Hoya For Life: Catching Up With Jagan Mosely

Amid a turbulent season, senior guard Jagan Mosely was a bright spot for last year’s Georgetown Hoyas. After early season transfers, Mosely took on a crucial leadership role. He played every minute of every game with tenacity and grit and became the undisputed heart and soul of the team. Coach Patrick Ewing praised Mosely’s contributions to the program, saying, “He’s not Allen Iverson, he’s not myself, he’s not Dikembe or Alonzo, but to me he is up there with all of us.” Last week, Thompson’s Towel staffers Jack and Jacob sat down with Jagan live from Hungary over Zoom to discuss what he’s been up to since graduation, the state of Georgetown basketball, memories of John Thompson and Patrick Ewing, his favorite Wisey’s sandwich, and much more. Read on for the transcript from our interview with Jagan Mosely.

Editor’s Note: This interview was edited for length and clarity.

Jack: How have things been for you since graduation?

Jagan: Since “graduation,” I was at home since Spring Break; from March to August. It was kind of weird being at home for that long. Basketball season falls within the winter semester, so we don’t really go home for Christmas break. The most I’m home during my four years of college is two weeks at a time. Being home from March to August was a lot of family time. At the end of the day, I knew that my basketball career was going to continue past college, so I had to find a way and get into a new rhythm, into a new routine to find places to work out, even with the pandemic, and find ways to stay in shape so that I was ready for my next step. When I started off during the pandemic, I was just staying at home and running like two miles a day around my neighborhood, and then later, when things kind of calmed down per se, I found a gym like 10 minutes from my house and I was able to get workouts in maybe like 5 times a week. I was also blessed enough to get a weightlifting coach as well in the same gym. So I would lift in the same gym and then work out right after. I got into a pretty good routine, and then in August, I came here [Hungary].

Jack: How are you enjoying being in Hungary so far and playing for Kormend?

Jagan: The first month was tough for me. In college, there’s classes, so you only have so much time to really practice with your team, probably only one practice a day. If you go into the gym more than one time a day, it is usually either to lift or get extra work in by yourself. But here in Europe, most teams practice twice a day. So when I first got here, I had to adjust to that. My body took some hits when I first got here, but I’m adjusting well now. 

Jack: Is there a difference in the style of play between college/the Big East and overseas in Hungary?

Jagan: The style of play fits me pretty well. I have some Americans on my team, so I will talk to them about how different European basketball is to American basketball. There’s a lot more movement. Europeans know how to play with each other very well. You look at, in the NBA or just American basketball, there’s a lot of talented one-on-one players. You can have a guy like James Harden, so take him, for example, there’s a lot of one-on-one basketball, a lot of isolations. But in European countries, it’s more like team basketball, more fluid. And the difference from college basketball, for one, is the court size. It’s a lot more driving gaps, which plays to my game pretty well. There’s a lot more space on the court to do what you need to do, but also with the team that I’m on now, it’s a pretty good philosophy. We got a lot of guys involved in the game. 

Jack: How would you describe your role on the team right now?

Jagan: I’m a pretty versatile player. I can either play the 2, the 1, or the 3. Right now we have a vet point guard, I think he’s in maybe his seventh or eighth year, so I’ll either play backup point guard or come in at the 2, and then I’ll end up finishing the game in crunch time at the 1 or the 2. Coach told me to come in off the bench as like a 6th man, 7th man option, come in and be aggressive, come in looking to score. And then it’s easier for me to get other people involved. He wanted me to be a score-first type of option and then when the game starts to settle down, start finding other people. 

Jacob: Do you miss Georgetown and what was the best part of your Georgetown experience off the court?

Jagan: Yeah, I definitely miss Georgetown. I’m a pretty nostalgic person to start off with, so I like to look back on a lot of memories with my friends and videos on my phone and stuff like that. Off the court, the biggest thing for me was just chilling with friends, going out to parties, just like a regular student. Obviously during the season there was not really a lot of time to go out to parties because every other weekend we’re traveling or we have a game on Saturday, so maybe we’d go out Saturday night.

Going through my first years at Georgetown, all the older guys like Jessie [Govan] and Kaleb [Johnson], guys like that, would tell me that their best time at Georgetown was the spring semester of their senior year. It was kind of tough because I didn’t get to experience that. We had to go home like a week after our season ended. That probably would’ve been the best time for me; you get to look back at your college career but also look forward to your future, all while enjoying your last semester with your friends. So it’s kind of tough that I won’t be able to get to experience that. But like I said, like a regular college student, if I’m not on the court, if I’m not doing homework, I’m just hanging with friends or going to a party or just chilling at home. 

