Wahab To Transfer Portal, Still Pursues NBA Draft
Two days after announcing he would enter the NBA draft, senior Qudus Wahab has also added his name to the transfer portal.Wahab, 23, averaged 9.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in three seasons at Georgetown, along with one season at Maryland where he averaged 7.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. His third season at Georgetown was much like his run at Maryland, failing to establish a consistent post presence. Wahab was replaced by Bradley Ezewiro in the starting lineup for the final seven games of the season.In an announcement earlier in the week, Wahab also indicated he would enter the NBA draft but retain his final season of college eligibility in case he was not successful attracting draft-level interest. Seven former Georgetown players since 2013 have entered the draft as an early entrant, but none were selected, most recently Georgetown guard Aminu Mohammed, who averaged 13.7 points for the Hoyas in 2021-22. The first "double transfer" in school history, Wahab re-joins 25 former players who transferred out of school in the six year tenure of former coach Patrick Ewing. Ed Cooley Era Gets First Signee
After seven transfers out of his program, head coach Ed Cooley has landed the first of a number of recruits to rebuild the Hoyas in 2023-24.The first up is 6-10 Drew Fielder, a center from Boise, ID by way of the Southern California Academy in Santa Clarita, CA. Fielder, ranked #114th nationally, decommitted from Providence last week following Cooley's move to Georgetown and originally chose PC over offers from Maryland, Iowa, Creighton, and Arizona State. Since decommitting, Fielder received interest from Michigan and Virginia, but stayed loyal to his new coach."I have a lot of trust in [Cooley] and what we can do together," Fielder told 247Sports.com. "I just feel like it's a perfect fit. Obviously Georgetown has a very famous history and it can be special what we can do." A recruiting analyst at On3.com "He is [a] legit 6-9/6-10 with solid length and good dexterity. Fielder has good hands and touch that extends beyond the three-point arc. He is an active area rebounder, especially on the defensive end... He has good footwork on the offensive end, both on the block and facing the basket. He can pick and pop with soft touch and range that extends beyond the three." Cooley also picked off another former Providence target, getting an early verbal from 2024-25 recruit in 6-4 guard Kayvaun Mulready, a combo guard from Worcester, MA who decommitted from PC five days ago. Mulready ranks #76 as a junior. Transfer #7: Bradley Ezewiro
The revolving door that is Georgetown basketball adds another to the exit line: sophomore center Bradley Ezewiro.Per the Georgetown Basketball History Project, Ezewiro averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds as a center at Bishop Montgomery HS in Torrance, CA before moving to Oak Hill Academy in 2019-20, where he played as a reserve alongside former Georgetown forward Jamari Sibley. Ezewiro first committed to IMG Academy and eventually completed a fifth year at Arizona's Hillcrest Prep in 2020-21, having previously signed with LSU while at Oak Hill. Ezewiro was ranked #269th nationally among the 2021 recruiting class.As one of nine exits from the LSU program following Will Wade's departure, Ezewiro kept in touch with new Georgetown coach Kevin Nickelberry, and eventually selected Georgetown over offers from Oregon State, UAB and Nevada. He earned his way to become a valuable sixth man for the Hoyas in 2022-23, starting in seven of 27 games and scoring a season high 19 against Providence. Along with teammate and former LSU transfer Brandon Murray, Ezewiro has announced a transfer as well. Ezewiro becomes the 26th transfer in the six year tenure of former coach Patrick Ewing. New Assistant Coaches Onboarding
Ed Cooley's Georgetown staff has added three assistants, per the Georgetown employee directory.Former Providence coaches Jeff Battle, Brian Blaney, and LeDontae Henton are listed as assistant coaches, joining Ivan Thomas in the University employee directory.Henton, a 2015 Providence graduate, was previously the associate director of player development and recruiting coordinator at PC, an assistant coach-level role that does not recruit off-campus per NCAA regulations. The changes have not been updated on GUHoyas.com, which still lists all former coaches and members of the basketball office under Patrick Ewing. One & Done: Brandon Murray To Transfer
Sophomore guard Brandon Murray has announced plans to transfer, per On3.com.A 6-5 forward from Baltimore via Louisiana State, Murray joined the Hoyas with the arrival of assistant coach Kevin Nickelberry last April. Widely expected to be the team's lead scoring option to rebuild from a 6-25 season in 2021-22, Murray finished second in scoring behind Primo Spears last season, struggling from the field (37 percent in Big East play, 39 percent overall) and the foul line (64 percent) en route to per game averages of 13.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. Murray led the Hoyas in scoring in seven games this season but was visibly lacking in games down the stretch, shooting 6 for 25 in the final three games of the season.Having already exercised his first transfer under current NCAA rules, Murray will be required to sit out one year at the school of his destination and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining. Murray becomes the 25th transfer in the six year tenure of former coach Patrick Ewing. The Work Begins
In his first full week as head coach, Ed Cooley has a lot on his plate, with a focus on filling open staff and roster issues entering the off-season.
