Busting Brackets
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Big East Basketball: Each team’s best acquisition out of 2023 transfer portal

By Jerran Anderson

Jan 28, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jayden Epps (3) calls out a play during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center. Mandatory Credit: Kayla Wolf-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jayden Epps (3) calls out a play during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center. Mandatory Credit: Kayla Wolf-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

Jayden Epps -6’2 Guard – Georgetown Hoyas

Jayden Epps looks to turn things around joining the Big East and new Georgetown Hoyas head coach Ed Cooley after spending the past season in the Big Ten with the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Epps is a fast-starting guard that doesn’t need much space to find his offense. He posted 9.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg and 1.5 apg on 30.1 percent shooting from 3-point range and 41.4 percent from the floor in his debut college season with Illinois in 2022-23.

He appeared in 31 games, starting in 11, as a freshman for the Fighting Illini. In his best outing, he knocked down a career-best 21 points on 5-of-9 shooting from deep and 8-of-12 shooting from the field off the bench in a victory over Monmouth back on Nov. 14. In his best performance as a starter, he put up 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor and 4-of-6 shooting from deep across 30 minutes of action.

Whether as a starter or off the bench, Epps has proven himself as a scoring guard that can operate in the painted area and on the perimeter. He scored in double figures in all but 11 games he appeared in this past season. His role off the bench for the Fighting Illini became a sporadic one, thus his reasoning for hitting the transfer portal.

Georgetown made just one NCAA Tournament across six seasons under head coach Patrick Ewing. Ed Cooley brings a talented guard with a winner’s mentality to kick off his first season as head coach. He’ll have some help with him too, with Dontrez Styles (UNC), Rowan Brumbaugh (Texas) and Ismael Massoud (Kansas State) joining him out of the portal. Look for him to play with a chip on his shoulder this season and silence a lot of doubters in the process.

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