hoyaboya
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 12,750 
|
Post by hoyaboya on Aug 17, 2023 12:03:26 GMT -5
"Big East Basketball: Each team’s best acquisition out of 2023 transfer portal... Jayden Epps looks to turn things around joining the Big East and new Georgetown Hoyas head coach Ed Cooley after spending the past season in the Big Ten with the Illinois Fighting Illini. Epps is a fast-starting guard that doesn’t need much space to find his offense. He posted 9.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg and 1.5 apg on 30.1 percent shooting from 3-point range and 41.4 percent from the floor in his debut college season with Illinois in 2022-23. He appeared in 31 games, starting in 11, as a freshman for the Fighting Illini. In his best outing, he knocked down a career-best 21 points on 5-of-9 shooting from deep and 8-of-12 shooting from the field off the bench in a victory over Monmouth back on Nov. 14. In his best performance as a starter, he put up 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor and 4-of-6 shooting from deep across 30 minutes of action. Whether as a starter or off the bench, Epps has proven himself as a scoring guard that can operate in the painted area and on the perimeter. He scored in double figures in all but 11 games he appeared in this past season. His role off the bench for the Fighting Illini became a sporadic one, thus his reasoning for hitting the transfer portal." bustingbrackets.com/2023/08/17/big-east-basketball-each-teams-best-acquisition-out-of-2023-transfer-portal/4/ |
|
|
|
Post by hoyasaxa2003 on Aug 17, 2023 14:30:52 GMT -5
Agree completely with this timeline for Akok's decision. This would seemingly support my suggestion (which others also suggested) that Akok likely could not transfer as a graduate student after May, which likely directly led to this timing (among other possibilities like NIL). But to pivot to someone on our roster, I am getting more and more excited for Epps, as I read and see more about him. He seems like a key piece for this year and beyond. |
|
hoyas315
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 3,159
|
Post by hoyas315 on Aug 25, 2023 10:59:06 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by BeantownHoya on Aug 25, 2023 11:00:40 GMT -5
Not exactly what anyone was hoping to hear but on the other hand it was probably unreasonable to think anything that compares to Akok was walking through the door at this point... |
|
guru
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 6,674
|
Post by guru on Aug 25, 2023 12:55:18 GMT -5
"Loading up on walk ons" does not sound like the preferred way to rescue the program. Patience will be required. |
|
TC
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 9,480
|
Post by TC on Aug 25, 2023 13:29:21 GMT -5
We need bench bigs that are (a) okay with not seeing the floor consistently this year and that are (b) okay with not taking a scholarship next year that (c) hopefully take no NIL $ and (d) don't mess up our APR (which we need to repair still, thanks again Patrick Ewing for screwing up the program in every possible area). Also if they don't take a scholarship this year that'd be good too, because we'd ideally have one or two free if something comes up in December.
Old walkons sorta like Grant and Kazor who can pull down good GPA but who are 6'8" and can rebound and eat fouls would be amazing. Christmas wish is that one of them is 280 pounds and can eat space (or 215 if we're using the Fulton County Jail system).
|
|
dense
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 5,091
|
Post by dense on Aug 25, 2023 13:54:55 GMT -5
"Loading up on walk ons" does not sound like the preferred way to rescue the program. Patience will be required. You still need to be able to practice. with only 10 schollies, you need more people in case of injury. |
|
|
|
Post by hoyasaxa2003 on Aug 25, 2023 15:05:25 GMT -5
Barring a Jonathan Wallace type player who turns out to be exceptional or massive injury problems, I think the odds of the walk-ons seeing any time in real games (other than garbage time) are minimal. Over the years, Georgetown has generally had very few walk-ons year to year, but I know other schools have a lot more on their rosters. So, I don't think this is abnormal, nor do I think it's terribly newsworthy until any of these guys see meaningful minutes in a real game.
John Caprio is the only walk-on I can recall who got some real time, and that reflected a pretty weak JT3 team.
|
|
|
|
Post by hoyalove4ever on Aug 25, 2023 15:30:03 GMT -5
Hester!!!
|
|
|
|
Post by hoyalove4ever on Aug 25, 2023 15:32:48 GMT -5
There is talent out there. My favorite Hoya of all time was told that he would have a role on defense and that likely would be it. He went on to be Big East Player of the Year. I think there is a preferred walk on who can give us five fouls and get us a few boards.
|
|
SSHoya
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
"Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown."
