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Georgetown Basketball: Keys to success for the Hoyas against St. John’s

By Marcus Washington

SYRACUSE, NY - DECEMBER 08: Head coach Patrick Ewing of the Georgetown Hoyas disputes a call with a referee during the first half against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome on December 8, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY - DECEMBER 08: Head coach Patrick Ewing of the Georgetown Hoyas disputes a call with a referee during the first half against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome on December 8, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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SYRACUSE, NY – DECEMBER 08: Oshae Brissett #11 of the Syracuse Orange handles the ball against James Akinjo #3 of the Georgetown Hoyas during the second half at the Carrier Dome on December 8, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse defeated Georgetown 72-71. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY – DECEMBER 08: Oshae Brissett #11 of the Syracuse Orange handles the ball against James Akinjo #3 of the Georgetown Hoyas during the second half at the Carrier Dome on December 8, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse defeated Georgetown 72-71. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

Get Akinjo back on track

For the first time in his brief career, Akinjo wasn’t in the starting lineup against Creighton. There were probably two reasons for this. The first is the most obvious. In a couple of late-game situations, he didn’t run what head coach Patrick Ewing wanted him to run. The latest came against Marquette when Jessie Govan was wide open after a timeout and Akinjo decided to go one-on-one instead.

The second reason could be Akinjo’s shooting woes of late. Even as good as he is, let’s not forget he’s a freshman. On the plus side, his turnovers have dropped despite the number of minutes he plays. His KenPom numbers show improvement in ARate and TORate in conference games. It shows he’s learning Ewing’s system despite a couple of late-game snafus.

On the negative side, so has the consistency of his shot. In Big East play he’s 16-for-67 from the floor. He hasn’t shot over 50% in a game since December 29th against Howard. KenPom backs up these numbers also. Since conference play has begun, his eFG% and TS% has dipped by a good margin. His body language shows a young player who is struggling with his shot while playing against better competition while improving in other areas.

There’s additional pressure on Akinjo because he’s one-of-a-kind on this roster. When the Hoyas go to the bench, they have to bring in a player with a completely different skill-set. Jagan Mosely is more defensive focused and can’t put pressure on a defender off the bounce. In fact, when he’s out there, teams have been leaving him open from the 3-point line. When Jahvon Blair is in, he’s a spot up shooter who isn’t anything close to being a primary ball handler. He’s frequently the player put in screen action in order to get him a clean look. He’s not a player who can create his own shot.

In the first game against St. John’s, Akinjo shot just 2-for-10 but the up and down nature of the game could help him grab his confidence this time around.

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