Georgetown won 19 games in 2018-19, their most in a season since 2014-15 which was also the last season which the Hoyas made the NCAA Tournament. This will be Patrick Ewing’s third season at the helm, and he likely will have his most talented team in 2019-20. The impressive freshmen trio of James Akinjo, Mac McClung and Josh LeBlanc all return along with a couple impact transfers joining the team. Georgetown could sneakily be one of the better teams in the Big East this season.
2018-19 Record: 19-14, 9-9
2018-19 Postseason: NIT
Coach: Patrick Ewing
Coach Record: 34-29 at Georgetown, 34-29 overall
Key Departed Players:
Jessie Govan, Forward, 17.5 ppg
Trey Mourning, Forward, 6.3 ppg Greg Malinowski, Guard, 5.7 ppg Kaleb Johnson, Forward, 4.4 ppg
Key Returning Players:
James Akinjo, Sophomore, Guard, 13.4 ppg
Mac McClung, Sophomore, Guard, 13.1 ppg
Josh LeBlanc, Sophomore, Forward, 9.1 ppg
Jamorko Pickett, Junior, Forward, 6.2 ppg
Jahvon Blair, Junior, Guard, 4.1 ppg Jagan Mosely, Senior, Guard, 3.1 ppg
Key New Players:
Galen Alexander, Junior, Forward, Transfer from Junior College
Terrell Allen, Senior, Guard, Transfer from Central Florida Myron Gardner, Freshman, Forward (3 star)
Timothy Igohoefe, Freshman, Center (3 star)
Qudus Wahab, Freshman, Center (3 star 135 overall)
Malcolm Wilson, Freshman, Center (3 star) Omer Yurtseven, Junior, Center, Transfer from NC State
Projection:
Georgetown had three players make the Big East All-Freshman Team last season and all three are back for their sophomore campaigns. James Akinjo was second on the team in scoring with 13.4 points per game and led the Hoyas in assists (5.2) and steals (1.1) per game. Mac McClung wasn’t far behind Akinjo in scoring as he averaged 13.1 points per game. McClung was a social media sensation before joining the Hoyas, and he lived up to those expectations as a freshman. Josh LeBlanc was the least decorated of the three, but with Jessie Govan graduated, he should have more opportunities as a sophomore. LeBlanc still averaged 9.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 24 minutes per game. Jamorko Pickett started 23 games as a sophomore, averaging 6.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 blocks. Akinjo, McClung, LeBlanc and Pickett give the Hoyas one of the top young returning cores in the Big East. Jahvon Blair and Jagan Mosely also return to provide depth and experience in the backcourt. Terrell Allen and Omer Yurtseven are a pair of transfers who should make an impact this season. Allen is a grad transfer from Central Florida who started 55 games over the last two seasons. Last year, Allen averaged 6.7 points, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals on a team that made the NCAA Tournament. Yurtseven played two seasons at NC State and was a Third Team All-ACC member as a sophomore. Yurtseven averaged 13.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks that year and should seamlessly step into Govan’s role this season. Galen Alexander is a junior college transfer who played nine games at LSU in 2017-18 before being dismissed from the team. Alexander is a former four-star recruit who averaged 17.2 points and 8.4 rebounds last year in junior college. The Hoyas also have four freshmen joining the roster, all of which are three-star recruits. The highest ranked recruit is Qudus Wahab, listed as a top-150 prospect, but he is a 6-foot-10 center who will likely just be a back-up for Yurtseven. Patrick Ewing has been slowly building Georgetown back up, and this year he should have them back in the mix for an NCAA Tournament appearance.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 79.5 (36th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 78.1 (321, 10)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.3 (176, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.2 (144, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.2 (127, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.5 (114, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.7 (78, 3)
Rebound Margin: 3.0 (81, 4)
Assists Per Game: 16.4 (16, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.4 (230, 😎
Madness 2020 NBA Draft Rankings:
#47 Mac McClung
Madness 2019 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#127 Qudus Wahab