Jack: Last year, there were a lot of ups and downs for the team. How did you go about maintaining your focus on just winning games and also stepping up as a leader like you did so well?

Jagan: Coach Ewing was on me since I was a sophomore that I had to be more vocal. Senior year, you kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel per se. The goal the whole year was to make the NCAA tournament for me and for my team, so when guys transferred and guys started getting injured, it was kind of like our backs were against the wall and our goal was still the same. That winning passion kind of just came out of me and I started just stepping up and being more vocal. As a freshman, you don’t really see how quick everything goes, so it was kind of just on me to talk to the young guys and tell them “I know you guys have extra gears, but this is my last one. Whatever you got, you gotta give me on the court.” Just trying to teach them to enjoy the moment, but to know that we have to produce wins regardless of our situation, regardless of how many guys we can play with, right now we still have to find a way to win games and compete at the highest level.

Jacob: You mentioned how unfortunately you weren’t able to end your senior season in the way that you may have liked, but looking back, in retrospect, what would you say would be your favorite career moment as a Hoya?

Jagan: That’s tough. I’ve done a lot of interviews after the season, and I think this answer probably changes every time. So I guess the first thing that just clicked into my mind since you asked this question is probably the Butler game. We had Mac [McClung] and Omer [Yurtseven] hurt, and that game kind of catapulted us into the tournament conversation. We went to Butler, no one really expected us to win that game, and we kind of controlled the game from start to finish. It wasn’t like we were losing at one point, we just came back, but from start to finish, we punched them in the mouth from the beginning and we didn’t look back. So I think that kind of portrays the Hoya mentality, that one game right there, just being the road dogs, the underdogs, and getting a big win for our fanbase and for our team. I think after that game, our percentage chance of us making it to the tourney was up to like 80%. And then, you know, it was kind of tough not having Mac and Omer down the stretch. Guys started getting kind of tired and fatigued. It was a tough season, but I think that Butler game was like the peak and it just showed our intensity and our will to win.

Jacob: You mentioned some of those challenges that you faced down the stretch with injuries and guys transferring… would you say that was one of the toughest obstacles you faced during your career or were there other times where you faced big challenges or low points as a Hoya?

Jagan: I mean, my whole career was a rollercoaster. Coming in freshman year, starting, then, you know, JTIII getting fired and then Coach Pat coming in. And then sophomore year coming off the bench and then junior year, my minutes even going even lower than that … to senior year having to play 40 minutes. So I think my four years are pretty crazy. It’s not really one point I could say was really the lowest, but I will say that playing with seven and eight guys was definitely the most fun I’ve had as a Hoya. Stepping on the court, when you feel like you’re needed as a player, your play starts to rise, so it was definitely the most fun of my career. It was definitely tough, you know, just knowing we were undermanned, but I feel like we still had a chance to win every game we were in. 

Jack: Since graduation, have you talked with Coach Ewing or any of the current players?

Jagan: Yeah, I’m in constant contact with Jaden [Robinson], Jahvon [Blair], and Jamorko [Pickett]. Those are my closest friends, and George [Muresan] as well. Coach Pat, he hits me up from time to time. He actually guided me on finding a good agent, a trustworthy agent. I texted him about how the team is looking and stuff like that, so we stay in constant contact. And then I’m in Jahvon and Jamorko’s ear about this upcoming season and how the Hoyas were picked 11th in the Big East conference … just telling them that it doesn’t really mean nothing because at the end of the day, that’s all on paper. The game is played on the court, so they’re pretty motivated this year and I feel like they’re gonna do pretty good things.

Jacob: Going off that, you mentioned the Big East coaches ranking this year’s team as 11th in the preseason poll. You said you’ve been in contact with both Jahvon and Jamorko about that, but where do you think their mentality is at going into the season and what are your expectations for this year’s team?

Jagan: I mean, there’s a lot of new pieces. It’s gonna be tough because there’s probably not going to be a nonconference schedule, and that’s a good time for the new guys, the young guys, to get acclimated to Georgetown Basketball. It’s going to be tough for them, but I feel like they have enough pieces. It’s a very unique team, a very hungry team. And like I said, a unique team like that with not a lot of footage, it’s going to be hard for other coaches to scout against them early on in the season. So they can use that to their advantage. With Jahvon and Jamorko, they know what’s at stake. They know they want to make the tournament. They know what their aspirations are after college, so they’re pretty motivated. And yeah, I’m excited. I’m excited to see what Jahvon and Jamorko do. 

Jacob: That’s great to hear. Have you had the chance to share any pieces of advice with the younger guys on this year’s team, or if not, what advice would you give? 

