Game Grades: Hoyas Bounce Back with Two Wins Against Local Foes

What a weekend. Who needs an MTE (Multi-Team Event) when you can just schedule two locals back-to-back? In the span of about 2 minutes, the Georgetown Hoyas turned a potentially disastrous weekend into an all-around good one, mounting a comeback and ultimately beating American in OT after taking care of Mount St. Mary’s the day before. I’m giving combined grades for the weekend, which will satisfy all readers and cause no disagreements whatsoever.

Let’s go!

Supreme Cook - B

17pts, 7-9 77% FG, 3-5 FT, 8 REB, 3 STL, 4 TO, 29 MIN

10pts, 3-3 100% FG, 4-7 FT, 4 REB, 1 AST, 2 BLK, 0 TO, 38 MIN

I was largely OK with Supreme’s weekend. I thought he was mostly solid and did his job. The biggest challenge he faces is his job right now is probably 5-7 minutes more than would be ideal. He finished a team-high +16 against Mount St. Marys and a solid +9 against American, so it’s hard to argue with what he’s giving this team. There are just plays here and there that really highlight his limitations. His offensive is pretty much rim-running and offensive rebounds, which is fine except when the team tries to get him post-touches. I’d like to see him improve his positional rebounding. He relies on athleticism and outjumping people, and that’s going to become increasingly unsustainable as the competition improves. He hit a couple of really big free throws late against American, which was great to see.

Dontrez Styes - A

26pts, 8-15 53% FG, 3-6 50% 3PT, 7-9 FT, 8 REB, 4 AST, 2 BLK, 0 TO, 38 MIN

22pts, 8-18 44% FG, 1-6 16% 3PT, 5-6 FT, 11 REB, 1 AST, 0 TO, 44 MIN

Pretty close to a perfect weekend for Trez. He was outstanding in both games. The only reason he doesn’t get an A+ is his three-point shooting against American and the quality of the competition. Maybe more impressive than his shooting was coming out of the weekend with 0 turnovers. That is particularly impressive given his usage (team plays used by a player when they’re on the floor) 23.1 and 25.8%. He scored at all three levels, and I particularly liked his shot selection. He looked in complete control and worked well within the offense. He looks like a stud in the making, and it’s time to buy stock now.

Rowan Brumbaugh - C

7pts, 2-6 33% FG, 0-3 0% 3PT, 3-4 FT, 2 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 3 TO, 24 MIN

13pts, 4-9 44% FG, 1-5 20% 3PT, 4-5 FT, 4 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL, 4 TO, 31 MIN

Not a great weekend for Rowan, but I think there were some real positives. It’s easy to forget that he is seeing his first game action and is being asked to run the show. He struggled against Mount St Mary’s and overall just looked a little too lax. I thought he responded well against American but made too many mistakes. He ultimately got benched in favor of Cam Bacote, which I think was the right call. You can see the potential as well as the growing pains. I think his biggest challenge right now is his pace. He struggles to play mistake-free uptempo. He’s good when he’s able to slow the game down, but he needs to be able to change pace and handle pressure without turning the ball over. I think he is capable of it.

Jayden Epps - A-

10pts, 4-8 50% FG, 2-5 40% 3PT, 5 REB, 6 AST, 1 BLK, 6 TO, 36 MIN

31pts, 11-22 50% FG, 6-13 46% 3PT, 3-3 FT, 4 AST, 3 TO, 40 MIN

If you just take the first 70 minutes of his weekend, Jayden would not have gotten a good grade from me. But his last 10 minutes against American were so good that it bumps up his overall grade to an A-. He absolutely put the team on his back when they were all but buried against American. He’s not going to be able to replicate the shooting in that 10-minute span (he scored 20 points in like 4 minutes), but he can replicate the intensity and purpose he played with. Everything was just sharper and more intentional during that span, and that needs to be the norm for him. He was downright bad against Mount St. Mary’s, with 5 turnovers in the first half. His turnovers and mistakes look like they come from playing too nonchalantly. It’s fair that some of that could be stemming from the ankle injury he picked up against Rutgers - I’m sure it’s sore.

