Better Know a Team: Georgetown

Maybe Ed’s first 2 seasons were simply practice…

This could be a very telling year for Ed and the Hoyas. If he can get them back at least near the bubble, perhaps there’s hope after all. If not, rumors of Ed’s demise may be greatly understated…

Last Year’s Record: 18-16 (8-12), Crown Quarterfinalist, lost to eventual Crown Champion Nebraska

Preseason Metrics (last season final):
Torvik: 70 (96)
KenPom: 82 (90)
EvanMiya: 67 (93)

May be the last time Ed smiled since arriving to Georgetown.

Coach: Slick Eddie, 3rd Season. I have been very hard on Ed, because I am firmly of the belief that programs do not need to be built slowly in the transfer portal era. Moribund programs get turned around annually. Georgetown needs to look no further than its conference mate St. John’s, who also hired a new head coach 3 off-seasons ago, narrowly missing the NCAAT year 1, and running roughshod over the conference in year 2, en route to a double conference championship. So if you’re an experienced, successful coach, I expect that you’ll be able to turn things around promptly.

Now, Ed Cooley is certainly no Rick Pitino–although Georgetown is certainly paying him as if he were that good—I would have expected Ed to have had Georgetown legitimately threatening for a tournament bid, at worst, in his 2nd year. Instead, Georgetown was as atrocious year 1 as it was under Patrick Ewing, finishing 192nd in KenPom, and going 2-18 in the Big East. Last year saw marked improvement, with the Hoyas logging 8 conference victories, but still finishing just 90th in KenPom. The reason the metrics were not high on the Hoyas? They beat absolutely no body, with their best win being at KenPom 56, Villanova. They only had 2 other wins away from home in the regular season (at lowly ‘Cuse and Seton Hall), before beating Wazzou on a neutral floor in the first round of the Crown.

Do I think Ed is on the hot seat? It’s certainly getting warm. Do I think he needs to prove that this isn’t his retirement job? Absolutely. His body language has not been the best at times. His press conferences have not been the best at times. It occasionally appears like he’d rather be anywhere else. He has the resources to succeed, and the Georgetown brand, the 2 things he presumably left Providence for, so it is fair to ask when will he finally translate those assets into success?

Since they’re both in DC, maybe he can get the name of Trump’s spray tan person so we can nickname him “Orange Julius”

Roster:

Starters
PG: Malik Mack (Jr.), 6’2” 175 lbs.
SG: K.J. Lewis (Jr.), 6’4” 210 lbs.
SF: Langston Love (Gr.), 6’5” 210 lbs.
PF: Caleb Williams (So.), 6’7” 227 lbs.
C: Julius Halaifonua (R-Fr.), 7’0” 259 lbs.

Rotation Bench
PG Jeremiah Williams (Gr.), 6’4” 200 lbs.
SG Kayvaun Mulready (So.), 6’4” 219 lbs.
F/G DeShawn Harris-Smith (Jr.), 6’5” 224 lbs.
PF Isaiah Abraham (So.), 6’7” 205 lbs.
C Vince Iwuchukwu (Sr.), 7’1” 257 lbs.

Bench Warmers
SF Austin Montgomery (Jr.), 6’6” 205 lbs.
PF Jayden Fort (So.), 6’9” 216 lbs.
C Seal Diouf (R-Fr.), 6’9” 255 lbs.

Big Non-Conference Games:

11/7, 6pm at Maryland, FS1
11/15, noon vs. Clemson, Peacock

2025 Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational
11/27, 7:30pm vs. Dayton (N), ESPN2
11/28, TBD vs. BYU or Miami (N), ESPN/ESPN2

12/7, 5pm at North Carolina, ESPN

What’s Old: Like DePaul, the Hoyas return a trio of players that are projected to start this season. That group is headlined by Malik Mack. Mack started all 32 games as a sophomore for the Hoyas last season, after playing his freshman year at Harvard. Mack had a very good first season in the nation’s capital, posting 12.9/3.6/4.3 on 38.1/35.5/73.0 shooting in 34.8 mpg. If there’s one knock on him offensively it’s that he was abysmal at the rim, shooting just 50.5% (18th percentile). I think having a year under his belt will help him in this regard, but it’s unlikely he turns into an elite slasher. He once again figures to be an excellent distributor. He had a 22.7% assist rate last season, good for 90th percentile, and his 4.3 assists were good for 97th percentile.

Defensively, Mack still leaves a lot to be desired. The Hoyas were a full 8 points per 100 possessions worse with Mack on the floor, a sample size of 409 possessions, 244 minutes. That’s not great. Mack is a decent disruptor, posting 1.3 steals per game last season. That said, he has trouble with quicker guards. Some of that may also be an adjustment issue, and with a season under his belt, and a full offseason it’s possible he gains some quickness both in anticipation and physical foot speed.

