“Bench him!”
“Terrible decision-maker.”
“When will he learn?”
These are some of the sentiments following Georgetown’s frustrating 74-71 loss to #15 Marquette. There are not many instances where a loss to a top 15 team in the country can be considered bad. But make no mistake: this was a BAD loss for numerous reasons.
Firstly, Marquette’s top player, Markus Howard, played a total of three minutes due to back spasms. Marquette, not known for its depth, heavily relies on the volume scoring and play-making ability of Howard to win them games, especially on the road. In the Golden Eagles’ previous three games leading up to its showdown against Georgetown, Howard scored 26, 53, and 26 points respectively. The only other players averaging double figures for the Golden Eagles are Sam and Joey Hauser (now at 14.4 and 10.3). Given Marquette’s lack of play-makers and scorers outside of Howard, one would think Georgetown would’ve had a significant advantage on the defensive end.
Secondly, Patrick Ewing captured a season saving victory in 2OT against Providence in front of a raucous crowd at the Capital One Arena in the previous game. For most of the season, most casual fans of the Hoyas thought this group to be made of the same mold as previous teams. Excruciating losses at Syracuse and against St. John’s gave evidence to support that claim. However, the late-game heroics of Mac McClung, James Akinjo, and Jessie Govan gave fans a reason to comeback and cheer on the Hoyas. Moreover, Ewing gave the players a reason to believe that that win would be a turning point in the season.
But alas, Ewing’s crew let a golden opportunity to take down a weakened ranked opponent slip through its grasp in a grueling fashion. After having no answer defensively for Sam Hauser all night, the Hoyas found themselves only down one point with the ball and the shot clock turned off. Akinjo, recently named the Big East Freshman of the Week, had been shut down all night by the longer Brendan Bailey. Akinjo, trying to make a play, crossed Bailey to the left and took it to the hole. Bailey, standing at 6 foot 8, had no issue recovering and swatting Akinjo’s attempt into the first row.
11.3 seconds remained. Ewing went for a lineup of Akinjo, McClung, Jamorko Pickett, Trey Mourning, and Govan. Akinjo received the in-bounds pass from McClung and, rather than swing it to an open Govan who set an off-ball screen on Joey Hauser to free up the big man on the wing, Akinjo challenged Bailey on the right with the same ending result: a block. Sam Hauser clinched the game with two cool free throws giving Marquette a win.
Hoya fans took to Twitter to rip apart the Oakland native for apparently not running the play Ewing drew up in the huddle. Frustrations from Hoya fans who desperately wanted Georgetown to turn a corner tonight boiled over. But Georgetown fans calling for Akinjo’s head need to understand something. In the words of the great Aaron Rodgers: R-E-L-A-X.
James Akinjo has been a tremendous reason Georgetown has been competitive in most of its games this season. It has been years since this program had a point guard who was capable of running the offense effectively, setting up his teammates, and also able to create opportunities for himself. What people tend to forget is that Akinjo is merely an 18-year-old freshman continuing to adjust to Big East Conference play. Not only that, Ewing subscribed to living with Akinjo’s growing pains when he named him his starting point guard back in November.
The reasoning behind this from Ewing is that he realizes that his young guard has the talent to become a special player.
Ewing was drawn to Akinjo not because of his height or physical ability (he’s only 6 foot tall), but because of his aggressive, never-settle-for-less mentality. Akinjo’s transferred this to the Georgetown locker room and it was apparent right from the get-go. Akinjo stepped up against Illinois in his first true road game as a Hoya by scoring 19 points (including the game-sealing and-one floater) and dishing out 7 assists.
People forget that Akinjo’s last second three pointer sent Georgetown to OT against SFU in the Jamaica Classic. When was the last time Georgetown had a guard who was capable of stepping up in big moments with success?
Fans were frustrated with Akinjo’s decision making for two main reasons. First, James tried his luck the play right before that with the exact same result. Akinjo had been stymied all night by Bailey’s length and height advantage so it was obvious that Georgetown needed to utilize McClung (who played his best overall game as a Hoya) or Govan in that situation. And in spite of that, Akinjo still called his own number.
Secondly, Akinjo, against Providence down one, waved off Ewing who wanted a timeout and chucked up a three that did not go in. Luckily, McClung gave James the opportunity to redeem himself in OT by draining a clutch three. Unfortunately for Akinjo, McClung’s magic was not in the cards against Marquette.
The best part about the two problems stated above is that both are fixable and part of a young, aggressive point guard’s development. Ewing has showcased a solid ability to help players learn from their mistakes and continue to grow and develop as the season grows. A prime example of that is Jessie Govan last season. Govan struggled to adapt to Big East level competition initially. He struggled with post play on the offensive end, especially with footwork. But Govan regrouped and played exceptionally well in his final nine games, averaging about 22 points per game. Have faith Hoya fans, the same is in store for James.
This tweet from a Georgetown alumnus sums up the aftermath of Akinjo’s decision perfectly:
When James Akinjo graduates from Georgetown as one of the more accomplished guards in this program’s history, this game will be long forgotten.
— Aidan (@A_Curran_) January 16, 2019