A new staff will be one of Cooley's imminent priorities. Though no announcement has been made on the termination status of Patrick Ewing's former assistants, at least one former Providence coach under Cooley is apparently already at Georgetown. Ivan Thomas, a former high school and AAU coach in the Washington area who was on Cooley's staff from 2016-2023, is now listed as an assistant coach in the University employee directory as well as on Thomas' social media account. There is no confirmation to date if Cooley's other former assistants -- Jeff Battle and Brian Blaney -- will be joining as well, though both are no longer listed on PC's athletics web site under new PC coach Kim English. The status of the current Georgetown roster should be a developing story this week. Five scholarship players entered the transfer portal prior to Cooley's hire, and following one-on-one meetings, both players and coaches will have a better idea of what remains as Cooley plans a major roster rebuild, with other portal activity (outbound and inbound) likely going forward. One of those portal entries, sophomore Primo Spears, told 247Sports.com that "I entered the portal because of the coaching change. I felt comfortable under the old staff and now with the switch I just want to experience something different, new location, try to go even higher and be able to show what I can do at a higher level." Also to be determined: the status of the Hoyas' lone freshmen signee for 2023-24, 6-4 guard Marvel Allen, who transferred to Montverde (FL) in 2022-23 but averaged just 1.6 points per game over 10 games this season. Not far behind on the checklist: crafting a non-conference schedule. Georgetown has no current agreement for an in-season tournament (also known as a multi-team event) for 2023-24 and has just three of 11 games in the mix prior to Big East play: a likely road game in the eighth and final installment of the Big East-Big Ten Gavitt Games, a likely home game as part of the Big East-Big 12 challenge series (series concludes in 2024-25), and a home game versus Syracuse, with that series expected to conclude in the 2024-25 season. Denis M. Kanach (1947-2023)
From the Georgetown social media account: news of the passing of former athletic official Denis Kanach, who died Monday at the age of 75.A 1969 graduate of Manhattan College, Kanach arrived at Georgetown in 1974 as an assistant track coach and served multiple roles within the Department of Athletics over a 30 year career, including the director of Yates Field House, game-day basketball management at Capital Centre, a sports administrator for track, lacrosse, and football, and the department's Senior Associate Director and Chief Operating Officer. Working closely with athletic directors Frank Rienzo and Joe Lang, Kanach helped lay the groundwork for Division I upgrades to the men's lacrosse program in 1989 and football in 1993.Following department-wide changes in 2004, Kanach left Georgetown for Randolph-Macon College, serving as its athletic director from 2004 through his retirement in 2010. Kanach is survived by four sons and eight grandchildren; his wife of 52 years, Therese, died in 2019. Seasons Of ChangeOnly two Big East head coaches are at the same school as they were two seasons ago:
Ed Cooley: "My Job Is To Move Us Forward"A whirlwind of meetings and introductions welcomed Ed Cooley as the 19th coach of men's basketball at Georgetown University.
COVERAGE
Accompanied by former PC assistant, and reported to be new Georgetown assistant Ivan Thomas, Cooley met with university president Jack DeGioia and athletic director Lee Reed before appearing at a 45 minute introductory press conference at the John Thompson Center, with as much enthusiasm and candor that has been seen in that building since it opened.He began his speech by asking any former players to join him at the front. Four were in attendance, including Robert Churchwell (B'94), Jerome Williams (C'96), Tyler Crawford (C'08), and Jeff Green (C'12), who happened to be in town as the Denver Nuggets were playing the Washington Wizards later that evening. "We're going to win games," Cooley said. "I promise you we're going to win games. We're not going to win a little, we're going to win a lot." Cooley reiterated the difficult decision to leave Providence College but noted the the presence of his daughter, a Georgetown senior who will remain in the area after graduation, as a significant factor. Cooley stressed a "new era" of recruiting and fan interaction, strongly suggesting a break from the five decades of secrecy under the extended John Thompson era. "I want to be in the cafeteria, I want you to come to a practice, I want you to see and evolve with us from day one, because we can't do it alone." He took note of a new staff coming to Georgetown, which is likely to be some or all of his former staff from Providence. "There's no staff in the country that will outwork the staff that about's to arrive [here]." As to the status of the current team, Cooley would say that "I'll have a chance to talk to them one on one, to see if our personalities match. I want someone who wants to be here." Online reports noted that four players of the current team, including freshman Denver Anglin (who entered the transfer portal prior to the hiring announcement) attended the event. Following the event, Cooley met with reporters (including writers from the HOYA and Georgetown Voice), introduced himself to students at the Leavey Center and O'Donovan Hall, and participated on a Zoom call with a number of former players, some of which were quite candid in discussing a lack of communication that existed with the basketball office prior to his arrival. "All I'm asking this community to do is give us an opportunity to grow, develop and trust," Cooley added. "We're going to lose some games. It's okay, losing is part of growth. But over time, it's going to pay off, and the dreams do come true." Here's a recording of the entire press conference from WUSA-9. Early reaction was uniformly positive.
Ed Cooley To Georgetown
There was no search committee. There was no promised national search. Instead, Georgetown University President Jack DeGioia got the man he wanted all along, announcing the hiring of Ed Cooley as the school's 19th men's basketball head coach.
COVERAGE
"We are deeply honored that Coach Cooley will be joining our community as the next leader of our men's basketball program," said DeGioia in a statement released Monday. "Ed is a proven leader and an experienced coach, whose values and knowledge of the game will lead our program into this new chapter. His commitment to excellence on and off the court will bring out the best of our basketball program and will give each member of our team the experiences and support they need to thrive. We look forward to welcoming Ed and his family into this new role in our community."
A lifelong resident of Providence, RI, the 53 year old Cooley will be leaving New England for the first time in his professional career. A 1994 graduate of Stonehill College, he held assistant coaching positions at UMass-Dartmouth, Stonehill, Rhode Island, and Boston College before being named head coach at Fairfield in 2007, leading the Stags to a 92-69 record in five seasons, with one NIT appearance. In 2012, he succeeded Keno Davis as the head coach at Providence, reinvigorating the program and leading it to the 2014 Big East championship, five consecutive NCAA tournament bids from 2014 through 2018, and a NCAA regional appearance in 2022. Cooley was 242-153 in 12 seasons at PC. "This is an exciting moment for Georgetown men's basketball as we welcome Ed Cooley and his family to the Hilltop," said athletic director Lee Reed. "Coach Cooley is a mentor to young men, and a consistent winner with an impressive body of work. His previous experience gives him an understanding of our Jesuit values and I am confident that he is the coach to return our program to prominence within the Big East and nationally." With DeGioia giving the cold shoulder to the interested candidacy of Rick Pitino, Cooley became the presumptive choice. Known for his candid responses to the press, Cooley was noticeably frosty during the Friars' NCAA appearance last week on his plans. When a reporter asked "Will we see you on the bench with the Friars next season?", his response was "Next question." He later told the Providence Journal that "There's a lot of decisions I need to make...a lot thinking I'm going to do," but placing his North Kingston, RI house