Nature is healing. It may have been a long time coming, but as the Georgetown Men’s Basketball season approaches, we were treated to our first in-person Big East Media Day in nearly two years.
Along with Coach Ewing, the Hoyas brought 2021 Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player Dante Harris and newly-crowned captain Don Carey to give us a look at the upcoming season. Here are some of the main storylines to look out for coming out of media day:
The Freshmen
It should be no surprise that the main storyline coming into the season is the freshmen. With the departures of seniors Javhon Blair and Jamorko Pickett, graduate transfer Chudier Bile, and standout center Qudus Wahab, as well as the dismissal of talented transfer Tre King from the program, Patrick Ewing’s most talented recruiting class to date will receive a baptism by fire in their first season for the Hoyas.
Led by Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year Aminu Mohammed, each newcomer is expected to step into a rather sizable role for the Hoyas. This will present its fair share of challenges for the team. Ewing knows that it won’t be easy for the freshmen, saying “They’re talented, but they’re going to experience their ups and downs and growing pains.”
In today’s era of college basketball where experience means so much for a team’s success, having to consistently depend on freshmen production rarely works in a team’s favor. When asked how he plans on integrating his freshmen into the lineup, Ewing simply said “It’s a work in progress.” Despite being unsure on how to incorporate freshmen into the lineup, Ewing signalled his faith in his players. Now let’s see where that faith takes the freshmen come gametime.
Captain Donald Carey
In one of the more unexpected, but not completely unforeseen, events of the day, Patrick Ewing named returning guard Donald Carey the team’s captain for the upcoming season. Although this is the first time that Ewing will be naming a captain, Carey proved to be the perfect fit for the role after his first season with the program. Last year, Carey showed why he was the ideal pickup for Ewing and his staff, as he did everything they could have wanted, both on and off the court.
Of course, Carey is known to be an exceptional three-point shooter, which he showcased by shooting almost 45% from deep last season. But what is less often talked about was his role as a plus defender and an above-average plug-and-play ball handler when Dante Harris wasn’t on the floor. More than that, he bought into the system on the court and became a vocal leader off the court. In the end, this is what led Ewing to his decision to make Carey his captain.
Starting From the Bottom, Again…
How does the song go again? “Started from the bottom, now we’re here,” right? Well the Hoyas started at the bottom last year and got there, but found a way to fall right back to the bottom. Shocker, right?
In almost an identical situation as last year, the Hoyas have been picked to finish 10th in the Big East by the coaches in their preseason poll, only ranking higher than the DePaul Blue Demons, which is by no means impressive. But as we saw last season, the preseason poll means very little. Instead, Ewing made sure to mention his focus on results, not rankings. Of course, he got his results last year by defying all odds and winning the Big East Tournament. Let’s see if he can do it again.
The Tre King Saga
Just before Patrick Ewing and company were set to make their trip up to Madison Square Garden for media day, the Georgetown basketball community was hit with startling news: promising transfer Tre King failed to meet the University’s conduct expectations and was thus kept off the roster. King was poised to play a huge role for the Hoyas this upcoming season by attempting to fill some of the holes left by the departure of Qudus Wahab, among others. When Ewing was asked to elaborate on the departure and how it will affect the team’s gameplan, in classic Georgetown fashion he refused to comment and among other things repeated his message of “We’ll figure it out.” For many, King’s absence is the final excuse to write off the Hoyas. However, if Ewing can find other effective ways to fill what would have been King’s minutes, there is no saying what the team will be able to do.
BONUS: Another Big East Expansion?
Throughout the offseason, there have been rumors circulating that the Big East is possibly looking to expand. These rumors were only exacerbated when Commissioner Val Ackerman mentioned on Tuesday that the conference will be revisiting its alignment strategy. While nothing is set in stone, this could mean there are big changes on the horizon and possibly new opponents to be had in the Big East. We played around with the idea of expansion earlier in the offseason, so make sure to check out what it could look like and what it might mean for the conference and for Georgetown.
