From the flurry of fresh faces filtering from film breakdowns to the hectic renovation efforts in the coaches’ offices, much has changed about the Georgetown University women’s basketball team since last spring when the Hoyas finished the season with a 23-12 overall (9-9 Big East) record.
Much has changed, that is, but one key element.
“Identity is identity,” Head Coach Darnell Haney told The Hoya, glancing up from typing out his practice schedule. “I’m expecting the same. We’re going to start everything with how we defend. We’re going to run, we’re going to rebound, we’re going to share and we’re going to let it fly.”
Internal expectations are high for the Hoyas as the start of the 2024-25 basketball season nears. After debuting in the Big East tournament championship and the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament last year amidst immense adversity, Georgetown now ranks fifth in a tough Big East conference in the preseason coaches poll, a five-place improvement.
Now equipped with an experienced leadership core, dynamic young talents and a coaching staff entering its element, the Hoyas feel confident about playing spoiler once again.
Georgetown boasted the No. 9 scoring defense in the nation last year in large part thanks to graduate guard and Big East co-defensive player of the year Kelsey Ransom. She is expected to lead the team on both ends of the court after a stellar season that saw her average 14.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, all the while locking down opposing players with her quickness and defensive instincts.
“She’s the engine in what we do,” Haney said. “She knows how to win now, and she knows what I expect out of her.”
Still, the Hoyas need to replace the production of key defensive contributors behind Ransom. Forwards Graceann Bennett, Mya Bembry and Jada Claude graduated after providing critical rim protection last season, and senior forward and Big East sixth woman of the year Brianna Scott faces an uncertain timeline as she recovers from an ACL tear sustained last postseason.
Haney identified rebounding by committee as a particular focus for the guard-heavy team.
“We just have to really put a heavy emphasis on making sure we put bodies on people and making sure we get to rebounding the basketball,” Haney said.
Expect senior center Ariel Jenkins to step up as a major paint presence after starting in more than half of Georgetown’s games. Graduate transfer forward Chetanna Nweke will also bring a new dynamism on defense after a breakout season at Princeton, where she helped the team to an Ivy League title.
SEASON PREVIEW WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
NEW FACES, SAME IDENTITY: HOYAS REMAIN HUNGRY
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Following a Cinderella run to the team’s first-ever Big East championship appearance and Women’s Basketball invitational Tournament berth, the Hoyas will dream big with a steady veteran core and exciting new talent.
Nweke will assume important leadership responsibilities alongside graduate guard Siobhan Ryan, with both players hailing from NCAA tournament programs.
“They are so unselfish and have a good humbleness to them,” Haney said. “They know the level and the pace we have to go at, so they’ve been vital to us.”
Ryan, who transferred from Richmond after averaging 47% from three, also provides a deep-range threat to a Georgetown team that averaged just 57.9 points per game with a 3-point percentage of 28.9%.
Junior guard Victoria Rivera provides another in-house scoring option as she looks to build her glimpses of offensive brilliance into consistently dominant play.
Senior forward Kaliyah Myricks and junior guard Modesti McConnell round out Georgetown’s upperclassmen players, providing important depth and experience under Haney’s system.
Much of the Hoyas’ success this season also hinges on the play of five first-year players, all bringing a different dimension to the team. Guards Jaeda Wilson and Jayden McBride headline the class as the No. 98 and No. 100 recruits in the nation, respectively, according to Blue Star Basketball. Expect
Wilson to supply two-way toughness alongside a consistent three-ball and McBride to offer immense positional versatility and basketball IQ as a glue player.
Guard Khadee Hession, the 2024 Broward County player of the year, excels most as an up-tempo playmaker who can spark the team on both ends of the court. All-California Interscholastic Federation second-team guard Amanda Ajobiewe’s ceiling as a transition playmaker and defender drew Haney to compare her to a “junior Kelsey Ransom.” And Brazilian forward Alexia Araujo-Dagba, Georgetown’s first international high school recruit since 2018, brings both immense energy on the court and valuable national team experience as she transitions to stateside basketball.
Having this many new faces requires an adjustment period, but both Haney and Ransom said they feel confident in the team’s growing chemistry.
“We did a great job of getting the right type of people,” Haney said. “They were okay with being part of a team and part of a family, and I think that made the adjustment so much easier for the returners, our staff and the players that came in because they were, first and foremost, great people.
“They are running, they are energetic,
they are sponges,” Ransom told reporters at Georgetown’s media day. “It’s been such a blessing to be able to guide them and teach them, to see them absorb and learn and fall in love with the game in a different way.”