on the market Monday morning was a visible sign of change. Cooley and his wife are the parents of a Georgetown senior who will graduate this spring. "Just because you're at a place, that doesn't mean everything is forever," Cooley told WPRI-TV this past weekend. "Providence has always been my dream job, and I'll continue to say that. Sometimes circumstances change and it has nothing to do with administrators. It has nothing to do with athletic directors. It has all to do with what me and my wife feel is something that we may possibly need." Two days later, some new comments. "I am excited for the opportunity to lead the men's basketball program at Georgetown University," Cooley said in a prepared statement. President DeGioia and Athletics Director Lee Reed are united in a strong vision, including in their beliefs, for Georgetown's program, its players and the team's success. I plan on hitting the ground running, getting to work on the court and cultivating relationships in and around the District. Accepting this opportunity with Georgetown is not a decision I took lightly, and was made in careful consideration with my wife and family." "After a five decade dynasty, which included the presence of Ronny Thompson, [John] Thompson III's younger brother, as Ewing's "chief of staff", Georgetown will start over. And it will start from rock bottom," wrote John Feinstein at the Washington Post. "During the glory years, it didn't seem to matter much to recruits that the Hoyas were playing their games away from campus, first at the Capital Centre in suburban Maryland and then at Capital One Arena in downtown Washington. With losing have come massive attendance drop-offs and marginal student support." "In fact, it could be argued that no major program has fallen further than Georgetown in recent years...[The climb] will be both steep and difficult." A press conference is scheduled Wednesday and can be viewed at this link. Terms of the contract were not disclosed but are expected to make Cooley the highest paid coach in Georgetown history and one of the ten most highly compensated coaches nationally, according to reports. Rick Pitino To St. John's
Rick Pitino, the Hall of Fame coach deemed not good enough for Georgetown, was hired as head coach of St. John's on Monday."Pitino, who has coached two national championship teams and has taken three different programs to the Final Four, will be formally introduced on Tuesday at 12 p.m. in a press conference at Chase Square inside Madison Square Garden. Fans can watch the press conference live at RedStormSports.com," read a St. John's release."I am delighted to welcome Rick Pitino and his family to the St. John's family," said Rev. Brian J. Shanley, OP, St. John's president and the former president at Providence College that hired Ed Cooley in 2012. "I am excited that this seasoned coaching veteran, who has won at the highest levels and is as passionate as ever, is committed to leading our student-athletes and our program to national prominence. Rick knows Big East basketball and is determined to take and keep the Red Storm program where we know it belongs." Pitino, 71, who lives in Mamoraneck, NY, is expected to provide a bolt of energy and enthusiasm into what has become, of late, a moribund St. John's program. The Redmen (18-15 in 2022-23) last appeared in the Big East tournament semifinals in 2000 and have not been to the NCAA regionals since 1999. Both figure to change in short order as players are drawn back to the Jamaica campus. Providence: What's Next
As far as Friar fans online see it, its most beloved PC coach since Dave Gavitt has burned every bridge back to Providence.
So what is next for the Friars' program? Outside the online reaction, PC athletic director Steve Napolillo has a big search on his hands. George Mason coach Kim English is receiving his share of media attention. Ewing: What Went Wrong?
Were Georgetown covered by a mainstream press which has all but abandoned it, the end of the Patrick Ewing era was due for some retrospection. How did it get to this?Ewing was a swing-for-the-fences pick at the start, something the University administration candidly ignored. In welcoming him to campus, University president Jack DeGioia stated that Ewing "offers our students unparalleled depth of knowledge about basketball as it is played today, a track record of winning at the highest levels of competition, and a commitment to bringing out the very best in each of our young people."And in the end, he failed on all of these. Excepting four days before an empty Madison Square Garden in March 2021, Ewing won just 39 percent of his games over six seasons. It's not like Georgetown was competitive, either: just 13 of his 109 losses were by a single possession, with 58 of the 109 by double digits. Overall, just one of Ewing's six seasons finished above .500, and his cumulative record was the lowest among any Georgetown coach with more than two seasons of service. At times, he was visibly frustrated with players that could not perform at the levels that he once excelled at as a player. "I told them, who's going to go get it?," Ewing said in 2019. "I can't go out there and rebound and do the things we need to do to win. It's got to be them." Five issues were contributing factors:
Patrick Ewing: Ten Games To Remember
Five mighty victories and five crushing losses defined the Patrick Ewing era at Georgetown:
The Waiting Game
With three prospective coaching candidates having concluded their season this weekend, attention turns to three men presumed to be in the clubhouse turn as a potential head coach at Georgetown.Next Out: Malcolm WilsonGeorgetown's fifth exit of the 2022-23 season may be seen as somewhat a surprise.Malcolm Wilson, the first four year player in two seasons, announced a transfer to presumably play as a grad student elsewhere, As excerpted from the Georgetown Basketball History Project, Wilson arrived at Georgetown as a project player, having averaged just six points per game at Ridge View HS in Columbia, SC. A player seen with potential to mature in the pivot, Wilson chose Georgetown over offers at South Carolina and Clemson.The jump to the college level was a significant one: Wilson did not see any game action his freshman season, and broke his leg in practice entering the final week of the 2019-20 season. As a sophomore, he saw glimpses of improvement, including three rebounds and a blocked shot versus Syracuse. Following the transfer of Qudus Wahab in 2021-22, Wilson platooned with Timothy Ighoefe with 10 starts at center, but his slender build made it difficult for him to compete against stronger opponents. His status for his senior season was the subject of speculation following a total of nine players signed by head coach Patrick Ewing in the off-season, putting Georgetown over its 13 available scholarships. In September 2022 Wilson was reassigned as a team manager and was later returned to the roster following the transfer of Dante Harris, playing in nine games. He ended his fourth season with a career average of just 1.5 points and 2.1 rebounds a game. The cumulative list of transfers in the Patrick Ewing era is as follows:
James Howard Fired As Women's Basketball CoachThe turmoil continues at the John Thompson Center, where sixth year head women's basketball coach James Howard was fired Monday morning."Coach Howard and his staff have shown a true commitment to the program and his student-athletes over the past six years," said athletic director Lee Reed in a brief statement. "I want to thank him for both his dedication and leadership to our student-athletes, and wish him well in the future."Howard, whose only prior head coaching experience was at the now-closed Wesley College from 1992 to 1997, was 66-108 in six seasons at Georgetown, including a run of 7-40 from 2019 to 2021. The 2022-23 team finished 14-17. Next Out: Jordan Riley, Primo Spears
