Young Hoyas Want to Grow and Return to the Big Dance
By SEAN BRENNAN
Special to
BIGEAST.com
There was a lot to like about the Georgetown Hoyas last season. Nineteen overall wins, the most for the program since the 2014-15 season. How about the nine conference victories that saw the Hoyas finish in a four-way tie for third place? And, of course, the breakout seasons of the Hoyas’ fabulous freshmen - James Akinjo, Mac McClung and Josh LeBlanc, a trio that electrified the BIG EAST last season.
But the one thing that was missing, the final piece of the puzzle that would have made last season an even more memorable one for the Hoyas, was a trip to the NCAA Tournament. It’s a destination the Hoyas haven’t reached in four seasons and it’s what will be driving Georgetown in the 2019-20 campaign.
“That’s a big motivation for us,” said Akinjo, who averaged 13.4 points and led the Hoyas with 52 three-pointers while being named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year last season. “We talk about that every day in practice because with the group we have this year, we have the opportunity to do something really special, and that’s bring Georgetown back to where it should be. So I’m really serious about that and the team is really serious about that and we’re going to do all we can to make that happen. We’re going to take it step by step, but it’s something we focus on every day in practice.”
So what do the Hoyas have to do to take the next step? Especially now that Jessie Govan and his team-best 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds are no longer around. It all centers around the Hoyas fab freshmen class morphing into a superlative sophomore group, says head coach Patrick Ewing.
”I’m looking for a lot from them,” said Ewing, who is beginning his third season as head coach at his alma mater. ”We lost Jessie, who was a senior and was a mainstay here for my two years. But Mac, James and Josh came in as freshmen and played a lot of minutes for us and did a lot of great things. So I’m expecting them to improve on what they did last year and to continue to grow.”
We’ll get to that “grow” part a little later. But first a recap of the fab freshman. Akinjo, McClung and LeBlanc were all named to the BIG EAST’s All-Freshman Team last year. McClung became something of a YouTube sensation last year with his array of dramatic shots and averaged 13.1 points last season. LeBlanc, a 6-7 forward, averaged 9.1 points and 7.3 rebounds while also notching 36 blocks, second only to Govan’s 41.
So what does Akinjo have up his sleeve for the BIG EAST this season?
“Most of my goals are team-oriented goals,” the 6-0 guard said. “I want to win the BIG EAST regular-season title and then I want to win the BIG EAST Tournament championship and then get far into the NCAA Tournament. As for myself, I just want to keep playing hard and keep getting better, keep growing. I don’t want to say too much. I just want to go out there and show you guys.”
As for that “growing” part both Ewing and Akinjo alluded to, a quick glance at the Hoyas’ roster shows Georgetown is growing quite the frontline for now and the future. Not only will they have the services of 7-0, 264-pound Omer Yurtseven, a transfer from N.C. State, this season, but Ewing has gone out and corralled not one, not two, but three 6-11 freshmen whom he can work with over the next few seasons. The presence of 6-11, 250-pound Timothy Ighoefe, 6-11, 237-pound Qudus Wahab and 6-11, 205-pound Malcolm Wilson, coupled with the arrival of Yurtseven, will have BIG EAST opponents feeling at times like they are competing in the Land of the Giants.
“We added Omer and I’m expecting a lot of great things out of him,” Ewing said. “He’s shown what he’s capable of doing when he played at N.C. State and I’m looking for the same and more.”
Yurtseven averaged 13.5 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Wolfpack in 2017-18 before sitting out last season as a transfer.
“We’re a lot bigger than we’ve been in years past,” said about his three new skyscrapers. “They’ll play and they’ll play a lot and we’ll see what happens.”
Akinjo seems to like the idea of Ewing loading up on big bodies.
“I love it. It’s going to help us a lot,” Akinjo said. “The freshmen are really good but they’re also young and growing. But Omer is a very seasoned player so going against Omer every day in practice is really going to get them prepared. Omer is a big, tough, physical bruiser and I love playing with him.”
The Hoyas will also get contributions from holdovers like Jagan Mosely, Jamorko Pickett and Jahvon Blair as well as Terrell Allen, a graduate transfer from UCF.
So when you add it all up, is this the year the Hoyas become a dangerous team in the BIG EAST and return to the NCAA Tournament?
“We’re still growing,” Ewing said. (There’s that growing thing again). “We’re taking it a game at a time and a year at a time. We’re still developing and still growing and we’ll see where we stand at the end of the season.”
How about you, James? Are the Hoyas finally back?
“I don’t want to say too much,” Akinjo said. “I’ll just let you guys see.”