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The season for the Georgetown Hoyas and the rest of college basketball is definitively over, and the discussions of fans and pundits, alike, have turned to the future of college basketball and Georgetown‘s roster.
There may be some more clarity on Patrick Ewing’s team, which currently has four centers on the roster, as Omer Yurtseven appears to have acknowledged that his days on the Hilltop are over for good.
Omer Yurtseven posted:
It feels unreal to close another chapter in my book. Maybe it’s because I enjoyed learning on the court and in the classroom so much that I got lost reading this wild page turner.
Basketball is repetition, but facing a new challenge when I step on the court has made playing and solving its puzzles so much fun. Classes are similar in a way, you go in every day but a new topic presents a new challenge. Just like basketball, the challenge of absorbing the knowledge and being able to produce it is the goal motivated me in both realms.
The cliche “time flies by” doesn’t do my time in Georgetown any justice. It’s been a hell of a year and I couldn’t have asked for better teammates and staff to handle all the adversity we faced. The attitude we responded with showed the spirit of the Hoya we represent every time we put on our jerseys. I would like to thank Coach Ewing as well as Coach Thompson for being the perfect examples of Georgetown excellence and for all that they have taught me on and off the court.
I sincerely appreciate all the support the Hoya nation has showed us through thick and thin, we all try to make y’all proud. Hoya Saxa!
Despite having another year of eligibility, it sounds as though Omer Yurtseven is moving on. Yurtseven had two years with Georgetown (one transfer year-in-residence) and clearly bonded with many teammates, classmates, and staff members. He acknowledges the adversity that everyone saw in the program this season and praises the coaches for steering the ship during the proverbial rough waters.
Omer Yurtseven has several roles on the team as the roster was in almost-constant flux. He was a match-up focus for every opposing team and was always a threat to drop 20 points and 10 rebounds. While Yurtseven’s season had a huge gap of games due to his injured ankle, his performances showed a pro-level big man with a great shooting touch and some nice moves in the post.
| Rk | Date | School | Opponent | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | ORB | TRB | AST | TOV | PF | PTS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019-11-06 | Georgetown | Mount St. Mary's | W | 29 | 7 | 9 | .778 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 20 | ||
| 2 | 2019-11-09 | Georgetown | Central Arkansas | W | 19 | 7 | 10 | .700 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 17 | ||
| 3 | 2019-11-14 | Georgetown | Penn State | L | 25 | 7 | 14 | .500 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 | ||
| 4 | 2019-11-17 | Georgetown | Georgia State | W | 27 | 5 | 13 | .385 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 15 | |
| 5 | 2019-11-21 | Georgetown | N | Texas | W | 13 | 5 | 6 | .833 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 10 | |
| 6 | 2019-11-22 | Georgetown | N | Duke | L | 24 | 9 | 13 | .692 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 21 |
| 7 | 2019-11-30 | Georgetown | UNC Greensboro | L | 24 | 3 | 12 | .250 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 8 | 2019-12-04 | Georgetown | @ | Oklahoma State | W | 36 | 8 | 20 | .400 | 1 | 3 | .333 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 19 |
| 9 | 2019-12-07 | Georgetown | @ | SMU | W | 29 | 8 | 12 | .667 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 19 | |
| 10 | 2019-12-14 | Georgetown | Syracuse | W | 34 | 7 | 13 | .538 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 19 | ||
| 11 | 2019-12-17 | Georgetown | UMBC | W | 20 | 11 | 14 | .786 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 22 | ||
| 12 | 2019-12-21 | Georgetown | Samford | W | 31 | 15 | 21 | .714 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 32 | |
| 13 | 2019-12-28 | Georgetown | American | W | 22 | 7 | 13 | .538 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 17 | ||
| 14 | 2019-12-31 | Georgetown | @ | Providence | L | 30 | 6 | 8 | .750 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 14 | |
| 15 | 2020-01-03 | Georgetown | @ | Seton Hall | L | 30 | 3 | 14 | .214 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 |
| 16 | 2020-01-08 | Georgetown | St. John's (NY) | W | 30 | 2 | 5 | .400 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 17 | 2020-01-11 | Georgetown | @ | Villanova | L | 25 | 5 | 9 | .556 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | |
| 18 | 2020-01-15 | Georgetown | Creighton | W | 35 | 9 | 14 | .643 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 20 | ||
| 19 | 2020-01-18 | Georgetown | Marquette | L | 34 | 9 | 17 | .529 | 2 | 3 | .667 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 22 | |
| 20 | 2020-01-22 | Georgetown | @ | Xavier | L | 21 | 3 | 9 | .333 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 21 | 2020-01-28 | Georgetown | Butler | L | 30 | 4 | 14 | .286 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 14 | ||
| 22 | 2020-02-02 | Georgetown | @ | St. John's (NY) | W | 34 | 6 | 11 | .545 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 13 | |
| 23 | 2020-02-05 | Georgetown | Seton Hall | L | 34 | 8 | 14 | .571 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 19 | |
| 24 | 2020-02-08 | Georgetown | DePaul | W | 27 | 8 | 15 | .533 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 16 | |
| 25 | 2020-02-22 | Georgetown | @ | DePaul | L | 25 | 1 | 7 | .143 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 26 | 2020-03-11 | Georgetown | N | St. John's (NY) | L | 21 | 2 | 2 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | |
| 26 Games | 709 | 165 | 309 | .534 | 3 | 14 | .214 | 70 | 93 | 98 | 256 | 31 | 59 | 73 | 403 |
Y7 is widely loved by Hoyas fans, and his talents are undeniable, but there were often questions regarding his toughness in certain matchups. Coach Ewing himself seemingly always asked for more from Yurtseven on both ends of the floor, be it publicly in press conferences or inferred sideline coaching conversations.
