24-25 Hoya Basketball

[cnyhoya]

That's a pretty low bar.

[jctnhoya4ever]

I think anything less than at least 16-14 is a bad year. If they can’t win6-7 big east games something is wrong. Hopefully a few than that.

[SFHoya99]

Sept 24, 2024 18:06:09 GMT -5 jwp91 said:

Sept 24, 2024 12:00:31 GMT -5 Ranch Dressing said:

One of the big questions for me is whether Sorber, Fielder, and Julius split time at one or two positions. There has been a lot of speculation, but I think you need to see how effective they are on the floor in different combinations. If they all turn out to be effective only at the 5, that will open minutes for Burks and McKenna.

HR has said that Curtis has really shown well on defense and may be the best defensive guard. I could see Curtis getting the lionshare of 3rd guard minutes over Mulready.

I agree that just "who can play the 4" is probably the number one question.

But then again, there's just so many questions.

What do we know?

• About 100 of the 200 minutes in a standard game are probably dead set. Epps, Mack and Peavy will almost certainly combine for 90-100 minutes if healthy, and closer to the higher number if Peavy is indeed the back up PG. They also are the least likely to get into foul trouble. So in some ways, we know a lot for a team returning 3 players.
• It's highly likely that virtually all the center minutes go to Sorber, Fielder and Halaifonua. I think before practice started, I thought Burks could end up being called on to play center, and he still might at some point. But the positive info about Sorber plus the very real chance Fielder isn't going to be able to consistently defend the four means I think Burks won't be needed there (and may be needed more at the 4). That's probably 35-40 minutes across a set of three players -- we don't know exactly who, but we have an idea.

Maybe I'm jumping the gun on point 2. But I'm pretty confident in their skill sets, so even if it isn't day one, I think it'll be true by the end of the season.

So what are the big question marks?

1. Who can defend the four? There's little doubt in my mind that defensive play will get the call over offensive at positions outside of starting guard. So this positive will be primarily defense and rebounding first? If no one can ... we may see Peavy slide down. But I still think day one line up, this is Burks. I think the upside of the team increases significantly if Fielder can be an option here.
2. Who is the perimeter depth? With Peavy's versatility and the question marks at the four, there's a lot of opportunity and uncertainty here as fundamentally the backup 1, 2, 3 and 4 minutes can conceivably come from anywhere because Peavy can move around so much. And when Micah sits, we can go three guard since our backup guards do have decent size. The result is that there's anywhere from 20-30 straight perimeter minutes and then probably something close to 15+ at the four which could swing. The latter is really depending on question #1 (if Fielder can go there, I expect it to be mostly Fielder/Burks), even ignoring that, we have a number of guys who could swing in at the first three. Or it could be one guy. Given what I believe will be a bias to defense, I think the sophomore transfers have the edge here -- Burks if not starting and Curtis Williams both have strong defensive reps and the advantage of a year in college. It could just be them -- an eight man rotation is not inconceivable.
   [li]How many freshman are READY? Even in a good freshmen class, there's a number of guys who simply aren't ready to contribute much, especially on defense. This class is super talented, but even so, with six of them coming in (including Seal), two to three of them simply will not be much regular help at least. That's the reality. We can put Seal into one of those buckets, and we won't need him this year. But out of Sorber, Halaifonua, Mulready, McKenna and Caleb Williams ... I'm willing to be two of them might show flashes but aren't ready to defend and contribute positively this year. Obviously, between Sorber and Julius, having one of them ready is the highest priority. But I don't think either is playing the four this year, so if chalk up center to them and Fielder ... how many GOOD minutes can we get out of Mulready, McKenna and Williams?
   

Lot of unknowns for a team where we might actually know four of the five starters and like 60%+ of the minutes.

[hoyasaxa2003]

Sept 26, 2024 8:32:12 GMT -5 cnyhoya said:

That's a pretty low bar.

Cooley needs the bar to be low, even if he thinks he will overachieve. Last year was effectively a disaster, but he gets a pass to a large extent because it was year 1. The fan base/alumni won't be so charitable if it happens again.

As an aisde, I think it's great Cooley did this interview. But it also proves why these interviews are only so useful. How much is Cooley going to really say preseason about anybody in particular? It could simply be that Cooley is being cautious with a young team, but his speaking in generalities and saying it will take time tells me he thinks we have potential but we aren't there yet.

As for the person who said we needed to go 16-14...Let's say we win 8 of the Out of Conference games (minimum 7 against cupcakes + one more challenging game). If that happens, and we are 8-2, that means we could go 8-12 and hit the 16-14. Frankly, for a team that has one 4 Big East games over the last three seasons, 8 Big East wins seems like a stretch to me. Not impossible, but likely*? It really depends on a lot of the unknowns and whether the team improves throughout the season.

* The optimistic side of me looks at our young talent and says, heck yeah! We could be 8-12 or better. But we are still young and coming off an awful season, so I am trying to temper my blue and gray colored glasses (for now).

