The Georgetown Voice, 10/17/25

U P DAT E P U B DAT E

O C TO B E R 17, 20 25

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Editor-in-Chief — Eddy Binford-Ross internal resources: Exec. Manager for Staff —Samantha Monteiro Exec. Editor for Resources, Diversity, and Inclusion — Imani Liburd Asst. Editor for Resources, Diversity, and Inclusion —Elaine Clarke Editor for Sexual Violence Advocacy, Prevention, and Coverage — Olivia Fanders Social Chairs — Aubrey Butterfield, Phoebe Nash Archivist — Elle Marinello

“We will”: Coach Ed Cooley’s game plan EILEEN WEISNER

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Men’s basketball: Can the Hoyas keep rising?

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Meet the Schedule for men's and women's new players: teams Women's basketball MELISSA HAMADA

IMANI LIBURD AND AUBREY BUTTERFIELD

on

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the

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Climbing the ladder: Women’s basketball looks to move up in the BIG EAST

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Communication and confidence: Khadee Hession prepares to take on the Hoya Basketball mantle JULIA MAURER

EILEEN WEISNER

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Capital 1-01: Where the Hoyas play, why they play there, and should they play there?

Meet the new players: Men's basketball VINCE GUDE

SY DNEY CARROLL

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Back in Macktion: Malik Mack plans to take a big leap in 2025

“ballin’ ballin’ ballin’” OLIVIA LI

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BIG EAST Predictions STELLA LINN

BRADSHAW CATE

"Cooley wants this to be the season Georgetown 'competes for a BIG EAST championship,' bids for an NCAA tournament berth, and is recognized as the most hard-playing and connected team in America.'”

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contact us

editor@georgetownvoice.com Leavey 424 Box 571066 Georgetown University 3700 O St. NW Washington, DC 20057

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pg. 12 graphics by michelle wang; "free throws" by apara chandavarkar; layout by elle marinello; back cover: "nike's swoosh" paige benish.

October 17, 2025 Volume 58 | Issue 3

pg. 12 graphics by michelle wang; "free throws" by apara chandavarkar; layout by elle marinello; back cover: "nike's swoosh" paige benish.

Dear Voice readers, We are so thrilled to bring you this year’s installment of the Voice’s Basketball Issue! A lot of hard work went into this issue and we are so proud of the result. Inside, you’ll find profiles on star guards Malik Mack and Khadee Hession, predictions for the upcoming season, an interview with men’s basketball head coach Ed Cooley, and so much more!

Georgetown is a proud basketball school, with a tradition of excellence on and off the court, despite the ups and downs each team has faced. This year’s teams will carry on that tradition of excellence as they take on a season of challenges and tough opponents. We are proud to be Hoyas and proud to highlight the exceptional student-athletes who will be representing our school on the court.

Despite our best efforts, it is impossible to say exactly what will happen this upcoming season. We chose to feature the storylines that interested us, but there will undoubtedly be emerging stories, unexpected challenges, and breakout stars that will surprise us. The surprises are exactly the reason we love basketball, and sports in general!

We are so excited for the upcoming season of Hoya basketball. Thank you so much for reading, and we hope you enjoy this issue!

Bradshaw Cate, Stella Linn, and Andrew Swank The Georgetown Voice's sports editors

Ways to (in)correctly pick a bracket

BY STELLA LINN, LUCIE CURRAN, AND EILEEN WEISNER

Hometown team One thing about college students is they never stop talking about their hometown. How often do you have a conversation with someone and they bring up where they grew up? Every single conversation. So, the easiest and best way to pick a bracket is by picking your hometown team.

It is the perfect excuse to bring up your hometown in a new way, several times a day. Imagine it: “How is your bracket doing?” “Oh, my whole family went to Kansas University and I’m from Kansas City, so obviously I picked them and they won.” I am foaming at the mouth just thinking about all of the opportunities to bring up where I’m from during tournaments.

Mascots Choosing based on mascots is no trivial matter. A true believer of this method has tried all the di!erent matchups: which mascot would win in a fight? Which mascot has the better outfit? Which mascot is more acrobatic? Which mascot, and this is an important one, heckles opposing fans better? And, of course, which of the mascots reminds you the most of your favorite animal?

Colors Don’t bother with rankings when you can rely on the perfectly scientific measure of championship potential: colors! Bright and bold colors like Auburn’s orange can grab attention—and maybe an NCAA title, too. Classic palettes like Xavier’s blue and gray suggest poise and confidence.

Duke’s iconic blue? Definitely championship energy. Montana’s washed-out maroon? Maybe not. If you want your bracket to be as visually appealing as it is competitive, base your picks on the teams rocking the best jersey color schemes.

Player names From Oregon’s Supreme Cook stirring things up on the court to University of Rhode Island’s Always Wright arguing with the refs, these players’ names almost put an “i” in team. Bogdon Bogdonovic, Townsend Triple, Jrue Holiday, Tony Toney, George Washington III, Precious Achiuwa, and Jizzle James are other standouts. North Carolina Central’s guard Po’Boigh King makes me hungry for the sandwich—perhaps Supreme Cook could make one. Maybe you want these players’ teams to win your bracket just to read the pun-filled headlines.

