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The Georgetown Hoyas have made noise in the portal. Mainly because, after you go 2-18, you really don’t have a choice, but the Hoyas have landed two of their top targets, and are showing that they are serious players for some of the biggest talents in the portal.
Who They’ve Lost: Want to be quick here, since a couple of these names popped over a week ago.
Rowan Brumbaugh: Solid freshman PG, good facilitator and floor general, someone who could really excel at this next destination
Wayne Bristol: Energy guy. Good defender, and someone who never, never quit. Followed Coach Ivan Thomas to Hampton, and someone Hoya fans all over will be rooting for.
Dontrez Styles: The most recent addition to the portal. Styles was expected to step into the starting lineup on a better team next season, but is leaving (for NC State, likely). He started the season off really well, before struggling in BE play. Still, Styles is a physical 6’6” wing, with a really pretty jumper. Struggled to create space, and did struggle defensively (who didn’t on Georgetown), but was far and away their second-best player. Really skilled, should average double figures at his next destination.
The freshman class Georgetown brings in is really, really good. But how many minutes do you want to give freshmen? I would expect the Hoyas to be looking for multiple starters in the portal (hopefully four), and here are two impact players they have landed, who will both be starting next season.
Micah Peavy:
Every Georgetown fan remembers exactly how the TCU game went last year. The picture of Emmanuel Miller’s foot on the sideline is forever engrained in everyone’s mind. It was only fair that TCU paid Georgetown back for that one, and they absolutely did with the transfer of Micah Peavy.
Peavy is a straight dog. He is the exact piece Georgetown has been missing. On EvanMiya, Peavy was the best defender on a TCU team that ranked inside the Top-50. He’s able to defend multiple positions, really able to guard most guys 1-5. Very versatile defensive piece, and plays with that toughness that the Hoyas have been missing since Jabril Trawick.
Offensively, it’s really tough to stop Peavy from getting downhill. And when he gets to the rim, he finishes with force. He takes a ton of shots right at the rim, he’s able to finish with both hands, and threw down some absolutely vicious dunks. He’s fearless, never afraid of anyone. He’s an underrated passer too, averaged 2.6 assists per game last year, well above his collegiate high of 1.4 APG in his freshman season at Texas Tech.
His jump shot is alright. It’s a high release point, he releases it just above his head, but it is pretty slow. Last season was the best he’s shot from three at 31%, on 2.6 attempts per game. He’s also best in a lower-usage offensive role, where he doesn’t have to create for himself more than a straight-line drive. Really good offensive rebounder too, does a very good job of turning those misses into second-chance points.
Peavy fits that exact defensive identity Georgetown needs, and can give you 10+PPG, largely on looks right around the bucket, with some jumpers mixed in there. He has a high basketball IQ, and fits Cooley’s style.
Malik Mack:
Malik Mack has decided to return to DC, in what is one of the biggest moves in the portal thus far. Mack is widely regarded as one of the best PG’s to be in the portal, being the guy on Harvard last year. Some of Mack’s best performances came in non-conference play, including: 32 points and six assists in a win over UMass, 26 points (8/10 FG, 4/4 3PT, 6/6 FT), 5 rebounds and three assists against American and 27 points (50% from the field, 37.5% from three) against Indiana.
Mack is an incredibly shifty left-handed PG. He’s really crafty with the ball, he knows how to create space and get good looks for himself and his teammates. He has high elevation on his jumper, releases it high, which helps him create space as a smaller guard. He can get inside and finish with either hand, and finish in so many different ways, either around defenders, with a good floater series, or hanging in the air and finishing above an outstretched arm. He creates space really well, a variety of dribble moves that can freeze defenders, set him up for an open look or a pass to a teammate.
There is a gap in talent between the Ivy League (Ivy League teams very often blitzed screens/did everything possible to get the ball out of Mack’s hands) and the Big East, but I really do expect Mack to have an immediate impact, a substantial one at that. He’s the PG and floor general of this Hoyas team and will be one of the better guards in this conference.
During non-conference play, Mack averaged 20.1PPG, 4.4APG and 4.0RPG, shooting 47.3% from the field and 47.2% from three-point range, over a ten-game sample size. Mack’s assist rate of 33% ranked 33rd in the country and would have been second in the conference, only to Tyler Kolek.
While there will be bigger, faster, stronger defenders on him, teams will not be able to easily blitz a screen, or double him just to force another guy on the team to beat you. The backcourt pairing of Mack and Epps is as dynamic a backcourt as you will find.
There are some defensive concerns with both guards being smaller, but if the Hoyas can fill out the rest of their roster with some effective defensive players, this team could take a substantial jump to compete for an NCAA Tournament bid.
Georgetown’s Depth Chart:
PG: Malik Mack, _____________
SG: Jayden Epps, Kayvaun Mulready
SF: Micah Peavy, Drew McKenna
PF: ___________, Drew Fielder, Caleb Williams
C: __________, Thomas Sorber, Supreme Cook