[EtomicB]

Malik Mack, Georgetown (Harvard): The Hoyas only won nine games last season in their first year under Ed Cooley and how big of a jump they make in Year Two will depend on how quickly Mack adjusts to the Big East. The dynamic floor general averaged 17.2 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.0 rebounds last season as a freshman at Harvard.

[hoyariv71]

What about a comparisons of Kevin braswell to Malik Mack? Not ultra quick but a good shooter, solid dribble, lives the floater and solid passer, you thoughts ?

[SFHoya99]

Sept 27, 2024 13:14:03 GMT -5 hoyariv71 said:

What about a comparisons of Kevin braswell to Malik Mack? Not ultra quick but a good shooter, solid dribble, lives the floater and solid passer, you thoughts ?

I don't know about Mack, but if anyone invites the Kevin Braswell comparison, it's probably Jayden Epps. Closer to a 30% shooter from 3 (so far), and the defining element of how good the player would be was around decision-making. Both call their own number a bit too much, but are on bad teams. And both are good passers with reasonably high assist numbers, but seem to make their passing decisions well in advance of the pass. Braswell was notorious for his drives to the hoop where it seemed like he knew he was going to shoot or dish no matter what the defense did.

I think Epps will be better, but right now they are very similar.

[jwp91]

Sept 27, 2024 14:49:28 GMT -5 SFHoya99 said:

Sept 27, 2024 13:14:03 GMT -5 hoyariv71 said:

What about a comparisons of Kevin braswell to Malik Mack? Not ultra quick but a good shooter, solid dribble, lives the floater and solid passer, you thoughts ?

I don't know about Mack, but if anyone invites the Kevin Braswell comparison, it's probably Jayden Epps. Closer to a 30% shooter from 3 (so far), and the defining element of how good the player would be was around decision-making. Both call their own number a bit too much, but are on bad teams. And both are good passers with reasonably high assist numbers, but seem to make their passing decisions well in advance of the pass. Braswell was notorious for his drives to the hoop where it seemed like he knew he was going to shoot or dish no matter what the defense did.

I think Epps will be better, but right now they are very similar.

100%

[thedragon]

Sept 27, 2024 13:14:03 GMT -5 hoyariv71 said:

What about a comparisons of Kevin braswell to Malik Mack? Not ultra quick but a good shooter, solid dribble, lives the floater and solid passer, you thoughts ?

I'd say Upperclassman Markel Starks.

[EtomicB]

[DanMcQ]

[DanMcQ]

[hoyaguy]

Heard Cooley is going to the Hoya Blue meeting this week to get students excited for the season.

[guru]

Sept 30, 2024 10:03:28 GMT -5 Elvado said:

RIP to a man whose heart was even bigger than he was.

Without question the greatest Hoya Basketball product ever, when his post playing career is factored in.

Godspeed Dikembe and God bless your family.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled hateful rhetoric from this poster...

[FrazierFanatic]

Sept 30, 2024 10:41:34 GMT -5 guru said:

Sept 30, 2024 10:03:28 GMT -5 Elvado said:

RIP to a man whose heart was even bigger than he was.

Without question the greatest Hoya Basketball product ever, when his post playing career is factored in.

Godspeed Dikembe and God bless your family.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled hateful rhetoric from this poster...

I can guarantee that 'vadi bleeds blue and gray. He, like many others, have had so much spirit crushed by the last 6 seasons (and more), not just because of the pitiful results, but also the inner workings of the cabal, the secrecy, the nepotism, the seemingly apparent lack of concern and respect for the fans who support the program. He has been hit harder than most. And so now he hits back.

[hoya1323]

Hi All, longtime fan (graduated in 2013, so my undergrad ended with Florida-Gulf Coast, but the team also made the tournament all four of my years as an undergrad. Also got my grad degree at gtown but graduated the last year of Ewing, so a little less nostalgic for that) and longtime reader of the forum. I finally signed up and got an account. I for one am actually excited for this season, despite the understandable malaise of the fanbase after the last decade. Saw a few recent comments about what record would define success this year and thought I'd use my first post to chime in with my own thoughts.

When Cooley took the job, I set the bar for "success" for year one pretty low at 10 wins for the season, with 3 wins in conference. So basically an O/U of 9.5. If you count moral victories, then they got there for the first part (the TCU guy stepped out of bounds and the refs blew the call), and they had multiple close calls in conference against real big east teams (I.e. not Depaul).. The roster was basically a thrown together collection of spare parts with only 3-4 players worth keeping (must have: Fielder, Epps; nice to have: Brumbaugh, Styles). So Cooley gets a C+ for 23-34 in my system (met 2/3 goals by "winning" 10 games and keeping the two players he absolutely had to), with a boost up to a B because of the freshmen and a very solid transfer class (side note: I'm pumped that this is looking to be the most athletic and lengthy team Georgetown has had in a long time, with so much more interoperability and depth than we are used to. For those complaining about guard depth, being able to rotate in two bigger guards like Curtis Williams and Mulready while keeping at least one of Epps and Mack on the floor could be a very underrated card in Cooley's back pocket. Not to mention having a bunch of guys on the wings with NBA type bodies like Peavy, Burks and McKenna).