The state with less electoral college votes Some states just need a win. With only three electoral college votes—virtually no sway in presidential elections—states like Wyoming must feel some sort of helplessness. What is their purpose as a state if not to elect leaders? Win a basketball tournament. They don’t have to get distracted by political campaigning, so they can lock in at practice. Root for the underdog: give states with less than seven electoral votes a chance to do something, and pick them to win it all in your bracket.

Read the rest on our website: georgetownvoice.com OCTOBER OCTOBER 17, 17, 2025 2025

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BY IMANI LIBURD AND AUBREY BUTTERFIELD | DESIGN BY PAIGE BENISH

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or the first time in a long time, last year's Hoyas gave fans a glimmer of hope.

Jumping up to seventh in the BIG EAST conference, the team held a conference record of 8-12 and an overall record of 1816, marking the first time since 2019 that the Hoyas managed more wins than losses.

Post-season, the Hoyas continued their grind in two exhibition tournaments. In late March, FOX’s inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament featured a victory over Washington State University and a decisive loss against tournament winner University of Nebraska. Rocking the 2025-26 roster, the Hoyas then secured a second-place tournament finish in Canada’s GLOBL JAM, losing to a Japanese national team.

It’s no secret that the losses of starstudded recent recruits like Thomas Sorber and Micah Peavy to the NBA and standout Jayden Epps to Mississippi State University are a dynamic setback. However, if GLOBL JAM showed the Hilltop anything, it’s that 4

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

the Hoyas shouldn’t be counted out.

The August tournament cemented junior guard Malik Mack’s status as a strong offensive asset, which is expected to continue into the regular season. Mack has proven that he can adapt to the team’s needs, stepping into different roles whenever required.

At the College Basketball Crown tournament, Georgetown secured a victory over Washington State despite missing several key players, including Epps. Mack was instrumental in this win, taking on a primary scoring role, something he rarely did with Epps on the floor, and finishing with 37 points, his highestscoring game as a Hoya.

Beyond scoring, Mack excels at facilitating the game, connecting teammates, and creating opportunities for others.

Accompanying Mack is 7-foot-1 senior center Vince Iwuchukwu, a St. John’s University transfer, fit to take on Sorber’s role as the Hoyas’ paint presence.

Sophomore forward Caleb Williams, who showed a new skill of aggressively grabbing rebounds in the tournament, joins the pair to fill Peavy’s defensive guarding position.

Sophomore forward Jayden Fort, who redshirted last year, and incoming junior transfer guards KJ Lewis and DeShawn Harris-Smith are also anticipated to be strong contributors, as Coach Ed Cooley aims to compete in the BIG EAST championship and NCAA tournament this season.

In an October interview with the Voice, Cooley said that this season he aims to have “the most hard-playing and connected team in America.”

The 2025-26 season also marks another significant change for the roster: the team won’t include any undergraduate freshmen.

Cooley decided to fill all open spots with players from the transfer portal.

The Hoyas were one of the youngest high major basketball teams in the nation last year, with six freshman recruits. As multiple of these freshman athletes in the 2024-25 season were redshirted— kept out of play for a year to extend their eligibility—Cooley said he hopes to utilize

academically sophomore members who are still “athletically freshman.” With a higher age comes a more experienced and developed team that will hit the court this year, according to Cooley.

With the new season starting on Nov. 3, the men’s basketball team can’t afford to focus on past players they lost to the NBA or the transfer portal. It’s time to lock in.

Shooting—especially free throws— should be a top priority this season. Accuracy aside (where the Hoyas sat in the bottom half of the conference at 70.4%), last season saw the Hoyas attempt the fewest free throws on average across the BIG EAST, indicating that Georgetown wasn’t forcing opposing defenses into tough positions. As the famed Wayne Gretzky quote suggests, the Hoyas are indeed missing 100% of the shots they aren’t taking.

The shots they are taking, though, could use some work, too. Last year’s Hoyas sat in the top half of the conference for field goal attempts, but remained below average in terms of accuracy. While they aren’t scared to shoot threes, they only make around 32% of them, again sitting in the bottom half of the conference. With some focus on improving accuracy and bravery at the freethrow line and from beyond the arc, the Hoyas could make strides in the rankings.

This year, the Hoyas can also look forward to a game against George Washington’s men’s basketball team for the first time in over 40 years. With the geographic rivalry between the two universities, we can expect this game to have a lot of attention on both sides.

The Georgetown men’s basketball team will take on GW in an exhibition game ahead of the 2025-26 season on Saturday, Oct. 18, at GW’s Charles E. Smith Center.

The last time the two teams played each other was Dec. 16, 1981, which resulted in a win of 61-48 for the Hoyas.

As we look ahead to the start of the regular season, the Hoyas will go against Morgan State University on Nov. 3 for their first regular season game and face Marquette University on Dec. 17 for their first conference game. "

in the team’s rebounds, behind Jenkins’s 301 and Ransom’s 190. In an interview with the Voice, Haney expressed hope that Hession would be stepping into leadership both on and off the court.