Also returning is PF Caleb Williams. The sophomore appeared in 29 games last season, playing 20.3 mpg and posting 4.3/3.8/0.9 on 44.4/32.6/61.5. Needless to say, his offense was not great. While it’s unclear if Williams can be an elite shooter, 32.6% on 1.5 3-point attempts per game is certainly enough to maintain spacing. If Williams is going to improve offensively, his best bet is to get to the rim, where he shot 63% last season, not great, but good enough, and likely to improve. Williams only took 25% of his shots at the rim last season. Some of that can be attributed to being deployed as more of a spot up shooter, with Peavy and Burks providing more of the slashing from the wing, and guys like Sorber and Fielder taking up space inside, Williams likely wasn’t expected to get to the rim at a high rate. This also goes to the point that if Williams is to improve offensively, shot selection will be a big part of it. He had a Rim + 3 rate of just 64.8% last season, good for 28th percentile per CBB Analytics. While Williams is a pretty good mid-range shooter, 44.4% per CBB Analytics, 79th percentile, he needs to attack the basket better and get himself more 3 point looks, provided he can maintain, or better yet improve, his 3-point percentage.

Defensively, Williams was very solid last season, using his footspeed and size to keep guys in front of him. His DRAPM was 1.8, 88th percentile per CBB Analytics. He was also pretty strong on the glass on both ends, posting 5 defensive rebounds per 40 mins and 2.4 offensive rebounds per 40. We’ll likely see a strong sophomore jump from Williams, which will be huge if the Hoyas are to get back to the NCAAT.

Julius Halaifonua is the last returnee that is likely to start. Halaifonua appeared in Georgetown’s first 6 games last season in a reserve role behind first round draft pick Thomas Sorber, playing 13 mpg, posting a 3.0/2.0/0.7 line on 41.2/25.0/100.0 shooting, before suffering a season-ending ankle fracture. Sorber choosing to stay in the draft, while probably the right decision for Sorber, was a crushing blow to Georgetown. If this team still had Sorber, it would allow Halaifonua a year to continue in that reserve role, and not put pressure on him as he returns from a major injury. Thankfully, the injury has healed in sufficient time for Halaifonua to participate fully in summer workouts and the preseason. He also repped his native New Zealand in the U19 World Cup, posting a line of 10.6/5.4/2.0 and 1.6 bpg in just 19.3 mpg.

While Halaifonua’s numbers in that very limited sample size don’t jump off the page, remember these were the first 6 games for a player transitioning from overseas to the college game. On a per-40 basis, Halaifonua posted 9.1/6.1/2.0 in those 6 games. Of course level of competition matters, but Halaifonua still brought down 3 boards and had a block in his lone game versus a high major program in that span. The point is, he showed flashes. He has the skillset to be a top tier rim protector and defender, and should be solid offensively as an inside-out big, which is important in Cooley’s flex offense. Personally, I love Halaifonua’s game, and I think his breakout will be a huge key to Georgetown’s resurgence this season.

The final “impact” returnee, who is likely to crack the rotation, is Kayvaun Mulready, a 6’4” sophomore guard. He’ll be one of 2 back-up guards, along with newcomer Jeremiah Williams, and therefore figures to see significant time. Last season, Mulready posted a line of 1.4/0.7/0.4 on 30.3/26.1/62.5 in just 8 mpg, across 22 appearances. Mulready is going to need to show a lot more in year 2, given the larger role he’s likely to have. The pedigree and skill set is clearly there, as he was a top-100 4-star out of Worcester Academy in Massachusetts. He’s a big, physical guard, with the ability to guard 1 through 4. Offensively, he wasn’t much of a shooter as a prospect, but that’s certainly an area he can improve. But if you’re looking for signs of encouragement, look no further than the Crown game versus Nebraska, where Mulready posted a line of 9.0/3.0/1.0 on 3/5 shooting, 3/4 from deep. If he can provide games like that consistently, it will be provide some welcome backcourt depth for the Hoyas.

Honestly, Mulready reminds me a lot of former Johnnie and Pirate Dylan Addae-Wusu given his size and physicality. Not someone you want to draw a charge on when he has a full head of steam towards the rim. Defensively, like Addae-Wusu, he can switch up and down the lineup, and create havoc with steals.

There are 3 additional returnees for Ed’s squad, all of whom contributed lightly or not at all on last year’s squad. First, Austin Montgomery, a 6’6” junior forward. Montgomery did not see many meaningful minutes in the regular season, before being pressed into service on a depleted roster in the Crown Invitational. He performed admirably, giving the Hoyas 11 mpg of strong effort across 2 Crown games, but didn’t show anything that would indicate he’s likely to contribute in 2025-26.

