A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Georgetown had a consistently good basketball team. However, as always with the heart-attack Hoyas, the beginning of the Ewing tenure has been a rollercoaster of emotions and blown leads. After seeing the Big East Freshman of the Year, a Big East All-Freshman Team selection, and two key role players leave the program in the span of two weeks, the Hoyas looked much like a depleted resistance to conclude their 2019-2020 campaign. But just like in the movies, the rebels fought, and they gave every last ounce they had to stay competitive.
Following the departures of James Akinjo, Josh LeBlanc, Myron Gardner, and Galen Alexander, the Hoyas showed grit and determination throughout the rest of the season. Seniors Jagan Mosely and Terrell Allen stepped into the starting backcourt role with star sophomore Mac McClung injured, and man, did they make us wish they weren’t seniors. They showed tremendous strength amidst adversity by having to play roughly forty minutes a night for most, if not all, of Georgetown’s Big East games, and led the team on and off the court. Mosely himself often engaged the fans on social media and showed that his confidence in the team and Coach Ewing never wavered, despite the fact that seemingly everything was working against the Hoyas. His heart of a lion was prominently displayed all season long.
In the end, it was genuine veteran leadership that allowed the Hoyas to remain competitive, at one point knocking off #19 Butler 73-66 with just five scholarship players at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Just like the leadership from players like Jagan and Terrell was essential to the 2019-2020 Hoyas, it’ll be especially important for this year’s seniors, Jahvon Blair and Jamorko Pickett, to step up and take the reigns in 2020-2021. With eight new scholarship players for this year’s Georgetown Hoyas, a strong veteran presence will be key to any kind of on-court success for a young team in what is seen by many as a rebuilding year. It will also be on grad transfers Chudier Bile and Jalen Harris to assume the roles as veterans despite being new to the program, similar to the role Terrell Allen played this past season.
Ever since Jamorko Pickett arrived on the Hilltop back in 2017, fans have been awaiting the day he combines his absurd length and athleticism with aggressiveness and spot-up shooting. Pickett showed flashes of greatness this past year, and with control of this year’s Hoyas, it’s his team to lead. Pickett will need to take over a more emphatic, Jagan Mosely-esque role on the court with fire and energy to will Georgetown in a tough Big East. He and Jahvon Blair must improve their levels of consistency if the Hoyas are to have any success on the court this season. With the presence of Jamari Sibley, a consensus top-150 recruit in the nation, knocking on Pickett’s back door, it’ll be up to the senior to take a leadership role and prepare the talented freshman for the season.
A graduate transfer from Arkansas, Jalen Harris is expected to enter the program as this year’s Terrell Allen: a veteran presence in the locker room, a high IQ player, and someone who can groom incoming freshman Dante Harris for his future role as the leader of the Hoyas’ backcourt. Harris himself has been vocal about his low national ranking and his determination to prove that these Hoyas are no pushover despite being picked to finish towards the bottom of the Big East. The Harris-led backcourt for Georgetown will look to continue the play from Allen and Mosely that seemed to unleash Ewing’s offense alongside Mac McClung.
The new faces for the Hoyas will have to understand that the “Next Man Up” principle still applies. Despite Georgetown’s low ranking for the 2020 recruiting class (53rd), I’m excited to see what the more unheralded players are able to achieve on the court. Dante Harris, Kobe Clark, and Jamari Sibley will more than likely be thrust into vital roles for the Hoyas, and they must be ready to play above their unheralded rankings to prove that a team is worth more than the sum of its individual parts. This year’s freshman class will be tasked with growth and development, but I’m confident in Coach Ewing’s ability to identify “junkyard dogs” from all over the country.
This season has also primed sophomore center Qudus Wahab for a breakout year as the team’s presumed starter down low. With Omer Yurtseven setting his eyes on the upcoming NBA Draft, it’s Wahab’s turn to take the reigns, and I personally couldn’t be more excited. In Wahab, Coach Ewing has finally found a center that emulates his iconic shot-blocking and gritty low-post centered play style. With Wahab set to dominate the paint and this year’s upperclassmen prepared to step into everyday starting roles, senior Jamorko Pickett has been vocal about his confidence in this team’s ability and versatility despite Georgetown’s preseason ranking as last in the Big East Coaches’ Poll.
With Georgetown unranked and projected to finish last in a tough, wide-open Big East race, there’s nowhere to go but up. November 25th can’t come soon enough, Hoyas fans.
