The Hoya: The Guide: October 31, 2025 by The Hoya

Te Basketball Issue

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Haney Continues to Rebuild, Hoyas Look to Replace Ransom

Madeline Wang Senior Sports Editor

After a season that showed flashes of promise, Georgetown University’s women’s basketball team looks to continue growing, replacing star guard Kelsey Ransom with a plethora of transfers.

The Hoyas are set to begin their 2025-26 campaign Nov. 6. With a roster consisting of eight newcomers, eight upperclassmen and one ﬁrst-year, the Hoyas are ready for a fresh, mature start. Following a 2024 run to the Big East championship game, Georgetown had a disappointing 2024-25 showing, furnishing a 12-19 overall record and 4-14 conference record.

The Hoyas, who were seeded 10th of 11 teams heading into last year’s tournament, narrowly edged out the No. 7 seed Providence University Friars in the first round before suffering a 2-point loss to the Creighton University Bluejays in the quarterfinals. This year, the Hoyas have much to prove as they look to finish in the top half of the league.

Georgetown has a record of ping-ponging performances between seasons. Last season, the Hoyas racked up a .387 overall win percentage and .222 conference win percentage. The season prior, those values were .657 and .500, respectively.

Head Coach Darnell Haney enters his second season as head coach and third year at Georgetown. Haney came to the Hilltop as an assistant to Tasha Butts, who died of breast cancer prior to the 2023-24 season. He served that season in an interim role, before being named the permanent head coach ahead of last season.

During the 2022-23 campaign, the Hoyas also recorded a losing season with .452 overall and .300 conference win percentages. 2021-22 saw another losing record, while the prior two seasons saw win percentages below .200. Between the 2015-16 and 2018-19 seasons, however, Georgetown had a winning record or drew even; 2014-15 saw numbers in the .100s again.

That said, any prior season’s performance is not a good predictor of the current or upcoming season’s performance, and the Hoyas have plenty of chances to build a record afresh. Over the summer, the team welcomed eight new players — seven transfers and one ﬁrst-year.

The transfer class consists of graduate guard Laila Jewett from the University of Central Florida; sophomore guard Destiny Agubata from West Virginia University; junior guard Khia Miller from East Carolina University; twin sophomore guards Indya and Summer Davis from the University of Georgia; junior forward Cristen Carter from fellow Big East school Butler University; and junior forward Brianna Byars from the University of Cincinnati. The singular first-year joining the team is forward Braelynn Barnett from Aurora, Colo.

Head Coach Darnell Haney said he was looking for players who could contribute to the team both oﬀensively and defensively.

“We made sure we went to go get some people that could rebound the basketball,” Haney told The Hoya. “We went to go get some people that could score the basketball.”

Haney added that the team is overall better with these additions to the roster.

“I think we’re better by committee,” Haney said. “I think we’re in a situation where I can put five people on the floor out of our top 10, 11, 12 — where I could put any of those five people on the floor, and we can have really good production.”

In addition to the newcomers, the Hoyas also have two players returning from season-ending in-

juries — graduate forwards Chetanna Nweke and Brianna Scott. Nweke transferred to Georgetown from Princeton University last season and saw the first minute of play in the first game of last season, where she tore her ACL. Scott, who was named the Big East sixth woman of the year in 2024, also suffered a torn ACL — as well as a torn MCL and meniscus — during the 2024 Big East tournament semifinal, and she missed the 2024-25 season.

Sophomore point guard Khadee Hession, who was a consistent starter for the Hoyas last season and the second-leading scorer of the remaining players, said the team will perform well this season because of how they interact.

“I think we’re going to be good, honestly, regardless of who we have,” Hession told The Hoya. “We’re very together on the court and off the court.”

The Hoyas lost their key player between last season and this season — Ransom. While no one can replace the outstanding Ransom, new and returning players alike are stepping into leadership roles.

Senior guard Victoria Rivera said everyone is stepping up as leaders.

“I think we all bring diﬀerent things to the table, and with that being said, we’re all stepping into this new role in a new, unique way,” Rivera told The Hoya. “I know Kelsey Ransom was Kelsey Ransom, but we’re here to step into and be our own new leaders.”

Continuing to rebuild, Haney said the Hoyas plan to ﬁnish in the top half of the league.

“To be honest, our expectations are just to ﬁnish in the top half of the league,” Haney said. “I think we have a really good basketball team and I think we have really good people that want to come in and help Georgetown be one of the top programs in the Big East.”

The Hoyas’ first eight games will take place in the Washington, D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area. Georgetown will open nonconference play with a game against Stonehill College Nov. 6 in McDonough Arena at 7:00 p.m. Nov. 9, the team will travel across the District to College Park, Md. to take on University of Maryland at 1:00 p.m. Georgetown will then travel to Fairfax, Va., to face George Mason University Nov. 14, before returning home to McDonough for a five-game homestand.

The Hoyas’ five-game homestand will consist of nonconference matchups with Sacred Heart University Nov. 18, a game against crosstown rivals George Washington University Nov. 21, a matchup against Elon University Nov. 24 and a game against Towson University Nov. 26 before opening Big East play against Villanova University Dec. 4.

After their Big East opener, the Hoyas will take a 17-day hiatus from league play and face Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. Dec. 7 and Delaware State University in McDonough Arena Dec. 13. The team will then turn completely to Big East play, with notable home matchups against last season’s NCAA tournament qualiﬁers Creighton at McDonough Arena Dec. 28, reigning national champions the University of Connecticut Jan. 22 at CareFirst Arena in Southeast D.C. and Marquette University Feb. 1 in McDonough Arena on linear television.

Haney said he is very excited for the season ahead — and the rest of the Georgetown community should get excited, too.

“I’m excited about our growth,” Haney said. “I’m excited about this whole season getting ready to get started, man. It’s going to be fun.”

“And Georgetown women’s basketball is going to be fun to watch,” Haney added. “I need everyone to tap in and watch.”

BIG EAST POWER RANKINGS

Caleigh Keating Compensation Director

1. University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies

The defending national champion Huskies’ (373, 18-0 Big East) grip on the Big East doesn’t look like it’s loosening anytime soon. Filling the shoes of three-time all-American, reigning Big East player of the year and No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick point guard Paige Bueckers will be a tall order, but UConn looks poised to pick up right where they left off. The team will return reigning Big East freshman of the year, preseason conference player of the year, and preseason AP All-American sophomore forward Sarah Strong. Barring any major meltdowns, the 2026 Big East crown looks poised to return to the Huskies’ hands once again.

