The Georgetown Voice, 11/5/22

the basketball issue

3

Editor-In-Chief Max Zhang

Managing Editor Annabella Hoge

internal resources

Executive Editor for Resources, Diversity, and Inclusion

led by defense, Women's Basketball is ready for a resurgence

THOMAS FISCHBECK

Comeback time: After a disastrous season, Men’s basketball looks for a fresh start

HENRY LIU

Andrea Ho

Editor for Sexual Violence Coverage Paul James

Service Chair Devyn Alexander

Social Chair Sarah Watson

news

Executive Editor Jupiter Huang

Features Editor Margaret Hartigan

News Editor Nora Scully

Assistant News Editors Anthony Bonavita, Joanna Li, Franziska Wild

opinion

5

Faith on the field: How student athletes navigate religion at Georgetown

TIM TAN AND ELLA BRUNO

Brandon Murray is bringing the grind—and the style—back to the District

GRAHAM KREWINGHAUS

Meet the players: Women’s Basketball new recruits

ANDREW ARNOLD

Women’s BIG EAsT Preview 2022-23

6 7 10 11 12 14 15

ANJALI GULASINGAM

“What We’re All About:” Graceann Bennett and the power of on-court persistence

JO STEPHENS

NIl helps athletes sell: How the branding rule change is shaping collegiate sports

BRADSHAW CATE

Meet the players: Men’s Basketball new recruits

LUCIE PEYREBRUNE

Men’s BIG EAsT Preview 2022-23

BEN JAKABCSIN

Executive Editor Sarah Craig

Voices Editor Kulsum Gulamhusein

Assistant Voices Editors Ella Bruno, Lou Jacquin, Aminah Malik

Editorial Board Chair Annette Hasnas

Editorial Board William Hammond, Annabella Hoge, Jupiter Huang, Paul James, Allison O'Donnell, Sarah Watson, Alec Weiker, Max Zhang

leisure

Executive Editor Lucy Cook

Leisure Editor Chetan Dokku

Assistant Editors Pierson Cohen, Maya Kominsky, Isabel Shepherd

Halftime Editor Adora Adeyemi

Assistant Halftime Editors Ajani Jones, Francesca Theofilou, Hailey Wharram

sports

Executive Editor Carlos Rueda

Sports Editor Tim Tan

Assistant Editors Andrew Arnold, Thomas Fischbeck, Nicholas Riccio

Halftime Editor Lucie Peyrebrune

Assistant Halftime Editors Jo Stephens

design

Executive Editor Connor Martin

Spread Editors Dane Tedder, Graham Krewinghaus

Cover Editor Sabrina Shaffer

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Copy Chief Maanasi Chintamani

Assistant Copy Editors Devyn Alexander, Donovan Barnes, Jenn Guo

multimedia

DANE TEDDER 8

2022-23 season poster (Tear me out!)

Thank you to the Washington Wizards for sponsoring this issue. cover by

legend

PPG: Points per game

RPG: Rebounds per game

APG: Assists per game

AST: Assists

DPOY: Defensive Player of the Year

POTY: Player of the Year

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The opinions expressed in The Georgetown Voice do not necessarily represent the views of the administration, faculty, or students of Georgetown University, unless specifically stated. Columns, advertisements, cartoons, and opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or the General Board of The Georgetown Voice. The university subscribes to the principle of responsible freedom of expression of its student editors. All materials copyright The Georgetown Voice, unless otherwise indicated.

Podcast Editor Jillian Seitz

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Contributing Editors Sophie Tafazzoli

Staff Contributors Nathan Barber, Nicholas Budler, Bradshaw Cate, Romita Chattaraj, Leon Chung, Elin Choe, Alex Deramo, Erin Ducharme, James Garrow, Christine Ji, Julia Kelly, Lily Kissinger, Ashley Kulberg, Olivia Li, Sam Lynch, David McDaniels, Amelia Myre, Anna Sofia Neil, Grace Nuri, Madeleine Ott, Natalia Porras, Owen Posnett, Omar Rahim, Brett Rauch, Caroline Samoluk, Michelle Serban, Amelia Shotwell, Isabelle Stratta, Amelia Wanamaker, Zachary Warren

LED BY DEFENSE, WOMEN'S BASKETBALL IS READY FOR A RESURGENCE

BY THOMAS FISCHBECK

March 5, 2022, was an exciting day for Georgetown students: the first day of spring break, an oasis within a grueling semester. If you had checked the score of Georgetown Women’s Basketball’s BIG EAST tournament game against UConn that day, you would have thought the scorekeepers had gone on break too. But no, at halftime the score really was 43-9. After a second half that was purely an exhibition, Georgetown’s season came to an end with an 8438 loss, the Hoyas’ tenth year in a row without an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Since former head coach Terri WilliamsFlournoy bolted for Auburn after a 23-9 season in 2013, Georgetown has gone through four different coaches. Nine schools have left the BIG EAST in that timespan, two have joined, and UConn has done both.

Despite the blistering end, there were several positive takeaways from last year’s squad despite the final record of 10-19 (4-15 BIG EAST). Prior to the UConn matchup, the Hoyas finished the season by winning their final three BIG EAST games. Additionally, Georgetown’s final record might have been artificially deflated, as the Hoyas were injury-plagued all season. Star junior guard Kelsey Ransom was banged up for much of conference play, eventually missing the aforementioned season-ending loss versus UConn. On top of that, the Hoyas dealt with four COVID-19-related game postponements, more than the conference average, which interrupted the game-to-game flow.

“We would have a run and we would start to do well, and then COVID hits us. Trying to come off that, our chemistry is messed up, and in this conference, you can’t lose chemistry, you can’t lose time,” Head Coach James Howard said.

Some games were also down to the wire: Six of the Hoyas’ 19 losses were by single digits, and four came in overtime. Often, these losses came as a result of scoring droughts.

Georgetown’s 59.3 points per game in

conference play ranked ninth in the 11-team BIG EAST, and their 37.2 percent field goal percentage and 26.9 percent 3-point percentage each ranked last. Just small increases in these categories could have flipped these close results and changed the season’s trajectory.

Increasing those numbers may be difficult given the departures of leading scorer Milan BoldenMorris and leading rebounder Jillian Archer. To fill these and other departures, though, the Hoyas brought in two transfers and four freshmen. Senior forward Jada Claude is the most notable. The 6’0” Georgia native is a two-time transfer, previously leaving Duke for Morehead State, likely in search of more playing time. She found it with the Eagles, starting in all 27 games and averaging 13.7 ppg and 7.1 rpg. Moving back up to the power six level will be a challenge, but Claude appears to be up for the task.