Rivera, entering her fourth year with the Hoyas, follows closely behind Hession’s rebound and steal counts. She racked up 10.5 PPG last season, marking the continuation of her personal upward trend in points scored.

Ideally, in combination with Hession’s rebounding capabilities, Rivera will be able to lead the Hoyas in both second-chance scoring plays and her understanding of Haney’s leadership.

Graduate students Brianna Scott and Chetanna Nweke, who both missed last season due to injury, will hopefully fill out the team’s senior leadership this year, according to Haney. Their returns would contribute to a continuity that’s hard to obtain in the transfer portal era.

To find success, though, new Hoya players will have to contribute to the team’s overall scoring ability.

Forward Cristen Carter, a junior transfer from Butler, averaged 5.3 PPG and a total of 133 rebounds. She also had a team-high 20 blocked shots per game as a sophomore, ranking 13th in the BIG EAST for this stat. Georgetown’s two games against Butler last year were among the Hoyas’ closer conference losses; consequently, adding Carter to the roster should help the Hoyas at Butler’s expense.

Twins Indya and Summer Davis, sophomore transfers from the University of Georgia, bring scoring prowess to the roster— and maybe some improved communication through twin telepathy.

Graduate student Laila Jewett joins the Hoyas from the University of Central Florida, where she averaged 8.3 PPG alongside 99 assists, and junior transfer Khia Miller brings along her own 8.6 average PPG. Out of the 11 conference teams, Georgetown ranked ninth in defense against opponent scoring last season.

The Hoyas’ defense fell even

lower against 3-point attempts, ranking 10th with an opponent 3-point scoring percentage of .338, unusual for Haney’s identity as a defensive coach. While the Hoyas were third in offensive rebounds per game, they came in last in assists. Hoya basketball fans should hope that the starting lineup addresses these shortcomings, focusing on improved defense around the horn, heightened court awareness, and better rebound conversion.

The team’s ability to put points on the board will also prove crucial, as 10 of the Hoyas’ 19 losses last season were decided by at least 10 points. Their four BIG EAST conference wins came against Providence, St. John’s, and Xavier twice (who lost by over twenty points in both instances). These numbers are a far cry from the 2023-24 season’s 9-9 BIG EAST record.

Of the team’s schedule, Haney said, “every BIG EAST game is a big game,” before specifically mentioning UConn, Marquette, and Seton Hall. The Hoyas’ first conference game will be at home against Villanova on Dec. 4. In the seven games before then, Georgetown should

OCTOBER 17, 2025

UPDATE PUB DATE

BY EILEEN WEISNER | DESIGN BY PAIGE BENISH

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or Georgetown students, the start of a new school year means another chance to climb back up the ranks of basketball success. After a record-setting 2023-24 season, last year’s Georgetown women’s basketball failed to build off its momentum.

Their 12-19 record (4-14 in the BIG EAST) fell short of the 19-10 push that brought them to their first appearance in the BIG EAST Tournament Final against the University of Connecticut in 2024.

This year, the team looks to turn its fortunes around under a returning coaching staff led by Darnell Haney. Offseason moves brought in eight new players with promising offensive power, while homegrown talent should shore up the team’s defensive abilities.

“Our goal is to make the NCAA tournament,” Haney told the Voice in an interview. “I think we have a team that can finish in the top half of the league.”

Haney first stepped into the head coach role as an interim following the 2023 passing of Tasha Butts. While he initially found unprecedented success, his first full season in charge did not play out as favorably. Now, following the graduation of six veteran players, he has an opportunity to start with a blank slate of players, most of whom have not known another Georgetown coach.

Despite the Hoyas’ losing season, several players exceeded expectations last year. Graduate guard Kelsey Ransom, who spent all five years of her eligibility playing for the Hoyas, surpassed her impressive stats from 2023-24. She notched a career high 632 points last season, averaging 20.4 points per game (PPG), supplemented by 65 steals and 118 assists. She led the team in all four of these categories.

Also among those moving on is senior center Ariel Jenkins, whose 34 blocks and 25 steals made her a valuable asset under the basket. Her fourth year as a Hoya proved fruitful, as she played a key role in the team’s offense, complementing Ransom’s backcourt play.

Jenkins’s skillset, along with Ransom’s, will be missed. They both topped the individual stats charts for the entire BIG EAST conference: Ransom for points and Jenkins for rebounds. Hopefully, in their wake, multiple players will pick up their mantle.

Of the returners, sophomore guard Khadee Hession and senior guard Victoria Rivera seem best poised to step into Ransom and Jenkins’s shoes. Last season, Hession had 112 total rebounds in 29 games for an average of 3.9 per game. She ranked third

prioritize working out the kinks with new team members.

Hession and other new recruits who were not on the roster that made it to the 2024 BIG EAST championship final should be hungry Hoyas. To start, they need to make it past conference rivals, but with the moves the Hoyas made this offseason, there’s a lot to look forward to in the coming months."