2. Marquette Golden Eagles

The Golden Eagles (21-11, 12-6 Big East) will look to continue building off last season’s success, which saw the team leapfrog expectations en route to finishing fourth in the conference. Marquette will likely continue their upward trend this year in coBig East Coach of the Year Cara Consuegra’s second season at the helm, as the team boasts an impressive roster of returning players that includes all five starters and three preseason all-Big East honorees.

3. Seton Hall Pirates

Seton Hall University (23-10, 13-5 Big East) has high expectations ahead of the upcoming season, and not just internally, receiving UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma’s ﬁrst-place vote in the Big East preseason coaches poll. Dynamic guard duo Savannah Catalon and Jada Eads return to New Jersey and will hope to continue last season’s success. The Pirates add an impressive crop of transfers to their roster as well, who look to make immediate contributions.

4. Creighton Bluejays

Creighton University (26-7, 16-2 Big East) solidly occupied the “best of the rest” spot in the Big East last year, losing only to UConn in conference play en route to a Big East tournament final and the conference’s only other NCAA tournament bid. But the Bluejays lost the bulk of their firepower over the offseason, with all-Big East guards Lauren Jensen, Morgan Maly and Molly Mogensen all graduating. The team will look to fill their shoes with a newcomer class of six first-years and a graduate transfer, but it’s hard to know what to expect from the Bluejays this season as they navigate life with a retooled roster. Head Coach Jim Flanery will look to continue the success of past years while pivoting into a new era.

5. Villanova Wildcats

Villanova University (21-15, 11-7 Big East) has proved to be a model of consistency in recent years, reaching the 20-win mark in each of the past four seasons. The Wildcats will hope to carry the momentum over to this season as they aim to build on a new core laden with transfers and first-year players. Villanova will look to build arounds guard Jasmine Bascoe, a preseason all-Big East selection.

6. Georgetown Hoyas

Head Coach Darnell Haney may have declared “top half or bust” at Big East media day

last week, but that looks like it may be just out of reach for the Hoyas (12-19, 4-14 Big East). Replacing all-time great Kelsey Ransom will be an impossible task, but the Hoyas will look toward a promising crop of returning players and breakout stars to ﬁll the hole. Despite all the change, with Haney’s culture-focused philosophy at the helm, it won’t be surprising if the Hoyas are able to build momentum and run with it all the way to a postseason berth.

7. St. John’s Red Storm

St. John’s University (16-15, 5-13 Big East) will rely on a mix of new and old faces as the team looks to achieve greater consistency this year. Senior scoring pair guard Skye Owen and forward Kylie Lavelle make their return and will look to lead the Red Storm. Head Coach Joe Tartamella has continued his strategy of building a roster through a rotating cast of new additions, with St. John’s adding ﬁve transfer portal players. How fast this new group gels together could dictate how the team’s season goes.

8. Butler Bulldogs

Butler University (16-18, 5-13 Big East) continues to show signs of improvement each year under Head Coach Austin Parkinson, and this season the trajectory looks to continue. While the 2024-25 season represented a slight step back in terms of overall record, bright spots percolated, including a home sellout against UConn, a WNIT tournament run and an all-Big East second team selection for guard Kilyn McGuﬀ. With McGuﬀ graduating, Parkinson will look to build around guard Lily Zeinstra and a strong transfer class.

9. DePaul Blue Demons

While DePaul University (13-19, 8-10 Big East) showed improvement last season, adding four wins to the previous season’s conference win total, the year ahead looks to be a bit of a wild card. DePaul University has a new head coach in Jill Pizzotti, although she’s hardly an unfamiliar face after 14 years with the team. She will be tasked with steering a team laden with newcomers, including seven transfers, and will almost certainly rely on all-Big East preseason honorable mention guard Kate Clarke.

10. Providence Friars

A new-look crew will also be the theme for Providence College (13-19, 6-12 Big East) this season, with much of the roster unproven in the Friars’ system after Providence parted ways with 10 graduating players over the summer. The Friars may surprise, but their roster simply has too many question marks to be optimistic about the direction of the upcoming season.

11. Xavier Musketeers

Another year, another season in the Big East women’s basketball basement for Xavier University (7-24, 1-17 Big East). Best wishes to Head Coach Billi Chambers as she trudges on in the third year of her rebuild, attempting to guide the Musketeers to the light out of the Big East cellar in the future, or at least multiple conference wins (which unfortunately the Musketeers haven’t notched since the 2021-22 season).

Experienced Hoyas Ready for Tough Schedule, Promising Season

BIG EAST POWER RANKINGS

Joshua Lou Special to The Hoya

1. St. John’s Red Storm

St. John’s University (31-5, 18-2 Big East last season), the reigning Big East champions, haven’t stopped winning since hiring basketball hall of famer Rick Pitino as their head coach in 2023. This past oﬀseason, the Red Storm had arguably the best transfer portal haul in the country, adding forward Bryce Hopkins from Providence and guard Ian Jackson from North Carolina. Under Pitino’s leadership, St. John’s looks like a favorite to win the Big East tournament again.

2. University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies

UConn (24-11, 14-6 Big East last season) remains an elite program despite a loss in the second round of the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament to the University of Florida Gators, the reigning national champions. The Huskies have kept a few core players, including forward Alex Karaban and guard Solo Ball, while adding Dayton transfer guard Malachi Smith and Preseason Big East Freshman of the Year Braylon Mullins.

3. Creighton Bluejays

Creighton University went 25-11 (15-5 Big East last season) but lost three starters, including Big East defensive player of the year Ryan Kalkbrenner and assist leader Steven Ashworth. The Blue Jays had to reload in talent this season, and they did, adding guard Josh Dix and forward Owen Freeman, both from Iowa. Dix and Freeman are expected to make an immediate impact within Head Coach Greg McDermott’s fast style of play. The duo averaged more than 30 combined points per game last season, and this year, they look to keep the show going.

4. Marquette Golden Eagles

Marquette University (23-11, 13-7 Big East last season) shows conﬁdence in their recruiting decisions, avoiding the transfer portal this oﬀseason. After losing Kam Jones to the NBA draft, the Golden Eagles retained veterans, including guard Chase Ross, forward Ben Gold and guard Zaide Lowery. These players will step into larger roles entering the new season, but with Head Coach Shaka Smart’s experience and fast, physical play style, Marquette should remain competitive at the top of the conference.

5. Georgetown Hoyas

Jumping from 9-23 in 2023 to an impressive 18-16 record last season (8-12 Big East), Head Coach Ed Cooley and the Hoyas look to continue improving this season with some important transfers, including explosive junior guard KJ Lewis, sharpshooter graduate guard Langston Love and role-player junior guard DeShawn Harris-Smith. With Thomas Sorber oﬀ to the Oklahoma City Thunder, big men transfers, senior center Vince Iwuchukwu and sophomore forward Isaiah Abraham, have the chance to ﬁll bigger roles than on their previous teams and help propel the Hoyas up the rankings.

