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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: Jamorko Pickett #1 of the Georgetown Hoyas dribbles 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: Jamorko Pickett #1 of the Georgetown Hoyas dribbles 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) /

Force More Turnovers

One of the most shocking things about the Hoyas this season is their inability to turn over their opponent. Per KenPom, Georgetown is 297th in TO%.

Most of this is caused by the style that the Hoyas are playing. They don’t pressure their opponent in the full court or 3/4 court all that much. This could be a by-product of Ewing’s coaching experience being on the NBA level. Very seldom does a team pressure full court in the NBA unless it’s a desperate situation.

The other part of it could be because of the roster. Akinjo is their best on-ball defender while Jamorko Pickett is probably their best perimeter player. The rest of the roster might not fit the blueprint of pressuring opponents throughout a game.

With this being said, there are other ways to cause turnovers with this roster. With the length of this team, the Hoyas could jump trap teams in the half-court. Doing this could also help hide those who struggle with on-ball defending some of the more talented players in the conference. St John’s all-everything, Shamorie Ponds, would fall in the category. If you jump trap a player like Ponds, it would help get the ball out of his hands. By having the ball in some of the less dynamic players, the Hoyas could cause more both dead-ball and live-ball turnovers in the half-court.

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