Georgetown Basketball: Progression of freshmen key to Hoyas future

Georgetown Basketball is likely not making the NCAA Tournament. But if the development of the young players continue at a good rate, the expectation for the Hoyas next season should be dancing in March.

As the sun set on any hopes of getting into the NCAA tournament, head coach Patrick Ewing must set his sights to 2019-2020. It won’t be easy after the Hoyas were ran off the court by Seton Hall in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals.

When Ewing accepted the Georgetown job, there were a lot of questions about whether he could get top recruits to come to the Hilltop.

The question has been answered with a resounding “yes”. The Hoyas would have three of the five members on the Big East All-Freshman team and they had the Big East Freshman of the Year.

The recruiting class of James Akinjo, Mac McClung, and Josh LeBlanc might not have turned the heads of the recruiting experts but they were the shot in the arm Georgetown needed. Akinjo and McClung started from day one. LeBlanc would join them in the starting lineup when Trey Mourning went down with a concussion.

James Akinjo (All Big East Freshman Team, Big East Freshman of the Year)

Akinjo might have had the hardest job of the three. He was in charge of running an NBA style offense in the Big East. There were some rocky moments. Against Marquette and St. John’s, he freelanced at the end of the game, instead of running the play Ewing had called.

But for the most part, the freshman point guard has been everything you can ask from the position. Per KenPom, Akinjo would lead the Big East in ARate (Assist Rate) in conference player. He also ranked 8th in 3-point shooting during conference play.

Most of all, he’s learned how to get the ball where his teammates are most dangerous. Jessie Govan doesn’t have the season he has, without Akinjo’s ability to get him the ball in his scoring zones.

The freshman point guard also has some “attitude”. He hasn’t backed down to any opposing point guard all season. This was on full display in their late season meeting with Seton Hall. Pirates point guard, Quincy McKnight decided to slap the floor in front of Akinjo, in a “Duke” type fashion. Akinjo blew by him for a layup, let McKnight get the inbounds and then mockingly slap the floor. That left McKnight a mess as he went turnover, missed three-pointer, turnover.

Later in the game Akinjo went a little too far when he stood in the Seton Hall huddle during a timeout out. This drew the ire of Ewing as he came out of the floor and lectured the freshman.

But, Akinjo’s actions woke up the Hoyas and might have been the movement that change the direction of the program.

Mac McClung (Big East All Freshman Team)

McClung grabbed all the attention early. The YouTube sensation from Gate City, VA showed fearlessness attacking the basket from day one. But, early on in the season he struggled with his shot selection. That led to a low shooting percentage as teams tried to take the drive to the basket away from him.

In a strange twist of fate, the best thing that might’ve happened to McClung was hurting his ankle. The freshman sat out for four games and came back a changed man. Instead of predetermining all his moves before he got the ball, he started reading the defense. Because of this, his shot selection improved. After struggling from the three-point line, he started becoming a threat from there. His eFG% and TS% were higher in conference play.

He scored over 20 points in five conference games. Georgetown was 3-2 in those games.

There is room for improvement. Defensively, McClung tends to get lost off the ball. This frequently puts his in “catch up” mode when his man catches the ball on the move. Also, he still has a knack for forcing the ball in transition. He’s gotten better at it but he still takes the ball one-on-three.

Josh LeBlanc (Big East All Freshman Team)

LeBlanc was probably the least heralded of the three coming into the season but he’s been your prototypical glue guy.

Throughout the season, Ewing has said time and time again that he doesn’t call any plays for LeBlanc. All the freshman has done is average 9.4 points, 7.5 rebounds a game. For those older Hoya fans, he looks like he could be a better version of Jerome Williams. Williams was known affectionately as the “Junkyard Dog” for his hustle and ability to finish plays. LeBlanc has every bit of that in him.

As the season has progressed, LeBlanc has extended him range a little bit and eventually, in Ewing’s offense he’ll need to “stretch” no different than Govan. There’s no doubt that will come with time but for now, his play in the lane has been a difference maker in the Big East. As basketball gets played further from the basket, having an “old school” player like LeBlanc is valuable.

He doesn’t constantly need the ball in his hands. He’s comfortable playing with a ball dominant guard and a shoot-first shooting guard. But, with Govan graduating, there’s little doubt that he’ll be more involved in the offense.

Head Coach Patrick Ewing

There isn’t enough credit being given to Ewing for what he’s accomplished with starting three freshmen for the majority of the season. It’s hard to do that in any conference nevertheless the Big East. Unlike Duke’s freshmen, these aren’t players that were ranked in the top 10 on any recruiting lists.

Ewing’s patience with them has paid off. A .500 record in the Big East was good for a tie for third place. The Hoyas beat Villanova at home and Marquette on the road. Both were ranked in the top 15. Rebuilding the Hoyas in his image will take time. The image of the team won’t resemble the teams he played on in the 80s. The image is a hybrid of where the college game is going with a dash of the NBA philosophy.

Next season’s recruiting class has three commits, all big men. The Hoyas will still need a dynamic wing player or two plus another backcourt mate for Akinjo and McClung. Ewing is building and if he can find more building blocks with the success that he’s had with Akinjo, McClung, and LeBlanc, they’ll start talking Final Four on the Hill.