Jayden Fort was an unrated local prospect in the class of 2024 out of Jackson-Reed HS in DC. He redshirted last season. Seal Diouf is a 6’9” center, who was a 3-star in the class of 2024, and who also took a redshirt last season. Both Diouf and Fort find themselves in a crowded frontcourt behind Williams and Halaifonua, as well as newcomers Isaiah Abraham and Vince Iwuchukwu, and seem unlikely to crack the rotation in a significant way.

What’s New: Headlining the new additions is guard K.J. Lewis, a junior transfer from Arizona. As a sophomore last season, he posted a line of 10.8/4.6/2.9, adding in 1.3 steals per game, and nearly a block per game (0.8) in 25.8 mpg. Lewis is a really versatile guard, but needs to work on his shooting, as he shot 18.8% from deep last season, 24.5% for his career. He has a career FT percentage of 80.2%, so you would think the shooting mechanics are there, and last year was simply an anomaly, and the 34.1% he shot from deep as a freshman is closer to reality. Frankly, the Hoyas really need Lewis to be a better shooter if they’re to find success this year, as that is one of the weak spots on this roster.

Defensively, Lewis is a stud. He is a high-energy, tenacious defender, as indicated by his blocks and steals figures, and his Hakeem percentage (block % + steal %) of 6.6% had him in the 88th percentile a season ago, and he did it without fouling, having a personal foul efficiency of just 0.84x, good for 84th percentile. His athleticism allows him to contain with the best of them. Arizona was 2.4 pp100p better with Lewis on the floor last season.

Joining Lewis from the Big12 is Baylor transfer Langston Love. Together with Lewis, Love provides some intangibles, namely experience and big game experience at that. Love has been to the NCAAT all 3 years at Baylor, although youth and an ankle injury prevented him from contributing to the first 2 tournaments. Last year love went for 13/3.5/1.0 on 50/33.3/0.0 (no FTA) in 2 games against Mississippi State and Duke. Overall last season, Love posted 8.9/2.8/1.2 on 38.9/32.6/89.2 in 26.4 mpg. The 3-point shooting was not great last year, but he was a 48% shooter in 2023-24 before his ankle injury, shooting 36/75 (3.1 att. per game) that season. For his career he’s a 38.8% 3-point shooter, 88/227. As with Lewis, the Hoyas need Love to be a better shooter than he was last season,  especially when considering that 57.6% of Love’s shots come from deep. Ideally, he can play to his career average of 38.8%, but I think 36%+ will be more than welcomed. Especially when considering that 57.6% of Love’s shots come from deep.

Defensively, I think you just have to live with Love, and perhaps find ways to hide him. Baylor was 10 points worse per 100 possessions with Love on the floor. Yikes.

Backing up Mack at the point is graduate student Jeremiah Williams. Williams enters his 6th season of college having played 2 years at Temple, taken a medical redshirt, and then played 2 years at Rutgers. For his career, Williams has a line of 8.9/3.3/2.0 on 43.5/26.3/66.8, with 1 steal per game in 28.2 mpg. His first year at Rutgers was his best, albeit he only played 12 games, starting 11, after returning from injury, posting 12.2/3.4/2.8 in 26.8 mpg on 44.4/20.8/78.4 shooting. What should be clear is even at his best, Williams is not much of a shooter. He’s at his best at the rim (62.0 FG%) or in the paint away from the rim (44.9%). He took 65% of his shots at the rim or in the paint last season. The 3-point percentage also isn’t quite as bad as it looks. He was atrocious from the corner, shooting 15.4% on corner threes, but is a respectable 33.3% on 3’s above the break.

Defensively, Williams is very good. In his first year at Rutgers he posted a 99.3 D-Rating, and a 3.5 DBPM. He has a 2.3 DBPM for his career, and his 1.6 DRAPM last season was good for 86th percentile, per CBB Analytics. Rutgers was 5.8 points per 100 possessions better with Williams on the floor last season. In 2 seasons at Rutgers he averaged 3.0 sp100, and he’ll look to continue those ball-hawking ways for the Hoyas. With Lewis, Mulready, Mack and Williams, the defensive backcourt will generate a ton of steals.

