The forward position group was among the Hoyas’ biggest strengths last season, especially in the Big East Tournament. The outstanding play and leadership of Jamorko Pickett and Chudier Bile provided versatility on both ends of the floor that will certainly be missed. As Pickett and Bile begin their careers for the Detroit Pistons and the Greensboro Swarm of the G League, respectively, the Hoyas are left figuring out what to do with their absences.
Without these key contributors and their combined 24.4 ppg, the frontcourt projects to be a weak spot for the 2021-22 Hoyas. Georgetown will aim to replace their production with a combination of freshman talent, returning bench players, and Citadel transfer Kaiden Rice.
Let’s take a closer look at the players filling in the forward spots for Patrick Ewing’s squad this season.
Newcomers
Jalin Billingsley
Billingsley will bring a much needed infusion of young talent to this year’s frontcourt. The 6’8” 3-star power forward arrives on the Hilltop after averaging 13 rebounds per game in both seasons as an upperclassman at Cleveland’s Lutheran East, and he will need to be a key contributor on the boards from day one on. Billingsley fills the stretch four role, with a solid mid-range game and a strong defensive presence down low. He showed off some of his skills in his high school mixtape:
While his progression to Big East-caliber game speed could take some time, Billingsley hopes to be a very valuable piece for Georgetown in the near future on both sides of the ball. Expect a lot of minutes for Billingsley as this Hoyas squad finds its identity in non-conference play.
Kaiden Rice
Much like with Chudier Bile in 2020-21, Patrick Ewing has once again utilized the transfer portal to bring in reinforcements at the forward spot. As a graduate transfer from The Citadel, Rice gives the Hoyas a much-needed influx of experience and perimeter shooting at the swing-man position. In his final year with the Bulldogs, Rice was in the top 10 in the nation in both three-pointers attempted and made, hitting 92 shots from deep at a 34.8% clip. Rice can certainly hit jumpers in bunches, as he showed against Furman last year.
Rice does not have the same promise on the defensive side of the ball, but his play should nevertheless give the Hoyas a big boost on the outside. Look for Rice to get a lot of opportunities in the starting lineup early in the year to prove his skills and earn a large spot in the rotation.
Additional Notes
Eastern Kentucky transfer forward Tre King was forecasted to be a big contributor for the team as well, but the junior was dismissed from Georgetown in October after failing to “meet the conduct expectations of the University,” according to Georgetown Athletics. Without King and his ability to space the floor, Ewing will have far fewer opportunities to roll out small-ball lineups this season.
Returners
The returning class of forwards will undoubtedly be asked to shoulder a much larger workload compared to last season. Buried behind the likes of Pickett and Bile, these young Hoyas did not have much of an opportunity to play impactful basketball, but that will change this year. The Big East Tournament experience alone should give these sophomores something to build on for year two.
Here’s how they expect to contribute in the 2021-22 campaign:
Collin Holloway
Playing just 44 total minutes of action last season, Holloway did not get much of a chance to display his skillset to Hoya fans outside of his strong defensive stint towards the end of the Big East Tournament Championship. However, the athletic sophomore should provide energy and an attacking offensive mentality as his role expands. With a strong build and decent handle, Holloway should be able to fill in valuable bench (and possibly some starting) minutes for Georgetown when his number is called. This may take some time as Holloway expects to miss the opener due to a nagging injury.
Kobe Clark
Kobe Clark looks to make more of an impression in his second year as a Hoya after averaging just 0.6 ppg and 1.6 rpg in 10 appearances in 2020-21. He showed flashes of his rebounding prowess in last season’s opener against UMBC but failed to contribute much after his debut. Clark should bring an element of playmaking to the frontcourt along with his knack for grabbing boards. Hopefully next year’s highlight tape will include some more game footage:
In any event, Clark clearly has great chemistry with the returning members of the team and his rapport with Dante Harris should help his case for more playing time once he is cleared to play.
Victor Muresan
Local kid Victor Muresan will likely only hit the floor this year in blowout scenarios after being barred from all game action last season. The lanky 6’10” sophomore will likely need some more time in development before he can contend for any sort of consistent minutes on a Georgetown squad.
Patrick Ewing will likely need some time to figure out this position group’s fit alongside Dante Harris, Aminu Mohammed, and Don Carey. The forwards will primarily be utilized on the offensive end to set up easy buckets for the talent at the guard and wing spots, but Billingsley and Rice should be able to handle some of the shot-creation themselves.
The Big East will also bring some tough defensive assignments, such as Xavier’s Zach Freemantle and Villanova’s Jermaine Samuels. Guarding them will be a tall task, and there will definitely be some growing pains on that side of the ball as conference play gets going. But if we learned anything last season, peaking late can be a wonderful thing.
Great coverage!