Posts: 19,515
|
Post by SSHoya on Aug 25, 2023 16:03:42 GMT -5
There is talent out there. My favorite Hoya of all time was told that he would have a role on defense and that likely would be it. He went on to be Big East Player of the Year. I think there is a preferred walk on who can give us five fouls and get us a few boards. Loved Smitty but times are so different now. If such a "big" man exists out there who's under the radar, I'd be surprised. I'd take another Don Reid type player. After GU, not many thought he'd stick in the League but he did. Or another Jahidi White for that matter. |
|
CTHoya08
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Bring back Izzo!
Posts: 2,960
|
Post by CTHoya08 on Aug 25, 2023 16:12:34 GMT -5
I don’t know if this is really “news” at this point. We knew that we would be short-handed with Akok’s eleventh-hour departure. It’s only natural that Cooley would want to add some bodies at this point, but I don’t think they’re likely to see the floor in real games.
|
|
|
|
Post by hoyalove4ever on Aug 25, 2023 16:18:19 GMT -5
There is talent out there. My favorite Hoya of all time was told that he would have a role on defense and that likely would be it. He went on to be Big East Player of the Year. I think there is a preferred walk on who can give us five fouls and get us a few boards. Loved Smitty but times are so different now. If such a "big" man exists out there who's under the radar, I'd be surprised. I'd take another Don Reid type player. After GU, not many thought he'd stick in the League but he did. Or another Jahidi White for that matter. Agreed that times are different (and MUCH worse, unfortunately), but I still think there is a player out there somewhere who can help. Not to be another Charles Smith, or Don Reid, both of whom went on to the NBA. As to Jahidi White, he was an All-American in HS who also went on to a good career in the NBA. We need a shadow of those guys. Just someone big and strong who can and will bang a bit would help a lot. I am not saying it is easy, but there is someone like that available, somewhere. |
|
SSHoya
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
"Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown."
Posts: 19,515
|
Post by SSHoya on Aug 25, 2023 17:16:38 GMT -5
Loved Smitty but times are so different now. If such a "big" man exists out there who's under the radar, I'd be surprised. I'd take another Don Reid type player. After GU, not many thought he'd stick in the League but he did. Or another Jahidi White for that matter. Agreed that times are different (and MUCH worse, unfortunately), but I still think there is a player out there somewhere who can help. Not to be another Charles Smith, or Don Reid, both of whom went on to the NBA. As to Jahidi White, he was an All-American in HS who also went on to a good career in the NBA. We need a shadow of those guys. Just someone big and strong who can and will bang a bit would help a lot. I am not saying it is easy, but there is someone like that available, somewhere. Check the Postal Seevice for the next Ed Spriggs! The Army for the next Ronnie Highsmith! 🤪 |
|
EasyEd
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 7,272
|
Post by EasyEd on Aug 25, 2023 18:53:36 GMT -5
Maybe fillins then Sorber reclass after first semester.
|
|
617hoya
Bulldog (over 250 posts)
Posts: 254
|
Post by 617hoya on Aug 25, 2023 21:36:57 GMT -5
Maybe fillins then Sorber reclass after first semester. That wouldn’t make sense. |
|
MCIGuy
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Anyone here? What am I supposed to update?
Posts: 9,604
|
Post by MCIGuy on Aug 26, 2023 10:04:47 GMT -5
Maybe fillins then Sorber reclass after first semester. That wouldn’t make sense. And yet some folks won't stop bringing it up. |
|
EasyEd
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 7,272
|
Post by EasyEd on Aug 26, 2023 10:56:12 GMT -5
Please explain to the uneducated why it doesn’t make sense.
|
|
dense
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 5,091
|
Post by dense on Aug 26, 2023 11:01:34 GMT -5
I remember when Cooley first was at Providence. They had a very small team and just played harder than everyone and were semi-succesful. I'd argue the talent on this team is better than those first Cooley Providence teams. I feel he'll play small ball and really concentrate on upping the defensive intensity to get results. We have 2 bigs and a 6-8 Frosh who can shoot from the perimeter. He is gonna use that to open the floor for Heath and Epps to drive.
|
|
EtomicB
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 15,432
|
Post by EtomicB on Aug 26, 2023 11:43:58 GMT -5
I remember when Cooley first was at Providence. They had a very small team and just played harder than everyone and were semi-succesful. I'd argue the talent on this team is better than those first Cooley Providence teams. I feel he'll play small ball and really concentrate on upping the defensive intensity to get results. We have 2 bigs and a 6-8 Frosh who can shoot from the perimeter. He is gonna use that to open the floor for Heath and Epps to drive. I’d like to hear those arguments Dense, his early teams had established college players like Cotton, Batts & Council, young players like Henton & Dunn. |
|
