Drew Fielder is not going to have much time to adjust to Big East basketball. A four star prospect from Boise, Idaho, Fielder is Georgetown’s sole recruit from the 2023 class. He was originally committed to Providence, but he decided to follow Coach Cooley to D.C. instead of playing for the Friars. Now, in his first season, the 6’10 forward will be an essential piece of the Hoyas’ frontcourt.
As a prospect, Fielder was noted for his blue collar mentality and his ability to play inside out. In his high school highlights, he is simply stronger and faster than his competition, allowing him to attack the basket with ease. He plays with a high intensity and is relentless on the boards, while being able to make an outside shot here and there.
Fielder was impressive at the Blue Grey Scrimmage last Friday. From the looks of it, he’s been in the weight room, which allows him to hold his own in the paint. In addition, he delivered some high-flying two-handed dunks in warmups, and he looked comfortable from beyond the arc during the three point competition. During the scrimmage, Fielder exploited the much smaller Donovan Grant with some nice buckets. He also displayed solid court vision, catching the ball at the high post and delivering a beautiful pass for a Supreme Cook dunk. He did seem a little frustrated with his lack of touches, which led to some forced shots.
With Ish Massoud out for the foreseeable future, Fielder will play a ton of minutes in the non conference schedule. It’s worth noting that Fielder was the only true freshman from any team at Big East Media Day, perhaps a sign of Cooley’s trust in him this year. Fielder could potentially start at the four unless coach Cooley decides to go with a smaller lineup. Besides the injured Massoud, Georgetown has no one else at Fielder’s size who can stretch the floor and create from the perimeter. That said, he will experience growing pains as he makes the jump from high school to high major basketball.
Either way, it will be exciting to watch Fielder grow this year and beyond (fingers crossed), especially since he seems like a player who could stick around as a Hoya for the next few years.