The team has a busy schedule ahead of them. After the season kickoff Nov. 6 against NCCAA side Virginia University of Lynchburg, Georgetown will play Wisconsin and Temple before traveling to Charlottetown, Canada for the Atlantic Slam W tournament. Other non-conference highlights include a game against Colgate at the Entertainment & Sports Arena before the conference kickoff against juggernaut University of Connecticut Dec. 15.
Only time will tell if the team can maintain its strong level of defending while taking the next steps in working on 3-point shooting, rebounding and overall physicality. For Haney, so long as his team continues to follow “the Georgetown way,” this upcoming season will be a treat.
“Us learning and getting to being the toughest, tightest team in the gym every single night — if we hit those standards, we stay connected, we stay tough and we fight every night and we play Georgetown basketball, what’s supposed to happen is going to happen.”
BASKETBALL
SEASON PREVIEW
WITH A RELOADED SQUAD, HOYAS LOOK TO SURPRISE
Teddy Gerkin
Hoya Staff Writer
The leaves beginning to fall and the colors around campus changing from a vibrant green to an autumnal orange can only mean one thing: another season of Hoya hoops is on the horizon.
Last season marked Head Coach Ed Cooley’s first donning the blue and gray and it began with a bang. Georgetown University trounced the Le Moyne College Dolphins, 94-57. Five players scored double-digit figures and the Hoyas never found themselves trailing, building palpable excitement for the season to come.
However, all positive momentum was halted just four days later, as the Holy Cross Crusaders downed the Hoyas with a go-ahead three-pointer in the last minute of play to win 68-67. What followed was a discouraging showing in the nonconference slate, playing bad teams too closely and failing to compete with better teams. Georgetown proceeded to finish 2-18 in Big East play, with both wins coming against a miserable DePaul University team by a combined 4 points.
Since the disappointments of last season, Cooley has revamped the roster, successfully recruiting the No. 12 first-year class and No. 23 transfer class according to 247Sports.
The first-year class is headlined by four-star big men Thomas Sorber and Julius Halaifonua and four-star wing Kayvaun Mulready.
Sorber hails from Trenton, N.J., and attended Archbishop Ryan High School in Philadelphia, Pa. At 6-foot-10 and 255 pounds, Sorber’s presence will be known in the post, as his long levers
make him an exceptional rebounder and rim protector. He is also known for his soft touch, passing ability and ability to create space for his teammates and find them for open looks such as in the Philadelphia Catholic League high school championship in February. Sorber is ranked second on On3’s list of Big East impact freshmen.
Halaifonua, a New Zealand native, comes from the National Basketball Association Global Academy in Australia. The Hoyas secured his commitment very late in the recruiting cycle, as Halaifonua reclassified from the class of 2025 and chose Georgetown on Aug. 5. At a hulking 7 feet and 270 pounds, Halaifonua is extremely strong. His talents on the court include a high basketball IQ and an impressive shooting touch that could see him step out from the block to space the floor.
Mulready, On3’s ninth-ranked impact freshman, attended Worcester Academy in Worcester, Mass., and flipped from a previous commitment to Providence College to follow Cooley to the Hilltop. The wing is known for his athleticism and energy, serving him especially well on the defensive end. His quick hands and aggressive playing style will allow him to pester opponents with the ball in their hands, as he excels at turning defense into offense by running the floor, and his toughness should play well in the Big East, a conference known for its physicality.
Cooley also embraced the transfer portal, bringing in four players who should have an immediate impact for the Hoyas.
Sophomore point guard Malik Mack returns home after a breakout first-year year at Harvard University. Despite his small stature at 6-foot-2, the
Oxon Hill, Md., native has developed a craftiness to his game that allows him to create space off the dribble. He controls the pace of the game, able to run the floor and relentlessly defend while simultaneously slowing down the offense. Mack’s arrival will also allow junior guard Jayden Epps to play off the ball more, taking some of the responsibility to score off his shoulders and potentially getting him more open looks. Mack was named to the Bob Cousy point guard of the year preseason watchlist as one of the best college point guards in the nation.
Versatile graduate forward Micah Peavy is the other standout transfer recruit. Georgetown will be Peavy’s third team, as he was a starter at Texas Tech University in his first-year season before playing pivotal minutes for a Texas Christian University team that made the tournament in all three seasons of his tenure. Peavy’s primary objective is to defend. His athleticism and size allows him to stay with the ball at all times, guarding all positions effectively. His motor is nonstop and his veteran presence and leadership should serve this young Georgetown team well.
The two other transfers both arrive with Power 5 conference experience. Sophomore guard Curtis Williams Jr. comes from Louisville University and sophomore forward Jordan Burks from the University of Kentucky.