Remember the deflated basketball, the symbol of Georgetown's commitment to a four year education? Apparently, few do.The line out the door of the Patrick Ewing era is a busy one today, with guards Jordan Riley and Amir (Primo) Spears joining the legion of legion of transfers of the Patrick Ewing era. Jordan Riley's accolades as a high school forward from Brentwood (NY) High School were notable: 31 points, 6.5 assists, 5.5 steals and 3.8 blocks per game as a senior, named Mr. New York Basketball and Gatorade State Player of the Year in 2021. Selecting an offer from Georgetown over the likes of Kansas, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, St. John's in the summer of 2020, Riley told Sports Illustrated that his relationship with Ewing drove the decision."I can trust him as somebody that can look after me," he said. Riley's upward trajectory was sidetracked by injuries as a freshman, where he played played only nine games early in the season before electing for surgery to repair a torn labrum. As a sophomore, Riley was the odd man out of a Ewing lineup that relied heavily on recent transfers. Following a mid-season injury to Jay Heath, Riley started nine games, averaging 7.7 points with a season high of 18 points on 8 for 12 shooting versus Villanova. Whether due to a recurrence of the injury or just lost confidence, Riley's shooting numbers sank precipitously. Beginning with a 1 for 5 showing before friends and family at Madison Square Garden versus St. John's on January 29, Riley finished the season shooting a combined 4 for 28 (.125) in his final nine games of the season, 0 for 12 from three point range. Riley was 0 for 3 in 21 minutes during the season finale at the Garden versus Villanova and was visibly discouraged in the waning moments of that game. In a different era, Jordan Riley would have been one of those students who, over four years, would overcome injuries to rise to the top of a Georgetown lineup, and do something even better: earn a Georgetown degree. This is not one of those eras. Joining Riley him not two hours later, Primo Spears. One of ten newcomers brought in as Ewing's solution to a 6-25 season, Spears led the Hoyas in scoring in 2022-23 and in 17 games overall, with a season high of 37 versus Xavier. Spears averaged over 37 minutes a game and tired down the stretch in many of them, as seen by a 30 percent mark from three and over 100 turnovers during the season. A transfer from Duquesne, Spears is now seeking a third school in three seasons. Riley and Spears becomes the 22nd and 23rd transfer of the Ewing tenure, a nearly incomparable number for a school which once treasured its ability to graduate players. Where We AreIn the midst of a coaching search seemingly taking on water, this moment of snark sums up the opinions of many fans.
Coaching Search Under Public Scrutiny
With comments ranging from "concerning" to a "a clown show", online reaction to a shaky Georgetown coaching search is increasingly being directed at Georgetown University President Jack DeGioia, the most public disapproval yet of his 22 years in the post.
With a coaching search that was at least weeks, if not months in the making during the declining fortunes of the Patrick Ewing era, the pretense of an independent search committee is withering by the hour as DeGioia, the former president of the NCAA, appears ready to turn down its leading candidate for reasons known to him, but few others.At the heart of the online vortex is Hall of fame coach and former Georgetown parent Rick Pitino, 71, most recently of Iona. Pitino, eager for one more run to national prominence in his storied career, reportedly has no advocate in DeGioia, who has become the public face of a one man search committee. The Catholic Church can forgive Pitino, but Georgetown may not. "The vast majority of alumni/student body who care about the program want Pitino. It seems like DeGioia is unilaterally rejecting the idea due to his role/responsibility as member of the NCAA Board of Governors. Yes, obviously that role brings value to the University, but one could argue that the line between self-interest vs school-interest could become blurry with this particular fact pattern."--Comment from the HoyaTalk boardAt issue is not financial, but appearances, something the 65 year DeGioia is keenly sensitive towards. Pitino was the subject of an FBI investigation into the Louisville basketball program in 2017 and has long been tabbed as a "slick" coach when it comes to NCAA enforcement. The juxtaposition regarding Georgetown's place in the NCAA landscape has been questioned among prominent alumni and boosters, with Pitino enjoying robust support from those groups. Would Georgetown really pass on Pitino for his past, his age, or that he is not an African American? Does this matter? Should it? We do not know because, in typical Georgetown opacity, no search committee has been publicly named nor has anyone even stated the preferred qualifications for the position. (The job is not even listed on the University's jobs board.) Absent this, concern is directed at DeGioia, whose unqualified support of Ewing despite a 75-109 record cost Georgetown millions in a reported buyout, and who may be predisposed to select a status quo candidate of lesser renown that fits other criteria. While Georgetown fiddles, Pitino has also been tabbed for St. John's, who fired Mike Anderson soon after the Ewing dismissal and is prepared to "go into its endowment to pay off Anderson's salary" and hire Pitino instead, sources told the New York Post. The role of the University president in the search is peculiar to Georgetown given a five decades long organizational chart that has the men's basketball coaching reporting to the president and not to the athletic director. Athletic director Lee Reed has not publicly discussed a preference for the job and, in the end, it may not matter. If DeGioia is willing to hand Pitino off to begin a basketball renaissance at St. John's, the next name in the online grist mill appears to be Ed Cooley, 53, a Georgetown parent and 12th year head coach at Providence. Cooley, who has spoken fondly of the Georgetown program over the years, signed a decade-long extension only last season and has spent his entire life within a one hour radius of his Rhode Island home, having played at Stonehill and coached at UMass-Dartmouth, Stonehill, Rhode Island, Boston College, and Fairfield before coming to PC in 2012, where he is the winningest coach in that school's history. If the buyout is too severe, or Providence simply adds whatever it takes to keep Cooley at the school through retirement, Georgetown will then have publicly missed on its two top candidates and focuses additional heat, but not necessarily light, on DeGioia's role in the search. A further list of candidates become less visible and potentially less popular among the declining Georgetown fan base, including Micah Shrewsberry, 46, the head coach at Penn State; Mike Brey, 63, most recently at Notre Dame; Chris Mack, 53, formerly of Xavier and Louisville; and Mike Rhoades, 50, head coach at Virginia Commonwealth. Then again, just when you thought the search would open up to new voices in the absence of Pitino and/or Cooley, this tweet from Fox Sports' John Fanta:
Will this become a worst-case scenario where another former player without college experience appears on the horizon and allows DeGioia to extend the House of Thompson lineage? Is it better for DeGioia to pick a coach that fits his image of Georgetown's past, or one which looks to the future, an often taboo subject at the University? Two Players Enter Transfer Portal
Following the firing of Patrick Ewing on Thursday, two freshman have announced plans to enter the transfer portal.Ranked #131 in the class of 2022, Denver Anglin was compared to another New Jersey product, 2020 Georgetown grad Jagan Mosely, for his shooting and defensive skills. Anglin selected Georgetown over offers from Connecticut, New Mexico, and Georgia Tech.Like his fellow freshman D'Ante Bass, Anglin was given limited on-court opportunities by head coach Patrick Ewing, seeing just four minutes in the season opener and scoring just 11 points in nine non-conference games. Pressed into extended play during a hand injury to junior Jay Heath, Anglin saw the majority of his time over a ten day period in early January 2023, playing 71 minutes and scoring 10 points over four games. Despite a high school reputation as a long range shooter, Anglin could not master the perimeter shot at Georgetown, shooting just 5 of 29 on the season. Anglin saw action in just two of the final 12 games of the 2022-23 season, a total of four minutes in blowout losses. A 6-6 forward from Savannah, GA, Bass averaged 16 points and seven rebounds as a junior at Windsor Forest HS and was ranked #252 in the 247Sports.com national survey. Bass found very few opportunities under head coach Patrick Ewing, seeing action in just 28 minutes in the 2022-23 season, scoring just one field goal in five games. Patrick Ewing Fired As Head Coach
Patrick Ewing was fired as head men's basketball coach Thursday evening.