The other transfer, 6’1” graduate guard Kristina Moore, is a bit of a question mark. After three seasons as a full-time starter at Florida, Moore largely rode the bench last year, and the Australia native subsequently decided to use her COVID-19 year up north. Moore averaged five points and three rebounds per game over her four years as a Gator.

As for the freshmen, 5’7” guard Kennedy Fauntleroy is the big name. Her top-75 ESPN ranking nationally makes her an unusually strong get for the Hoyas, and the former MaxPreps Maryland Player of the Year could make an immediate difference as a strong passer and shot-creator in the mid-range.

A hopefully healthy Ransom leads the returnees. The emotional heart of the Hoya offense, Ransom’s game largely focuses on driving to the basket and finding open teammates. Turnovers were a bit of an issue for her last year, but if she cuts back on that, Ransom could be one of the BIG EAST’s top distributors.

The other returning starter is senior forward Graceann Bennett (7.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg), who will be a key force on the boards for the Hoyas. The rest of the rotation is up in the air. Junior guard Yasmin Ott, sophomore forward Brianna Scott, and sophomore center Ariel Jenkins will all battle for starting spots.

The key to the Hoyas’ success this year will be finding someone that can create open looks on the perimeter. BoldenMorris was that person last year, but it’s not clear at this point if

anyone will replace her role. Ransom is certainly a shot creator but has historically floundered behind the arc, knocking down just 20.8 percent of her 3-point attempts last year.

Coach Howard floated freshmen guards Victoria Rivera and Modesti McConnell as two new pieces that could earn playing time thanks to their shooting. “We’ve got some young shooters that I’m really excited about that I don’t believe in the past we’ve had,” he said.

The Hoyas kick off the 2022-23 campaign on Monday, Nov. 7, against Division 2 squad Salem, and the rest of the non-conference slate is hardly intimidating. The Hoyas face just one team ranked in the top 90 of the Massey Composite—a computer-generated ranking system for women’s college basketball—and none in the top 50. The relatively weak nonconference schedule should give Coach Howard time to figure out the roster before jumping into BIG EAST play with Marquette on Dec. 2.

McDonough Arena will surely be packed when UConn comes to town on Feb. 11. That is, if the game is played at McDonough. Howard mentioned the possibility of moving the game from McDonough, which seats about 2,000, to the WNBA’s Washington Mystics’ Entertainment and Sports Arena, which can hold 4,200 attendees. The Hoyas were supposed to play the Huskies there last season before the game was postponed due to COVID. Although, as Howard told me, “If you want to change the record, you’ve got to play everyone like it’s UConn.”

Turnovers—17.9 per game on average—and poor shooting were thorns in Georgetown’s side last season. Fix those issues and this team has the defensive chops to shake up the BIG EAST standings—but that is easier said than done. With a healthy Ransom and a trio of newcomers that have the potential to play meaningful minutes on day one, the upside is there. The question is, can the Hoyas deliver? G

design by lou jacquin; photos courtesy of georgetown athletics

COMEBACK TIME: AFTER A DISASTROUS SEASON, MEN’S BASKETBALL LOOKS FOR A FRESH START

BY HENRY LIU

After winning the 2021 BIG EAST tournament, the Georgetown Men’s Basketball Team looked to replicate their success in the 2021-22 season. With two key recruits in Aminu Mohammed and Ryan Mutombo, the Hoyas entered the season hoping to shatter expectations and prove their doubters wrong once again.

But the season fell apart. A home opener against Dartmouth turned into a Big Green beatdown, and while a comeback win against Syracuse sparked some hope for Hoya fans, it was not to be. The Hoyas had one of the worst seasons in program history and finished with a 6-25 record overall, a program-worst 0-19 record in conference play, and a first-round exit in the 2022 BIG EAST tournament.

In the offseason, the team lost most of its core starters and began rebuilding with 10 new additions. With nowhere to go but up now, Head Coach Patrick Ewing hopes to restore the program to its former glory.

“We were at a place that I never thought we would be,” Ewing said at BIG EAST media day. “Last year was difficult. It was frustrating. Even though I never won a championship in the NBA, I never lost that much in my life.”

Heading into the 2022-23 season, the conference’s coaches poll predict the Hoyas will finish 10th in the 11-team league. Despite the challenges, Ewing has no intention of giving up, starting with talent recruitment. He has worked closely with new Associate Coach Kevin Nickelberry to find new blood. With the fourth-best transfer class nationally, the Hoya’s new roster has the potential to win conference games.

Even though this season’s team looks promising, there’s no doubt new core players will have big shoes to fill at every position. Last season, Aminu Mohammed, the BIG EAST

Preseason Freshman of the Year, chose to turn pro and signed with the 76ers as an undrafted free agent. Mohammed’s departure, in addition to Donald Carey and Timothy Ighoefe, cost the team their two top scorers and all three of their top rebounders. Other major losses include Kaiden Rice and Collin Holloway, who ranked fourth and fifth on the team respectively for average ppg. Georgetown will also be left without Malcolm Wilson, their best shooter, who averaged .643 from the field. After losing four of five starters from last season, the returners and new additions will have to step up in a big way.

Dante Harris is a key returning player who will continue to play a central role. Harris was the 2021 BIG EAST Tournament MVP and improved last season by averaging 11.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 4.1 apg, and 1.5 steals. As the only returning starter, Harris will lead the team and hopefully elevate his game to MVP level again.

Two promising freshmen also join the ranks. Armed with a killer 3-point shot, Denver Anglin is a 6’2” combo guard from Montclair, NJ. 247 Sports rated him as a four-star recruit and ranked him as the #87 prospect in the country. If his jumper carries over to the college level, he will have a big role to play off the bench. He will be joined by D’Ante Bass, a 6’6” forward from Savannah, Ga. Bass averaged 13.3 ppg and 7.0 rpg in his senior year at Windsor Forest High School, earning Region 3-AAA Player of the Year in 2022. Both these players will make great additions to the new roster.

It is the transfer class, though, that will be the most exciting part of this season’s team. Akok Akok from UConn and Qudus Wahab, who is returning to Georgetown after a year at Maryland, will be two key big men to watch out for. Akok was limited by injuries last season but showed impressive shot-blocking ability with the Huskies. Although underutilized by the Terrapins, Wahab averaged 12.7 ppg and 8.8 rpg for Georgetown in the 2020-21 season. These two players will fill the need for a dominant interior presence and bolster the team’s defense.

Sophomore transfers Brandon Murray and Amir “Primo” Spears are two guards coming off of very successful freshmen seasons, and they will hopefully match their previous levels of production. Spears led Duquesne in scoring as a freshman, averaging 12.7 ppg to go with 2.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, and 1.3 steals per game. His long-range shot could use some improvement, but overall, he is a consistent player who might compete with Harris for the starting point guard spot. Murray, a 6’5” guard from LSU named to the 2022 SEC AllFreshman Team, shot 42.6 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from deep. Murray, one of the NCAA’s top transfers, will be a cornerstone of the Hoya’s new team.