Epps, named to the preseason all-Big East third team, is the most prominent returner for Cooley. After putting his scoring abilities on display throughout last season, attacking the rim and shooting the deep ball, Epps is poised to be a clear star for the Hoyas.
However, last year made clear that Epps
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The Georgetown men’s basketball team takes their team photo in preparation for the new season. Optimism remains high in the second year of Head Coach Ed Cooley’s rebuild.
couldn’t carry the Hoyas to wins on his own — particularly later into games. He would begin to make bad shot decisions when his teammates weren’t scoring and his exhaustion would show. This season’s roster additions should take the pressure off Epps, especially if the team finds chemistry early in the season and gives him more off-ball time.
As for the schedule, Georgetown’s nonconference slate is rather underwhelming. The Hoyas will open their season Nov. 6 with a matchup against Lehigh University. In an exciting and unexpected turn of events, both that game and the Nov. 26 game against Wagner College will be played on campus at McDonough Arena. Georgetown will also face University of Notre Dame again after defeating them in overtime last season. They end their nonconference schedule with their Big 12-Big East Battle matchup against West Virginia University Dec. 6, then travel to Syracuse to take on the rival Orange Dec. 14, two solid tests before Big East play. Georgetown was selected to finish ninth in the Big East coaches’ poll, ahead of Seton Hall University and DePaul. However, the prominent college basketball analytics archive KenPom appears rather optimistic about the Hoyas, ranking them 88th in the country, between West Virginia and Oklahoma State. KenPom ranks the Georgetown offense as 48th in the country, between Grand Canyon and Boise State.
Georgetown’s preparation for the upcoming season has been very encouraging thus far. In preseason matches, the Hoyas first beat University of Maryland, 68-64. Although the final score was close, attendees reported that Georgetown controlled much of the game. Mack led the way with a 19-point, 5-rebound and 5-assist effort. The team then defeated University of Virginia 66-55 just a week after legendary head coach Tony Bennett announced his retirement. Peavy and Mack combined for 39 points, while Sorber contributed 10 points and 9 rebounds. This year feels crucial for the future of Georgetown basketball; Cooley must improve upon last season to progress toward achieving his goal of bringing Georgetown basketball back to prominence. With a reloaded team, he will look to do just that.
MALIK MACK
Allen Tovmasyan Senior Sports Editor
With an exciting season of Georgetown University basketball right around the corner, the Hoyas are looking to emerge as a prominent force in the Big East conference. Coming off a 9-23 (2-18 Big East) season, Head Coach Ed Cooley has reshaped the core of the Georgetown men’s team through bold offseason recruiting, with the team bringing in nine first-years and four transfers.
The Hoyas’ success this season will likely depend on the play of their key summer pickup, sophomore Malik Mack, who was last year’s Ivy League rookie of the year at Harvard University. The point guard averaged 17.2 points, 4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while shooting an impressive 41% from the field.
Mack, an Oxon Hill, Md. native who attended high school at St. John’s College in Washington, D.C., said he is excited to start a new chapter of his career with Georgetown after the hometown connection drew him to transfer to the Hilltop.
“Georgetown was a good option for me because of the academics and then as well as being in my hometown,” Mack told The Hoya. “My process was just trying to find a field where the head coaches wanted me at their school, made me a priority, and then just trying to build a relationship with the head coach in that short amount of time that I had.”
Of the Hoyas’ main rotation players last season, only two — star junior guard Jayden Epps and sophomore forward/center Drew Fielder — return, meaning that the chemistry between Mack, Epps and the team’s other new additions, like transfer sophomore forward Jordan Burks and transfer graduate guard/forward Micah Peavy, will be crucial.
Mack said he has built relationships with his teammates and begun to adjust to life and basketball at Georgetown.
“Jayden Epps, who’s been here last year, has kind of a similar lifestyle to me in terms of things we have to handle off the court,” Mack said. “And then guys like Micah Peavy, Jordan Burks, just people that’ve played on this level before, showing me how to handle the new lifestyle.”
Mack said the team has been building camaraderie throughout preseason workouts.
“The chemistry is getting there, it’s building,” Mack said. “Fourteen guys, at first, we didn’t really know each other, but we got to spend time throughout the summer and work together throughout the preseason. We’ve been building our chemistry both on and off the court.”
Mack said he has been working hard during the offseason on his all-around skills as a point guard and has been intentional about working to become physically stronger.
“I feel like something that I’ve been working on a lot was just getting in the weight room, getting stronger,” Mack said. “I know that a lot of people try to have that
knock on me and being a smaller guard, but I feel like that’s something I’ve been able to do up throughout the summer.”