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Meet the new players: Men’s basketball

BY VINCE GUDE PHOTO BY BRADSHAW CATE; DESIGN BY LUCY MONTALTI KJ Lewis | Junior | Guard J Lewis joins Georgetown as a junior transfer from the University of Arizona, where he played a key role in their 2024 Sweet Sixteen run. Lewis appeared in all 37 games last year, averaging 10.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. He also came up big for the Wildcats in the Big 12 tournament, averaging 15.0 points and having some of his best all-around performances.

Lewis attended his senior year at Duncanville High School in Texas, where he was coached by Georgetown star Micah Peavy’s father and graduated as a top-100 recruit. Lewis fits perfectly into Ed Cooley’s vision for a tougher, more dynamic Georgetown squad.

He’s a guard who can lock down on defense and still finish above the rim on the other end. Expect him to be one of the leaders of this new-look team and a likely starter.

K

DeShawn Harris-Smith | Junior | Guard A Washington region native from powerhouse Paul VI High School, DeShawn Harris-Smith joins Georgetown after two seasons at the University of Maryland. In high school, Harris-Smith collected various accolades, including Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year, Naismith High School All-American, and additional Player of the Year awards in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, AllMET, Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association, and MaxPreps. He was listed as the top prospect coming out of Virginia and is praised for his combination of strength and defensive energy.

As a freshman at Maryland, he averaged 7.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists, but saw his minutes and production dip last season to 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game as Maryland’s backcourt crowded. During the GLOBL JAM tournament, an international tournament the Hoyas participated in over the summer, HarrisSmith erupted in the Hoyas’ opener versus Japan with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists in under 32 minutes—exactly the sort of performance that hints at the kind of player that the Georgetown coaching staff expects him to become. While he’s still evolving as a shooter, averaging around 39% from the field last year, his passion and intensity should make him a fan favorite. Under Cooley’s system, he should have more freedom to attack and rediscover the confidence that made him a top recruit.

Jeremiah Williams | Graduate Student | Guard Jeremiah Williams joins Georgetown as a graduate student transfer from Rutgers University. Williams played his first two seasons at Temple University, where he averaged 9.4 points and 4.2 assists per game. He transferred to Iowa State University after two strong seasons at Temple but missed the entirety of his

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junior year due to a left Achilles tendon injury. He then transferred to Rutgers, where he was named Big Ten Player of the Week in his first season and averaged 9.6 points over two years with the program.

After a turbulent stretch of injuries and transfers, Georgetown gives him a chance to steady the ship. During the GLOBL JAM tournament over the summer, Williams posted 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal in a close win over Brazil. That kind of stat line in a tense, competitive game shows his ability to step up in pressure environments. Williams brings veteran experience and decisionmaking to this Georgetown roster.

Langston Love | Graduate Student | Guard This former four-star recruit who played for Florida’s Montverde Academy in high school joins Georgetown in his fifth year from Baylor University. After missing his redshirt season in 2021 due to an ACL injury, Langston Love bounced back and had three solid seasons with the Bears, averaging 8.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists. Over the last three years, Love has remained consistent as a shooter, averaging 43.2% from the field and 38.8% from three-point range.

At 6-foot-5, Love has the size and strength to play either guard spot, and his shooting ability gives Georgetown a much-needed perimeter weapon. Expect this experienced playmaker to become one of the team’s most reliable shooters.

Isaiah Abraham | Sophomore | Forward As a high school teammate of Harris-Smith, Isaiah Abraham shone at Paul VI High School as a top-75 prospect before committing to the University of Connecticut. Though he played limited minutes as a freshman, averaging 1.6 points and 0.6 rebounds, he practiced daily against one of the nation’s most physical rosters and now brings that championship mentality to the Hilltop. In the GLOBL JAM opener versus Japan, he contributed 10.0 points and 2 blocks. Abraham showed promise in this Georgetown debut, and if he continues to improve offensively, he could earn regular minutes early.

Vince Iwuchukwu | Senior | Center Hailing from Nigeria and in his senior year, Vince Iwuchukwu looks to make a significant impact in the interior right away. In high school, Iwuchukwu earned a consensus top-15 national ranking by all major scouting services before joining the University of Southern California (USC) for two seasons.

The summer before his freshman season, Iwuchukwu suffered a cardiac arrest during a workout. The doctors told him he may never play basketball again. However, after months of recovery and hard work, he was cleared to play and got his first minutes in January of his freshman year. While at USC, Iwuchukwu averaged 5.4 and 5.5 points respectively and scored a career-best 19 points against Oregon State University in his first season. He transferred to St. John’s University in his junior year, averaging 2.7 points and 1.7 rebounds.

Although his production was limited, what stands out is his efficiency in the limited attempts he had to shoot and his size. At 7-foot-1, he gives Georgetown true rim-protection ability. He has the potential to become one of the BIG EAST’s most intimidating big men and has a story we can all root for. !

BACK IN MACK-TION: MALIK MACK PLANS TO TAKE A BIG LEAP IN 2025

BY BRADSHAW CATE

PHOTO BY YUNJI YUN; DESIGN BY KATIE REDDY

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unior guard Malik Mack is hungry to win this season. The hometown hero, who averaged 12.9 points and 4.3 assists last year, sees this season as a chance to assume a larger role on the team as both a player and leader.

