CBB Rank 2024: No. 95, Georgetown Basketball

While Georgetown basketball technically did improve in 2023-24, going from seven wins to nine wins really isn’t saying much. Cooley’s Hoyas had most of the same struggles as the program had under Patrick Ewing. And it doesn’t take rocket science to understand what that is. The Hoyas have simply been a bad offensive team, and lackluster defense has contributed to a lot of blowouts and very few conference wins.

This offseason, Georgetown parted ways with six rotation players, but given how bad last season was, it’s tough to say all, if any are truly “notable” departures. Supreme Cook’s rebounding is arguably the biggest loss, and Rowan Brumbaugh’s potential is still very high, but the other four losses are all replaced by experienced players who might be able to better represent the Ed Cooley way.

Everything will start with the backcourt. Jayden Epps and Malik Mack are both scorers and playmakers. It will be interesting to see if they dominate the basketball or take a back seat to get others involved. TCU transfer Micah Peavy excels on defense and can also score and pass. The projected frontcourt is young, but Jordan Burks was a highly sought after recruit heading into 2023 and Thomas Sorber is the same this year.

The Georgetown bench will be mostly underclassmen, but Drew Fielder and Curtis Williams played solid minutes as freshmen and will be more experienced than most sophomores in the Big East.

I don’t think it’s NCAA Tournament or bust this year for Cooley, but given the talent Georgetown is working with, I’m sure they want to see some major improvements.

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Head coach: Ed Cooley (2nd season at Georgetown, 19th season overall)

2023-24 record: 9-23 (2-18)

2024 postseason finish: No postseason

Notable departures: 

• Supreme Cook (10.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 0.6 APG, 57.5 FG%)
• Dontrez Styles (12.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 0.8 APG, 36.8 3P%)
• Rowan Brumbaugh (8.3 PPG, 2.6 APG, 2.2 RPG, 37.0 3P%)
• Jay Heath (8.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 37.2 3P%)
• Ismael Massoud (5.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 0.5 APG)
• Wayne Bristol Jr. (3.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 0.8 APG)

Notable non-conference games: 

• at West Virginia (Dec. 6)
• at Syracuse (Dec. 14)
• at Notre Dame

Projected Rotation

PG: Malik Mack (6-1, 170, So.)

2023-24 stats: 17.2 PPG, 4.8 APG, 4.0 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 34.1 3P% (Harvard)

SG: Jayden Epps (6-2, 170, Jr.)

2023-24 stats: 18.5 PPG, 4.2 APG, 2.6 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 3.4 TOV

SF: Micah Peavy (6-8, 215, Gr.-Sr.)

2023-24 stats: 10.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.3 SPG (TCU)

PF: Jordan Burks (6-8, 202, So.)

2023-24 stats: 1.9 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.3 APG, 60.0 FG% (15-25) (Kentucky)

C: Thomas Sorber (6-9, 250, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #44 ranked recruit

6: Drew Fielder (6-10, 216, So.)

2023-24 stats: 5.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 0.7 APG, 40.7 3P% (22-54)

7: Curtis Williams (6-5, 205, So.)

2023-24 stats: 5.3 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.6 APG, 31.7 FG% (Louisville)

8: Kayvaun Mulready (6-4, 210, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #72 ranked recruit

9: Caleb Williams (6-7, 215, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #197 ranked recruit

Georgetown Basketball team MVP: Jayden Epps

I get the feeling a lot of Georgetown and Big East fans believe Mack will come in and totally take the reigns for the Hoyas but I wouldn’t overlook Epps’ value. After all, he led Georgetown in points per game and assists per game last season – with his scoring average higher than Mack, who played in the Ivy League.

While I don’t think Mack will have much of an adjustment to power five basketball, Epps has already played two years on the big stage and seems poised to put Georgetown on his back. If Mack takes over the point guard role, it should free Epps up to have a really big season scoring the basketball.

The biggest concern with Epps is his turnover-prone style of play. He can be very care free with the basketball, which directly corresponds to averaging nearly four turnovers per game. While playing loose has its benefits on offense, he may need to dial it back a bit for the good of his team

Georgetown Basketball make-or-break player: Drew Fielder

As it stands, I have Fielder coming off the bench, which may or may not be how Cooley decides to rotate his forwards. If Burks starts, it gives Fielder the chance to bring in more of a scoring punch off the bench. If Fielder starts, Georgetown will have a more experienced frontcourt, but the bench may have some problems.

Even if Fielder does come off the bench to start, I’d have to bet he’d finish in the starting five to end games. His shooting stroke at 6-foot-10 is a great asset to have, especially on a Georgetown basketball team that doesn’t have a whole lot of knockdown outside shooters.

There’s a lot to like about Fielder and his potential is through the roof, but where he fits on this team is another big topic of conversation. Wherever it is, he’s got the skills to put up a lot of points for GTown this year.

Key analytic: Defensive rebounding

Last season, Georgetown placed 351st in the country with just 21.9 defensive rebounds per game. Part of that is due to finishing 360th in defensive field goal percentage. The Hoyas let opponents hit a whopping 48.9% of their shots from the field.

While defense is the number one concern, the rebounding also took a hit with the loss of Supreme Cook. Freshman Thomas Sorber will have to play a big role on this year’s team and the Hoyas don’t have an influx of centers. Forwards like Peavy and Burks will have to play big on the boards depending on how iffy the Hoyas’ big men truly are. Sorber’s a big body, so he may end up being the answer, but counting on a freshman to replace your top rebounder is not a great way to do things.

Georgetown Basketball 2024-25 projections

Projected conference finish: 9th in Big East

Projected postseason ceiling: NIT appearance