Jay Heath - C

17pts, 6-13 46% FG, 3-5 60% 3PT, 2-4 FT, 6 REB, 2 AST, 3 TO, 30 MIN

2pts, 1-4 25% FG, 0-1 3PT, 2-2 FT, 5 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 16 MIN

Sounds like Jay is still nursing an injury and playing his way back into form. That makes sense and explains some of the up-and-down play. He was really good against Mount St. Mary’s and really not good against American. It’s pretty simple for him - when he’s taking shots within the flow of the offense, he looks good and scores. He struggles When he freelances or relies too heavily on shots off the dribble. They need him to be a scorer, so I don’t really see it as similar to the issues the team had the past 2 seasons, but he needs to try and play within himself and the offense as much as possible.

Drew Fielder - C+

2pts, 1-3 33% FG, 0-1 3PT, 3 REB, 1 AST, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 13 MIN

5pts, 2-2 100% FG, 1-1 100% 3PT, 5 REB, 3 TO, 13 MIN

I think regardless of how I grade Drew, there are going to be complaints. So I’m giving him a C+ and hoping that satisfies everyone while I say here I am all in on Drew. I live on Drew Island. The weather is lovely, and we are building infrastructure to accommodate the hordes that are soon to move here. Drew is going to be a great player sooner rather than later. His feel for the game and decision-making are great. He needs to get better at defending without fouling, but that looks like an adjustment to the college game. He is improving every game and often within the game. That’s really cool to see, and I think indicates his upside. His contributions are not showing up on the box score yet, but they will.

Wayne Bristol - B

4pts, 2-5 40% FG, 0-2 3PT, 3 REB, 2 STL, 0 TO, 12 MIN

5pts, 1-2 50% FG, 1-1 100% 3PT, 2-2 FT, 5 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 0 TO, 25 MIN

I thought Wayne was really good against American. He was extremely active and gave them good energy and defensive intensity. I don’t think he played particularly well against Mount St. Mary’s. I think it’s probably time to reset expectations in his offensive upside - he will not be a double-digit scorer and knock-down three-point shooter. But his energy, activity and length are vital. My biggest gripe right now is he has a tendency to overplay in weird spots defensively. He has picked up a number of fouls going for steals on inbounds plays that are just wholly unnecessary. He is so long and has good enough athleticism that he’s pretty hard to get by. Reaching in when a guy is 26 feet from the basket is just bailing them out.

Cameron Bacote - B

0pts 2 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 2 TO, 15 MIN

0pts, 0-1 FG, 1 AST, 12 MIN

Cam gave them really good minutes against American when Coach went to him over Rowan. He settled the game down a bit and was able to play with more pace, which they needed. I think people calling for him to play a bigger role and even start getting a little ahead of their skis. He’s a good connector and initiator on offense, but he isn’t a playmaker. He’s not breaking guys down off a ball screen. I think he’s being used about right so far, and I would have actually liked Coach to go back to Rowan late in the American game after they settled a bit. He’s a really good option to have with this backcourt. He also was the one who just didn’t box out the shooter on the American free throw that resulted in a 4-point possession and looked like the nail in the coffin before Jayden went nuclear. I’ve seen a couple of those types of little mistakes that have big impacts. I think 5-10 minutes is right where he should be.

Ryan Mutombo - No Grade

0pts, 3 MIN

0pts, 1 REB, 6 MIN

Other Grades

Coaching - C

I think the biggest gripe you can have with coaching this weekend is probably the decision to schedule the back-to-back games to begin with. They looked gassed and really lethargic at times in the American game. Ultimately, I don’t have a huge issue with it and think it helps with growth, but it’s a fair critique that the decision put unnecessary strain on a young team. Otherwise, I have really liked what Ed has done so far this year. His rotations have been just right, and the offensive and defensive schemes and execution have been really positive. I’ve also really appreciated how the team responds game-to-game. After 20 turnovers against Mount St. Mary’s, Georgetown only had 11 against American. These problems aren’t going to completely go away, but they appear to be points of emphasis, and it looks like the team has an idea of how to fix them. Ultimately, this is going to be an up-and-down year (probably more down than up), and I understand being frustrated that they weren’t more aggressive to try and be more competitive in year one. I just think they probably made a choice to emphasize year two and beyond, and that’s hard to argue with.

Next up - The Hoyas have a break this week before a tough one against a Jackson St. team that just beat Missouri and alternate-timeline coach Dennis Gates. I had the next two against Jackson St, and Merrimack circled as two games that seem easier than they are. Both teams are better than their ranking and should be good tests for a young Hoyas team. Will we see Ish against Jackson St? There were reports that he had lost the brace and was getting shots up pregame. Jackson St. will also bring back future Hoya head coach Tyler Adams, who I expect to get a big applause.