“It’s another opportunity to rise,” Mack told the Voice in an interview. “A lot of the people here now are transfers and they’re trying to learn more about the program.”

As a second-year Hoya, Mack believes he can help these new members settle into the team’s scheme.

“I don’t see it as pressure. I see it as a responsibility. Everybody has a job to do, that’s just part of my job,” Mack said.

Mack credits former Hoya guard Micah Peavy, now in the NBA with the New Orleans Pelicans, as his role model for what a leader should be.

“He was an everyday guy. [...]

Just doing everything right, being a professional,” Mack said. “I learned a lot from Micah, seeing how to be focused, seeing how to block out distractions, seeing how to come back from adversity.”

At his core, Mack wants to enable those around him to succeed. He believes he’s positioned to do this partially because Mack himself previously transferred from Harvard University and plans to use that experience to connect with new faces on the roster, many of whom are transfers themselves.

“I definitely feel like I can relate to the players, you know, coming to a new environment with new coaches, new coaching style, new play style,” Mack said.

“It’s a little bit of an adjustment period.”

He hopes that this year he can act as a “glue” between the coaches and new players, he said in an interview with the Voice. Forging these relationships is at the core of Mack’s style of leadership. For him, building bonds is part of the way he grew up.

“I grew up in a tight-knit family,” Mack told the Voice. “I came back to college in my hometown, so family is very important.”

Mack’s father introduced him to basketball before kindergarten, and the two developed a shared love for the NBA. The young point guard idolized Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, but remained unfamiliar with the sport at the college level in his early childhood. However,

once introduced, Mack would fall in love with Georgetown.

“My best friend, Kevin, his grandmother worked at Georgetown,” Mack said. “So when we was younger, we used to come to the game [and] sit right behind the bench.”

Playing college basketball became Mack’s dream and being able to realize this childhood dream has driven his desire to be a leader. And it isn’t just team members Mack hopes to inspire, it’s the next generations of college athletes too.

“I had to live out my dream, so it definitely means a lot, especially for all the kids coming up behind me, just wanting to be a good role model, a good inspiration to the youth,” Mack said. “It’s a lot of high school kids that I interact with.”

Mack values his academics as much as basketball, something his mother instilled in him. So he left D.C. to play his freshman year with the Harvard Crimson. Still, he could not resist eventually coming home to the Hilltop.

“I always wanted to play in my hometown when I got to college,” Mack said. “When the opportunity presented itself, when I was in the portal, it was just something that, once I took my visit, it was like it’s something I couldn’t pass up.”

That lifelong love of Georgetown gives Mack extra motivation to restore the school’s basketball dominance.

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get us to the NCAA tournament and to make a push once we get there,” Mack said.

At the end of the 2024-25 season, Mack decided he would spend the offseason developing new parts of his game in pursuit of his first tournament appearance.

“In the offseason, there was a couple of things I wanted to focus on. First thing being my strength, my physical strength, being able to take the bumps in the BIG EAST,” Mack said. “Second thing was probably my consistency shooting the ball. And then I’ll say the third thing I worked on was my decision making.”

His teammates have taken notice. During a three-point drill in practice,

the Voice watched other players call his shot before the ball left his hand.

After player injuries stifled Georgetown last season, Mack feels eager to get back into BIG EAST play. While he emphasized taking it one game at a time, he is ready to play one particular rival.

“If there was one game on the calendar that we want to get, imma say the Providence game because of just how rowdy that crowd is on the road,” Mack told the Voice. The Hoyas play at Providence College on Jan. 24, 2026, before facing the Friars at home in the season finale on Mar. 7.

But when Mack isn’t in the gym, on the road with the team, or playing at Capital One Arena, he’ll be living the life of a normal Georgetown student. He’ll be reading and watching movies in his free time, especially Christopher Nolan films. He’ll be ordering his favorite chicken tenders at Epi’s. Finally, he’ll be hoping, just like his classmates, that Georgetown basketball can make it back to the top. "

OCTOBER 17, 2025

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10.18 @ GEORGE WASHINGTON 10.30 @ KENTUCKY 11.3 VS. MORGAN STATE 11.7 @ MARYLAND 11.12 VS. BINGHAMTON 11.15 VS. CLEMSON 11.22 VS. WAGNER 11.27 ESPN INVITATIONAL 11.28 ESPN INVITATIONAL 12.3 VS. UMBC 12.7 @ NORTH CAROLINA 12.13 VS. SAINT PETER’S 12.17 @ MARQUETTE 12.20 VS. XAVIER 12.22 VS. COPPIN STATE 12.31 VS. ST. JOHN’S

0 JAYDEN FORT 1 DESHAWN HARRIS-SMITH 2 MALIK MACK 3 VINCE IWUCHUKWU 4 CALEB WILLIAMS 5 KJ LEWIS 7 ISAIAH ABRAHAM 11 JULIUS HALAIFONUA 12 AUSTIN MONTGOMERY 13 LANGSTON LOVE 14 SEAL DIOUF 15 HASHEM ASADALLAH 22 MASON MOSES 25 JEREMIAH WILLIAMS 30 MICHAEL VAN RAAPHORST 45 KAYVAUN MULREADY