COVERAGE
"Georgetown University announced today that Patrick Ewing will no longer serve as Head Men's Basketball Coach and that it has begun a national search for new leadership of the program," read a evening release that was widely expected but no less painful for a University administration that tried at every opportunity to keep Ewing viable. Three votes of confidence within two seasons did little to stem a tide of alumni and fan discontent, disillusionment, and defeatism amidst a two year record of 13-50 which sank Ewing's career record to 75-109, the lowest of any Georgetown coach with more than two seasons of service. The benediction was all but laudatory. "Patrick Ewing is the heart of Georgetown basketball" said University president John J. DeGioia (C'79, G'95). "I am deeply grateful to Coach Ewing for his vision, his determination, and for all that he has enabled Georgetown to achieve. Over these past six years, he was tireless in his dedication to his team and the young men he coached and we will forever be grateful to Patrick for his courage and his leadership in our Georgetown community." In a prepared statement, Ewing said that " I am very grateful to President DeGioia for giving me the opportunity to achieve my ambition to be a head basketball coach. It is particularly meaningful to me to be in charge of the basketball program at my alma mater. I wish the program nothing but success. I will always be a Hoya." Ewing was not available for further comment to reporters. From the Georgetown Basketball History Project: "If Georgetown considered a break from the Thompson lineage in 2017, it chose not to do so. Ewing had no prior head coaching experience and there were public concerns that Thompson intentionally kept the door open for Ewing to emerge as a candidate when no other candidates stepped forward. "Pat was not anointed here nor given a pass through a process," said athletic director Lee Reed. Details of the contract were not announced by Georgetown but were later reported as a six year, $18 million deal. "It is my vision that you know to try to play a style of ball that's going to be conducive to, similar to that style that we play in the NBA," Ewing said at his introductory news conference. In a nod to his past, Ewing recreated the iconic photo of him holding a Georgetown pennant skyward, as he did when announcing to attend Georgetown on Feb. 2, 1981. With two starters returning from a 15-18 team, Ewing took a cautious approach to scheduling in his first season. He withdrew Georgetown from a prestigious tournament organized by Nike featuring its top schools nationwide, and configured a soft non-conference schedule that featured 10 of its first 11 games at home and an resultant 10-1 record entering Big East play. Georgetown dropped nine of its final 11 games overall, finishing 15-15 on the season. Ewing's second season was its most promising to date. Led by senior Jessie Govan and three all-Big East freshman selections (James Akinjo, Josh LeBlanc, Mac McClung), the Hoyas showed significant improvement, finishing 19-14 and an even 9-9 in Big East play. Late season wins over #17 Villanova and Seton Hall raised hopes for a return to the NCAA tournament, but a stunning 101-69 loss to DePaul closed the door to the NCAA and a 73-56 loss to Seton Hall in the Big East tournament locked it. Either game could have tipped the scales in favor of an NCAA bid, but neither went Ewing's way. Georgetown was invited to the 2019 NIT, but lost to Harvard in the opening round. The growing momentum of 2018-19 hit a wall in the first month of the 2019-20 season. Amidst growing on-court tension between Ewing and sophomore point guard James Akinjo, Georgetown announced Akinjo was leaving the team following a home loss to NC-Greensboro, and also announced sophomore Josh LeBlanc, benched earlier in the season, would follow. A firestorm erupted later that evening when it was discovered that LeBlanc and two newcomers on the team, Galen Alexander and Myron Gardner, were accused of theft and sexual assault earlier in the first semester but had remained on the team. Three different news releases issued by Georgetown in the week further stirred media attention. Within two weeks, its leading recruit for 2020 decommitted, while Alexander and Gardner left the team following a civil settlement. Battered by injuries and attrition, sometimes playing as few as six scholarship players, the 2019-20 Hoyas dropped 11 of its final 14 games, and each of its final seven en route to a 15-17 record. During an off-season wracked by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading scorer Omer Yurtseven opted not to return for a fifth year, and its second leading scorer, Mac McClung, left for Texas Tech. With two returning starters and eight newcomers, the 2020-21 Hoyas slumped top a 3-8 start, its worst start since 1971-72. Following a four week hiatus for a positive COVID-19 case, the Hoyas rebounded, finishing 9-12 in the regular season and defying all projections with four consecutive wins in the 2021 Big East Tournament, earning Georgetown its first NCAA appearance since 2015, a first round loss to #22 Colorado. The perceived good times were short lived. Opening the 2021-22 season with a humbling home loss to Dartmouth, the Hoyas were a mere 6-4 in mid-December before a historic free fall, losing its final 21 games of the season and destroying past records for futility set in the 1971-72 season. Attendance fell to a 40 year low of just 5,525 per game, yet Georgetown seemed institutionally paralyzed on what to do; a result, perhaps, of a reported extension Ewing quietly signed in 2021. Seven players left school within a month of the season, including its leading scorer, Aminu Mohammed, whose high expectations for the NBA Draft were unrealized. In a move uncharacteristic of the Georgetown teams of the past which stressed academic progress and four years players, Ewing swept the roster clean in the spring of 2022, dropping or otherwise watching 10 players leave the program and welcoming in a flurry of transfers and wayward talents from other schools in an attempt to right the ship. Just two scholarship players remained from the previous year. In an interview that summer, Ewing declared, "With the way that things happened last year, it can never happen again on my watch." Yet, in almost bizarre form, the 2022-23 season was exactly that. Opening with an uncomfortable overtime win over a struggling Coppin State team, the Hoyas were just 5-6 entering Big East play and were summarily noncompetitive across a season deep in the Big East basement, losing 29 consecutive conference games until a 81-76 win over DePaul on January 24, 2023 en route to a 7-25 season, the same number of losses from 2021-22. The Hoyas ranked near the bottom in most categories, with highly touted sophomore Brandon Murray even less effective than his predecessor, Aminu Mohammed. Georgetown lost its final three games of the season by a combined 92 points. Thus was the Patrick Ewing paradox: the school's most prominent former player and the heir of the John Thompson dynasty ended his career, and the dynasty itself, holding the school's worst career coaching record."
