Georgetown Basketball: 2019-20 season review of the Hoyas

Georgetown’s key players in 2019-20

1. Mac McClung 

Were it not for Zion Williamson, Mac McClung might have been the most talked-about freshman going into the 2018-19 college basketball season. He was a high-flying highlight reel at Gate City (Va.) High School, a viral sensation and social media star.

Mac didn’t make as much of an impact at Georgetown as Zion did at Duke, but the 6’2″ combo guard was a Big East All-Freshman pick. As a sophomore this season, McClung led the Hoyas in scoring at 15.7 points per game to go with 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals.

McClung stepped up when the Hoyas needed him most. Two days after the Akinjo and LeBlanc were officially off the team, McClung scored 33 points against Oklahoma State. He followed that up with a 19-point, seven-assist effort against SMU, then dropped 26 points against Syracuse. Georgetown went 3-0 in those games.

When a foot injury forced McClung to miss the season’s last six games, Georgetown lost all six.

McClung has entered his name into the 2020 NBA Draft pool, but he’s maintained his eligibility to return by not hiring an agent.

2. Omer Yurtseven 

Georgetown’s leading rebounder (9.8 per game) and shot-blocker (1.5 per game), Yurtseven was also second on the team in scoring (15.5 points per game) and was its most consistent producer.

The 7’0″ center, a transfer from NC State, put up double-doubles in the Hoyas’ first four games. In a close loss to No. 1 Duke in November, Yurtseven played future lottery pick Vernon Carey Jr. to a standstill, recording 21 points and four blocks against the Blue Devils’ star big man.

Yurtseven’s best stat line was a 32-point, 17-rebound, 4-block performance against Samford. His biggest game was probably his 20-point, 13-rebound showing in a win over No. 25 Creighton.

The grit and determination the Hoyas displayed in 2019-20 was personified by Yurtseven at season’s end. After missing several games with an ankle injury in what could’ve been considered a lost season, Yurtseven, a realistic pro prospect, came back for the Big East tournament when he wasn’t fully healthy. He gave his team eight points, six rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes off the bench.

3. Terrell Allen

When Akinjo left the team, Allen took over as the starting point guard. Thrust into a bigger role than anticipated, the graduate transfer from Central Florida helped keep the Hoyas from totally falling off a cliff.

Allen averaged 9.5 points, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He had 15 points and five assists in the win over Oklahoma State handed out 10 assists in the win over SMU and notched 16 points and five steals in a January win over St. John’s.

In a road win over 19th-ranked Butler, Allen had his best game of the season with 22 points, hitting 4-of-4 from 3-point range.

Allen’s 40.4 percent 3-point accuracy was best on the team among rotation players, but he only took 57 shots beyond the arc. He’s a pass-first floor general — reminiscent of former Georgetown point guard Jonathan Wallace, who quarterbacked the Hoyas to three NCAA Tournaments and a Final Four in 2007.