With ten additions, the Hoyas will look like a completely different team in the 202223 season. The new roster offers depth and versatility, matching up well against any kind of team. The team has the option to run a small-ball lineup with the new group of talented guards on the floor and Akok at center. But Ewing’s lineup also has the potential to play old-fashioned, Georgetown big-man basketball with Wahab at center and Akok at power forward. Overall, Murray is likely to step up and become a star player, Akok and Wahab are both good options for big men, and Spears is a solid addition to the backcourt.

This rebuilt roster has the potential to win more games and outperform their low ranking coming into the season. The Hoyas will play their first out-of-conference game this season against Coppin State on Nov. 8 at the Capital One Arena. G

Faith on the field: how student athletes navigate religion at georgetown

BY TIM TAN AND ELLA BRUNO

F or many of Georgetown’s almost 800 student athletes, athletics are practically a full-time job. While juggling a 40-hour sports schedule, academics, and social life, spiritual well-being can get put on the back burner. For some student athletes, religious traditions and sports complement one another, allowing for a more holistic athletic experience, further spiritual growth, and a deepened sense of community.

Georgetown hired its first Athletics Chaplain, Tony Mazurkiewicz, to facilitate religious conversations and support for student athletes in 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic forced classes online and shuttered sports seasons.

“My role is to try to connect student athletes with Campus Ministry and the resources there,” Mazurkiewicz said. He hosts monthly retreats for religious and nonreligious student athletes to reflect and recenter their lives away from campus. He also leads meditation sessions and meets with students individually to mentor them throughout the year. Mazurkiewicz’s goal is to be a resource to students, regardless of whether they share his religious background.

Other Campus Ministry staff also act as resources for student athletes looking for spiritual guidance. Rabbi Daniel Schaefer, who describes himself as a “washed-up big man” on his blog, has written extensively on the commonality between Judaism and basketball.

“One of the interesting parallels I see between religion, all religions, and team sports especially, is that there’s an element of sacrifice and it not being about you,” Schaefer told the Voice . “Being able to do something for the collective is a big value in Judaism and in sports.”

For many athletes, Campus Ministry resources have made a tangible impact in their time at Georgetown. Brittany

Lew (COL ’23), a senior second baseman on the women’s softball team, is especially grateful for Mazurkiewicz’s support during a difficult time in her life. “He helped me make sense of all the loss I was feeling, and for that, I will always be grateful,” she said.

Lew is also the outreach chair for Georgetown Christian Athletes (GUCA), a club that helps Christian varsity and club athletes on Georgetown’s 30 Division I sports teams to connect with one another.

“The community I found with GUCA is one in which athletes come together and share their struggles and accomplishments. We hold each other accountable in our faith and challenge each other to be the best version of ourselves,” she said. “It is my main faith community on campus and I am so grateful for it.”

Each week, GUCA students gather and hear from speakers who share about their faith, offer words of encouragement, and share messages of wisdom. GUCA also hosts bonding activities throughout the semester, including a Thanksgiving potluck and Christmas party.

It’s important to note these support groups are not always accessible to Georgetown’s busiest athletes. Mazurkiewicz cited time constraints as the biggest barrier to student athletes’ participation in religious activities. “It’s a fulltime job,” he said. “It’s 40-plus hours depending on if they’re in-season or out of season.”

Nevertheless, many student athletes still choose to devote their spare time to religious groups. For Georgetown men’s soccer defender Dominic De Almeida (COL ’24), it’s about being connected after the pandemic. “The most helpful thing is just finding a sense of community in person. I haven’t really found a church here that I can go to every week, so I resort to watching my home church online,” De Almeida said. “[On campus we have] believers who believe the same things as you and are also going through the same things as you.”

Senior offensive lineman Sam Telesa (COL ’23) expressed similar sentiments about religion acting as a community builder. His role as the football team’s chapel

leader has allowed him to connect others on the football team with Georgetown’s religious resources. “[My faith has] been influential not only in my own life but in the lives of my teammates,” Telesa said.

Telesa added that a struggle religious athletes must contend with arises when his perceptions of Christians and athletes come into conflict with one another. “You know, as a Christian, you’re supposed to exemplify the traits and characteristics of Jesus Christ,” Telesa said. “Jesus Christ wasn’t someone who was aggressive, someone who was foaming at the mouth for violence, as the stigma for football players might be.”

Student athletes outside of Judeo-Christian religious traditions face unique pressures navigating a sociopolitical context where religious discrimination is not uncommon. Former Hoya men’s basketball player Ömer Yurtseven—now a center for the Miami Heat— transferred to Georgetown from NC State in his senior year, seeking both professional development and an atmosphere that was more tolerant of him as a practicing Muslim. In a 2018 Voice interview, Yurtseven cited a “few events”—perhaps referring to a spate of Islamophobic events in the Raleigh area—as influential in his decision to transfer away. “Knowing that a place respects my religion is definitely important,” he told us then. Georgetown’s Muslim chaplain, Imam Yahya Hendi, could not be reached for comment in time for publication.

For some, staying devoted to one’s religion can help navigate serious injuries and cope with the physical trauma or isolation that comes from sitting out games or seasons.

“Throughout my career, I’ve suffered various injuries, from broken fingers to concussions,” Lew said. “Looking back, they strengthen my faith greatly by changing my mindset to see that there is a plan for everything—no matter the setback.”

De Almeida also recounted how, for him, religion and sports work in tandem, rather than in opposition. “For me, everything revolves around my faith,” he said.

Legendary men’s basketball coach John Thompson left his mark on the Hilltop by pushing his players to find purpose and meaning beyond the athletic arena, telling them, “Don’t let the sum total of your existence be eight to ten pounds of air.” For some of Georgetown’s student athletes, religious practice and faith traditions provide this meaning in the midst of the ups and downs of playing for the Blue & Gray. G

F or senior post player Graceann Bennett, everything comes back to hard work.

She attributes that attitude to her parents, both college athletes themselves. Her father Jeff was a football player at Syracuse and Holy Cross; her mother Michelle played center for Keene State. They both became coaches before Bennett was born; as a result, she was raised in the sports world.

From a young age, Bennett’s diligent work ethic—and eventual 6’3” height—worked in her favor. They earned her a spot on a travel basketball team when she was in the fourth grade. She loved the game from the start and

college ball, however, didn’t cross Bennett’s mind for much of her childhood.

