Weekly throughout the summer, the BIG EAST will check-in with each of its 11 men's basketball programs. Highlighted by a one-on-one interview with each head coach and NBC Sports' John Fanta, the BIG EAST Summer Check-In Series will cover a wide range of topics from roster changes, highlights from summer workouts, and scheduling updates.
The Summer Check-In series heads to Georgetown for a conversation with head coach Ed Cooley. Entering his fourth season on the Hilltop, Cooley details his offseason priorities, the strength of the BIG EAST in 2026-27, and which players have seen the biggest gains during the offseason and summer workouts.
“I try to avoid the word 'if' because I believe it has a negative overtone. I like to use the word 'when.' So when we collectively appreciate each other's strengths; have an incredible buy in and daily habit of successful practice habits; preparation, being emotionally, mentally, physically tough. When we're able to limit our mistakes and play with force and physicality and pace and space and transition. When we do that, we'll find ourselves continuing to grow. Where I'll say if, is if we don't do those things. If individualism comes into play and we don't make the extra pass, we don't trust our teammates, we have a selfish attitude. Those are the negative things that limit success.”
Head Coach Ed Cooley on the powerful difference between "If" and "When"
Georgetown's 2026-27 Scheduling
Notable 2026-27 Non-Conference Matchups:
- Nov. 7 vs. Maryland
- Nov. 13 at Clemson
- Nov. 26 vs. Texas (San Diego)
- Nov. 27 vs. UCLA or Saint Mary's (San Diego)
- Dec. 12 vs. North Carolina
"I think it's a great schedule, I think it's going to be a challenging schedule. We're looking forward to it, it's something we're excited about. Hopefully our non-conference schedule can help us to continue to sell tickets, as filling Capital One has been a huge, huge challenge. We're asking all of our students, alumni, supporters, donors, come on out. We need you because having a home court advantage goes a long, long way."
Cooley on the 2026-27 schedule and the importance of building a true homecourt advantage at Capital One Arena
Georgetown's 2026-27 Roster
"First and foremost, it's retention...we were able to retain Caleb, Kayvaun, and Seal which was really, really important, as well as Gabriel who redshirted last year and came in December. And then we targeted perimeter shooting and I think our staff did a really good job targeting guys that fit to extend the floor. When you look at a lot of these teams that advance when you get into tournament play, their 3-point efficiency and their defensive efficiency kind of hand in glove with success. That's what we tried to emulate."
Cooley on his strategy for building the 2026-27 Georgetown roster
Transfers
#5 Vyctorius Miller - Jr. - G - 6-5 - 190 - Los Angeles, Calif.
- Four-star rated transfer (EvanMiya) from Oklahoma State; guard with good size who can score on all three levels
- Made 45 3-pointers at a 37.5% clip; Began his career at LSU, averaging nearly 9.0 points per game as a freshman
#7 Josiah Parker - So. - F - 6-7 - 234 - Huber Heights, Ohio
- Three-star rated transfer (EvanMiya) from FAU; 2025-26 AAC Freshman of the Year, averaging 9.6 points and 6.0 rebounds
- Scored in double-digits in 15 of his 32 games with the Owls; tallied six double-doubles
"I would say the biggest surprise of the summer so far has been Parker Josiah. He's getting in incredible shape, has a natural feel - he's got a Jared Dudley-type game going. Very high IQ and somebody who really knows how to play the game. "
Cooley on the early returns from Josiah Parker during the summer workout sessions
#9 Elmarko Jackson - Jr. - G - 6-2 - 195 - Marlton, N.J.
- Four-star rated transfer (EvanMiya) from Kansas; contributed nearly 5.0 points and 2.0 assists per game in 18 minutes of play
- Saw action in 68 games in two seasons with the Jayhawks; registered a 1.30 assist/turnover rate during that span
"I think he can be an elite defender and fall right in line with some of the great defenders that we've been able to coach throughout our career. He's athletic and right now, he's trying to find his way. I think he's going to be an integral part of our success. I think he's a natural born leader - he's great in the locker room, great in practice. Very, very athletic and he's shooting the ball much better than I thought. Again, when you get some of these transfers - and all of us coaches deal with it - you have to unlock some of the philosophy that they had at their last stop, if not last two or three or in some instances four stops. The building of confidence, chemistry, and continuity is going to be important for Elmarko coming from an incredible organization. He has a chip on his should to become the next great all-conference BIG EAST player."
Cooley on Elmarko Jackson's impact - on and off the court
#11 Chol Machot - Jr. - C - 7-0 - 199 - Melbourne, Australia
- Three-star rated transfer (EvanMiya); 2025-26 CAA Defensive Player of the Year
- Averaged 8.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks; Ranked fifth nationally with 77 total blocked shots
"He's an interesting prospect - 7-foot, rim protector. He's not overly thick in the body, but his length, his quickness - I think he has an offensive skill set that I think can be developed. He's one of the best shot blockers in the country and we want to be able to defend at the rim. I think he's developing, we're going to have to add some size next to him, but he's a unique prospect and we're excited to see where his development is going to go."
