2017-18 season under new coach Patrick Ewing

[DanMcQ]

Thought a thread on this alone might keep the info (players staying, assistant coaches, outlook, etc) from getting lost in the other threads.

[TC]

Apr 5, 2017 14:13:02 GMT -5 DanMcQ said:

Thought a thread on this alone might keep the info (players staying, assistant coaches, outlook, etc) from getting lost in the other threads.

This one concerns me a lot. JT3 made huge improvements in scheduling from Esherick and JT2. Really hope we don't backslide into playing the worst teams in the MEAC.

[BigmanU]

Sounds like he will roll out squad (8-9 guys) he currently has next year.

Feels like his done with 2017 except for Tremont. He wants Freshman top talent and doesn't want to waste a roster spot.

[BigmanU]

Apr 5, 2017 14:19:16 GMT -5 TC said:

Apr 5, 2017 14:13:02 GMT -5 DanMcQ said:

Thought a thread on this alone might keep the info (players staying, assistant coaches, outlook, etc) from getting lost in the other threads.

This one concerns me a lot. JT3 made huge improvements in scheduling from Esherick and JT2. Really hope we don't backslide into playing the worst teams in the MEAC.

This team will have challenges next year. Play up to our level in Non-Conference. He can up the ante when he has the horses. The BEAST just sent 7 teams to the dance, well have our chances especially with the Home and Home scheduling.

[ColumbiaHeightsHoya]

Maybe this was advice from Mullin. They had a lot of roster turnover post-Lavin. I do think there are grad transfers & kids who decommitted out there who we should kick the tires on but it sounds like they are approaching this the way they should with a focus on building a core.

[williambraskyiii]

Apr 5, 2017 14:24:04 GMT -5 BigmanU said:

Apr 5, 2017 14:19:16 GMT -5 TC said:

This one concerns me a lot. JT3 made huge improvements in scheduling from Esherick and JT2. Really hope we don't backslide into playing the worst teams in the MEAC.

This team will have challenges next year. Play up to our level in Non-Conference. He can up the ante when he has the horses. The BEAST just sent 7 teams to the dance, well have our chances especially with the Home and Home scheduling.

Maybe not next year, but I disagree with this approach. Maybe there is a happy compromise between Esh's scheduling of half the MEAC and JTIII's gauntlet-style scheduling even when we were young and/or not that good. Key with scheduling is getting the 150-250 RPI cupcakes as opposed to the 300+.

[bostonfan]

I am Ok with an early OOC schedule that gives your team chance to build some confidence as they get used to playing in a new style with new expectations. You don't get a bunch of strength of schedule credit for some of those games, but playing a tough OOC schedule the last two years hasn't really helped at all either. The OOC schedule will not be as bad as a lot of schools anyways. I think they are already committed to playing in one of the holiday tournaments (was it the Atlantis in the Bahamas??) and I think they also have agreements to play Maryland, Syracuse and UConn for the next few years. No need to add in the Duke, Kansas and Kentucky's of the world!!!

Getting to .500 next year is going to be hard as it is, not need to make it any harder

[FrazierFanatic]

Apr 5, 2017 14:31:29 GMT -5 williambraskyiii said:

Apr 5, 2017 14:24:04 GMT -5 BigmanU said:

This team will have challenges next year. Play up to our level in Non-Conference. He can up the ante when he has the horses. The BEAST just sent 7 teams to the dance, well have our chances especially with the Home and Home scheduling.

Maybe not next year, but I disagree with this approach. Maybe there is a happy compromise between Esh's scheduling of half the MEAC and JTIII's gauntlet-style scheduling even when we were young and/or not that good. Key with scheduling is getting the 150-250 RPI cupcakes as opposed to the 300+.

Well, 150-200 would probably be more our level next year.

I think Patrick will not shy away from a challenging schedule once he has a year or two to build this back up.

[calhoya]

I am not ready to give up on next year. Yes it will be a challenge and scheduling must reflect the weakened roster, but it seems very premature to just write off the season as a waste. Why not 5th year grad transfers. How is this different than Kentucky and Duke bringing in one and dones. The major difference is the transfers may not be as naturally talented but will be seasoned veterans with collegiate playing experience. I would be very disappointed if the new coaching staff ignores this possibility. No the NCAAs may not be realistic, but for now anything that points the needle up is a positive for the program. Besides, you may want to play with a short bench, but if Ewing is serious about the new style of play and bringing in his own system, you cannot even practice without at least 10-11 players. They have 7-8 right now.

[BigmanU]

Apr 5, 2017 14:31:29 GMT -5 williambraskyiii said:

Apr 5, 2017 14:24:04 GMT -5 BigmanU said:

This team will have challenges next year. Play up to our level in Non-Conference. He can up the ante when he has the horses. The BEAST just sent 7 teams to the dance, well have our chances especially with the Home and Home scheduling.