6. Providence Friars

Though Providence College ﬁnished with a 1220 record and 6-14 conference record last season,

they can improve this year with new additions from the transfer portal. Head Coach Kim English has a lot to prove this season and brought in Vanderbilt star guard Jason Edwards, who averaged 17 points per game last season. With other transfers, including Georgia Tech forward Duncan Powell — who brieﬂy committed to Georgetown this summer — and Florida State transfer guard Daquan Davis, paired with familiar faces like Corey Floyd Jr., Providence looks to make a mark in the conference this year.

7. Villanova Wildcats

After ﬁring Head Coach Kyle Neptune following a disappointing season, the Villanova University Wildcats (21-15, 11-9 Big East last season) look to former University of Maryland Head Coach Kevin Willard for new leadership. Villanova recruited ﬁrst-year guard Acaden Lewis, who was among the top of his recruiting class and a potential NBA prospect, to lead the team., but Willard has work to do if he wants to rebuild the Wildcats to their former heights.

8. DePaul Blue Demons

Coming oﬀ a 14-20 record and a 4-16 conference record, DePaul University hopes to improve this year by retaining its core players in guard Layden Blocker, guard C.J. Gunn and forward N.J. Benson. The Blue Demons grabbed combo guard R.J. Smith, who shot about 40% from the arc last season, from the University of Colorado Boulder. If Head Coach Chris Holtmann can adjust for the Blue Demons’ lack of height and physicality in the paint last season, DePaul can certainly become a contender in the conference as they continue to build.

9. Xavier Musketeers

Although Xavier University made the tournament last year with a 22-12 record (13-7 Big East), Head Coach Sean Miller’s departure for the University of Texas at Austin and 10 new players leave the Musketeers with an uncertain season ahead. With Head Coach Richard Pitino, the son of St. John’s Head Coach Rick Pitino, at the helm alongside high-scoring transfer guards All Wright and Malik Messina-Moore, there is still hope for the Musketeers, but maybe not this season.

10. Butler Bulldogs

Finishing third-to-last last year with a 15-20 record (6-14 Big East), Butler University will find it difficult to rise in the ranks after losing key scorer Jahmyl Telfort and returning only three players from last year. The Bulldogs’ first option will be returning guard Finley Bizjack, who averaged 10.3 PPG last season. Hopes for Butler remain low, as the team has many unresolved questions offensively.

11. Seton Hall Pirates

Finishing last in last year’s the Big East season (7-25, 2-18 Big East last season), Seton Hall University bodes similarly this year after losing oﬀensive weapons: the top scorer and rebounder Isaiah Coleman. The program lost 11 players replacing them with many mid- to low-major transfers. The Pirates’ future remains unclear as Head Coach Shaheen Holloway struggles to contend with incredibly limited ﬁnancial resources.

Alex Smentana Special to The Hoya

The Georgetown University men’s basketball team is set for its most competitive season in a long time, buoyed by a strong transfer class and a tough nonconference schedule.

Coming off a bounce-back year, Head Coach Ed Cooley leaned toward experience in his recruiting, bringing in six transfer students and no first-years.

This transfer class consists of junior guard KJ Lewis, graduate guard Langston Love, senior center Vince Iwuchukwu, graduate guard Jeremiah Williams, junior guard DeShawn Harris-Smith and sophomore forward Isaiah Abraham.

Lewis looks to be one of the most impactful portal additions nationwide. Lewis played all 37 games for the University of Arizona last season, starting in six and spending the rest as sixth man. After a big sophomore year leap and an impressive preseason where he received all-Big East second team honors, Lewis will compete for the starting shooting guard and small forward spots this season.

Love, another transfer looking to command minutes this season, is entering his final year of eligibility after spending four years at Baylor University. Love should prove to be a viable floor spacer and creator in Cooley’s offense, sharing some ball-handling duties with junior guard Malik Mack and creating room for driving lanes with his 3-point gravity.

Iwuchukwu, a native of Nigeria, transferred from St. John’s University to play out his senior year for the Hoyas. Coming out of high school, the seven-footer earned a consensus top 15 national recruit ranking for the Class of 2022 by all major scouting services. Last season, Iwuchukwu appeared in 34 total games for the Red Storm, starting once, where he averaged 2.7 points per game, 1.7 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 7.2 minutes per game.

Iwuchukwu will have to play a notable role this season as he and sophomore center Julius Halaifonua will look to replace superstar center Thomas Sorber following his drafting to the NBA.

The rest of the transfers — Williams, Harris-Smith and Abraham — will look to ﬁnd consistency and value within the rotation through hard-nosed defense and the ability to knock down shots from the perimeter.

Mack, named to the preseason all-Big East third team, is the most prominent returner for the Hoyas. With one year in the Big East under his belt, the left-handed guard is poised to be the leader and primary decision-maker for this squad. Last season, Mack averaged 12.9 points per game, 4.3 assists and shot 35.5% from three.

Although this season’s roster construction should ease Mack’s defensive workload, he will be forced to shoulder a majority of the playmaking and scoring responsibilities. Many of the surrounding pieces on this year’s roster have a specialized skillset, either on defense or as an off-ball offensive player, so Mack will have to make quick decisions on the ball to open the floor for his teammates.

Cooley said he expected improvement from Mack, who is now alone as the team’s primary ball handler after guard Jayden Epps departed, but didn’t want to limit Mack only a point guard.

“I expect Malik to make a big jump — emotionally, physically, mentally,” Cooley said. “He’s got to be a catalyst. He’s got to be what I call a definite.”

Lastly, returning sophomore forward Caleb Williams is poised for increased playing time at the four position this year following a strong 2024-25 season. In his first year at Georgetown, Williams averaged 4.3 points per game and 3.8 rebounds while

shooting 44% from the field and 33% from threepoint range. Similar to Halaifonua, an improved outside shooting display from Williams could completely change the offensive upside of this group. Last year, Georgetown had one of the easiest nonconference schedules in the country. Not anymore. After a season opener hosting Morgan State University in Capital One Arena Nov. 3, the Hoyas will renew their rivalry visiting the University of Maryland Nov. 7. Over Thanksgiving weekend, Georgetown will play in the ESPN Events Invitational against Dayton University, Brigham Young University and the University of Miami.

Another major game for the Hoyas will come Dec. 7 against the University of North Carolina, Georgetown’s penultimate nonconference game.

Georgetown will end its nonconference slate by hosting Saint Peter’s University Dec. 13 in Capital One before traveling to Marquette University Dec. 17 to open Big East play.

