears, Anglin, and Riley figure to combine for the vast majority of guard play.
Will Dante Harris come back? We’ve got a better chance at guessing nuclear launch codes than finding out. Will Jay Heath’s waiver be approved in the next seven days? Seems unlikely.
Are we done for?
Now you’re asking the right questions!
In my professional, never wrong, absolutely correct and omniscient opinion… maybe. Even with stretches of success under Coach Ewing using the “addition by subtraction” method and with a weaker non-conference schedule, a backcourt consistent of Spears, Anglin, Riley, and Bristol is simply not enough to get the Hoyas where they desire to be.
Again, will you see the effects of this depth problem right away? Probably not. Coppin State figures to be an easy enough test, but don’t count your chickens just yet. If the Hoyas don’t see a return from either Heath or Harris, or a breakout from Riley or Bristol, we could be in for another looooong season.
Godspeed, Hoyas fans.