“When I started playing, my intention, which has stayed the same throughout, was to get as good as I could, and work as hard as I could,” Bennett explained. “That was what my parents emphasized—when you pick something that you want to dedicate yourself to, it’s about work ethic. So there was never a conversation about a college scholarship in my house.”

That changed when Bennett was 13 years old. She attended a camp at Binghamton University in New York, a three-hour drive from her upstate hometown of Lake George. The coach there offered her a basketball scholarship, and she

began to envision a future for herself in the college game for the first time.

Throughout Bennett’s high school career, a number of universities, including Georgetown, offered her a place in their programs. Then, during her sophomore year, she had a femur surgery due to a condition called osteochondritis dissecans, which occurs when part of a bone dies due to lack of blood flow. The first surgery didn’t work, which forced her to have another one.

At this point, she had missed a significant amount of playing time, but Georgetown never wavered or rescinded their offer. This commitment was what convinced her to come to the Hilltop.

BY JO STEPHENS

regardless. We have faith that this is going to work out.’ And that gave me a ton of peace of mind,” Bennett said.

Since her recruitment, Bennett has been a central figure on the women’s basketball team, starting nearly every game she’s played in on the Hilltop. When asked why, she echoed those same values her parents instilled in her so many years ago: energy, consistency, and work ethic.

It’s a mindset visible in every moment of her play. From the first time she put on her Georgetown uniform, she’s had a central goal: “I think it’s my work ethic. And that’s something that is just consistent for me all the time. I am going to work as hard as I can and as smart as I can for my team.”

It’s a mindset that her coaches and teammates have noticed. Kelsey Ransom, a junior guard out of New Jersey, said that Bennett is “a phenomenal teammate.”

“She is consistently bringing energy whenever anybody needs it. You never have to worry about her effort. You never have to worry that she’s half-assing. You know she’s there. She’s 100 percent,” Ransom said.

Head Coach James Howard, who has coached Bennett for her entire Georgetown career, echoed this sentiment. He emphasized her leadership skills as well, explaining that she’s put in her characteristic extra effort in practice with the new team members to show them what the Georgetown women’s basketball culture looks like.

The importance of team culture is something that everyone interviewed consistently highlighted—Graceann included. As a senior, her playing career at Georgetown is coming to a close, even though she does have one last year of eligibility after this season.

That upcoming eligibility deadline makes chasing wins more critical than ever: “The most important thing to me personally, and as a team, is winning games, because everything is more fun when you’re winning,” Bennett said. “So for me, it’s doing what I can personally to contribute to those wins.”

In her eyes, those contributions are going to come in a variety of different forms. Bennett wants to be “a reliable double-double kid,” someone who makes shots while also holding down the fort on defense.

Above all else, though, she wants to continue to be the same persistent player she’s been since fourth grade, as well as a supportive leader on the team. For Bennett, it all comes down to how hard she works, something she said “is less measurable” than things that show up on stats sheets, but is meaningful nonetheless.

This season will test her ability to meet all of those goals. Georgetown faces off against Mississippi State and Temple in the offseason before entering the gauntlet of BIG EAST play. They’ll have to battle with many others, including a depleted but still dangerous UConn as well as Creighton—last year’s Cinderella story during March Madness. It won’t be an easy season, but Bennett is determined to make what could possibly be her last season here count.

“I have been so grateful to the Georgetown community for how they’ve treated me in my time here and the love I’ve felt,” she said. “And I really want to share the energy and the love that’s in our team, [and for] people to really come in and see what we do here, and what we’re all about.” G

design by natalia porras; photos courtesy of georgetown athletics

" W h a t w e ' r e a l l a b o u t : " GraceannBennett and the powerofon-court persistence

I

f you spot Brandon Murray on campus in his sweatpants, be sure to keep your distance.

Murray, the sophomore transfer from Louisiana State University (LSU) who looks to be the Hoya’s primary scoring option this coming season, likes to stay put-together in all aspects of his daily life. This goes for his performance on the court as well as his appearance off of it.

Since arriving in D.C. early this summer, Murray has settled into a rhythm. Breakfast is French toast from Epi—“I’m really there every morning,” he told reporters at a media day on Oct. 26. Lunch or dinner is often from Wisey’s—a chicken Philly is his usual.

“I’m used to having a deli, being born in New York,” he said.

stay in the game, then you gotta be conditioned to be in the game.”

Murray showed he could stay in the game with his performance at LSU last year, logging the most minutes on the team and scoring 10 ppg. He’ll get considerably more touches for the Hoyas this year, which should translate to more scoring.

“I always present myself well, as in fashion, or anything,” Murray told me. “So understand that, if you see me, you can tell how I’m feeling by the clothes that I’m wearing.”

If he’s gone more casual than his usual wellconstructed outfits, “I just wanna be left alone,” he added, laughing.

That rhythm includes daily practices on the court, which are always followed by conditioning, a directive from the coaches that gets on Murray’s nerves.

“You do all this work and then you gotta condition after—it’s like, ‘oh my god,’ honestly. But it’s what we have to do,” Murray said. “If you wanna

brandon murray is bringing the grind —and the style— back to the District

BY GRAHAM KREWINGHAUS

When asked what he does to reset after tough losses, Murray related his answer to what he feels he does best: “Work. Honestly, I feel like that’s the only thing that you can do. Just get every opportunity. “I’ll do everything I need to do for us to win,” he said.

Murray sees himself as a leader on the Hoyas, and Coach Patrick Ewing seems to agree.

“He’s a talented young man. He can score at all three levels, and he’s also a very good defender,” Ewing said of Murray at media day. “So putting him in with the changes that we’ve made on the defensive end is going to help us. And offensively, the fact that he can score the ball at a high clip, that’s also going to help us.”

The biggest change the Hoyas have made on defense this offseason was to hand the keys of that side of the court over to Kevin Nickelberry, the program’s new associate head coach. Ewing announced this change on media day, saying, “I’ll be doing most of the offense, but you try to do everything you can in terms of, when you’re not successful, you have to change.”

Nickelberry, like Murray, came from LSU, which had one of the best defenses in the country last year, leading the NCAA in steals per game. Nickelberry was elevated to interim head coach in March when the Tigers fired Will Wade.

Murray said that when he was choosing his college ahead of his freshman year, Nickelberry

was persistent in recruiting him. He was the main reason Murray chose LSU in that first recruitment race—and following him to Georgetown was a key reason Murray decided to transfer here over the summer.

“Me and Coach Nickelberry, that’s my guy,” Murray said. “He’s real important to me. And I feel as though having a familiar face around has just made me a lot more comfortable in my game and everything.”

Another key reason he chose Georgetown was location. Murray went to high school at Poly High in Baltimore, and said that after a year at IMG Academy in Florida, and another year in Louisiana, he’s glad to be back in the area.