1.6 @ DEPAUL 1.10 VS. SETON HALL 1.13 @ CREIGHTON 1.17 VS. UCONN 1.21 @ VILLANOVA 1.24 @ PROVIDENCE 1.28 VS. DEPAUL 1.31 @ BUTLER 2.4 VS. CREIGHTON 2.7 VS. VILLANOVA 2.14 @ UCONN 2.18 VS. BUTLER 2.21 @ SETON HALL 2.24 @ MARQUETTE 2.28 @ XAVIER 3.3 @ ST. JOHN’S

UPDATE PUB DATE

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0 LALIA JEWETT 3 VICTORIA RIVERA 4 DESTINY AGUBATA 5 MODESTI MCCONNELL 7 ALEXIA ARAUJO-DAGBA 8 KHADEE HESSION 10 AMANDA AJOBIEWE 11 KHIA MILLER 15 BRIANNA SCOTT 20 BRAELYNN BARNETT 22 INDYA DAVIS 23 SUMMER DAVIS 24 CRISTEN CARTER 25 CHETANNA NWEKE 32 BRIANNA BYARS

11.6 VS. STONEHILL 11.9 @ MARYLAND 11.14 @ GEORGE MASON 11.18 VS. SACRED HEART 11.21 VS. GEORGE WASHINGTON 11.24 VS. ELON 11.26 VS. TOWNSON 12.4 VS. VILLANOVA 12.7 @ WAKE FOREST 12.13 VS. DELAWARE STATE 12.21 @ PROVIDENCE 12.28 VS. CREIGHTON 12.31 @ SETON HALL 1.4 VS. XAVIER 1.7 @ BUTLER

DESIGN BY PIA CRUZ

1.10 @ DEPAUL 1.13 VS. ST. JOHN’S 1.17 @ MARQUETTE 1.22 VS. CONNECTICUT 1.25 @ XAVIER 1.29 VS. SETON HALL 2.1 VS. MARQUETTE 2.4 @ CREIGHTON 2.7 @ VILLANOVA 2.14 VS. PROVIDENCE 2.18 @ ST. JOHN’S 2.21 VS. BUTLER 2.26 @ CONNECTICUT 3.1 VS. DEPAUL

georgetown basketball

Meet the new players: Women’s basketball

BY MELISSA HAMADA DESIGN BY LUCY MONTALTI Laila Jewett | Graduate Student | Guard et’s hear it for the Greater Washington region! Laila Jewett attended Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Va. and made waves as Virginia’s fifthranked overall player in 2021. The #84 of ESPN’s Top 100 High School Players and four-star recruit committed to the University of Central Florida for her undergraduate career, appearing in 67 total games and scoring a career-high of 34 points in a single game. Jewett excelled in her junior season, starting in all 29 games, averaging 8.3 points per game and contributing 99 assists.

Jewett comes to Georgetown after turning down offers from Oklahoma State University, East Carolina University, and William & Mary.

“With big game, Big 12 experience Laila is just what we need to help take our program to the next level,” head coach Darnell Harney wrote in an Instagram post.

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Braelynn Barnett | Freshman | Forward Braelynn Barnett may just be starting out at Georgetown, but her resume makes it clear that she’s no amateur. This 6-foot-1 power forward from Colorado was an asset to both her high school (Cherry Creek) and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) teams, serving as a four-year starter on both and as senior captain on the Hardwood Evolution AAU team.

Barnett had a successful senior year, with Cherry Creek playing their way to the Class 6A Final Four, in which she scored 15 points with 70% accuracy and grabbed seven rebounds. Barnett has known she wanted to play college ball since middle school and Georgetown will be the place where she launches her career.

Khia Miller | Junior | Guard Haney sees Khia Miller as the player Georgetown needs to fill the hole Hoya legend Kelsey Ransom left in the roster. As a graduate of D.C.’s Sidwell Friends High School, Miller’s transfer to Georgetown from East Carolina University is a homecoming. She was a part of Sidwell’s 2021-22 perfect StateChampionship-winning season.

Miller comes off a sophomore season with big numbers: 276 points, 53 assists, 50 steals, and 97 rebounds. She showed huge growth over just one year, almost doubling her freshman season totals for points, assists, and steals (148, 26, 21). Miller brings both experience and potential this season.

Cristen Carter | Junior | Forward Cristen Carter joins Georgetown as a junior transfer from Butler University, who narrowly defeated the Hoyas 76-70 earlier this year. Carter went 3-for-3 that game, but she’s best known for her defensive contributions, recording 133 total rebounds last season and coming in at number 13 for blocked shots per game in the BIG EAST. 10

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

These stats are no surprise, as Carter still holds her high school’s record for most rebounds in a single season (355).

In an Instagram post, Haney called her “easily one of the most dominant inside players in the BIG EAST” and at 6-foot4, she is tied with teammate Brianna Scott as the tallest player on the squad.