Cooley said he scheduled tougher opponents in the nonconference portion to prepare the Hoyas for the hostile environments of the Big East and to make a more persuasive resume for a potential tournament bid.

In the Big East, Cooley said, “You’re going to be playing in front of sold-out crowds every day.”

Cooley said the Maryland game, specifically, the first in a four-game series, was part of the effort to return Georgetown to local prominence while making a tough schedule.

“I think it’s a great NET game when you look at the analytics of teams selected,” Cooley said, referring to the computer rankings the NCAA uses in selecting March Madness teams. “You need what I would call a DMV game, which brings the community together. I think it brings a lot of excitement, renewing that energy.”

“Kids can’t even call it a rivalry because there’s no rivalry to be had. Can we start something new?” Cooley added.

The Hoyas’ oﬀ-season preparation has shown promise, as they beat George Washington University (GWU) 73-64 in their ﬁrst pre-season scrimmage. Williams led the Hoyas in scoring with 20 points, shooting a scorching hot 57% from three. Mack added 16 points and 4 assists, and Lewis recorded a game-high 6 steals.

Cooley said he believes Georgetown has the ability to perform well defensively.

“I think defensively we have an opportunity to be elite,” Cooley said at Big East Media Day. “Our players know that if they don’t defend, they might as well go home.”

“It’s not a democracy on defense,” he added. Georgetown certainly embraced this defensive mentality against GWU, racking up 13 steals and holding the Revolutionaries to a mere 41% from the ﬁeld and 28% from behind the arc. Hoya players were aggressive and active in passing lanes and also made an eﬀort to close out shooters.

Cooley must ﬁnd a way to bring the best out of the high-risk, high-reward swings they took in the transfer portal. Coming oﬀ a year with a winning record (18-16, 8-12 Big East) and top-end talent, the Hoyas are looking to build on their success and create a sustained culture of winning.

Cooley said the team must keep rebuilding to reach his goal of national contention.

“We need to continue to grow and develop as a program because you can’t talk about the Big East without talking about Georgetown,” Cooley said. “It’s a historical program, historical brand, and we need to do a better job making sure that we’re here competing for a Big East championship.”

Nate Seidenstein

Senior Sports Editor

On March 20, 2023, Ed Cooley was on top of the men’s college basketball world and Georgetown men’s basketball was near the bottom.

Cooley, then-head coach of the Providence College Friars men’s basketball team, was one season removed from taking his hometown team to their ﬁrst Sweet 16 and winning the Naismith college coach of the year award. The Hoyas, on the other hand, were languishing as a perennial Big East bottom-feeder — winning only two conference games in two seasons — and ﬁred Patrick Ewing (CAS ’85), who was unable to replicate his success as a player as a coach.

Georgetown turned to Cooley in hopes of restoring the program to the heights it reached in the 1980s, when then-Head Coach John Thompson Jr. led the Hoyas to a national championship and perennial title contention.

Lee Reed, Georgetown’s athletic director, said Cooley ﬁt the criteria university administrators were looking for in a head coach.

“I thought Coach Cooley was a really good bridge from where we had been to where we want to go,” Reed told The Hoya in an interview on the sidelines of Big East Media Day. “His ability to galvanize communities, to pull people to-

‘A Gatherer of People’: Cooley Charts a Vision for a New Era

gether was part of the reason, but the other part of the reason was because he’s an elite coach.”

“I thought he was the best candidate for the position,” Reed added.

Cooley’s successes at Providence would not neatly translate into instant wins on the Hilltop though. Under Ewing, the Hoyas lost many of the relationships with area high schools and AAU teams that buoyed recruitment, and with the fanbase and student body.

Reed said these structural disadvantages prevented the team from being competitive, and rebuilding those connections was the greatest challenge he expected the new coach to face.

“I think the biggest thing the public didn’t understand or see was how much groundwork had to be laid in building, mending relationships and establishing new relationships,” Reed said.

Cooley now has two years at the Hilltop under his belt. Last year, he delivered the Hoyas’ best conference finish since their 2015 finish in second place. After 12 years without a single Hoya being drafted to the NBA, Cooley developed two players, Thomas Sorber and Micah Peavy, into draft picks despite both entering the season off scouts’ radars. At the same time, Georgetown struggled down the stretch with injuries, and, despite a promising season, lost in the first round of the Big East tournament to DePaul University.

Cooley’s time at Georgetown has also seen massive changes to the landscape of college sports. Name, image and likeness (NIL) deals have transformed college sports and made it easier to build a team quicker than ever before, as players receive payment for playing for a specific program.

This summer, college sports moved even closer to professionalism, as a settlement allowed universities to directly pay student-athletes. Similar lawsuits have removed the NCAA’s basic authority to regulate the amount of times a player transfers or how many years they can play college sports.

The Hoya sat down with Cooley earlier this oﬀseason for an exclusive interview to discuss rebuilding in the changing landscape of college sports, his decision to come to Georgetown and the legacy of basketball on the Hilltop.

It’s Been So Long Since Last We Met

Entering his third year on the Hilltop, Cooley said he believed success was imminent but that he qualiﬁed winning as broader than just on-court results.

“My definition of winning is always different than the public’s, because everybody wants to win now. Everybody wants to be in the tournament,” Cooley told The Hoya. “But for me, as a leader, there’s different wins that I was going after.”

Cooley said winning on a longer-term scale required creating an infrastructure and culture around the team, which was absent when he arrived.

“I think it’s time to win year one, but what are you winning?” Cooley added. “There’s diﬀerent ways to win. You gotta win a community. You gotta win a fanbase, former players, faculty, students, staﬀ members, board members, alums.”

DePaul was in a very similar circumstance to when the Hoyas hired Cooley when they hired Chris Holtmann as their head coach in 2024, one year after Cooley’s hiring. Holtmann was also tasked with rebuilding a Big East program as college sports became more professionalized. At Big East Media Day, Holtmann said NIL has made building a program uniquely challenging.

“As you’re rebuilding a program, implementing your culture and having as many retainable players as possible is important,” Holtmann told The Hoya.

Last March and April, Georgetown played in the College Basketball Crown, an upstart challenger to the National Invitation Tournament for teams that didn’t reach March Madness. The transfer portal opened before the Crown began, and Cooley said the Hoyas

played that tournament short-handed as players left and coaches balanced portal recruitment.

“It is an absolute shitshow,” Cooley told The Hoya in March.

He said his opinion hasn’t changed.

“It’s still a shitshow until Congress, God or a new higher power intervenes into this,” Cooley said.

Cooley said the paying of student-athletes was long overdue, though the current framework needs reform.