Maybe not next year, but I disagree with this approach. Maybe there is a happy compromise between Esh's scheduling of half the MEAC and JTIII's gauntlet-style scheduling even when we were young and/or not that good. Key with scheduling is getting the 150-250 RPI cupcakes as opposed to the 300+.

Reading the opening quotes, I'm pretty sure he was speaking about next year with the scheduling. I wouldn't assume anything beyond that.

[DanMcQ]

www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/dc-area-recruits-take-a-wait-and-see-approach-to-patrick-ewing-hire-at-georgetown/2017/04/05/8ccbe9c0-1a13-11e7-bcc2-7d1a0973e7b2_story.html

[prhoya]

Great article. We moved away from recruiting the area for God knows what reason. Time to come back to GU.

[bamahoya11]

I just posted on it in the other expectations thread, but I think you have to view 2017-18 and 2018-19 as more or less a wash. It seems clear that Ewing isn't going to offer people just to load up a roster for next year, and I think that's smart. If we somehow landed Waters or some other late signee or grad transfer, we might have a chance of going .500 next year if we have no more defections. But we are a long way away from contention right now. Instead, we are a bad team that lost our two best players.

Beyond that, we are also a bit behind on the 2018 class. In theory, I would like to see Ewing come in and make a splash. But for me, the 2019 class is the first one where I would hold him accountable. I would like to see him get a good start on that this season.

In terms of the year itself, I hope we schedule an easy OOC. This team will need to build chemistry to have any chance of success at all. Beyond that, it'd be nice to see us knock off someone that no one expects. Maybe we surprise Villanova or Xavier in DC or beat someone else a couple times. It'd be nice to see an upset and a finish within a game or two of .500 (I think .500 would be a major coup).

[jwp91]

Apr 5, 2017 19:28:49 GMT -5 prhoya said:

Great article. We moved away from recruiting the area for God knows what reason. Time to come back to GU.

As I recall, the ebb and flow of talent had the DMV with less attractive targets. Georgetown evolved to more of a national recruiting base. Then DMV changed back.

[EtomicB]

What are the terms of his contract, I can't find the information posted anywhere?

[trillesthoya]

Apr 5, 2017 19:57:18 GMT -5 EtomicB said:

What are the terms of his contract, I can't find the information posted anywhere?

definitely not going to be public any time soon. 

[hoyacane11]

Given our ooc and BE record the last few years, I don't see how anyone would have a problem with a watered down ooc schedule. We sucked with a much more talented roster than the one we will play with next season. Why in the world would anyone not approve of a softer schedule. It's not like we need a tougher schedule to impress the committee or anything because we won't make the tournament.
Some people still fail to realize just how bad we we're, and how depleted we are currently.

Great move Coach!!

[seaweed]

Plenty of room for cupcakes, but not till after the Phil Knight Party, which will challenge our guys and give us a serious, fresh out of the gate gut check.

[GIGAFAN99]

Apr 5, 2017 20:36:58 GMT -5 hoyacane11 said:

Given our ooc and BE record the last few years, I don't see how anyone would have a problem with a watered down ooc schedule. We sucked with a much more talented roster than the one we will play with next season. Why in the world would anyone not approve of a softer schedule. It's not like we need a tougher schedule to impress the committee or anything because we won't make the tournament.
Some people still fail to realize just how bad we we're, and how depleted we are currently.

Great move Coach!!

Also everyone does realize the Big East put 7 teams in the tourney, and four of them had non-conference OOCs ranked 158, 161, 168, and 182 respectively, right?

We have room to soften the schedule and still make the tourney if we catch fire in-conference and finish above .500. The additional at-larges really helped matters.

[vv83]

Apr 5, 2017 21:43:41 GMT -5 GIGAFAN99 said:

Apr 5, 2017 20:36:58 GMT -5 hoyacane11 said:

Given our ooc and BE record the last few years, I don't see how anyone would have a problem with a watered down ooc schedule. We sucked with a much more talented roster than the one we will play with next season. Why in the world would anyone not approve of a softer schedule. It's not like we need a tougher schedule to impress the committee or anything because we won't make the tournament.
Some people still fail to realize just how bad we we're, and how depleted we are currently.

Great move Coach!!

Also everyone does realize the Big East put 7 teams in the tourney, and four of them had non-conference OOCs ranked 158, 161, 168, and 182 respectively, right?

We have room to soften the schedule and still make the tourney if we catch fire in-conference and finish above .500. The additional at-larges really helped matters.

I don't see how we come anywhere close to even contending for the NCAAs unless Ewing pulls in at least 2 BE starting caliber grad transfer/late in the game HS recruits. And one of them would have to be a PG who can step right in and run the show. Since Patrick apparently said in one of his interviews today that he is focusing on 2018 recruiting, this seems pretty unlikely. Some of our returning guys (if they all come back) are good players, but even if most of them improve - we just won't have the horses next year unless Ewing and his staff do a remarkable recruiting job over the next few weeks.