Destiny Agubata | Sophomore | Guard Destiny Agubata is on the come-up. The West Virginia University sophomore transfer and former ESPN four-star contributed 60 total points to the Mountaineers. However, in 14 of her outings, she saw less than five minutes of action. Haney has made it clear that the Hoyas wanted her straight out of high school—now that they’ve got her, she may have more opportunities to let her talent shine.

Indya Davis | Sophomore | Guard You’re not seeing double—Indya Davis joined the Hoyas alongside her twin sister, Summer, this season. Davis was Gatorade Player of the Year in 2023, following a junior season at West Bloomfield High School where she scored 452 points with a 49% field goal percentage. While her team was runner-up in the 2023 Michigan State Championships, Davis ensured that would not be the case in 2024 when she hit a threepointer at the buzzer in the semifinals to push the game into overtime. West Bloomfield would win that game and the next, allowing Davis to end her high school career as a two-time state champion (2022, 2024) and a McDonald’s All American Nominee.

Davis joins the Hoyas from the University of Georgia, where she played in 18 games and contributed 14 points.

While she may not have found her footing during her freshman year, Georgetown could be a fresh start for the sophomore.

Summer Davis | Sophomore | Guard Summer Davis also brings SEC experience to the Hoyas as a transfer from University of Georgia, where she appeared as a starter in 13 games and played in 31 overall. She had four games with points contributed in the double-digits, and racked up 118 over the course of the season.

Prior to her college career, Davis received Player of the Year awards from Gatorade, Max-Prep, and Associated Press All State. Similarly to her sister, she graduated high school as a McDonald’s All American Nominee and two-time State Champion. In an Instagram post announcing her signing, Haney wrote that Davis has the “it factor” that helps programs succeed.

Brianna Byars | Junior | Forward Nicknamed the Enforcer, Brianna Byars packs a punch at the end of the Hoyas roster, taking on jersey #32. Similar to teammates Jewett and Agubata, Byars brings BIG 12 experience, as she spent her freshman and sophomore years at the University of Cincinnati. She had a strong freshman year, playing in 32 games, contributing 82 points, 86 rebounds, and a 36.8% field-goal percentage.

Byars joins the Hoyas fresh off a sophomore season in which she appeared in 29 games and made a game-high 11 rebounds against Texas Tech. It seems Haney is looking to her for her physicality, something for which she has been highlighted on ESPN. !

Communication and confidence: Khadee Hession prepares to take on the Hoya Basketball mantle

BY JULIA MAURER

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GEORGETOWN ATHLETICS; GRAPHICS BY AUBREY BUTTERFIELD; LAYOUT BY KATIE REDDY

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n the court, Khadee Hession looks ready to take on the Hoyas’ upcoming season.

During an October practice attended by the Voice, the sophomore guard was confident pulling up from well beyond the three-point line as well as driving to the basket for layups. This year, Hession will continue to be a key starter in the Hoyas’ line-up and someone the team relies heavily on for scoring and offensive distribution.

Hession, who started in 29 of 31 games last year, averaged 8.1 points per game and shot 37.4% from three. Over the offseason, she said she spent time refining her skills and building on what she sees as key new ones coming into the season.

“My shot, my ball handling, my communication, and especially stuff off the court that could show on the court,” Hession said in an interview with the Voice, when asked what she has been working on. “I just wanna be wellrounded when I come on the court.”

Her well-roundedness coming into this season was noticeable within minutes of practice. Hession didn’t hesitate to take open shots from anywhere on the court or share the ball with her teammates in the paint.

H o w e v e r, what stood out most was her voice.

“I would definitely say communication is what I have been working on on the court,” said Hession.

“Yelling so everybody can hear me, even [Coach Haney] on the sideline.”

With eight new players, improving her communication has been particularly important for Hession as she steps into a leadership role.

Despite being one of seven returners, Hession is still a younger player. This does not stop her from being vocal and

using her experience on the Hilltop to help out the newcomers.

Experience is a key part of what can help guide the new team to a successful season, Hoya Head Coach Darnell Haney said.

“As far as leadership is concerned, I’m looking at, of course, the people who have been here,” Haney said in an interview with the Voice. “We have a young leader in Khadee Hession.”

Hession attributes her leadership to having learned a lot from her teammates, especially former player Kelsey Ransom.

Ransom, a Hoya legend who is the only Georgetown women’s basketball player to finish with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 500 assists, left big shoes to fill when she graduated. “[Ransom] was a big part of our team last year, and she was a big leader in the way she played,” Hession said, adding that she admires “her confidence [and] the way she scores.”

Confidence is another key focus for Hession this season, she said in an interview with the Voice. She is looking to “take more shots, more efficient shots,” and focus on getting her teammates open, she said.

“Coach Haney wants me to play the exact same way and just have more confidence in myself,” she added.

That increased confidence is already visible in Hession’s excitement around taking on a larger leadership role, with a year of college basketball experience under her belt.

Last year, she scored her career-high 22 points against University of Connecticut— an impressive feat for a freshman going against the team that would end the season as national champions—but she doesn’t pay much attention to the names or rankings of the Hoyas’ opponents, she said.