“It feels great to be back in the DMV,” Murray said. “This is home.”

Murray stressed his love for his family repeatedly, who he said got him started in the sport. “My family put the basketball in my hands, so I’m gonna just take it as far as I want. They had to do everything for me, so I gotta pay them back for the support that I love.”

Just as Coach Nickelberry helped bring him here from LSU, Murray helped secure the talents of a friend for Georgetown not long after he himself

arrived: Amir “Primo” Spears, who spent a year at Mount Zion Prep in Prince George’s County. Spears transferred to the Hilltop after a promising 2021-22 season at Duquesne.

“He was probably 75 percent of why I came to Georgetown,” Spears said of Murray on media day. “When I got that call to come play with my best friend here, it was easy to make that decision. Me and B. Murray have been together through some of our darkest times, losing a close friend together.”

“His name was Ian Wallace,” Murray elaborated during our interview. Wallace was one of Murray’s teammates at Poly High, then one of Spears’ teammates at Mount Zion, and is the reason the two met. Wallace passed away last September.

“Ever since then, we just grew fond of each other and we got real close. That’s my best friend, I feel as though we was just a package deal, honestly,” Murray said. “If I was gonna come here, I wanted him to come here.”

Now, playing side-by-side on the court for the first time, Murray and Spears expect to use their chemistry to make a name for themselves in college ball and prove their stuff: “We're the best backcourt in the BIG EAST.” G

design by graham krewinghaus; photos courtesy of georgetown athletics and jina zhao/georgetown voice

BASKETBALL 2022-2023

NIL helps athletes selL: How the branding rule change is shaping colLegiate sports

BY BRADSHAW CATE

In 2021, Kool-Aid signed Alabama student athlete Ga’Quincy “Kool-Aid” McKinstry to promote their brand on the football field. It’s normal for athletes to market their public image, but until recently, college players were banned from doing so.

The NCAA authorized student athletes to profit from their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) on July 1, 2021, after pressure from state legislatures and a slew of court cases, including NCAA v. Alston. This opened the door for college athletes to pursue the type of lucrative sponsorship deals their professional counterparts enjoy. Now, business opportunities for athletes are shaping the fabric of collegiate sports.

NIL deals are uncharted waters as they grow more popular. As of July, Alabama football players combined for over $3 million in revenue. The University of Colorado’s Tommy Brown models underwear for Shinesty. Even high schooler Bronny James (son of LeBron James) signed a deal with Nike. And students committing to schools are starting to follow the money.

From ‘nil’ NIL deals to a million of them

Prior to the rule change, the NCAA operated on the principle of “amateurism,” barring athletes from being paid for their play and limiting compensation to educational scholarships.

While these scholarships made education more accessible, there were still glaring issues with college amateurism—like players’ likenesses being used without their consent while they struggled financially. During the 2013-14 college basketball season, UConn star player Shabazz Napier reported that he went hungry before games because, without compensation, he could not afford to eat.

Partially due to their previously exclusive ownership of athletes’ images, the NCAA earns roughly $1 billion in revenue annually. Athletes prior to the change only got some fraction of their tuition paid, despite the vast business empire dependent on their labor.

The last three years, the NCAA faced increasing pressure to drop amateurism after a series of legal actions. California was the first to pass an NIL bill, but the real haymaker came when the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in NCAA vs. Alston that the association violated the Sherman Antitrust Act by limiting student compensation. Soon after, the NCAA reversed its rule and began permitting students to profit from advertisements.

Building momentum

With the restrictions gone, thousands of companies rushed to sign students to NIL deals. PetSmart sponsored Arkansas wide receiver Trey Knox—and his dog Blue—the same day the rule took effect. Players at top athletic programs could earn, on average, $16,000 annually.

No longer confined, some players became micro-influencers after sensational performances. After leading St. Peter’s to the Elite Eight of the college basketball tournament, then-junior Doug Edert’s social media presence skyrocketed. He parlayed that fame into a deal with Buffalo Wild Wings, posting a picture of himself eating an ungodly amount of chicken.

Small business owners also benefit from NIL deals, especially in tight-knit college towns. Sassy’s Red House—a BBQ joint in Fayetteville, Arkansas— was quick to sign University of Arkansas players. Their goal is to attract more Razorback fans, boosting business that dwindled during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, businesses like this already profited from the gameday rush, but now players earn a share too.

pay tuition on their own. The tuition of all BYU football players, for example, is paid for by deals with Built Protein Bars. Established promotions with certain schools will implicitly influence commitments, regardless of whether the school mentions it in a recruitment pitch.

Specific companies are prioritizing women’s sports to decrease gender inequality in athletics, where most women who compete earn substantially less than their male counterparts. Similar to Built, SmartyStreets will pay all female athletes at BYU $6,000 in exchange for promoting the brand. Researchers at the State University of New York in Cortland theorize female athletes’ greater presence on social media will aid in closing the pay gap that exists in professional sports.

Of course, some problems do still exist with NIL. Schools cannot provide direct compensation to students, so athletic departments must coordinate with outside agencies. This can drive a split between universities that can coordinate these deals and those without the resources to do so, which exacerbates gaps between PWIs and HBCUs, as well as between schools with varying endowments. Players going to schools with smaller markets may not have access to deals or the financial literacy to sign one. As a result, student athletes without the opportunity face the same problems their predecessors experienced before the rule change. The volatility of the NIL market leaves little room for equality, something that could be remedied if a minimum salary was set for all athletes.

NIL and Georgetown

The types of responsibilities given to athletes vary from deal to deal. Like Edert, some athletes simply post pictures of themselves promoting a product. Other athletes become part of the advertisements produced by the companies they represent. A local AC company’s commercial went viral, as it starred Nebraska wide receiver Decoldest Crawford proclaiming, “I’m always Decoldest!”

While not technically allowed to be part of the recruitment process for student athletes, NIL deals are influencing where players commit to. Whereas before NIL, scholarship amount could be a major factor in determining where athletes signed, prospective students can now worry less about affordability when landing deals can help them

Students struggle to sign and negotiate contracts while also maintaining their grades and practicing their sport. To this end, Georgetown partnered with Altius Sports and INFLCR to teach students how to market themselves and assist them in finding deals. This partnership founded the base for Georgetown’s “The Blueprint,” a portal that will allow Hoyas to connect to businesses and sign NIL contracts.

Student-athletes at Georgetown already have capitalized on NIL. Last year, several men’s basketball players made an appearance at Pinstripes for their Pins ‘N’ Wins event. Junior basketball player Jazmyn Harmon is an Amtrak ambassador, promoting travel spots on her TikTok and Instagram.