Confirmed: Ewing Out
More to follow--here's the release.WASHINGTON - Georgetown University announced today that Patrick Ewing will no longer serve as Head Men's Basketball Coach and that it has begun a national search for new leadership of the program.Georgetown President John J. DeGioia said, "Patrick Ewing is the heart of Georgetown basketball. I am deeply grateful to Coach Ewing for his vision, his determination, and for all that he has enabled Georgetown to achieve. Over these past six years, he was tireless in his dedication to his team and the young men he coached and we will forever be grateful to Patrick for his courage and his leadership in our Georgetown community." "It has been a privilege to work with Patrick over these past years and I deeply appreciate all of his hard work and efforts to support our student-athletes and the Men's Basketball program. We are grateful to all those who have supported this program through this time. We will immediately launch a national search for our next coach and look forward to a bright future for Hoya basketball," said Lee Reed, Director for Intercollegiate Athletics at Georgetown." Villanova 80, Georgetown 48
Four decades after ending his college career against Villanova University, Patrick Ewing walked alone out of Madison Square Garden for what may well have been his final game as a college head coach.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
The 1985 game was close. The 2023 game was anything but.NO COVERAGE For those in attendance at Madison Square Garden, Wednesday's 80-48 win by Villanova was an encapsulation of two seasons of failure. The names may change but the song of the Ewing era remains the same: a visible lack of teamwork, inattention to defense, and a coaching staff that is ineffective and largely noncommunicative. A week removed from a crushing 40 point loss at Creighton, a rational person would have expected some bounce back, some change to the lineup, some attempt, any attempt to reset the narrative. None were in evidence as Georgetown tied a school record with its 25th loss of the season. In two seasons, Georgetown is 13-50. In its first visit to the opening day round of the Big East in a decade, the sixth seeded Wildcats started tentative, shooting 2 for 6 with two turnovers by the first media time out. Its gameplan, however, was clear: exploit the Hoyas on the perimeter. It scored its first three baskets from three point range and made an early statement with a 14-0 run over a three minute stretch with five straight misses by Georgetown, three at close range. baskets by Brandon Murray and Bradley Ezewiro closed to seven, 20-13, before the Wildcats reeled off an 11-0 run to lead by 18 with 6:41 to halftime. "Villanova leads Georgetown, 41-20 at half. The Hoyas have faded back to a embarrassing level they were at before the school hired John Thompson Jr. in the spring of 1972. The second half followed a similar pattern: Georgetown started off capable, if not necessarily strong, to open the period while Villanova, 1 for 4 to open, soon regained its footing and peppered the Hoyas from outside. Threes from Caleb Daniels and Cam Whitmore pushed the VU lead to 25 at the 13:17 mark, where it stayed for most of the next ten minutes. Georgetown's points were matched by Villanova, including a pair of threes from reserves Mark Armstrong and Brendan Hausen that gave Georgetown fans no cause for hope, if such hopes even existed by the 32nd game of the season. A three from Armstrong extended Villanova's lead to 29, 71-42, with 5:09 to play, leading coach Kyle Neptune to empty the bench in anticipation of its quarterfinal matchup with #3 Creighton. By contrast, Ewing went only five deep on the bench, which was no less pointless when, following a Bryson Mozone basket at the 3:44 mark, failed to make a basket thereafter, missing its final four attempts. Ryan Mutombo, D'Ante Bass, and Victor Muresan ended the season where they began: on the bench. With a season his 15 threes, Villanova finished the game coasting to a 32 point victory, its largest margin of victory in any Big East tournament game; conversely, it's the worst loss Georgetown has ever suffered in the 44 year history of the tournament, obliterating an 18 point loss suffered by the Hoyas in the 2001 first round versus Seton Hall. The 32 point loss is the most of any post-season game in school history. Ever. Offensively, Georgetown had very little to offer. Primo Spears led all scorers with 17 points, but GU was not well served by Jay Heath (37 minutes, 3 for 14 shooting), Brandon Murray (31 minutes, 3 for 8), or Bryson Mozone (21 minutes, 2 for 6). The Hoyas finished the game shooting 3 for 20 from three en route to the fewest points scored by Georgetown in any road or neutral site game dating to a 49-48 loss at Marquette in 2013. "They didn't really score on us in the half court. We got back and got stops in transition," said Neptune in post-game comments. "That was something we really talked about in our gameplan, so I'm proud of our guys' effort." Ewing pointed to his team as the result of the runaway. "They hit some tough shots early and we didn't get to them," he said. "We were trying to switch everything in the first half and our bigs didn't get up on some of those threes or they contested late." Ewing's further post game comments were as predictable as his likely future. When asked about what awaited him post-season, Ewing was pensive but resolute. There are "no thoughts about my future," Ewing said. "My future's in the hands of our president and our AD and the board of the directors." When asked by the Associated Press about the situation, athletic director Lee Reed would only say that "My thoughts are with those kids right now." "Look, I am proud of being a Georgetown Hoya," Ewing said. "This institution has been great to me over the years. I'd be honored to come back as the coach here. That's it." And we'll leave it right there. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Spears 36 5-11 1-3 4-4 5 7 2 17
Murray 31 2-5 1-3 1-1 2 1 1 8
Heath 37 3-9 0-5 2-2 8 1 1 8
Mozone 21 1-1 1-5 0-0 2 0 1 5
Ezewiro 16 2-3 0-0 0-0 1 0 3 4
Reserves:
Anglin 3 0-0 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0
Riley 21 0-1 0-2 0-0 3 0 2 0
Bristol 22 2-2 0-1 0-0 1 0 0 4
Wilson 7 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0
Wahab 6 1-4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2
Team Rebounds 5
DNP: Akok, Mutombo, Bass, Muresan
TOTALS 200 16-36 3-20 7-7 27 9 11 48
Wednesday's Regular Guests
Patrick Ewing's six seasons at Georgetown have continued a decade long slide in Big East wins since the reformation of the conference in 2013.Entering the Big East Tournament, Georgetown has won only 31 percent of its Big East games since 2013, with just 14 wins in the past four seasons.The Hoyas' poor play has also taken hold at the Big East Tournament, where Georgetown has received a first round bye just twice in the past ten years. Increasingly, reservations in the opening round are regularly held by fans of DePaul, St. John's and, of course, Georgetown. Here are the ten year composite seedings of the teams in the conference tournament, with opening round seeds in red.