Jagan: I’m not in contact with any of the young guys besides the guys who were on the team last year like Q [Wahab] and Tim [Ighoefe]. I think Q’s going to play a big role this year as well as Tim. Tim didn’t play much early in the season, but like I said, in that Butler game, he came up big, so I’m excited to see how he builds on that. I feel as if, if they’re able to play together, it’s going to be a pretty scary combo for the Big East. So I know Coach Pat, obviously being a Hall of Fame big man, he’s going to have them ready. But yeah, like I said, I’m pretty excited to see how they do. Jamorko was telling me that the new guys, their mentality is the same as theirs. They’re all, you know, unknown, that’s how I referred to myself coming into college. Unknown, underrated, and it just shows with the ranking that they got with 11. They’re all hungry. They want to prove to the whole conference, and as well as the whole country, that they’re not just no pushovers in the conference. They feel like they’re a top five team, and I’m excited to see them prove it.

Jack: Would you be able to describe Coach Ewing’s coaching style?

Jagan: So X’s and O’s, he coached 15-plus years as an assistant in the NBA, so he brought his NBA philosophy to college. It was kind of tough for me at first because I had just started playing the Princeton [offense], and the NBA is more so for guys to create their own shots if a play breaks down so I had to adjust to that. But once I adjusted to that, I think it’s a pretty good offense, especially with the guys that we had with Mac [McClung], James [Akinjo], Josh [LeBlanc]- all those guys. It fit our team really well.

Then off the court he’s a lovable guy; you can go to him for anything. Like I said, he’s been in constant contact with me. I’ve been in contact with some of my friends that go to other schools, and they’ve said they haven’t even talked to their coach one time since they left. So for him to reach out to me that’s a big thing for me. I know I can go to him for anything.

And then on the court it’s all about trusting his word. If you go against what he has to say, it just breaks down the whole team. He’s been around the game long enough, and he’s done everything that any college player would want to do- win a national championship, go to the NBA, number one pick, everything like that. So for someone to come into college and not want to listen to what he has to say is kind of crazy to me. Just listen to what he says, be a sponge, and just be a student of the game.

Jack: Is there any one memorable interaction you had with Coach Ewing, whether it was in games or in practice?

Jagan: I have two. So I remember we were playing Creighton this past year at home, and this is when Mac and Terrell were really sick. And I remember in one of the timeouts, he looked me in my eye and he was like, “You might have to play the whole game this game.” And I just shook my head yes. That was my first 40-minute game of the whole season. That was probably my favorite interaction that we’ve had. I didn’t have to say a word, but just seeing him look me in the eye and having him say that, I know that I was needed.

On a lighter note, I remember I was either a sophomore or a junior. Our practice court- you can see the coaches office up on top, and you can see the TV. So I guess one day- it was like a random practice day- they had NBA TV on and they’re showing Michael Jordan highlights, and it was one of the highlights when he dunked on Coach Pat. And he kinda joked around, he was, “Oh they showing me getting dunked on? Everybody get on the line.” And he was about to make us run. I didn’t really understand his sense of humor yet, so I’m like, “He’s not really about to make us run?” And then he just started laughing and he was like, “Nah, I’m just joking. Bring it in.” And practice ended like that.

Jacob: Earlier this year, the Georgetown family lost an icon in Coach John Thompson Jr. How much of an impact did he have on you during your time at Georgetown, and did you have any meaningful interactions or stories about Coach Thompson?

Jagan: Yeah, I got a few. [smiles] For me, I’m big on tradition, so that was one of the reasons I came to Georgetown. I went to Saint Anthony’s for high school, and Coach Hurley [who coached Mosely at Saint Anthony’s] and Coach Thompson are very similar- they came from the same era, they’re very hard-nosed coaches, it’s either their way or the highway.

My first interaction with Coach Thompson I was on my unofficial visit at Georgetown, and I’m walking up to introduce myself. And I’m like, “How are you doing Coach? I’m Jagan Mosely” I’m nervous. And he’s like, “I know who you are motherfucker.” I’m just like, “Oh wow, my bad!”

And then senior year, it’s probably in the preseason. I just came off my shoulder surgery, and I was just getting back into the flow of things. He was like, “Just stick with it; it’s a long season. They’re gonna need you at some point.” And I’m not sure what game it was- I want to say Creighton, but it could have been any of the big home games that we had- we had just pulled off a big win. We always see him after the game when we’re heading to the bus. And he pulled me to the side, and he was like, “Didn’t I tell you? Didn’t I tell you they were gonna need you?” That will stick with me for the rest of my life.

Jacob: We’ve already talked about how much of a leader you were on last year’s team. Obviously right now you are focused on your professional career, but would you ever consider coming back to Georgetown in a coaching capacity if the opportunity presented itself?

