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Couple of quick hits today on Georgetown’s expectations for next season.
First, here’s Patrick Ewing interviewed yesterday by Andy Katz. Interesting nuggets re: Omer Yurtseven and Mackinjo:
“I have nothing but joy when I talk about those guys.”
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) May 30, 2019
Patrick Ewing discusses all things @GeorgetownHoops with @TheAndyKatz, including his returning backcourt of Mac McClung & James Akinjo! pic.twitter.com/Vbub1Vpzng
Katz is high on the young Hoyas, ranking him 20th in his Top 25:
20. Georgetown: Patrick Ewing has a squad that should be in the chase for the Big East title. Yes, the backcourt is that good with James Akinjo and Mac McClung. The loss of Jessie Govan hurts but not as much when realizing Omer Yurtseven is eligible. The Hoyas can’t afford to stumble early like last season. This team needs some confidence and momentum. If it comes then the Hoyas will be a team to watch all season.
Second, here’s Jon Rothstein’s Top 25 following all of the entrants and defections from the NBA Draft pool:
Preseason Top 25:
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 30, 2019
1. Michigan St
2. Louisville
3. Duke
4. UK
5. KU
6. Maryland
7. UNC
8. UVA
9. Nova
10. Gonzaga
11. TT
12. SHU
13. Baylor
14. LSU
15. Memphis
16. FSU
17. Arizona
18. Florida
19. UW
20. Purdue
21. VCU
22. Georgetown
23. Harvard
24. Mississippi St
25. Utah St
Third, The Athletic ($) published an overview of the roster, which may still be in flux...
Georgetown’s roster, already promising, is still being built in Patrick Ewing’s image | The Athletic
None of those three young [bigs] are likely to emerge as the replacement for Govan, mostly because Georgetown already has one. Former NC State center Omer Yurtseven, who transferred at the end of the 2017-18 season and spent last year waiting out the standard one-year transfer eligibility purgatory, holds the potential to exceed Govan’s senior-year ceiling, and possibly right away...
Rising sophomores James Akinjo, Mac McClung and Josh LeBlanc were the most exciting portions of Ewing’s rotation for much of last season. They all struggled at various points... But all three improved throughout the season, and LeBlanc’s numbers (on 16 percent usage, but still) were just plain good: 124.9 ORtg, 62.6 percent shooting from 2, 12 and 20.8 percent rebounding rates on the offensive and defensive ends, respectively. As the core of a team that could stay together for the next three seasons, they are a promising group — and Yurtseven, barring a surprise, will be there for at least two.
Palpable buzz surrounding Georgetown this season.
About damn time.