Three Seniors Not ReturningWidely expected but not previously confirmed, the basketball office confirmed that seniors Jamorko Pickett, Jahvon Blair, and grad transfer Chudier Bile will not return to Georgetown in 2021-22. The statement was made in a pre-recorded announcement released Wednesday night.The 35 minute video, titled as the Men's Basketball Season Celebration, featured brief remarks by University president Jack DeGioia, athletic director Lee Reed, head coach Patrick Ewing, Hoya Hoop Club president Mark Guerrera, and Executive Director for Ticket Operations and Donor Relations Steve Alleva, along with Pickett, Blair, and Bile. One name that continues to not be cited: grad transfer Jalen Harris, whose early season absence from the team continues to be undiscussed by Ewing or the basketball office.An NCAA waiver is available for each senior to exercise an additional year of eligibility. Blair has already indicated he will pursue the NBA draft instead, Bile has not commented further. A tweet from Hilltop Hoops suggests Pickett has not ruled out a grad transfer year elsewhere. Grad transfer Donald Carey has two years remaining and was not listed among the departing seniors. The returning players for 2021-22 were announced; however, transfers Qudus Wahab and T.J.Berger were not otherwise mentioned during the presentation. Mutombo Announces $1B Mining Deal Former All-American and soon to be Georgetown parent Dikembe Mutombo (I'91) has embarked on a new business venture: mining, with a significant investment behind it.Dikembe Mutombo, Chairman of Bluetech Investments, and international groups of investors from the United States, Hong Kong, and Germany, have announced over a $1 billion investment in collaboration with the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the public and private mining sectors," read a Tuesday press release. "The investment will focus on generating ethically sourced, conflict-free copper, cobalt, and other key minerals that are essential to producing electrical vehicle batteries and other leading-edge technologies."Congo is a nation rich in minerals, reports the BBC, but has been plundered in the past by what the network called a history of "colonialism, slavery and corruption". Mutombo seeks to change this, focusing on copper, tin, and cobalt production. Congo possesses 34 percent of the world's supply of cobalt, a key mineral in batteries needed for electric vehicle technology. "Bluetech is excited to be working alongside President Tshisekedi and his new administration in support of their mandate to usher in a new era of socially responsible business practices," said Mutombo, who anticipates the creation of 5,000 jobs in-country for the effort. "We anticipate a long and successful partnership." Orlando? Not So FastGeorgetown's Thanksgiving plans may be taking a turn west.Jon Rothstein reports that Georgetown will be playing in the 2021 Wooden Classic in Anaheim, CA instead of the Orlando Invitational as previously reported.Georgetown was scheduled to compete in the 2020 Wooden Classic with Virginia, Kansas, and UCLA before the season was abbreviated due to COVID-19. The upcoming field would feature San Diego State (23-5 in 2020-21), USC (25-8) and St. Joseph's (5-15) as the tentative lineup. Blair: No Fifth Year With an already overstuffed 2021-22 roster, it's been assumed among Georgetown fans that Georgetown's seniors and single-season grad transfers would not exercise the extra year of eligibility provided them by the NCAA at Georgetown.The first of these, Jahvon Blair, confirmed this in a social media post Wednesday."To the fans of Georgetown University, thank you for the constant love and support you have shown me since the first day I stepped foot in D.C.," Blair wrote. "I've decided to enter the 2021 NBA Draft and begin my professional career. I will forgo my extra year of eligibility with the intent of signing with an agent." At the conclusion of the 2020-21 season Blair was sixth in the Big East in scoring, second in three pointers, third in free throws, and second in total minutes played. He finished his Georgetown career 39th all time in scoring with 1,120 points, third all-time in three pointers with 210, and seventh all time in free throw percentage at 83.3 percent. Next Up: Berger To Transfer Almost one month to the day that center Qudus Wahab became Georgetown's first transfer of the 2021-22 cycle, a second name has come forward into the transfer portal.This time, it's T.J. Berger, who averaged 1.4 points as a freshman in 2021-22. A capable outside shooter, Berger could not work his way into the rotation, playing just 70 minutes over the course of the 26 game season. A seven point game at St. John's was a season high.A week later, Berger's transfer to the University of San Diego for the 2021-22 season was announced. Berger will have four years eligibility at USD, which finished 3-11 in an abbreviated 2020-21 season. One of the Toreros' assistant coaches, Martin Bahar (G'08), was a manager at Georgetown for two seasons under John Thompson III. Report: Hoyas Add Second Grad Transfer The 2021-22 Georgetown lineup appears anything but settled. Add a new name to the list.A social media post from 6-7 grad transfer Kaiden Rice indicates he'll be joining the Hoyas this fall. Rice, a senior from Columbia, SC, averaged 17.6 points and 4.2 rebounds a game at the Citadel (13-12 in 2020-21). Rice averaged over 10 three point attempts per game this past season and had a streak of 24 consecutive games with at least one three, but his shooting collapsed late, going just 4 for 41 over his last five games. He finished the season shooting 34 percent from three and was a third team All-Southern Conference selection.With two new grad transfers and at least six offers still open among high school seniors, the Georgetown roster seems overbuilt at this point, with seven newcomers and at least 15 scholarship players at present, with 13 as the normal limit. Stay tuned. Georgetown To Play In Orlando The first reports on the 2021-22 schedule have Georgetown heading to Orlando for a Thanksgiving tournament.The Hoyas are among six teams cited in reports for the eight team Orlando Invitational, scheduled for Nov. 25-28, 2021. Other schools include Alabama, Dayton, Iona, Kansas, and Miami, none of whom have played Georgetown in the Patrick Ewing era.It's the first visit by Georgetown to this event since 2008, when it was known as the Old Spice Classic. The eight schools are guaranteed three games over the four day holiday period. Hoyas Add Grad Transfer With the departure of Qudus Wahab now confirmed, Georgetown has added a forward to its 2021-22 roster.New to the Hoyas: Marvin (Tre) King, a 6-9 forward from Lexington, KY by way of Eastern Kentucky University. In three seasons at EKU, King averaged 10.6 points and 5.2 rebounds a game. King ranked eighth in the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring, earning him first team all-OVC honors as the Colonels (22-7) advanced to the conference semifinals.The move came two days following the departure of EKU's leading scorer, Wendell Green, who transferred to Auburn. King will have two seasons of eligibility at Georgetown. Confirmed: Wahab Transfers To Maryland Ten days after announcing he would enter the transfer portal, center Qudus Wahab has committed to the University of Maryland.
ADDITIONAL COVERAGE
Intra-region transfers are rare at Georgetown - the last two players to transfer within this area were not significant contributors. In 2004, freshman Cornelio Guibunda scored just six points in four games and completed his education at American. In 2017, freshman Chris Sodom was kicked off the team after just six games and transferred to George Washington, but quit the team before the next season. (Sodom now plays at Delaware State, averaging 1.5 ppg as a junior). Neither are comparable to Wahab, however, who was expected to be the leading returning player for the 2021-22 Hoyas, averaging 12.7 points and 8.2 rebounds. Wahab is widely expected to start at Maryland, who ranked last in the Big 10 in rebounding at 32.7 per game in 2020-21. Under Wahab's leadership, Georgetown ended the 2020-21 season first in the Big East in rebounding at 39.7 per game, only the second time GU has led the conference since the 2000-01 season. Overall, Wahab finished 20th in scoring in the Big East and second in rebounding. There was no statement from the Georgetown basketball office on the move. |