Over Easter Weekend, Ed Cooley picked up his first three transfers of the offseason when Dontrez Styles, Jayden Epps and Rowan Brumbaugh committed to the Hoyas.
Former UNC forward Dontrez Styles was the first player to commit. The 6-foot-7 wing and former top-70 recruit brings physicality and athleticism to the Hilltop. While he played limited minutes as a sophomore, he should find a bigger opportunity at Georgetown.
Despite his limited role, Styles has shown an ability to make an impact on the court. In UNC’s massive upset win against first seeded Baylor in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, he got the opportunity to fill in for an ejected Brady Manek. In that game he scored 9 points, including a huge 3 pointer in overtime to help the Tar Heels past the top seed. Although talented, Styles still struggled to see the floor, averaging just under 6 minutes per game.
Styles will be a fun player for Hoyas fans to watch this season. Listed at 210 pounds, he is strong enough to guard bigger players and has shown the ability to finish through contact. His outside shot is still developing, but he has the potential to become a reliable shooter. Although the sample size was small, his 3P% increased from 16.7% to 33.3% from freshman to sophomore year. Styles is a raw prospect that will benefit from more experience on the floor.
Just over an hour after Styles’ commitment, freshman guard Jayden Epps announced he’d be joining the Hoyas. Coming out of high school, he had committed to Ed Cooley and Providence before committing to join Illinois. Epps had a solid season as a freshman, averaging 9.5 points per game and starting in 11 games. He should be one of the best players on Georgetown and the starting point guard.
Epps navigates the floor with ease and a sense of control that the Hoyas haven’t had at guard since Dante Harris’ freshman year. He looks to create his own shot, but he does so within the flow of the offense. He can score in a variety of ways, from attacking the rim to catch and shoot threes.
He is known more for his scoring, but his defense should improve as he gets older and more experienced. His quickness allows him to pressure opposing ball handlers and helps make up for his lack of size. As he enters his second season, his playmaking skills continue to develop now that he has full control of an offense. Epps would pair nicely with a certain other Big Ten star and Virginia native that Georgetown is recruiting, but we’ll talk more on that at another time.
Finally, the Hoyas landed former high school target Rowan Brumbaugh on Monday night. The redshirt-freshman and former top-100 prospect will make his return to the District (having grown up two blocks off Georgetown’s campus) after being buried behind star guards Marcus Carr and Tyrese Hunter at Texas.
Although Brumbaugh sat out this season, he will bring the presence of a high-IQ true point guard to Georgetowns’ backcourt. The pass-first guard was a hard riser in recruiting rankings his senior year where he received praise for his feel for the game and abilities to manipulate opposing defenses. While he most likely will not be starting from day one, he is definitely talented enough to play a supporting role in his first year and develop to become an integral piece in the coming seasons.
With five scholarships still yet to be filled, the Ed Cooley will continue to fill out his roster, but Styles, Epps and Brumbaugh represent a solid start to the offseason. The trio will add talent and depth, while also building a core of players with multiple years of eligibility remaining. Going forward, Cooley will look to add size and scoring to his frontcourt as the season nears.