“I used the word for retribution for what should’ve been done 40, 50 years ago,” Cooley said. “I’ve been in this game long enough where we couldn’t take our kids out to buy lunch. You couldn’t buy them a coat. You couldn’t give them an extra pair of shoes or buy them a razor or a toothbrush or deodorant or soap — basic food, basic necessities — while the NCAA made millions of dollars.”

Thompson Jr. kept a deflated basketball in his office to remind players that their life extended beyond the sport. A deflated ball still sits in the team’s facility inside a glass display case.

Cooley said the changing NIL landscape is devaluing the role of college sports and harming student-athletes.

“I don’t think players should be bouncing around the country and not graduating,” Cooley said. “Graduation rates, the next time they come out, are going to be piss-poor. At the end of the day, what are we doing? What is it that we are selling in higher education? It’s a travesty that so many young men and women are not going to have a degree.”

The Big East, along with the other Division I conferences, has endorsed the SCORE Act, a proposal which would shift the balance of power towards the NCAA and permit regulation of the transfer portal.

Cooley said player development is core to building a winning infrastructure, but it has become harder as players can transfer freely instead of playing for one coach and with one set of teammates for four years.

“We have a veteran, established staff that identifies prospects that fit the way I want to play. Ultimately, I think our secret sauce is player development,” Cooley said.

Cooley added his general approach to development hasn’t changed in the portal era, but players are limiting their growth by bouncing between colleges.

“We can always work on our weaknesses, but — I’m a believer — if you work on that strength and you master that strength, that will come out. That will allow you to develop and work on the things that you’re not great at,” Cooley said.

“When we’re recruiting — even though it could be a one-and-done guy, whether via the portal and/or a talented player — maximize them when they’re here. If you’re fortunate to retain them, you’ll see dramatic growth in their development.”

Lie Down Forever, Lie Down

Cooley’s departure from Providence remains a bitter sore spot for Friar fans, many of whom felt he was destined to become a legendary coach for his hometown team. Providence fans have been vocally hostile toward Cooley at every opportunity since, including in the Hoyas’ two games at the Friars under Cooley. Even the Providence athletic director, Steve Napolillo (SCS ’23), said he felt betrayed.

Providence has one of the most passionate and engaged fan bases and student sections across the sport, and their base turned on Cooley each time he returned. Online, the outrage was constant.

Providence forward Oswin Erhunmwunse said his team’s fans’ devotion is intense, but a huge boon when they are on your side.

“I think we have the best fanbase in the country,” Erhunmwunse told The Hoya at Big East Media Day. “It strikes fear for sure.”

Friar guard Corey Floyd Jr. agreed, saying their student section is terrifying to opponents.

“It is one of, if not the, toughest environment to come in to play in all of college basketball,” Floyd told The Hoya

Cooley said outside noise does not bother him, but he feels Providence fans should be grateful for the Friars’ growth and success during his tenure.

“I don’t think it aﬀects me at all,” Cooley said. “I would never judge anyone who made a change, but that’s their prerogative. But I also wouldn’t be real if I didn’t say where were we in 2011 at Providence? And where were we in March 2023? You can’t erase history.”

Cooley’s daughter graduated from Georgetown in 2023 and continues to work in the region. Cooley said he appreciated being able to spend more time with family at Georgetown than he could at Providence and that, while proud of his time at Providence, moving to Georgetown was the logical next step in his life and career.

“We did it together, and it was just time to say, ‘I’m moving in a diﬀerent direction,’” Cooley said. “People are going to have their opinions. People are going to have whatever they want to say, and I respect that, but it doesn’t change what I feel. It doesn’t change what I want to do.”

“That’s why it’s called a democracy, right? Choice,” Cooley added. “I’m going to do what’s in the best interest of my family.”

Rebuilding Georgetown, Cooley said, was an entirely different challenge than what he faced at Providence.

“The culture now is totally different,” he said. “The biggest change in our sport has been the portal and NIL, so the expectation is to win sooner.”

Reed said he was happy with Cooley’s leadership so far and felt hiring him put the team in position to be competitive soon.

“It was going to take some time, so we had to put together a roster,” Reed told The Hoya. “Last year we were trending in a really good direction.”

Reed added that he was proud of the impression Cooley has left on Georgetown’s identity.

“We have a team that looks like an Ed Cooley, meaning we’re deep, we’re physical, we’re more experienced and our basketball IQ has gone up,” Reed said.

There Goes Old Georgetown

Cooley’s hiring was a break from four decades of Georgetown basketball tradition. While the sport had signiﬁcantly changed, which only accelerated in the last years of the Ewing era, Georgetown’s head coach selection remained incredibly consistent. All three Hoya coaches between Thompson Jr. and Cooley — Craig Eshrick, John Thompson III and Ewing — were directly connected to Thompson Jr., and the program continued in his shadow. His legacy persists.

Thompson Jr.’s name graces the court the Hoyas play on and the facility they practice in, and his quotes adorn the athletic center’s walls. It is unsurprising that administrators would look to him as a model of success on the Hilltop. Every coach after him and before Cooley was directly connected to Thompson Jr., but none were able to replicate his success.

Cooley said that, while he has enormous respect for his predecessors, it takes a diﬀerent style to be successful today than it did in the 1980s.

“I don’t want to be like them,” Cooley said. “I respect them. I’ll do it in a diﬀerent way. I’ll do it the best that I can. I feel zero pressure because of that.”

“I’m going to respect tradition. I’m going to respect the legacy of this place. We need to modernize Georgetown men’s basketball,” he added.

Under Thompson Jr., the Hoyas played the supervillain role in college basketball, shutting themselves oﬀ from the media and the outside world. The atmosphere of secrecy around the team gave rise to its own coinage: Hoya Paranoia.

Cooley said Hoya Paranoia served its purpose, but he sought to bring in the wider Hilltop community as he leads a rebuild.

“It was something that was needed, but we are evolving into something diﬀerent,” Cooley said. “It’s important for people to see who we are, not just as athletes, but as people.”

“I’m a gatherer of people,” he added.

Georgetown’s student attendance at men’s basketball games has long been among the lowest in the Big East. Capital One Arena is one of the conference’s venues farthest from its school’s campus, and making that journey became less attractive when there was little chance of on-court results. Cooley said building up student support through events like dollar beer nights is directly tied to the team’s success, and he is prioritizing it at Georgetown.

“It’s the reason I’m on campus a lot — shaking babies and kissing hands — letting people know that we’re here together. We have to do this together,” Cooley said.

“We arrive together. We grow together. We move together,” he added.

Villanova University Head Coach Kevin Willard ﬁrst met Cooley when they were head coaches in the Mid Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). Willard and Cooley got their head coaching starts at Iona College in 2007 and Fairﬁeld College in 2006, respectively, both MAAC schools. The two have been friends ever since.