The Hoyas are also adding the Crab 5’s 6th man, DeShawn Harris-Smith. Harris-Smith was the 6th highest minute getter on Maryland last season, but only logged 15.4 mpg, as erstwhile Terps coach Kevin Willard leaned heavily on the “Crab 5,” his starters. In his limited time, Harris-Smith posted 2.5/2.4/1.0 on 39.5/20.0/50.0 shooting. That shooting…not an anomaly, in his freshman year at Maryland, when he started 30 games and played 29.5 mpg, Harris-Smith shot equally bad. The poor FT shooting would indicate it’s not an anomaly. Defensively, Maryland was 1 point worse with Harris-Smith on the floor, but I think that’s not too bad, given how good that starting 5—and team overall—was defensively (7th in the country, 91.9 AdjDE per KenPom).

Rounding out the new additions are a pair of Big East, intraconference frontcourt transfers: Isaiah Abraham from UConn and Vince Iwuchukwu from St. John’s. First, Abraham. I gotta say, the sample size is small, but players leaving UConn have not fared very well at their new schools. Richie Springs was a 3-star prospect, and couldn’t even get off the bench in 2-years at Quinnipiac, averaging just 8 mpg. At St. John’s, Nahiem Alleyne was pretty much the same guy he was at UConn, a decent rotation piece, Apostos Roumoglou was decent at Richmond last year, and is probably the best success story. Georgetown experienced this first hand with Akok Akok turning in mediocre performances under Ewing (and it wasn’t just Ewing, Akok was mediocre at WVU in his last CBB season). Jalen Gaffney was mediocre across 2 seasons FAU. Corey Floyd Jr. has gradually improved for PC after redshirting at UConn, so a bit different. Similar career path for Rahsool Diggins going to UMass from UConn.

The point is that Danny Hurley guy knows a little something about basketball, and he’s done a fantastic job of retaining the pieces he wants to retain. If a player is leaving UConn, it’s usually because he’s surplus to Hurley’s requirements, which should be an instant red flag. As for Abraham specifically, I know there’s UConn fans who think he will be very good with a larger role that he simply wasn’t going to get on this year’s UConn roster with Karaban, Stewart, Ross and Mullins all ahead of him on the forward depth chart. He’s still just a sophomore with obvious upside, and a top-100 4-star in the class of 2024. Georgetown recruited him out of high school.

So given all of that, it’s certainly possible that Abraham fairs better than previous UConn departees, and follows the Floyd/Diggins path. However, both Floyd and Diggins took a couple years to become impact players. Georgetown may be expecting more than a bit role from Abraham this season, and I will remain dubious he can deliver until I see otherwise.

Vince Iwuchukwu is someone I definitely know well, as the erstwhile Johnnie played 7.1 mpg across 34 games for St. John’s, posting 2.7/1.7/0.1 on 54.2% from the field. Vince has the physical tools to be a rim runner and rim protector. He sports a career 2.2 bp40 rate. Last year he was bottled up behind Zuby, which limited his minutes. This year he’ll once again be in a reserve role behind Halaifonua. He’s serviceable in such a role.

Noticeably absent from Georgetown’s roster: any true freshmen. Cooley pulled a Pitino better than Pitino himself, and eschewed the Class of 2025 in favor of bringing in experienced players like Lewis and Love to complement his existing core of returnees.


The Optimist’s Take: Mack takes a leap in his 2nd Big East season. Halaifonua is the real deal, and fills at least a big part of the Sorber-sized hole in the front court. Lewis and Love find their shots and provide offensive fire power alongside Mack. Abraham makes a big impact immediately off-the-bench. The defensive is stout, and forces a lot of TOs.

The Hater’s Take: Ed Cooley is washed. This is his retirement gig. He’s phoning it in. Ed’s style is outdated, and he’s brought in a bunch of guys that are not great shooters. Abraham does not make an impact, Mulready isn’t ready for a bigger role, and the meaningful depth boils down to Jeremiah Williams and DeShawn Harris-Smith, putting a strain on the starters, and causing problems when foul trouble rears its ugly head.

Can Ed & the Hoyas at least get a few more butts in seats this season?

Fan Pulse: Still cannot be bothered to show up, selling just 8,400 tickets per home game last season, even as they were more competitive. The optics of 8,400 (and let’s be real, noticeably fewer people actually showed up each game), in a cavernous NBA arena that holds 20,000+ is jarring, and a pretty bad look for the Hoyas. The conference will be better with an engaged Hoya fan base, so hopefully this improves.

Bottom Line: I think the Hoyas have enough talent at the top to contend for an NCAAT berth. The depth definitely concerns me, as I’m not high on Abraham or Iwuchukwu’s ability to contribute meaningfully this season beyond eating some minutes. Hopefully, for the good of the conference, the Hoyas can be the 5th or 6th bid from the league. Unfortunately, I think they fall short, and find themselves just on the wrong side of the bubble. Good enough for Cooley to keep his job on the back of steady improvement, not good enough to generate significant buzz or excitement in the nation’s capital.

Prediction: 18-13 (9-11), 6th Place