Jagan: That’s tough. See, I feel as like I’m really basketball savvy. I see the game differently. I feel like I see the game as a coach. But I mean, yeah, hopefully I have a successful pro career, I’m able to play ‘x’ amount of years, and then if I do feel like I want to get into coaching, I feel like Georgetown would be the first place I’ll come back to. Start at one level, build my way up, maybe go to another school, get a head coaching job, and then come back to Georgetown. The coaching carousel is very unpredictable, but definitely Georgetown would be the first place I’d look into if I do consider coaching.

Jack: You’re certainly known for your ability to take charges. How did you get so good at that?

Jagan: Actually, at Saint Anthony’s we had a charge drill. So, I’d say like once a week, we’ll bring out wrestling mats and we’ll fold it up. It won’t be on the whole court, but it’ll be on like a big portion you can fall on. And we’ll just have a drill where a player runs at you; you have to slide in front, take charge, fall on the mat, run down to the other court and just do the same thing. We’ll do that for like 10 minutes straight. At that point it just becomes second nature. At Saint Anthony’s, if you don’t step in for a charge, you’re coming out of the game. I just see it coming from like a mile away sometimes. It’s just easy to me now. 

Jack: Quick shoutout to local businesses, what was your go-to food spot(s) during your time at Georgetown? 

Jagan: That’s funny because it changes every year. I guess when I first got to campus it was Wisey’s. It also depends on where I’m living; like if I’m living in Village A, I’m going to Wisey’s because it’s close. Or Village B, I’m going to Wisey’s. But my four years I spent in Arrupe, so I went to Chick-Fil-A a lot. Obviously Leo’s [Dining Hall] because I was on the meal plan. But aside from Leo’s, it’s probably either Wisey’s or Chick-Fil-A. And then obviously after parties, everyone goes to Epi.

Jack: What was your go-to Wisey’s order?

Jagan: So for breakfast, I’ll get a bacon and egg sandwich, maybe some potatoes on the side. Nothing crazy, maybe a toasted butter bagel if I’m feeling really hungry. And then for dinner or lunch, I’ll get a Burger Madness. If not a Burger Madness, I’ll get like a chicken finger sandwich, with ranch and lettuce. I got it so much that I almost got them to name a sandwich after me. One day, I’m going to.

Jack: They definitely should.

Jagan: I’m going to find a way to get them to name a sandwich after me. Chicken finger sandwich with lettuce and ranch- oh and bacon for sure. Bacon gotta be on it for sure.

Jacob: During your time on the Hilltop, you had the chance to play in McDonough Gymnasium a couple of times. How do you think playing on campus compares to playing at Capital One Arena, especially with the chance that this season is played exclusively at McDonough?

Jagan: Well, I don’t think I won a game at McDonough. We played Arkansas State- we lost, Harvard- we lost. That might be it; probably two games. Playing at McDonough is obviously smaller so it’s more packed, and then it’s more students. That’s another thing. I feel like non conference games- with no COVID- should be played in McDonough because we don’t really get sellout crowds for non conference games that are not a rivalry game. You get more students because if I’m a student and there’s a game on a Wednesday night at 8 o’clock, I’m not taking an Uber to Capital One Arena to then have to go back and then do homework or something like that. So I feel like non conference games should be played at McDonough. I like McDonough just because it’s so packed together you feel the atmosphere, you feel all the students, you see familiar faces. 

Capital One Arena, if it’s not a packed game, it feels kind of empty just because it’s an NBA arena and, you know, we don’t have NBA fans, so it’s not gonna be packed for regular games. But I will say when we play like Syracuse or St. John’s, there’s nothing topping Capital One Arena. Those are definitely some of the most fun games. Like Villanova- games like that- those games are fun for sure. I love those packed games. But if I had to choose for like the regular games, I would probably choose McDonough just because it’s so packed together, and it’s more of a college atmosphere. 

Jack: Last question, have you seen the new uniforms?

Jagan: [smiles] Yeah, I have.

Jack: What are your thoughts on them?

Jagan: I like them! This is the thing though, shoutout my man Irv- Irv’s like the jersey designer. He was showing me the designs last season so I already knew what was coming. I know one picture surfaced of the grey jerseys that say ‘Hoyas’ on it.

Jack: I don’t think fans have seen any of the other jerseys outside of the grey.

Jagan: Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. I’m not going to say nothing about them, but they’re going to be pretty nice. Irv got it done this year. I wanted him to give me some jerseys with my name on it. I’m kind of jealous because those jerseys are gonna be sweet this year for sure! 

A big thank you to Jagan Mosely for taking the time to speak with us! We wish him the best of luck as he continues his professional career in Hungary. We look forward to when we can welcome him back to the Hilltop as Coach Mosely (and maybe even get a Wisey’s sandwich named after him)!