Since then, both have climbed the coaching ladder and now are competing head coaches in the Big East. Willard said he thinks Cooley is one of the best coaches in the country, alongside Purdue University coach Matt Painter.

“He’s one of my very dear friends in this business,” Willard told The Hoya. “He’s probably the

“I’ll do it in a diferent way. I’ll do it the best that I can. I’m going to respect the legacy of this place. We need to modernize Georgetown men’s basketball.

best tactical offensive coach that there is in college basketball. I put him up there with Matt Painter.”

“If they need to get a shot for a certain guy, he’s got a play for it. He knows how to call it. He knows how to run it,” Willard added.

Cooley said he views Georgetown as a program that should be annually contending in the Big East and nationally, and is working to restore the team to that position.

“When people talk to me, they use the word ‘if’ a lot,” Cooley said. “I’m one of the most optimistic people you’ll ever be around. ‘If’ is a nonstarter to me in life. The word is ‘when.’”

“It’s just a matter of time,” he added.

However, Cooley’s goals for this season are clear. He expects Georgetown to reach March Madness.

“Going into year three,” Cooley said, “Our expectations are to be a tournament team, to compete for a Big East championship and to elevate the program.”

ED COOLEY ON THE LEGACY OF HOYA PARANOIA

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Victoria Rivera Steps Up for the Hoyas, Takes on Leadership

Madeline Wang Senior Sports Editor

Victoria Rivera, a senior guard on the Georgetown University women’s basketball team, is set to be a key oﬀensive leader this season.

Rivera said a single question encapsulates her style of play.

“Why shoot a two when you can make a three?” Rivera told The Hoya

Rivera, the Hoyas’ highest ranked scorer remaining from last season, is poised to step into a pivotal role this season as an oﬀensive leader. In the team’s changing rosters across the past two seasons, Rivera has remained one of the few constants.

Throughout her time on the team, Rivera has grown tremendously in every aspect of her game. In her first collegiate season, Rivera played in 19 of the Hoyas’ 31 games and did not start in a single one. She averaged 7.6 minutes per game, made 12 field goals — 7 of which were 3-pointers — and shot .300 percent from the floor and .269 percent from 3-point range.

Rivera was ranked tenth on the team in field goals made and eleventh on the team in overall shooting percentage out of 14 players her first season. In both stats, she was ranked third out of the four first-years — not yet reaching the level she sought to be at.

In her sophomore season, Rivera quintupled her playing time, played in all 35 of the team’s games, starting in 33, averaged 22.4 minutes per game and made 80 ﬁeld goals. She improved her ﬁeld goal percentage to .319 overall and .291 from 3-point range — and her free throw percentage improved from 0 of 2 attempts to 12 of 19.

Last season, Rivera racked up the second-most playing minutes on the team, starting in 27 of the team’s 31 contests and playing in 30 of them. She averaged 33.1 minutes per game, made 114 ﬁeld goals and shot .353 percent overall, .335 from beyond the arc and .806 from the charity stripe.

Georgetown women’s basketball head coach Darnell Haney said Rivera plays an essential and speciﬁc role on the team.

“She’s the sniper. She knocks down shots,” Haney told The Hoya. “She brings leadership with her voice; she brings leadership with her actions. She just takes care of business on the ﬂoor by hitting shots for herself. I’m excited about her and her growth.”

Rivera’s journey to Georgetown was, in some ways, untraditional. Rivera said she did not pick up a basketball for the ﬁrst time until she was around ten years old, later than would be expected for a Division 1 player. She did not start playing competitively until she was in middle school — before that point, basketball was just a hobby for her.

In other ways, Rivera’s path to the Hilltop was quite typical; at Dobie High School in Pasadena, Texas, Rivera was a four-year starter, twoyear captain, a district MVP and a Houston-area media group VYPE player of the year. She had the success to back up her recruitment.

Rivera said family was the deciding factor when she chose Georgetown.

“So I’m from Houston, it’s a really long way from home,” Rivera said. “Even though it’s a four-hour ﬂight, 20-hour drive, it felt like home away from home.”

“I liked the coaches, the girls,” Rivera added. “I come from four brothers, I don’t have any sis-

ters. So deﬁnitely having that sister bond I wish I always had, I get them through that.”

Rivera’s track to her current role on the team as the designated sharpshooter was also atypical; Rivera said she did not come into the role until college.

“I was not always a 3-point shooter,” Rivera said. “I think I started when I got here. In high school, I did a little bit of everything, but in college, they gave me that conﬁdence just being able to shoot.”

Rivera was named a preseason all-Big East honorable mention Oct. 21 — her second career nod to the honor roll. This award recognizes preseason performance and underscores the league’s valuation of Rivera heading into the 2025-26 season. Rivera said she appreciated the honor, but her work is not done.

“I’ve been very patient, every year I’ve been wanting to improve,” Rivera said. “And that’s one thing that I still want to continue to do. Continue to be a better, not just a shooter, but a better player overall, and because of my — I like to call them sisters — they trust me enough to just do everything right.”

Haney said he also has high hopes for Rivera this season.

“This is preseason; this is on paper,” Haney said. “You have to keep working to continue to progress and make sure everybody knows you’re the best shooter in the Big East.”

Rivera has her own goals for the season, which she said are to soak in her last few months playing as a Hoya.

“Enjoying every game,” Rivera said. “Every game, every practice, every time that I get to step on the court knowing that this is my last season.”

As for her goals for the team, Rivera said along with winning, she wants her teammates to commit to the process.

“Just accepting the process,” Rivera told a group of reporters at Big East Media Day. “Not everything’s going to go your way, but if you stay consistent, you stay in the gym, that’s one thing that you can control and that’s the amount of hard work you put into it.”

Hard work and consistent improvement have become Rivera’s trademarks — along with her beyond the arc buckets. Entering her ﬁnal season as a Hoya, Rivera said she and the team will look to make a mark on the Big East.

“We love to win,” Rivera said.

Haney Brings in Eight New Players in Guard-Heavy Roster

Ethan Herweck Deputy Sports Editor

Head Coach Darnell Haney and the Georgetown University women’s basketball team brought in eight new players for the 2025-26 season, consisting of seven transfers and one ﬁrst-year commit.

These new players have big roles to fill on the roster, especially with the graduation of guard Kelsey Ransom, the Big East co-defensive player of the year and first team all-Big East guard.

The Hoyas’ only first-year player is Braelynn Barnett, a 6-foot-1 forward from Aurora, Colo. Barnett was a four-year starter at Cherry Creek High School and averaged 11.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in her senior year.

Haney said he viewed Barnett highly because it is easier to build a team through established talent in the transfer portal, but she stood out to the coaching staﬀ.

