Georgetown men's basketball preview: Hoyas aim for sophomore rebound

Georgetown's Ed Cooley was no stranger to the Hoyas program when he was named head coach in March 2023. After twelve seasons with Providence in the Big East, he often had a front-row seat to a program that was relegated from regular-season co-champion in 2013 to a regular-season last-place finisher in 2023.

He knew major changes would be needed as opposed to a cosmetic facelift, and after a 9-23 record that saw the Hoyas pick up two conference wins (against DePaul), it appears the program overhaul will take a big step in 2024 -25.

“I like my team, I think we are definitely making progress. I love the pieces we added,” Cooley told WTOP last month. “But we are still very young. We may be the youngest team in the Power Five, definitely the youngest team in the Big East, but I like what I see and how hard we work together.”

To say the roster changed would be an understatement: nine rookies and five transfers were added in the offseason.

“It's going to be really difficult to develop programs year after year, so you have to build your team. And you have to make sure you identify players who can not just come to Georgetown, but players who can play for you as a head coach,” Cooley said. “How tough are they, how responsible are they, do they have a selfless attitude, are they grateful and appreciative of things? Those are the types of players that usually play well for us.”

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If you were to pick a player from last year's team to return, it would probably be junior guard Jayden Epps. The Illinois transfer averaged 18.5 points per game (third in the Big East) in his first winter in D.C., and his coach expects Epps to build on that.

“I expect Jayden to be more vocal, I expect him to be better defensively,” Cooley said. “A better decision maker. I think there are other players on the field that will allow him to take some pressure off when everything isn’t just focused on him.”

Jayden knows he is expected to do more than just points.

“Just being more of a leader and finding ways to help my team overcome adversity,” Epps said. “Watching more film and just being a better leader on and off the field.”

Joining him in the backcourt is Harvard transfer Malik Mack, who went 14-13 and averaged 17 points and four assists in his first season with the Crimson. Epps likes what he's seen so far from the St. John's College High School graduate.

“He’s a great player – I know it’s going to be a fun year playing with him. With all the national attention he’s getting, he lives up to the hype,” Epps said. “Great guard – I’ll love playing with him in the backcourt.”

The Oxon Hill, Maryland native welcomes the warmer winter in DC and the opportunity to be the start of something special.

“I just want to bring one competitor, a dog,” Mack said. “I feel like if I go out and do my best every night, my team will follow and that will lead to wins.”

Also expected to contribute are transfer guards who can shoot in the form of Micah Peavy (11 points with five rebounds last winter for TCU) and Curtis Williams Jr. (5 points in 18 minutes per game for Louisville), as well as local post players with potential in 6-foot-9 freshman Jayden Fort (Jackson-Reed High School in D.C.) and 6-foot-7 freshman Caleb Williams Jr. (Sidwell Friends).

The schedule begins with eight straight home games before traveling to former conference foes West Virginia and Syracuse. And then Big East play begins with a bang on Dec. 18 as Creighton visits the District.

Not only does the league feature two-time defending champion and preseason No. 3 UConn, but Creighton (No. 15) and Marquette (No. 18) start November on the rankings, and three other schools (St. John's, Xavier and Providence) also gained votes.

“There is no other league I want to coach in, no other league I want to play in. I think the coaching is elite,” Cooley said. “And I’m excited to help get Georgetown back to where it needs to be.”

Step two of the journey begins Wednesday when the Hoyas host Lehigh at McDonough Arena.

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