For year two, I think 15 wins is about right to be considered a success. If they can avoid losing to some below-300 team (like recent early season debacles Navy, Holy Cross, etc) and pick up at least one win against their three power conference opponents, that gets them to nine wins. From there, I think 6 wins in 20 games across the Big East is doable. Probably don't get a win against UConn, Marquette or Creighton, but everyone else in the conference has significant question marks this year. To get an A, win 18 games and make a postseason tournament (A+ if it's NIT) plus retain your key guys (I'm not a fortune teller so not sure who those will be but guess is musts are Mack, Fielder, Sorber, Halaifonua, and nice to haves are Epps, Burks, McKenna and Mulready) plus a couple top-75 freshmen.

Year three is where Cooley has to prove it. 20+ wins and NCAAT or bust.

[hibernatinghoyafan]

Oct 1, 2024 19:39:39 GMT -5 hoya1323 said:

Hi All, longtime fan (graduated in 2013, so my undergrad ended with Florida-Gulf Coast, but the team also made the tournament all four of my years as an undergrad. Also got my grad degree at gtown but graduated the last year of Ewing, so a little less nostalgic for that) and longtime reader of the forum. I finally signed up and got an account. I for one am actually excited for this season, despite the understandable malaise of the fanbase after the last decade. Saw a few recent comments about what record would define success this year and thought I'd use my first post to chime in with my own thoughts.

When Cooley took the job, I set the bar for "success" for year one pretty low at 10 wins for the season, with 3 wins in conference. So basically an O/U of 9.5. If you count moral victories, then they got there for the first part (the TCU guy stepped out of bounds and the refs blew the call), and they had multiple close calls in conference against real big east teams (I.e. not Depaul).. The roster was basically a thrown together collection of spare parts with only 3-4 players worth keeping (must have: Fielder, Epps; nice to have: Brumbaugh, Styles). So Cooley gets a C+ for 23-34 in my system (met 2/3 goals by "winning" 10 games and keeping the two players he absolutely had to), with a boost up to a B because of the freshmen and a very solid transfer class (side note: I'm pumped that this is looking to be the most athletic and lengthy team Georgetown has had in a long time, with so much more interoperability and depth than we are used to. For those complaining about guard depth, being able to rotate in two bigger guards like Curtis Williams and Mulready while keeping at least one of Epps and Mack on the floor could be a very underrated card in Cooley's back pocket. Not to mention having a bunch of guys on the wings with NBA type bodies like Peavy, Burks and McKenna).

For year two, I think 15 wins is about right to be considered a success. If they can avoid losing to some below-300 team (like recent early season debacles Navy, Holy Cross, etc) and pick up at least one win against their three power conference opponents, that gets them to nine wins. From there, I think 6 wins in 20 games across the Big East is doable. Probably don't get a win against UConn, Marquette or Creighton, but everyone else in the conference has significant question marks this year. To get an A, win 18 games and make a postseason tournament (A+ if it's NIT) plus retain your key guys (I'm not a fortune teller so not sure who those will be but guess is musts are Mack, Fielder, Sorber, Halaifonua, and nice to haves are Epps, Burks, McKenna and Mulready) plus a couple top-75 freshmen.

Year three is where Cooley has to prove it. 20+ wins and NCAAT or bust.

Welcome to the forum. Highly suggest downloading discord and joining the large Hoya community on there. Feel free to DM me if you want an invite.

[hoyas315]

[bluegray79]

Don't know how many of you check out this site (link), but I check a couple of times a week to see if there's anything new. Finding myself really enjoying the pictures of the team in practice. Makes me feel hopeful about the athletes we have and how improved I expect us to be this year. (I don't subscribe or pay -- that limits me, of course, but there's usually something of interest pre-paywall)

georgetown.rivals.com/news/fall-practice-shots-day-2-9-28-24

georgetown.rivals.com/news/fall-practice-shots-day-1-9-27-24

[bostonfan]

Oct 4, 2024 10:44:06 GMT -5 bluegray79 said:

Don't know how many of you check out this site (link), but I check a couple of times a week to see if there's anything new. Finding myself really enjoying the pictures of the team in practice. Makes me feel hopeful about the athletes we have and how improved I expect us to be this year. (I don't subscribe or pay -- that limits me, of course, but there's usually something of interest pre-paywall)

georgetown.rivals.com/news/fall-practice-shots-day-2-9-28-24

georgetown.rivals.com/news/fall-practice-shots-day-1-9-27-24

Am I just missing something, or is Epps not in any of these photos? Is he injured?