Although Mack starred in the Ivy League last season and played well against power-conference opponents — scoring 27 points against Indiana University of the Big Ten and 18 against the ACC’s Boston College — facing Big East opponents like defending national champion University of Connecticut (UConn) and top-ten NCAA tournament seeds like Marquette University and Creighton University will be a step up.
Mack, though, said he welcomes the challenge.
“I’m excited to experience the competition night in and night out,” Mack said. “I got to go through that a little bit in the Ivy League going up against guys like Tyler Perkins and Clark Slajchert, just being able to go against those kinds of guys, but knowing that on this level is a bit different in terms of the size and the physicality.”
Mack will look to build on his prior Ivy League stardom this season. On Oct. 28, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame selected him as one of 20 players on the watchlist for the 2025 Bob Cousy point guard of the year award, a prestigious honor that recognizes the top point guard in Division I college basketball.
“Being named to the preseason watchlist was an honor, but I’m shooting to win that award,” Mack said.
Despite his personal aspirations, Mack said he wants to put the team first.
“If you could win as a team, that team success will have individual success to follow,” Mack said. “I want our identity to be a tough team, a physical team that plays fast with excitement and is a joy to watch.”
The Hoyas have not made the NCAA tournament since 2021, when a Cinderella run through the Big East tournament sent them to the postseason despite a 13-13 (7-9 Big East) record. In their past 10 seasons, they have only qualified for the tournament twice.
Mack said he wants to qualify for March Madness this year.
“A successful season, I feel like, as a team, is making the tournament, trying to make a tournament run,” Mack said. “I feel like that’ll be our successful year. And then individually, just playing for the standard that I set for myself last year, just being able to live up to that standard and continue to put up the same numbers.”
As Mack gets ready to make his Georgetown debut at McDonough Arena Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. in the team’s opening night game against Lehigh University, he said he hoped to see fans pack the stands.
“Georgetown is on the rise, and we’ll be back to where we are supposed to be sooner than you can expect,” Mack said. “We need the fans.”
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Sophomore guard Malik Mack, who won the Ivy League rookie of the year award in the 2023-24 season, is now a Hoya, notably placed on the watchlist for the Bob Cousy Award.
Haney Recruits New Hoyas,The Georgetown Way
Madeline Wang
Special to The Hoya
The Georgetown University women’s basketball program welcomed seven new players to its ranks this season — five firstyears and two graduate transfers — to round out a roster of 13. The team’s recruiting strategy seems to mirror Georgetown’s own ideals: cura personalis and a focus on developing the whole person rather than just the athlete.
The first-year recruits hail from four states spanning both coasts and two countries. Point guard Jaeda Wilson joins the Hoyas from nearby Potomac, Md.; guard Jayden McBride joins from Erie, Pa.; point guard Khadee Hession hails from Miami, Fla.; guard Amanda Ajobiewe joins the ranks from Riverside, Calif.; forward Alexia AraujoDagba ascends from Recife, Brazil.
The recruits all have experience playing at the highest level in high school — something that is key for Head Coach Darnell Haney. Araujo-Dagba even played internationally for Brazil prior to joining the Hoyas this August.
The two graduate additions to this year’s team similarly have experience competing at the highest level, each hailing from NCAA tournamentqualifying teams. Guard Siobhan Ryan joins the team from the Atlantic 10 team University of Richmond, while forward Chetanna Nweke hails from the Ivy League’s Princeton University.
Haney emphasized the importance of
finding not just players who are athletically talented, but also fit into Georgetown women’s basketball’s greater vision.
“That’s what we hang our hats on,” Haney told The Hoya. “We just wanted to make sure we bring great people into our program that help enhance the program.”
First and foremost, this means finding players who feel comfortable within the Hoyas’ structure and camaraderie. Georgetown, as an institution, spotlights the idea of cura personalis — care for the whole person — and attention to the gifts of individuals. Beyond this match in philosophies, Haney and the staff look for players who add individual talents that enhance the overall roster.
A quick glance at the Hoyas’ roster makes apparent the fact that these gifts vary by design.
From McBride’s coolness to Hession’s electric play, from Ryan’s shooting to Nweke’s rebounding, each new addition provides a complementary dimension to Georgetown’s plans.
Above all, the recruits share one trait in common: a winning attitude. Haney said knowing the grind and the dedication behind every postseason success helps establish the necessary culture for an eventual NCAA tournament team.
“One of the biggest things we wanted to do with transfers is that we wanted to go grab people that knew how to win — not just transfers but with freshmen as well,” Haney said.