If trends continue, Georgetown athletes will only get more involved in NIL opportunities. Trains are just the start; expect to see Georgetown players featured in advertisements all around the city.G

meet the new players: women’S Basketball new recRuits

BY ANDREW ARNOLD

F | Senior jada claude

Jada Claude, the senior transfer from Morehead State, is a slashing wing who averaged 13.6 ppg and 7.1 rpg last year. Claude has had an interesting collegiate journey to this point—starting her career as a bench player on a good Duke team for a couple of years before flourishing at Morehead State in a larger role—but she returns to D.C. (her birthplace) as a very important piece to this Hoya team, if she can keep up her pace from last year. On top of her slashing, Claude is a stout defender on the wing who isn’t afraid to crash the boards and do the dirty work inside. Expect Claude to play a major role for Georgetown this year.

G | Freshman Kennedy fauntleroy

Georgetown’s highest-ranking freshman (124th by BlueStar, 75th by ESPN), Kennedy Fauntleroy profiles as a quick and shifty ball-handler with innate ability to knife through the teeth of the defense for easy shots at the rim or kick-out opportunities. A local recruit—hailing from New Hope Academy in Upper Marlboro, MD—Fauntleroy averaged 16.4 ppg, 4.7 apg, 4.5 rpg, and 3.8 steals per game her junior year en route to winning the Insider Exposure National Championship in 2020, and followed her championship run up by taking home MaxPreps Maryland Player of the Year the next season. Fauntleroy also utilizes a quick release on her jumper, both in the mid-range and extending out to three, which makes her a true three-level scorer in addition to having excellent ball-handling and passing chops. Fauntleroy will be a player to watch this season as a true X-factor, depending on how quickly she adjusts to college ball.

C | Freshman morgan lee

Morgan Lee is the only new center for the Hoyas, but along with standing at 6’5” and being a great rim protector and shot blocker, Lee is a fantastic passer for her position and also has the ability to stretch out to the 3-point line. Coming from Kent School in Kent, Conn., Lee ranked as the 142nd recruit in the incoming freshman class after being named team MVP twice and averaging 20.4 ppg and 12.4 rpg as a sophomore. For the Hoyas, Lee should provide good depth for the frontcourt with intriguing upside as a big who can run the offense at the high post with cutters and shooters around her. Without many centers on the roster after graduating Shanniah Wright, Lee should get decent minutes from day one and could play a major role for Georgetown starting now.

G | Freshman modesti mcconnell

Modesti McConnell, ranked 166 in the incoming freshman class, accrued a splendid high school record at Casady School in Edmond, Okla., dropping 39 points in her first game as a freshman, blossoming into district MVP her sophomore year, and captaining the team her senior year. McConnell’s calling card is her deep 3-point range with plenty of shiftiness to create space out on the perimeter to open herself up for shots from beyond the arc. With her lethal shooting from the outside, McConnell is able to leverage that gravity to open up easy shots inside for herself and her teammates. For Georgetown, McConnell should give Head Coach James Howard a knockdown shooter off the bench any time the Hoyas need the court to open up.

G | Graduate Student kristina moore

As the second of Georgetown’s two transfer additions, Kristina Moore comes over from the University of Florida for her graduate year. The Australian guard started 75 games across four seasons at Florida as a shooting guard despite having her freshman year cut short due to injury. Being on a high-quality SEC team, Moore wasn’t asked to do much besides play a supporting role as a rebounder and defender, but she’s been a durable glue player for her whole career and has begun to show some shooting promise as a potential spot-up threat. Can she leap into a larger offensive role on the Hilltop? We’ll see, but she brings leadership as well as both SEC and international experience to the Hoyas, and should prove to be an invaluable member of the team during her graduate year.

G | Freshman victoria rivera

Freshman Victoria Rivera hails from Dobie High School in Pasadena, Texas, where she started all four years on varsity and led her Longhorns squad to an undefeated season in their district. Listed at 6’0” and with good hands and defensive awareness—she had multiple games her senior year with four or more steals—Rivera profiles as a stout defender with the potential to guard one through three. The VYPE Magazine Player of the Year and district MVP, she also showed plenty of scoring prowess with a quick jumper and the ability to extend out to the 3-point arc. Despite being an unranked recruit, Rivera figures to be a floor-spacer off the bench for the Hoyas with plenty of potential as a three-and-D player down the line. G

Meet the new Players: Men’s Basketball new recruits

BY LUCIE PEYREBRUNE

G | Sophomore

Brandon Murray

Sophomore guard Brandon Murray comes to the Hoyas from LSU along with new associate head coach Kevin Nickelberry. Coming off of a freshman season where he averaged 10 ppg and three rpg, and improved in scoring from nonconference to conference play in a tough SEC conference, Murray is expected to make an immediate impact. He’s a great two-way player—efficient on defense and adept at scoring from all three levels (rim, midrange, and from three). He has the build to play and guard a wide range of positions and will hopefully be the star Georgetown needs. This might be Murray’s only year on the Hilltop though, as he definitely has the potential to go pro come season end.

Denver Anglin

Amir “Primo” Spears

Sophomore transfer Amir “Primo” Spears made a name for himself last season at Duquesne. He led his team in starts (28), minutes per game (32.3), assists (3 apg), and scoring (12.7 ppg), including back-toback 34-point and 30-point games to close out the season. He’ll look to make waves at Georgetown this year as the most likely candidate for the starting point guard job, especially after a since-deleted photo accidentally leaked the planned starting line-up and depth chart back in June. He averaged 18 ppg in the Kenner League (an elite summer basketball league that all Georgetown players participate in), finishing fourth in total points. If he lives up to his potential, this will be his breakout year in a major conference.

Wayne Bristol Jr.

Wayne Bristol Jr. transferred from Howard last year but had to sit out due to NCAA transfer rules. He was dominant his freshman season, winning MEAC Rookie of the Year, but then missed the 2020-21 COVID-shortened season with an injury. In a press conference last season, Collin Holloway said that Bristol Jr. was a good shooter and better on defense than who they already had on the roster (Kaiden Rice, perhaps). He wasn’t exceptional in the Kenner League this summer, but to be fair, it was his first time playing organized basketball in over two years. It might take a couple of games for Bristol Jr. to get fully back up to speed, but he’ll hopefully be a solid roster addition and rotation player.

Bryson Mozone

Freshman guard Denver Anglin is “arguably the most college-ready 3-point shooter in the country” according to 247Sports’ Adam Finkelstein. In high school, Anglin played at an advanced level of competition as a point guard, but his strengths lie more in his shooting than his playmaking or driving abilities. Since he profiles better as an off-guard, his biggest weakness will be his height. He was a great defender in high school, but size plays a much bigger role at the college level, and it’s unclear at this time whether his high-effort defense will make up for that. Overall, his impressive scoring and ability to space the floor should earn him decent minutes.