All-Big East Teams
For the first time in 21 years, no Georgetown players were selected to the All-Big East team announced Sunday.A cumulative list of Georgetown's prior All-Big East selections through the years is found at the Georgetown Basketball History Project.The honorees are as follows: First Team: Souley Boum, Xavier, G, Gr., 6-3, 175, Oakland, CA Bryce Hopkins, Providence, F, So., 6-7, 220, Oak Park, IL Jordan Hawkins, Connecticut, G, So., 6-5, 195, Gaithersburg, MD Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton, C, Jr., 7-1, 260, Florissant, MO Tyler Kolek, Marquette, G, Jr., 6-3, 190, Cumberland, RI Adama Sanogo, Connecticut, F, Jr., 6-9, 245, Bamako, Mali Second Team: Eric Dixon, Villanova, F, R-Jr., 6-8, 255, Willow Grove, PA Oso Ighodaro, Marquette, F, Jr., 6-9, 215, Chandler, AZ Colby Jones, Xavier, G, Jr., 6-6, 205, Birmingham, AL Kam Jones, Marquette, G, So., 6-4, 195, Memphis, TN Joel Soriano, St. John's, C, Sr., 6-11, 260, Yonkers, NY Honorable Mention: Trey Alexander, Creighton, G, So., 6-4, 190, Oklahoma City, OK Devin Carter, Providence, G, So., 6-3, 195, Miami, FL Jack Nunge, Xavier, C, Jr., 7-0, 245, Newburgh, IN Baylor Scheierman, Creighton, G, Sr., 6-7, 205, Aurora, NE All-Freshman Team: Mark Armstrong, Villanova, G, 6-2, 180, South Orange, NJ Desmond Claude, Xavier, G, 6-5, 195, New Haven, CT Donovan Clingan, Connecticut, C, 7-2, 265, Bristol, CT Alex Karaban, Connecticut, F, 6-8, 210, Southborough, MA AJ Storr, St. John's, G, 6-6, 200, Rockford, IL Cam Whitmore, Villanova, F, 6-7, 232, Odenton, MD Big East Tournament Seeding Set
The Big East race has concluded.The final brackets are now posted here, with the pairings based on current team standings.Georgetown is seeded 11th and plays 6th seed Villanova Wednesday at 8:00 pm EST. The More Things Change...
Since the end of last season, Georgetown added 10 players and two assistant coaches with the promise that a 6-25 season would never happen again. After 31 games, what changed? One win.The 2022-23 Hoyas are 7-24 as compared to 6-25 last season, with one game the prior season cancelled due to COVID-19. The past two seasons are tracking very closely.After 31 games of the 2021-22 season, Georgetown averaged 70.7 points per game and allowed 77.0 for the season. In Big East play, the Hoyas averaged 68.0 points a game in conference play and allowed 80.4. After 31 games of the 2022-23 season, Georgetown average 70.2 points per game and allow 78.0 for the season. In Big East play, the Hoyas average 68.2 points a game in conference play and allow 80.2. In terms of total points Georgetown after 31 games, the difference is just 15 points: 2192 (in 2022-23) to 2177 (2021-22). In both seasons, Georgetown has allowed opponents to average 45.9 percent of their field goal attempts. The largest statistical change? Three point shooting. The Hoyas allowed 288 threes in 2021-22 versus 293 in 2022-23, a virtual wash. Last year's team scored 237 threes versus just 182 this season, a net loss of 55 threes (165 points) over 31 games. Some other points of comparison between the two seasons:
Creighton 99, Georgetown 59 It started with an air ball. By the end of the game, there was little else.The Creighton University Bluejays eviscerated the remnants of the Patrick Ewing era with 19 three pointers en route to a 99-59 win Wednesday night at CHI Health Center.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
"In March, anything is possible," head coach Patrick Ewing told the Fox Sports 1 announcers before the game. The words did not get to the players.NO COVERAGE There was an air of defeat as the 2022-23 regular season came to an end Wednesday, and that's not uncommon for teams facing an early exit. In 2004, Georgetown was clocked 75-48 at Seton Hall in a game that was seen at the time as the low point of the Craig Esherick era, as the Hoyas fell to 13-13. Thirteen wins was considered wholly unacceptable then, while 13 is the total wins over the most recent two seasons combined. The prospects of playing on the road at the conference's top ranked defense did little to rally much support. The Hoyas opened as 18 point underdogs at CHI Health Center, where an announced crowd of 17,039 was its smallest since January 25. "Coaches can exhort, fans can cheer them on, but in the end, the players have to produce," wrote the 2004 recap of the aforementioned Seton Hall loss. In this game, none of these took place. Following an 0-6 effort in the loss to Providence, sophomore guard Brandon Murray set the early tone for the game with an air ball, deposited 23 seconds later by a Creighton sophomore Ryan Kalkbrenner, whose 12 points in eight minutes of first half play was a seeming point of emphasis that the Hoyas were unable to make any progress against. Kalkbrenner scored six of the Bluejay's first nine points at the 16:38 mark of the first half, aside one noticeable number on the scoreboard. Zero. The Hoyas started the game 0 for 6, a miss by every one of the starters. Inside, outside, from three point range, none of it mattered. By this point, the Bluejays led by ten. After allowing ten threes in its loss to Providence College, Georgetown had to adjust in this game. Actually, quite the opposite. The Hoyas fell back on old habits--visibly lax perimeter defense by Murray and Jay Heath, and the Bluejays dutifully went to work. Off a Murray miss, forward Baylor Scheierman fed guard Trey Alexander for an open three, 13-0. A Georgetown timeout would hope to reset the trend. But in March, hope is not a strategy, and Alexander stuck another three, 16-0. An exchange of turnovers led Scheierman to drive the lane for a basket and a foul, 19-0, a number never seen before in a Georgetown basketball game.  A Murray free throw and a step back jumper from Spears at the 12:12 mark were Georgetown's first points of the evening. ""As the head of the program, I have to take the responsibility: I didn't get my guys ready to perform. I need to come up with a better game plan." --Georgetown head coach Patrick EwingA missed layup by Primo Spears set up guard Ryan Nembhard, who fed Alexander for an open three, 29-7.