Still, as Haney noted, graduate transfers have quickly become a major part of the college
athletics landscape. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, athletes were guaranteed four seasons of eligibility during which they could compete and five years to complete these four seasons. That meant redshirt opportunities typically emerged only when a player had to sit out for academic, medical or transfer reasons.
The pandemic changed this landscape, allowing all players who missed seasons due to the pandemic to gain additional eligibility. Furthermore, transfers no longer needed to sit out a year before returning to play. This created a market for graduate transfers across all sports, as many athletes choose to transfer to other schools to play out their final year of eligibility after earning their undergraduate degree.
This year’s class of graduate transfers is the last of the COVID-19 fifth-year players, and the Hoyas have three graduate students who are taking advantage of this policy: Georgetown’s homegrown point guard Kelsey Ransom, along with transfers Ryan and Nweke.
Graduate athletes have a limited 30-day window to enter the transfer portal and find a new school to compete for each year following the conclusion of the regular season. In contrast, high school recruits begin the recruiting process in their junior year and they can officially commit in November of their senior year.
Haney, who took on interim head coaching duties after Head Coach Tasha Butts’ death, was officially named the Georgetown program’s permanent leader just this March. These challenging conditions
meant Haney and his assistant coaches, including two-time WNBA champion Kelly Mazzante and former U.S. international Mariya Moore, needed to outcompete more established staff for recruits.
Still, this did not seem to affect the success of the Hoyas’ recruiting efforts. Following a first-ever appearance in the Big East conference championship and a Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament appearance, Georgetown secured the commitments of Ajobiewe, Hession and Wilson, who flipped her commitment from Marquette.
In other situations, it meant being more creative in recruiting targets. After a colleague referred Araujo-Dagba to Haney, he noticed the need for a new first-year forward on the team. Then, the right pieces fell into place.
“Coach Mariya Moore says, ‘Oh, there’s this kid in Brazil I’m seeing go on recruiting services, and she’s open. We need to see if we can get in or not,’” Haney said. “I’m like, ‘That’s the same kid that my guy was telling me about. Let me call and find out.’”
“We did some more research, I just got in there and she liked our staff, she liked what we stood for,” Haney added. Araujo-Dagba eventually officially joined the team after international play in August.
This year’s seven new recruits, making up more than half the team, will have the opportunity to contribute to Georgetown’s success starting next Wednesday, Nov. 6 at home in McDonough Arena, something the coaching staff who handpicked them are sure they will do.
Rebuilding the Georgetown Basketball Fanbase
Evie Steele and Sophia Lu Editor-in-Chief and Senior Sports Editor
In the past few years, neither the Georgetown University men’s nor women’s basketball teams have reached the NCAA tournament. Attendance at men’s home games during the 2023-24 season matched these disappointing results, averaging 6,755 — a far cry from the Hoyas’ golden era from the 1980s to the early 2000s. Attendance at women’s home games last year was more promising than previous seasons, averaging about
800, driven by the Hoyas’ surge down the stretch all the way to the championship game at the Big East Women’s Basketball Tournament.
However, new personnel — players and coaches — on both teams have raised the Georgetown community’s excitement ahead of the 2024-25 season. Second-year men’s basketball Head Coach Ed Cooley, in particular, has been on a mission to persuade students to show out in full force for every game. His team has coordinated outreach events like their Family Weekend meet-and-greet, made a concerted effort to establish stronger relationships
with local media and offered droves of ticket promos in collaboration with the women’s team.
Women’s basketball head coach Darnell Haney, entering his second season with the Hoyas but first full one as their coach, has been working to reach out to students; the team will hope to draw more student attendees to their free games at McDonough Arena on campus.
Ahead of the season, these outreach efforts have students and graduates feeling an upswing of momentum.
After years covering both basketball programs as a sportswriter and editor for The Hoya, Carrie McDonald (CAS ’24) said she is excited to attend Hoya games as a fan.
“Since I still live in D.C., I will definitely be attending as many games as possible; it’s a wonderful way to show support for former classmates and stay connected to the Georgetown community after graduating,” McDonald wrote to The Hoya.
Mikey Hassner (SFS ’28), a trumpet player in Georgetown’s Pep Band, said he is extremely optimistic for the Hoyas to succeed — particularly after other Georgetown sports teams, especially the football team, have overperformed this season.
“I have big hopes for Georgetown Basketball this season and I’m excited to see what it looks like to have everyone in attendance cheering on our nation’s fiercest basketball program,” Hassner wrote to The Hoya. “I expect a physical brand of basketball that morally and physically defeats opponents complemented by the slashing and shooting ability I know we have.”
Hassner said he is particularly excited to see how both Cooley’s and Haney’s leadership
develops in their second years.