“It’s extremely diﬀicult to catch the eye of my staﬀ and I as a high school player right now,” Haney told Georgetown Athletics.

“Braelynn was able to do so from the start. Her combination of size, shooting ability and physicality made it evident to us that she fit as a player, but once we got to know her we knew she fit as a person,” Haney added. “We are super excited about Braelynn; she has so much potential and I can’t

wait to coach her.”

Among the transfers, Georgetown added a pair of sophomore guards from the University of Georgia: twins Indya and Summer Davis.

In high school, Indya and Summer Davis were nominees to the all-American team and won Gatorade player of the year for Michigan in their junior and senior years, respectively.

Summer Davis played an impressive 31 games as a first-year in college, including 13 starts for the Bulldogs. She averaged 3.8 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. Indya Davis saw less game action last season, playing in 18 games and averaging 0.8 points and 0.6 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs.

The next transfer is junior guard Khia Miller from East Carolina University.

In high school, Miller was a top 100 prospect, a two-time Virginia state champion and player for the first ranked team in the country, Sidwell Friends School. As a sophomore at East Carolina, Miller averaged 8.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while starting 23 of the 32 games she played in.

This season’s transfer class also includes graduate student Laila Jewett.

Jewett is a guard who played for four years at the University of Central Florida and started in every game this past season. She averaged 8.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, with her assist total leading the team.

Junior forward Cristen Carter, a transfer from

Butler University, played in 32 of 34 games as a sophomore for the Bulldogs and started in 14. She averaged 5.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. She brings some much needed height to the team, standing at 6-foot-4.

Another junior forward transferred to Georgetown this year: Brianna Byers from the University of Cincinnati. Byers played in 32 games as a first-year and 29 as a sophomore, averaging 2.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per game last season.

Sophomore guard Destiny Agubata from West Virginia University rounds out the Hoyas’ transfer class. As a first-year for the Mountaineers, Agubata played in 24 games and averaged 2.5 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. In high school, Agubata was a top 100 prospect and averaged a 19-point double double her senior season.

Haney said he tried unsuccessfully to recruit Agubata as a high schooler but is glad to have her on the team as a transfer now.

“Destiny brings an elite-level skill package, shooting ability, athleticism and size at the guard position that makes us extremely versatile on both ends of the floor,” Haney said. “Destiny can create and score in a variety of ways. We wanted her to be a part of our program badly coming out of high school this past season, but it didn’t work out that way.”

Haney added, “Now she’s oﬀicially a Hoya and we are so excited that she has decided to join us this time around.”

GEORGETOWN ATHLETICS

KJ Lewis Finds a Home on the Hilltop, Readies for Season

Sam Fishman Hoya Staff Writer

KJ Lewis, a junior guard on the Georgetown University men’s basketball team, made headlines when he left the University of Arizona to become a Hoya. To build his roster for this season, Head Coach Ed Cooley recruited Lewis — among six transfer recruits and no first-years — to bolster the Hoya rotation after the losses of Thomas Sorber and Micah Peavy to the NBA.

ESPN ranked Lewis — who won a spot on the all-Big East preseason second team — the 30th most impactful transfer and the 96th best overall player in the country coming into this season. The El Paso, Texas, native was Arizona’s sixth man last year, where he gained a reputation as one of the best defensive players in the Big 12.

Lewis’ career with Arizona ended on March 27 following a 100-93 loss to Duke University in the Sweet 16. He entered the transfer portal two days later and — only a week later — committed to Georgetown April 6.

Lewis said it was a hectic time, but he knows he made the right decision to come to Georgetown.

“It’s definitely a quick turnaround, definitely a busy week for me, a busy week and a half, a bunch of schools calling, but ultimately, Coach Cooley was honest with me,” Lewis told The Hoya. “He saw what most people didn’t see in me. I just believed everything he told me.”

Cooley, at Big East Media Day in New York, said he has big defensive expectations for Lewis this season.

“I feel the Big East, at Georgetown, has the best defensive player in America in KJ Lewis. He is versatile. He is dynamic. He is quick-twitched,” Cooley told the gathered media. “I love what he brings to Georgetown basketball. Now, I’m writing his check and he has to cash it.”

Lewis said he always played with a chip on his

shoulder, a mentality he more deeply internalized after his experiences in high school and at Arizona.

“I think the chip got bigger my junior and senior year, I dropped out of the ESPN 100 rankings in high school,” Lewis said.

Then I got to college and I just felt like a lot of people didn’t value what I brought to the team and brought to the game on both sides of the ball,” Lewis added.

Lewis exclusively came oﬀ the bench for Arizona in his ﬁrst year, averaging 18 minutes per game. Last year, he played 26 minutes per night and started 6 games, but perhaps felt like he deserved more.

In Georgetown’s first preseason scrimmage against the George Washington University on Oct. 18, Lewis played 27 minutes, the third-most of any Hoya, but he made only 2 field goals on 11 attempts and missed all 3 of his 3-point shots.

Lewis’ offensive numbers last year were not bad, especially given his playing time. Lewis shot 42.9% from the field and averaged 10.8 points and 2.9 assists per game. However, Lewis said one of his main goals this season is to become a more prominent offensive player.

“I’m trying to show people that my game has grown,” Lewis said. “Coach Cooley is going to put me in a lot of different situations. I just have to be ready and answer the call.”

Lewis added that Cooley’s honesty was a major factor in his commitment to Georgetown.

“He was just true to his word,” Lewis said. “That’s what ultimately I needed, that’s what I was looking for.”

Lewis — who missed Georgetown’s GLOBL JAM tournament games and summer practices following an injury — said he feels he and his teammates have developed well together despite his missed time.

“The chemistry has been great,” Lewis said. “From what I’ve seen on and off the court, we have all been

gelling slowly. I think we’re right where we need to be as a team with our chemistry.”

Georgetown has not been to the NCAA tournament since 2021. Meanwhile, Lewis has already played in 6 tournament games as a part of two Sweet 16 runs with Arizona. Lewis thinks he can use his experience to help mentor his teammates.

“Being one of the guys with winning experience and tournament experience, I can help guys who haven’t been to the tournament, or who haven’t been in a role that they’re going to be in this year,” Lewis said.

At Georgetown, Lewis said he wants to be a leader and maintain his defensive output while he grows oﬀensively.

“Obviously, just trying to be a leader on and oﬀ the court, defensively, still being a juggernaut that I am, and oﬀensively, just trying to

improve and grow every day.”

Lewis said he wants to beat the University of Maryland, which Georgetown plays Nov. 7 for the first time since 2016, for his teammates from the Washington, D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area.