Graduate Student

Bryson Mozone has the potential to be the veteran presence that Georgetown needs. He improved each of his four years at USC Upstate, peaking with 15.8 ppg and 5.7 rpg his senior year; although the BIG EAST will be a step up for him in the level of competition, he should still be able to make an impact as a role player and maybe even a starter. He’s a good 3-point shooter—a career 38.5 percent shooter from distance at USC Upstate—and will most likely fill Kaiden Rice’s role as the catch-and-shoot man. But defensively, it’s unclear how he’ll match up against BIG EAST-caliber players. Either way, he should be fun to watch.

G Freshman

F

G Junior

Jay Heath G Junior

The D.C. native is still a question mark for this season as his transfer waiver application eligibility hangs in the balance. Heath already transferred once from Boston College to Arizona State in 2021, using up his one-time transfer exception where he didn’t have to sit out a season in between schools. However, since he’s from D.C., his transfer to Georgetown should be viewed as a transfer home, which is generally considered an acceptable reason to receive a waiver. If he does get an exemption, Heath will be an invaluable asset to the Hoyas. He shot 43 percent from beyond the arc for the Sun Devils last year in a major conference, and if there’s anything we learned from the final minute of the home DePaul game last year, it’s that Georgetown could use a guy who can come in clutch from the three. Assuming his waiver is approved, Heath should get decent minutes but probably won’t start.

Akok Akok

Pros of Akok Akok: He has BIG EAST playing experience. Cons of Akok Akok: He is injury-prone. After his breakout freshman season at UConn was cut short by an Achilles tendon injury, he played limited minutes during his sophomore season as he worked his way back to full health. Last year—his third at UConn, but with two years of NCAA eligibility left, making him a junior now—he played in almost as many games as his first season but wasn’t his freshman self. His shot-blocking and scoring abilities took a hit, and if the trend continues, he’ll probably be Georgetown’s back-up power forward this season, especially considering Ewing didn’t announce he was medically cleared for this season until Sept. 20. It’s assumed that he was listed to fill the starting four spot on the leaked depth chart, but that’s also assuming he can stay healthy. If he can find a way to return to his freshman dominance, then he’s practically guaranteed a starting spot.

Qudus Wahab C Senior

No, Q isn’t technically new. He played two seasons in the Blue & Gray before transferring to Maryland for his junior season, and now he’s back after struggling to develop as a big in the Big Ten, which could be partially attributed to the Terrapins’ coaching change halfway through the season. He played a key role in the Hoyas’ 2020-21 BIG EAST Tournament run as a rebounder and scorer down low; having him back should be a significant help to the team, which struggled last year to find a big who could consistently play well. Wahab will take back his old starting position and will hopefully serve as a mentor to Ryan Mutombo, in addition to bringing Georgetown back to the more traditional bigman style of play that Coach Patrick Ewing so dearly loves.

Bradley Ezewiro

Aside from Jay Heath, Bradley Ezewiro may be the biggest question mark on this roster. He played all of 26 minutes across six games for LSU last season and didn’t do anything worth noting in those minutes. He took a post-graduate year in 2020-21 but didn’t play organized basketball. In high school, he played for Oak Hill Academy but didn’t stand out on such an elite team. However, he excelled in AAU-style basketball summer tournaments where his athleticism and strength were on full display, translating into college offers. Nickelberry recruited him to the Hilltop amid some questions from fans and analysts, but his dominance in the Kenner League this summer shows us why he’s here.

D’Ante Bass

D’Ante Bass closed out his high school career with a dominant double-double (22 points, 10 rebounds) to win the Georgia 3A state championship. However, he has yet to be tested with NCAA-caliber competition, so how he’ll do in Division I remains to be seen. He’s a high-motor, athletic player but is relatively raw, relying on his innate athleticism to dominate. He’ll have to develop his jump shot quickly if he wants to see major minutes this year, but will definitely be playing a larger role in the program by his sophomore year, especially considering his rebounding skills and his versatility on defense. But for now, his minutes will be limited until he figures out how to score in the BIG EAST. G

F | Freshman

F/C | Sophomore

BIG EAST Women's Preview 2022-23

BY ANJALI GULASINGAM

Tier One: Giants of the Game

Reigning BIG EAST champion UConn is the current favorite, but recent roster changes could complicate their dominance. Three of five starters graduated, and junior point guard Paige Bueckers (14.4 ppg) is out for the season with a torn ACL. Yet, the team is no stranger to challenges after a previous injury-plagued season. Sophomore shooting guard Azzi Fudd (12.1 ppg) will be a key offensive player alongside junior point guard Nika Mühl, the 2022 BIG EAST DPOY. With promising recruits and solid returning players, UConn looks likely to maintain its position on top

1

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Led by BIG EAST Coach of the Year Denise Dillon, Villanova i s a powerful force coming into the season. The highest-scoring player within the conference and the second-highest nationally, senior forward Maddy Siegrist (25.3 ppg), 2022 BIG EAST Player of the Year, is crucial to the Wildcats’ offense. Villanova could secure the title by maintaining its defense and utilizing Siegrist’s strengths

Tier Two: Road to Redemption

4Following an unexpected sixth-place finish last season, Seton Hall is looking to improve their standing despite losing three integral players. Senior guard Lauren Park-Lane (18.3 ppg) and starting graduate forward Sidney Cooks (15.9 ppg), unanimously selected to the 2022-23 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, are players to watch, ranking third and sixth within BIG EAST scoring. With such a strong offense and the team’s solid defense provided by Cooks and newcomer graduate forward Alexia Allesch, Seton Hall could finish in the top three.

5 Working with an offense ranked in the nation’s top ten and second in the BIG EAST, head coach Doug Bruno is focused on creating an even more technical team. After losing three of their highest-ranked offensive players, the Blue Demons will rely heavily on Aneesah Morrow, last year’s ESPN Top Freshman in the Country and BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. The star sophomore forward must dominate the court if DePaul hopes to remain a viable contender.

Tier Three: Constants on the Court

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St. John’s will return with most of its starting players but must strengthen its offense to retain its position. Senior transfer guard Mimi Reid is the player to watch: At Ole Miss, Reid carried the team in assists, ranking in the top ten of the SEC. With Reid on the offense and other high-scoring roster additions, St. John’s may build a capable offense, but its relatively weaker defense could hurt its ultimate standings.