“It’s time for Georgetown Hoops to seize the day once more and fulfill the potential we all know they have,” Hassner wrote. “I trust our coaches with all my heart and let me just say — if nobody got me, I know Cooley and Haney got me, and that’s all I need as a fan.”
Han Li (CAS ’27) said he anticipates a big turnaround in the season ahead.
“Last year was a season with high expectations and unmet potential,” Li told The Hoya. “I’m excited to see what Coach Cooley and the new arrivals to the team can revitalize Hoya basketball and pick up some more wins.”
McDonald said she is cautiously optimistic about the men’s team and excited about the women’s team, particularly after their late-season run to the Big East championship game.
“Coach Cooley has brought in some strong recruits, and I fully expect this year to be the team’s most successful since they won the Big East tournament my freshman year,” McDonald wrote. “Georgetown women’s basketball had its best season in recent memory last year, and I can’t wait to see what they accomplish this year.”
McDonald predicted individual success for the Hoyas’ women’s team, picking graduate guard Kelsey Ransom and Haney to appear on end-of-season awards lists.
Hassner said he hopes both teams win national championships this season and looks forward to seeing students support the team.
“I will be at every single game (women’s and men’s) as a trumpet player in the band and I hope our community can show out as well, because what’s better than music and a show?” Hassner wrote.
2024-2025 BIG EAST POWER RANKINGS
HOW HIGH IS GEORGETOWN’S CEILING THIS YEAR?
Faith Specter and Maddie Taylor Deputy Sports Editors
With basketball season upon us, it is time to make predictions and rank the Big East teams.
UConn, which has finished first in the Big East and claimed the conference championship four seasons in a row, looks like a good bet to continue its dominance. However, with two other teams coming off NCAA tournament appearances, two making the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) and two others appearing in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), the Huskies may face a challenge in claiming their fifth straight conference title.
Without further ado, we present The Hoya’s Big East women’s basketball power rankings.
1. University of Connecticut
After going 33-6 overall (18-0 Big East) and ending their season with a loss to the University of Iowa in the NCAA Final Four, the Huskies return this season seeking to advance even further than they did last year. UConn was unanimously ranked first in the Big East preseason coaches poll and second in AP’s Top 25. Many of their leading backcourt players will return this season, including two-time Big East player of the year guard Paige Bueckers, guard Azzi Fudd, guard KK Arnold and 2023-24 Big East freshman of the year guard Ashlynn Shade. Additionally, three top-15 Class of 2024 recruits, including No. 1 Sarah Strong, will join the Huskies. With Bueckers and Strong earning Big East preseason player of the year and preseason freshman of the year, respectively, UConn looks likely to continue its streak of success.
2. Creighton University
The Creighton Bluejays come into the season with a similar lineup, as they look to build on their 26-6 (15-3 Big East) record. The same five players started every game for the Bluejays last season and four are returning, with only forward Emma Ronsiak, a four-time All-Big East player, transferring to Colorado State. The Bluejays ended last season with an upset loss to Georgetown in the Big East tournament semifinals and a second-round loss in the NCAA tournament. We rank Creighton second as the only nationally-ranked team besides UConn and with a consistent, reliable roster, expect them to deliver another great season.
3. Georgetown University
The Hoyas, who went 23-12 (9-9 Big East) last season, will look to improve on their record this season under Head Coach Darnell Haney. Last season, Georgetown recorded its best Big East record since 2019, won 3 Big East tournament games and appeared in the WBIT. Big East Co-defensive player of the year and last season’s leading scorer Kelsey Ransom will return for her fifth year with the Hoyas. While the coaches’ poll ranks them fifth, we have slotted the Hoyas at third, as last year’s historic run to the first Big East championship game in program history proved
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The Hoyas made immense progress in their first year under Head Coach Darnell Haney’s system. The team now welcomes seven new players in its pursuit of the top of the conference against juggernauts like UConn.
their ability to defy expectations.
4. Providence College
Despite ending last season with disappointment — a blowout loss to UConn in the Big East tournament, and a loss to Colgate in the WNIT — the Friars enter the upcoming season third in the coach’s poll with 71 votes. Second-year Head Coach Erin Batth will look to build on the team’s 13-21 (6-12 Big East) record last season with a roster full of returning players. Most notably, star forward Olivia Olsen, who led the team in scoring, rebounds, blocked shots and field goal percentage, will return to Providence for her senior year. The upcoming season will prove very telling regarding the Friars’ coaching transition and what Batth’s vision for the team is moving forward.