Wahab missed a shot at the basket and Nembhard fed Alexander again, wide open. Ewing's second timeout followed, 32-7. Following a Spears jumper, Alexander and the Hoyas' defensive slumber was back at work.
Alexander, who was 1 for 7 from in the earlier meeting with Georgetown and 3 for 15 in his last thee games simply had a free ticket on the perimeter given Murray's lack of defense. A there at the 7:01 mark of the first half pushed the lead to 43-13.
The Hoyas needed a 7-2 run to end the half trailing by 27, 51-24. The Bluejays finished the half with ten three pointers, 27 to 13 on rebounds, and 15 fast break points. Georgetown had zero fast break points, shooting 25 percent from the floor, 1-9 from three, and a total of two assists in 20 minutes.
For any of the 11 or so fans in CHI Health Center that were worried about a Georgetown comeback after halftime, such worries were soon abated. The Bluejays opened with an alley-oop dunk and a three, 56-24, and thoughts turned to how bad this one could get. The Hoyas opened the second half 2 for 7, with back to back layups pushing Creighton's lead to 61-27 with 16:16 to play. Following a Heath turnover, a stray comment from Primo Spears at the 15:37 mark resulted in a technical foul, sparking a 7-0 Bluejay run and an Alexander three, 67-29. After Murray missed a short jumper, Scheierman found forward Arthur Kaluma on an easy dunk at the 15:03 mark, 69-29. 15 minutes to play. Down 40. The 40 point threshold had only been crossed once since 1972: a January 17, 2018 game at Capital One Arena versus Villanova, where the #1 Wildcats led the Ewing-led Hoyas 75-35, only for the Hoyas to score the last 12 points of the game and escape by a relatively odious 32, 88-56. With 15 minutes to play, such a comeback was no sure thing, and began to turn thoughts as to how bad this could end. To all accounts, the score was whatever Creighton wished it to be. The Bluejays led by as many as 42 before a 7-0 run brought the margin to 35 with 12:26 to play. Creighton answered with back to back threes and brought Baylor Scheierman out of the game with 9:25 to play, the first of many substitutions down the stretch for the Bluejays. With Creighton entering garbage time, Georgetown got better opportunities to score. A pair of three pointers and two layups keyed a 15-3 Georgetown run that appeared to reduce the horror of the scoreboard to a more manageable 87-56 with 4:22 to play. But while Creighton head coach Greg McDermott was deep into his bench, Ewing continued to stick to his veteran lineups. The lack of attention to his bench was as visible as the scoreboard. Despite playing walk-ons for the final 3:06 of play, the Bluejays were still on fire. Freshman Evan Young who had played 11 minutes this season, hit a three at the 2:17 mark, 95-59. Sami Osmani, a junior with just six points on the year, hit one with 25 seconds remaining. By this point, Ewing had somewhat relented and brought in Jordan Riley and d'Ante Bass in the final minute, with Bass defiantly launching up two threes, having taken only one shot in the past 29 games. 2021 New York State Player of the Year Jordan Riley was left to dribble out the final seconds of the clock while fellow teammates Denver Anglin, Ryan Mutombo and Victor Muresan could only sit and watch. It's possible that these were the last minutes of the season for the Georgetown bench, and after next week, all bets are off. Creighton ended the game shooting 55 percent after halftime and 54 percent overall. Its 19 threes were the most against any opponent since a 2018 game against Division III Coe College. Georgetown shot 38 percent after halftime and 31 percent overall, with no field goals in the final 2:40 of play. Five Bluejays scored in double figures, led by Trey Alexander's 25 points on 7 for 10 from three. Primo Spears led all Georgetown scorers with 21 points. Georgetown's guard play was woefully deficient on both sides of the court. Brandon Murray and Jay Heath were a combined 3 for 17. But it was defense, or lack of, that allowed the Bluejays to turn the game into a shooting gallery. Turnovers were not the story of this game. Effort was. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Spears 37 7-12 2-5 1-1 3 4 3 21
Murray 29 2-7 1-4 2-4 1 2 0 9
Heath 26 0-2 0-4 2-2 2 0 1 2
Akok 15 0-3 0-2 0-0 2 0 2 0
Ezewiro 8 0-2 0-0 2-2 2 0 3 2
Reserves:
Riley 12 0-1 0-1 0-0 1 0 1 0
Mozone 23 3-4 2-5 1-2 3 1 1 13
Bass 2 0-0 0-2 0-0 2 0 0 0
Bristol 23 1-2 0-2 2-2 2 0 2 4
Wilson 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 0 0 0
Wahab 20 3-8 0-0 2-2 8 2 1 8
Team Rebounds 4
DNP: Anglin, Mutombo, Muresan
TOTALS 200 16-41 5-25 12-15 32 9 14 59
Ewing Coaching Record Dips
Following the loss, Patrick Ewing's record dipped to 75-108, lowest among all Georgetown coaches with more than two seasons of service.
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