As we get closer to the season opener against Dartmouth this Saturday, there are a lot of questions surrounding the depth chart for the Hoyas, particularly at the center position. As every Georgetown fan knows by now, the team lost former starter Qudus Wahab in a bizarre transfer to Maryland, leaving a gaping hole at the 5 in the Hoyas’ rotation. However, if recent history is any indication, Georgetown should be able to still garner solid production from their centers this season under the guidance of one of the best to ever do it in Patrick Ewing.
In an attempt to presumably fill the starting center hole after Wahab’s departure, Coach Ewing and his staff brought in a transfer from Eastern Kentucky, Tre King (6’9’’), this offseason. However, King unfortunately was dismissed from the program for not meeting the “conduct expectations of the University.” While it is unclear whether this was a decision made by the basketball program or the university, the loss of King will be a difficult one for Georgetown to make up for from a production standpoint. King was listed as a forward, but he likely would have given the Hoyas big minutes at the 5 as well.
King’s transfer leaves the Hoyas with three centers left on the roster. The two junior returners, Timothy Ighoefe and Malcolm Wilson, are the only two Hoyas on the roster who have prior experience playing at Capital One Arena. With their newly elevated roles and prior experience, they will be essential to helping the 2021-2022 Hoyas gel as a squad. Georgetown fans will also get to see the highly anticipated debut of Ryan Mutombo, son of Hoya legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo. The remainder of this article will give the fanbase a breakdown of all three centers and what to expect from them this season.
Returners
Timothy Ighoefe
“Big Tim” (7’0’’, 250 lbs.) served as the primary backup to Qudus Wahab last year, averaging 2.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in roughly 9 minutes of play. According to KenPom’s advanced metrics from last season, Ighoefe averaged 7.0 fouls per 40 minutes, which is not ideal from a player who will see his minutes significantly increased this season in the wake of Wahab’s transfer. Ighoefe’s foul numbers were up to 8 per 40 minutes against Tier A opponents, so it is clear that he will need to be more disciplined in his defensive approach. However, under Patrick Ewing’s tutelage, this will hopefully be a major area of improvement for Tim over the course of the season. Ighoefe also had a high turnover rate of 19.5%. The first few non-conference games should provide an indication of Tim’s discipline with both fouls and turnovers.
Ighoefe shot 67% from the free throw line last year on just 21 attempts. For comparison, Qudus Wahab, infamous for his subpar foul shooting, shot 67.3% from the line and made 76 of 113 attempts last season. Ighoefe will need to improve these numbers, but judging by recent Instagram videos from the official Georgetown Basketball account, he has been working on his outside shooting.
Ighoefe has always been known as a plus defender, averaging 0.7 blocks per game last season, and if he can continue to work on his offensive capabilities, he should grow into a very solid starting center for the team. Coach Ewing himself has been hyping up Ighoefe. In Thursday’s media availability, he said, “What I’ve been telling Tim all summer long is this is your chance, this is your opportunity. Q’s not here anymore, you have to seize this opportunity.” Time will tell if Ighoefe is ready for the moment.
Malcolm Wilson
In addition to Ighoefe, the Hoyas have Malcolm Wilson (7’0’’, 205 lbs.). Wilson is the same height as Ighoefe, but significantly leaner in build. He saw limited minutes last year, but he has the height to stick at this level. He has shown the ability to move well from one end of the court to the other, as well as defend the perimeter if he needs to. Wilson actually played seven minutes in the Syracuse game last season and hung in well against a high major opponent. He will still be quite raw on the offensive end given his lack of playing time in his first few seasons, but Wilson has the size to be able to give the Hoyas a few solid minutes each game in place of Ighoefe/Mutombo.
Newcomers
Ryan Mutombo
Mutombo, listed as a 4-star recruit, comes in as the 117th ranked prospect nationally from the Lovett School in Atlanta, GA. Mutombo is listed as 7’2’’ and 252 lbs. on the official Georgetown Athletics website. Highlights from high school show him dominating the competition in the post, but Mutombo will need time to become acclimated to the college level and playing in the Big East. Mutombo is known to have a very solid outside shot already, and the Hoyas may be able to use this to their advantage. Qudus Wahab never had much of an exterior shot, so the Hoyas should be able to use a center with outside shooting ability to their advantage. However, Patrick Ewing has said Mutombo is still a work in progress on the defensive end. He will be matched up against the likes of Nate Watson and other star centers this season, so there may be some growing pains early on.
Especially with Ighoefe having recently been named the starter for Saturday’s season opener, I expect him to play the majority of minutes at the 5. If I had to guess, I would say Ighoefe plays about 20 minutes a game (if he can stay out of foul trouble), with Mutombo seeing around 15 minutes and Malcolm Wilson getting five minutes. We all know how much Patrick Ewing likes to experiment with his lineups early on, so time will tell if my minutes distribution prediction is correct. Patrick Ewing also loves to run his offense through the center. As everyone should remember from last season, Qudus Wahab touched the ball on pretty much every possession. With Wahab gone, the emergence of Dante Harris, and the enormous star potential of Aminu Mohammed, I expect Ewing to try to run his offense more through his guards with his centers prioritizing the boards. If Tim can seize the moment, Ryan Mutombo adjusts well to the college level, and Malcolm Wilson fills in nicely, the Hoyas should be in a good spot at the center position. It may take some time and patience, but it took time and patience last year, and the Hoyas ended up Big East Champions.