5. St. John’s University
After a slow start, the Red Storm ultimately finished in a three-way tie for third in the Big East alongside Marquette and Villanova, with an 18-15 (11-7 Big East) record. Their season ended in heartbreak, with the Hoyas upsetting them in the Big East Tournament quarterfinal before a difficult 1-point loss to Toledo in the second round of the WBIT. St. John’s has something to prove — but losing their top two scorers Unique Drake and Jillian Archer will pose a considerable challenge, and the team will look toward four new transfer players and two first-years to fill in their production.
6. Villanova University
Villanova is coming off a strong season that included a run to the title game of the WBIT and a 22-13 (11-7 Big East) finish, but this season will likely not go quite as smoothly. The Wildcats lost
a sizable amount of offensive firepower with the departure of guard Lucy Olsen, an honorable mention All-American and unanimous first-team All-Big East selection. Villanova has four transfers coming in, but Olsen played such a crucial and irreplaceable role in the team’s success last year that it seems unlikely that the tram will be able to immediately deliver the same results.
7. Butler University
Butler will return with a team very similar to last year’s. Seven of their eight top scorers stay in Indianapolis, with only guard/forward Rachel Kent leaving after her final year of college eligibility. The Bulldogs finished last season with a 15-17 record (6-12 Big East) and made it to the second round of the WNIT before falling to Purdue. Head Coach Austin Parkinson has improved with every year at Butler, so it seems likely he will continue this pattern this year.
8. Seton Hall University
The Pirates finished last season 17-15 (8-10 Big East) with a quarterfinal loss in the Big East tournament to Creighton and a first-round WBIT loss to Saint Joseph’s. Head Coach Tony Bozzella will begin his 12th season at Seton Hall where he has an overall (207-142) record. Though the team loses their three top scorers, including guard/forward Azana Baines, who averaged 14.7 points per game last season, the Pirates will also see nine new players join. We have placed them eighth because, with the amount of new and yet-unproven players they have, the Pirates’ outlook is unpredictable at best.
9. Marquette University
After finishing last season strong with a 23–9 (11–
7 Big East) record and a first-round NCAA tournament appearance loss to Ole Miss, the Marquette Golden Eagles enter a season of change with the departure of Head Coach Megan Duffy. Cara Consuegra will need to integrate six new players, many of whom followed her from Charlotte, quickly for the Golden Eagles to have any hope of matching last season. This season will likely be one of transition and growing pains for the Golden Eagles as Consuegra works to implement her coaching system as quickly as possible.
10.
DePaul University
Losing Anaya Peoples — their leader in points, assists and rebounds — will require other players to step up in a big way in order for the Blue Demons to improve on, or even match, their 12-20 (4-14 Big East) record from last year. In addition to Peoples, many rotation players have left the Blue Demons, who have had to add eight new faces to the roster. While they might be able to evade last place in the conference, the team’s lack of experienced collegiate players does not necessarily indicate much improvement.
11. Xavier University
The Musketeers finished with just a 1-27 record (0-18 Big East), ranking last in the Big East for the second consecutive year. Second-year Head Coach Billi Chambers will take on the challenge of leading the rebuild. And while last year’s all-Big East first-year guard Aizhanique Mayo is returning and eight new players were added to the roster, Xavier will need to win a conference game for the first time in two seasons before they can rise above last place in the Big East.
2024-2025 BIG EAST POWER RANKINGS
HOW DO THE NEW-LOOK HOYAS STACK UP THIS YEAR?
The Big East finished last season as one of the most competitive conferences in the country, sending three teams to March Madness and boasting six teams with over 20 wins in the regular season.
This year is looking no different — while many stars have since graduated or been drafted into the NBA, high-level recruitment has brought in a total of 15 four and five-star recruits along with multiple impact transfers, making this season one of the most exciting for the conference in recent memory. As the dust settles on the player movement chaos, here is The Hoya’s look at how all the Big East men’s basketball teams are shaping up for the season.
1. University of Connecticut Huskies
Despite many of their big names like Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer being drafted into the NBA, the Huskies are still the favorite to top the Big East after capping off a 37-3 (18-2 Big East) season with a national championship. UConn secured the commitment of forward Liam McNeeley, the No. 9 recruit in the class of 2024, alongside two four-star transfers in guard Aidan Mahaney and center Tarris Reed Jr. for the No. 11 transfer class of the offseason. Under Head Coach Dan Hurley, who has already cemented himself as one of the greatest collegiate basketball coaches we have seen, the Huskies have proven an ability to produce consistently top-level play and are well-positioned in their pursuit of a third consecutive national title.