Cooley on Chol Machot's ability to affect both ends of the floor for the Hoyas
#15 Jaland Lowe - Sr. - G - 6-1 - 172 - Missouri City, Texas
- Four-star rated transfer (EvanMiya) from Kentucky; endured an injury-riddled 2025-26 campaign, seeing action in only nine games
- Started collegiate career at Pittsburgh; 2024-25 All-ACC and NABC All-District selection as a sophomore
"We haven't had any 5-on-5 with him, but we do have is a leader - a vocal leader. I feel looking at his film, and he has been able to go through individuals without contact, he's really quick in short spaces, he's able to make plays for others, he's able to score it, shoot it. I think he'll be one of the better guards in our league - if not the best guard in the league. Our aspirations for him are very high. And we need him to be an All-BIG EAST caliber player for us to go from where we were last year to making a substantial jump because the league's going to be super competitive."
Cooley on Jaland Lowe's high ceiling for Georgetown in 2026-27
Freshmen
#1 Athan Olivier IV - Fr - G - 5-10 - 160 - Lafayette, La.
- Athletic guard who can impact both ends of the floor
- Savvy scorer and shot-maker and an elite defender
#2 Justin Caldwell - Fr. - F - 6-8 - 247 - Fayetteville, N.C.
- Four-star rated recruit (247Sports); defensive stalwart with 7-1 wingspan
- Explosive forward who plays above the rim; possesses good ballhandling skills for a post
#25 Pedro Pastre - Fr. - F - San Paolo, Brazil
- Played with Pinherios in the Novo Banquette Brasil; averaged 7.4 points, 4.3 boards in nearly 26 minutes per game
- Teammate of fellow Hoya Gabriel Landeira; represented Brazil and faced GU in the 2025 Globl Jam tournament
Returnees
#4 Caleb Williams - Jr. - F - 6-7 - 238 - Upper Marlboro, Md.
- Nearly doubled his scoring average as a sophomore in 2025-26, averaging 8.8 points per game
- Ranked second on the Hoyas with 43 made 3-pointers at a 37.7% clip from beyond the arc
"Caleb is a glue guy, a systematic plug-and-play guy. His biggest challenge is being in the best shape of his life. He's had a couple of injuries throughout the early part of his career, recovering from an injury as we speak, so he along with a couple of other players have not had any full contact all summer. But his biggest jump is going to come with his physical conditioning because he needs to make a big jump - a substantial jump - for us to make a jump as well because he's systematically sound, really high IQ player, someone we trust who knows what he's doing on the floor on both sides of the ball. I expect him to be full-go when September rolls around."
Cooley on what Caleb Williams needs to bring to the floor this season
#8 Mason Moses - Jr. - G - 6-6 - 209 - New York, N.Y.
- Saw action in three games during the 2025-26 campaign
#14 Seal Diouf - Jr. - C - 6-9 - 244 - Gouda, Netherlands
- Appeared in 12 games a season ago for the Hoyas
#22 Gabriel Landeira - Fr. - G - 6-6 - 220 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Joined the Hoyas at midseason in December but did not play during 2025-26 campaign
- Played in Brazil's premier U22 development league, averaging nearly 11.0 points, and 6.0 assists per game
#30 Michael Van Raaphorst - Jr. - G - 6-3 - 210 - Chatham, N.J.
- Played in five contests during the 2025-26 season
#45 Kayvaun Mulready - Jr. - G - 6-4 - 223 - Worcester, Mass.
- Averaged 5.4 points per game as a sophomore; appeared in 32 games, earning two starts
- Registered efficient assist/turnover (1.38:1) and steal/turnover (1.25:1) marks
"Kayvaun Mulready, the last 10 or 11 games last year when we lost KJ (Lewis) coming down the stretch, I thought that really opened up an opportunity that he took full advantage of. He can defend, he can shoot, he can pass. He's a big, thick guard that we love, that you can play at multiple positions."
Cooley on the impact Kayvaun Mulready made during the latter part of his sophomore season
Departures
- Jayden Fort - transfer; DeShawn Harris-Smith - transfer; Malik Mack - transfer; KJ Lewis - transfer; Isaiah Abraham - transfer; Julius Halaifonua - transfer; Austin Montgomery - transfer; Hashem Asadallah - transfer
By The Numbers
10 - Over his last 10 games of the 2025-26 campaign, Kayvaun Mulready averaged nearly 10.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, connecting on 39.1% from the perimeter (18-46)
12 - Chol Machot blocked three or more shots on 12 occasions a season ago, including a career-best seven swats on Dec. 31, 2025 at Elon
2.05:1- Through the first 73 games of his college career, Jaland Lowe has registered better than a 2-to-1 assist/turnover mark, amassing 300 total assists to only 149 turnovers