Being 7-foot, Yurtseven did not always draw foul calls against stretch-5s despite being slapped and pushed nightly. Double-teams had mixed results against Yurtseven who could take advantage of help defense when it was expected, but did not always respond as well when things got highly physical down low. From looking at the above game statistics, it’s not hard to tell that Yurtseven’s best performances came when he could rebound more easily, which didn’t typically happen in the BIG EAST season.
When Yurtseven first came to Georgetown, the center stated he wanted to learn from he best in Ewing. Yurtseven’s appreciation for his low-post sensei is a recruiting tool in itself, but Yurtseven’s discussion of Georgetown as a place of comfort, in terms of his background and faith, is something beautiful.
Omer Yurtseven has been discussed as a pro-level prospect for a handful of years, since his days playing for the Turkish National Team, however, his next level of competition has been a point of debate. For instance, NBAScoutingLive projects him as a second-round NBA draft pick. NBADraft.net puts Yurtseven as number 31 on the “Big Board” and number 41 on their mock draft. That said, there have been plenty of mock drafts that haven’t seen Yurtseven taken, for whatever reason, and some expect him to play in Europe while focusing on increasing his strength.
Still, you have to wonder if some team won’t take a chance on a smooth-shooting 7-footer who has had Patrick Ewing singing his praises for a couple years. Best of luck, Omer!
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Press Release: Yurtseven Selected All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention (GUHoyas)
WASHINGTON – Georgetown University’s Omer Yurtseven was named All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention, as announced by the league office on Sunday. Yurtseven’s honor is the eighth all-league honor for the Blue & Gray since Ewing took over the program before the 2017-18 season. OMER YURTSEVEN
- For the season, Yurtseven’s 15.8 ppg, 10.0 rpg and 53.1 FG percentage lead the squad.
- In league action, Yurtseven averages 13.2 ppg, good for third on the team in scoring, as well as a squad-best 9.8 rpg.
- Yurtseven is the fourth Hoya to be named honorable mention, joining Rodney Pryor (2016-17), Hollis Thompson (2011-12) and Jonathan Wallace (2006-07).
- On five separate occasions, the senior was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll.
- Yurtseven is a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award presented by the Naismith Hall of Fame as well as the Oscar Robertson Trophy.
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As a reminder, prior to his days at N.C. State, Omer Yurtseven was:
• Consensus five-star prospect by 247Sports, Rivals and Scout
• Ranked as the No. 3 center prospect in the 2016 recruiting class by Scout
• Named to the All-Star Five at the 2016 FIBA U-20 European Championship after helping lead Turkey to the bronze medal, averaging a team-best 10.4 points per game and added 5.6 rebounds per game
• Averaged 9.8 points and 9.7 rebounds per game for the Turkish U-18 national team that finished runner-up in the FIBA U-18 European Championship in 2015
• Averaged 15.1 points on 58.0 percent shooting, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game for the Turkish U-16 national team to make the All-Tournament team at the 2014 FIBA U-16 European Championship
• Scored 91 points and grabbed 28 rebounds in a Turkish U-18 basketball game in the spring of 2016 … Hit 39-of-60 field goal attempts in the game, including five 3-pointers.
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If Yurtseven does leave, as expected for a while now, Georgetown would have three open scholarships. Scholarship table HERE.
Best of luck to Omer Yurtseven! Hoya Saxa!