2. Creighton Bluejays
Center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who averaged a career-high 17.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and a league-best 3.1 blocks per game, returns as the centerpiece of a Sweet 16 side that went 25-10 (14-6 Big East) last year for a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. Around him, Creighton brought in a strong crop of newcomers including the top-60 recruit duo of forward Jackson McAndrew and guard Larry Johnson, transfer guard Pop Isaacs from Texas Tech University and Montenegro national team guard Fedor Žugić. The Bluejays’ success this season hinges on whether these new additions can replace the production from impact starters Trey Alexander and Baylor Scheierman.
3. Marquette Golden Eagles
Though they lacked movement this summer, the Golden Eagles are hoping to keep a top position in the Big East and possibly contend for the title. Luckily, with the exception of NBA draftees Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro, they have retained many players who led their team to a second-place Big East finish with a 27-10 (14-6 Big East) record. The Golden Eagles look to improve upon their disappointing Sweet 16 exit against then-No. 11-seeded NC State for yet another deep tournament run with an experienced core.
4. St. John’s Red Storm
Despite St. John’s middling 20-13 (11-9 Big East) record and NCAA tournament miss last year, the Red Storm enter this season with high hopes for the No. 4 transfer class in all of college basketball. Newcomers like guards Kadary Richmond and Deivon Smith, in particular, give the Johnnies a high ceiling despite also facing the greatest variability in possible finishes in the regular season standings.
5. Xavier Musketeers
The Musketeers are projected to have the highest jump in rankings following an extremely active transfer window where they acquired seven new players, with four being four-star recruits. Specifically, the addition of Cam’Ron Fletcher, who averaged 6.7 points and 5.0 rebounds in only 15.6 minutes per game at FSU, as well as Ryan Conwell, who averaged 16.6 points and led Indiana State to the NIT final, will push the Musketeers toward a potential top-five conference finish and improve upon their previous 16-18 (9-11 Big East) record.
6. Providence Friars
After a promising first season under Head Coach Kim English, the Friars return with extra reinforcements in top-50 recruit forward Oswin Erhunmwunse and four four-star transfers, headlined by former Chicago State guard Wesley Cardet Jr. Yet, to improve upon their previous 21-14 (10-10 Big East) record, English needs to continue maturing as a tactician while leading his team without the star power of Devin Carter. Still, Providence looks to be a tough opponent for anyone in the conference.
7. Villanova Wildcats
Villanova cleaned house in Head Coach Kyle Neptune’s third season managing the team after another underwhelming Big East finish. With nine new faces behind the No. 24 recruiting class and a deep transfer cohort, patience is running out as Neptune needs to find a way to rally his new-look Wildcats to a better finish than their 18-16 (10-10 Big East) record from last year against the giants of the Big East.
8. Seton Hall Pirates
Roster turnover defined Seton Hall’s offseason. After losing a whopping 11 players, includ-
@GEORGETOWNHOOPS/X
Georgetown looks to make a significant improvement upon last year’s results after welcoming in a strong recruiting and transfer class, while the rest of the Big East looks as competitive as ever.
ing Kadary Richmond, Dre Davis, Jaden Bediako and Al-Amir Dawes, the Pirates acquired eight total transfers to restock on talent and depth. While Seton Hall managed to get an interesting mixture of experienced veterans and potential-laden youngsters, they look to potentially struggle with an almost entirely reloaded roster compared to last year’s NIT tournament-winning, 25-12 (13-7 Big East) squad.
9. Georgetown Hoyas
Georgetown had one of the most active and impressive summers in all of collegiate basketball. They were able to land three fourstar and one three-star transfers, highlighted by Ivy League freshman of the year guard Malik Mack, as well as three top-100 recruits. Additionally, the Hoyas retained star guard Jayden Epps, who averaged 18.2 points and 4.2 assists in the 2023-24 season. This team has very high hopes and oozes with potential entering this season as they look to continue their rebuild toward the top; until then, Head Coach Ed Cooley needs to prove to the Hoya faithful that this is not the same 9-23 (2-18 Big East) lineup from last year.
10. Butler Bulldogs
The Bulldogs, coming off a mediocre 18-15 (9-11 Big East) season, had the lowest-ranked transfer class in the Big East in an unproductive high school recruitment cycle in which they acquired zero total top150 prospects. Coming off of a rather poor season amidst a longer downward trend across the past few years, the Bulldogs are projected to fall even further and finish as one of the bottom teams in the Big East.
11. DePaul Demon Deacons
The Blue Demons are coming off one of the worst college basketball seasons in recent history, only accruing three total wins and none in the Big East. DePaul also secured no notable transfers, focusing heavily on quantity over quality with a whopping 11 new players. New Head Coach Christopher Holtmann faces a massive uphill battle in his return to the Big East, as his team searches for any sort of rhythm to climb their way out of the bottom of the conference.
