Georgetown and Ed Cooley have completely retooled and, honestly, who can blame the
Georgetown decided to investigate a question that has puzzled philosophers for centuries. That question is: Is Ed Cooley a good coach? So far, not so good. The Hoyas would have been the most comically awful high-major program in the country last season if not for the existence of DePaul. Their two conference wins came at the expense of the Blue Demons, and they ran Xavier close a couple of times but they couldn’t close the deal. All in all, Cooley’s time in the capital has not been great, but it sure as cuss can’t get any worse. Or can it?
We should first start with the high note. Yes, one high note. Jayden Epps was a bucket-getter despite playing on a team with no offensive game plan and few other weapons around him. Epps averaged over 18 per game in his sophomore season and his shooting splits reflect just how often he was having to force something. This dude is a legit weapon and a good team would make him an all-conference shoo-in. Running it back with Epps is big man Drew Fielder. Fielder was not a volume shooter like Epps, he averaged just over 5 per game. Where Fielder shined was in his ability to spread the floor, while not sacrificing interior presence. While he didn’t get enough game time to make the national ranks, he shot 40% from deep, 54% inside the arc, and blocked and rebounded a respectable amount of shots.
Obviously, a team that was far from stacked with talent had to bring in some fresh new faces for the upcoming season. The first place Cooley looked was, of course, Louisville. Curtis Williams was not exactly the bright spot in Louisville’s laughable season, but he…*checks notes* only got called for 1.7 fouls per 40 minutes. Moving quickly on to a big get for the Hoyas, another Harvard gunner has decided to join the Big East. Malik Mack averaged just under 18 per game as a freshman. He also had just under 5 assists per game while leading the team in usage. Mack and Epps in the backcourt should be a formidable partnership, but they will also have the assistance of Micah Peavy. Peavy was a double-digit guy at TCU a season ago and, while his shooting splits were not the greatest, it was his first season with an Ortg over 100 in his career.
While these transfers bolster the backcourt and the wings, it’s two freshmen who need to fill in on the blocks. Julius Halaifonua and Thomas Sorber are both 4-star guys and Sorber is expected to play the bigger role in the coming season. Sorber profiles as an old-school big man who can bury guys in the post finish over both shoulders and hoover up rebounds. He’s not the most bouncy or the quickest, but he has done a good job of expanding the range of his shooting and his defense. Julius is a legit 7-footer who is the #1 recruit from New Zealand. He is also not fleet of foot but is the kind of guy that will be hard to move out of the post.
You may notice that almost none of the guys I mentioned are necessarily touted for their defense. Well spotted, dear reader. The Hoyas of last year could get buckets at an acceptable rate, but could not guard anyone at all. This led to their defense being ranked 321st in the country per KenPom. Peavy is known as a capable defender, but I don’t think he makes up the ground that the team needs to be competitive. What’s the final outlook? I think Georgetown is in for another long season, and not in a good way. I do think they will be better than last year, but don’t think they’ll be shooting up the standings. 9th at best for the Hoyas.