3

The Bluejays will look to continue their momentum with returning key players. With their defense leading to a third-place finish last year, Creighton needs to boost their offense. Junior forward Emma Ronsiek (11.6 ppg) will be a notable offensive presence, while senior guard Carly Bachelor (5.9 rpg) will be a defensive force. If the Bluejays continue to play off each other, their versatility could give them the edge

6 Marquette will return with a vastly different roster after substantial losses. Without starters graduate forward Lauren van Kleunen and graduate guard Karissa McLaughlin, the Golden Eagles will rely heavily on senior forward Chloe Marotta (7.3 rpg, 3.1 ast) and senior guard Jordan King (11.5 ppg, 4.4 ast). Highly ranked within the conference in scoring and assists, Marotta and King will be crucial to the team’s offensive success. Head Coach Megan Duffy hopes the additions of Mackenzie Hare and Emily La Chapell, both top-ranked high school players, will increase Marquette’s chances in the coming season.

8

Providence enters the season in the same position as last year. Senior forward Janai Crooms will be essential in maintaining Providence’s existing standing, finishing last season with a team-high of 13.8 ppg and 7.3 rpg. The Friars are also banking on new graduate transfer, forward Logan Cook (13.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg). Providence could maintain its current conference standing or even pass St. John’s if they capitalize on incoming offensive power.

Tier Four: Holding onto Hope

9 Barely avoiding a lastplace finish in 2022, Xavier has a long way to go. The Musketeers will focus heavily on five incoming freshmen and transfers to replace three key players. Freshmen guards Kaleigh Addie and June Ruiz Azkue are expected to lead the offense, while senior forward Nila Blackford (9 rpg), a Kent State transfer, is expected to be a defensive fixture. In recruiting offensively and defensively skilled athletes, Xavier hopes to edge out Georgetown and Butler

10 The Hoyas’ conference performance will remain unchanged after losing only two starters: graduates Milan Bolden-Morris and Jillian Archer. Like last season, junior guard Kelsey Ransom (11.4 ppg) will be a central figure on the court. Georgetown hopes transfer Kristina Moore, a senior guard from the University of Florida, will turn defense into offense to build into the attack. Without much change, the Hoyas are expected to finish similarly to last season.

11 After ending the 2021-22 season with a 0-18 conference record and losing three impressive players, Butler’s potential standing is hard to predict accurately. In 2022, the Bulldogs underwent a massive overhaul with seven new players: three freshmen and five transfers. Freshman guard Jordan Meulemans is expected to transform the team after putting up 25.2 ppg in her senior year. Butler’s inconsistency and constantly changing team lineup mean the team is likely to finish near the bottom. However, promising transfers could prevent the Bulldogs from ranking last. G

BIG EAST Men's Preview 2022-23

BY BEN JAKABCSIN

Tier one: Beasts of the (Big) East

1Though still among the conference elites, Villanova is a risky pick to be the top team in the BIG EAST. Hall of Fame Head Coach Jay Wright has retired, and star returnee Justin Moore and highly-touted freshman Cam Whitmore are injured to start the season. That being said, Wright constructed a well-balanced roster with some extremely talented players before departing, and while Kyle Neptune is still inexperienced as a head coach, his oneyear turnaround of Fordham’s program last year is nothing to scoff at.

2 Creighton, while not my pick, is the near-consensus favorite to win the conference. There is much to love about this season’s Bluejays: They returned the reigning conference DPOY in Ryan Kalkbrenner, added possibly the nation's best transfer in Baylor Scheierman, and held on to many other key contributors from last year. The critical issues Creighton faces are finding shooters outside of Scheierman and Francisco Farabello, as well as finding an efficient way for Scheierman, Ryan Nembhard, and Trey Alexander to share the court, and the ball.

Tier two: Familiar faces return to familiar places

3 Perhaps the oftforgotten BIG EAST contender, UConn h as ample reason for optimism entering the season. Forward Adama Sanogo could very well take home conference POTY honors, and the Huskies have major break-out candidates in wings Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson. The key here is whether transfer guards Tristen Newton and Nahiem Alleyne can provide enough ball movement to sustain the offense

4

Coach Sean Miller returns to Xavier after a mostly successful but highly controversial stint at the University of Arizona. Bribery and fake transcripts controversies aside, there's an argument that Miller is the conference's second-best coach (behind the next coach on this list). Miller will have an opportunity to immediately do some damage in conference with Xavier’s roster, which, though light on shooting, has an abundance of guard and wing talent.

5 Butler projected fifth in the BIG EAST? Even after going 6-14 last year, firing their head coach, and returning only three contributors from last year's roster? That’s the Thad Matta difference. Before stepping away from Ohio State for medical reasons, Matta was one of the nation's premier coaches. While he’ll need to rely on some transfers, Matta will squeeze the absolute most out of Butler’s roster.

Tier three: March upside, maddening floors

6 Former St. Peter's head coach Shaheen Holloway takes over at Seton Hall a nd is creating a new-look Pirates team following Kevin Willard’s departure. Holloway has reshaped his roster using the portal, bringing in Clemson’s Al-Amir Dawes, Pitt’s Femi Odukale, and former St. Peter’s KC Ndefo. There are a lot of moving pieces between the roster and coaching staff, but Seton Hall has a real tournament upside .

7 This is a bit of a projected slide for Providence after finishing atop the conference standings last year. The Friars return few contributors from last year's roster, the biggest being Jared Bynum, last year’s BIG EAST 6th Man of the Year. Like others in this tier, there is a large range of possible outcomes. The play of transfer forward Bryce Hopkins, who was very highly regarded out of high school but averaged only two points per game for Kentucky last year, will be critical to watch.

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So many new faces on the Hilltop. Only three of the thirteen scholarship players played at all for the Hoyas' last season. Brandon Murray profiles as one of the conference’s most impactful transfers, and he is surrounded by a talented supporting cast. The biggest question is whether Patrick Ewing’s retooled coaching staff can find a way to make all the new pieces fit together.

Tier four: depaul

10 Shaka Smart is going to have his work cut out for him this year. Following a quality 202122 season, Marquette lost star forward Justin Lewis and second-leading scorer Darryl Morsell, among others. What is left is potential sophomore breakout Kam Jones, point guard Tyler Kolek, and frankly not much else. Shooting and depth are major concerns

9 St. John’s h as one of the most electric open court trios in the country in Posh Alexander, Illinois transfer Andre Curbelo, and DePaul transfer David Jones. However, they won’t win many games if the Red Storm can’t make 3-point shots. For reference, the trio above was 54/212 (25 percent) from three last year, and there isn't much shooting help around them.

11 Oh, DePaul. Not only are their three highest scorers from last year's roster gone, but now, a core piece of this year’s roster is temporarily absent due to a significant wrist injury to Caleb Murphy. If nothing else, this year’s team, led by returning point guard Jalen Terry and Oklahoma import Umoja Gibson, should put an entertaining, high-scoring product on the court, even if it won’t be able to overcome defensive woes. G

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