“I have some teammates from the DMV, and I want to win it for them — you know, bragging rights for those guys, and obviously, for our program,” Lewis said.

Lewis, whose teammates from the area have stressed what it means to play basketball as a Hoya, said he plays as much for his team as he does for himself.

“They teach me the meaning behind Georgetown and what it means to represent the DMV and D.C.,” Lewis said. “Whatever we can for those guys that represent the hometown.”

Can Georgetown’s Center Trio Replace Tomas Sorber?

Nate Seidenstein Senior Sports Editor

The Georgetown men’s basketball team saw a lot of roster turnover this summer, and no position saw more turnover than center. Of the 1,365 minutes of basketball the Hoyas played last year, only 80 featured a center currently on the roster. Head Coach Ed Cooley has staked his team’s identity on defense and physicality, and Georgetown’s centers will be key to fulfilling that vision. Still, many questions remain about how the rotation stacks up.

Thomas Sorber, last season’s stalwart big man, was a once-in-a-generation defensive player and rightfully headed to the NBA after a phenomenal, if injury-shortened, rookie season. Sorber led last year’s Hoyas in both rebounds and blocks.

Cooley’s other primary option at center, Drew Fielder, entered the transfer portal after last season and now plays for the Boise State University Broncos. Fielder contributed significant playing time and rebounds for Georgetown last year as well, especially after Sorber broke his foot in February and was out for the remainder of the season.

Sophomore center Julius Halaifonua accounted for those 80 minutes played by returners. Halaifonua, a New Zealand international player, partic-

ipated in the first 6 games of Georgetown’s nonconference schedule last year, but broke his foot in practice and sat out the remainder of the season.

Over the summer, Halaifonua played in the U19 FIBA World Cup, starting for New Zealand at center. He averaged 10.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2 assists over 7 games as New Zealand finished fourth.

In Georgetown’s scrimmage against The George Washington University (GWU), Halaifonua started the first half, playing 21 minutes, but scoring just 6 points and grabbing only 2 rebounds.

Cooley tried out diﬀerent lineups throughout the game and started senior center Vince Iwuchukwu, a transfer from St. John’s University, in the second half. Iwuchukwu saw much less overall playing time though, playing only 13 minutes and scoring 3 points.

Iwuchukwu was a solid rotation player for St. John’s last year, but should be stepping into a bigger role for the Hoyas. His size makes him an immediate impact player on defense, but his big test will be how much he can contribute as a paint presence on the oﬀensive end.

The third center on the roster, sophomore Seal Diouf, redshirted last year and forms the third of Georgetown’s center trio. Diouf saw minimal playing time during GLOBL JAM, an international tour-

nament where the Hoyas represented the United States this summer (averaging just over 6 minutes in 4 games), and during the scrimmage against GWU (5 minutes and 2 points).

Diouf entered Georgetown highly-touted as the 51st-ranked center in the class of 2025 before re-classing to join the Hoyas last season. However, Diouf is 6 feet 9 inches tall — undersized for a Big East center. Based on his usage so far, Diouf will most likely see less playing time than either Halaifonua or Iwuchukwu this season, but will still see important minutes down the stretch as Georgetown looks to avoid the injuries that plagued them last season.

The center rotation, based on their brief playing time so far, looks anything but set and has raised some concern going into the season. In Georgetown’s pre-season scrimmage against GWU, Georgetown allowed 32 points in the paint, exactly half of GWU’s total scoring.

At Big East Media Day, three days after the GWU game, Cooley said he saw room for improvement.

“I saw a group of guys developing,” Cooley told The Hoya. “Between Vince, Seal and Julius — a three-headed monster that, I think, will get a lot of quality minutes. We watched a lot of ﬁlm and came up with constructive criticism. I think our

men will grow as the year goes on.”

“We got to guard the rim better,” Cooley added. Of course, a single preseason scrimmage is far too small a sample size to make any level of informed judgment about a team.

Halaifonua started again in the scrimmage against the University of Kentucky, but Iwuchukwu quickly rotated in oﬀ the bench. Both split time during the game, and Diouf did not play, but Iwuchukwu played 23 minutes compared to Halaifonua’s 17. Iwuchukwu also contributed more on the oﬀensive end, with 14 points, but both played well.

The story of Georgetown’s season may just be how much Halaifonua, Iwuchukwu and Diouf can contribute, and how Cooley splits time between them.

In the early stages of the season, watch to see how Cooley balances the minutes load between Halaifonua and Iwuchukwu and pay attention to either breaking out as the clear starter.

Cooley said he has not decided who will be the starter at center between the three rostered players.

“That’s going to be an ever-moving target,” Cooley told The Hoya. “Whoever is ready to play will play.”

MATTHEW GASSOSO/THE HOYA

Men’s Basketball Schedule

Nov. 3 | 6:30 p.m. | Home | Morgan State

Nov. 7 | 6 p.m. | Away | Maryland

Nov. 12 | 6:30 p.m. | Home | Binghamton

Nov. 15 | Noon | Home | Clemson

Nov. 22 | Noon | Home | Wagner

Nov. 27 | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN Events Invitational | Dayton

Nov. 28 | TBA | ESPN Events Invitational | BYU or Miami

Dec. 3 | 8 p.m. | Home | UMBC

Dec. 7 | 5 p.m. | Away | North Carolina

Dec. 13 | 2:30 p.m. | McDonough Arena | Saint Peter’s

Dec. 17 | 8:30 p.m. | Away | Marquette

Dec. 20 | 8 p.m. | Home | Xavier

Dec. 22 | 6:30 p.m. | McDonough Arena | Coppin State

Dec. 31 | 8 p.m. | Home | St. John’s

Jan. 6 | 8 p.m. | Away | DePaul

Jan. 10 | 6 p.m. | Home | Seton Hall

Jan. 13 | 9 p.m. | Away | Creighton

Jan. 17 | Noon | Home | UConn

Jan. 21 | 7 p.m. | Away | Villanova

Jan. 24 | 12:30 p.m. | Away | Providence

Jan. 28 | 8:30 p.m. | Home | DePaul

Jan. 31 | Noon | Away | Butler

Feb. 4 | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Creighton

Feb. 7 | Noon | Home | Villanova

Feb. 14 | 8 p.m. | Away | UConn

Feb. 18 | 6:30 p.m. | Home | Butler

Feb. 21 | 6 p.m. | Away | Seton Hall

Feb. 24 | 7 p.m. | Home | Marquette

Feb. 28 | 1:30 p.m. | Away | Xavier

March 3 | 7 p.m. | Away | St. John’s

March 7 | 8 p.m. | Home | Providence

Women’s Basketball Schedule

1 | 2:00 p.m. | Home | DePaul

Women’s Roster