“I just wanna win. I don’t care who is on the schedule. I don’t care what their name is, what players they have,” Hession said.

“I wanna come into every game and try my hardest and do my best.”

This year, the Hoyas open BIG EAST conference play on Dec. 21 at Providence. If last season’s trials are any indication, this season is sure to have its challenges, but Haney is confident in his players’ ability to get the job done.

“I think we have a team that can finish in the top half of the league,” Haney said.

The Hoyas will be helped in achieving this goal by the fact that, despite the new faces, several of their key players, like Hession, are entering the season with an understanding of what to expect from Georgetown’s schedule.

“I definitely have experience playing against the teams we have played. Playing against ranked teams and stuff like that,” Hession said. She added that she is looking forward to “just taking what [she] learned from last year and applying it this year.”

As a star on the court, Hession often faces pressure and high expectations from fans, coaches, and herself, but she said that dealing with that pressure has been one of the most important lessons basketball has taught her.

“One mistake doesn’t define who you are as a person or who you are as a player,” Hession said. “You could have a rough day yesterday, but the next day it's a whole new day.”

Hession and the Hoyas open their season at home on Nov. 6 against Stonehill College. While the Hoyas face a difficult schedule and a new team dynamic, Hession said she hopes to help lead the team to success. #

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“We will”: Coach Ed Cooley’s game plan

BY EILEEN WEISNER DESIGN BY MICHELLE WANG

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eorgetown men’s basketball head coach Ed Cooley is ready for the 2025-26 season. In an October interview with the Voice, he said he aims to return to the BIG EAST championship and engage the broader Georgetown community. These may sound bold given the team’s losing conference record last year, but Cooley has confidence and a lofty plan for the program.

Just under three weeks out from the team’s Nov. 3 opener against Morgan State, Cooley admitted it is still “too early to say” who the starting five will be. He said he is prioritizing overall “development” on the court over rigid roles for players. With this philosophy, Cooley wants this to be the season Georgetown “competes for a BIG EAST championship,” bids for an NCAA tournament berth, and is recognized as “the most hard-playing and connected team in America.”

But he won’t just focus on on-court development. He wants his players to “be an example to other student athletes” and show that education, community, and engagement are as important as their sports. Beyond that, he said he wants to foster players who are fun to be around and, ideally, who stick around.

Following the end of the 2024-25 season, the Hoyas lost two key players to the NBA: graduate guard Micah Peavy and freshman center Thomas Sorber. Cooley said it will be a “team effort to fill the shoes” of Peavy and Sorber.

While most Georgetown players do not leave to join the NBA after just one season as Hoyas, many have transferred to other institutions in hopes of receiving more playing time or a better chance at development. The transfer portal has created a high rate of turnover for all teams and Georgetown is no exception.

Another change the transfer portal has brought to the sport is a decreased emphasis on high school recruitment.

Cooley was quick to highlight that although the Hoyas have no academic freshmen, they have athletic freshmen in Seal Diouf and Julius Halaifonua, who

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THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

spent last season redshirted—kept out of play for a year to extend their eligibility.

This season, Cooley said he didn’t recruit freshmen so he could have an older team on the court who could bring more developed skills and experience. Last season, Georgetown men’s basketball was one of the youngest teams among those in the nation’s top conferences. The Hoyas, who finished seventh of the eleven BIG EAST teams last season, stand to benefit from a more veteran roster.

The age of homegrown, four-year student athletes seems to be a relic of a bygone era, like the days when Georgetown regularly competed for national championships. Nobody epitomizes that era more than John Thompson Jr., whose role as head coach at Georgetown from 1972-99 inspired Cooley when he was just a college player.

Cooley continues to recognize Thompson’s impact, both on the program and on the diversification of head coaches.

Thompson was the first Black coach to win a NCAA championship. He led a generation in combating racism and socioeconomic barriers, including through his walkout protesting an NCAA rule that threatened to eliminate athletic scholarships for lowincome students.

“I am only head coach because of that vision,” said Cooley, who is also Black, in reference to Thompson’s pioneering tenure.

Cooley envisioned what he wanted to do from a young age; even as the youngest of seven children, he said he was “born to lead,” and that he knew he “was going to be a head coach.” But Cooley said Thompson’s activism and success painted a clearer path for him to get there.

Cooley acknowledged that Thompson’s work is not yet finished, noting that the BIG EAST’s 11 teams have just four Black head coaches, despite the large percentage of minority players on their rosters. Doing the math on the spot, Cooley listed the ratios of current Black head coaches across other major NCAA conferences: of the 68 men’s basketball teams in the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, and ACC conferences, just 25% have Black head coaches.

Georgetown is Cooley’s third appointment as head coach, following stints at conference rival Providence and Fairfield, which he led to a 2011 MAAC championship.

When asked if coaching at Georgetown changed his leadership style, he said that “you have to adapt to your environment.”

“You always have to evolve or devolve,” Cooley said. He holds both himself and the team to this standard.

To kickstart the program’s return to national dominance, Cooley believes Georgetown must first be competitive in the name, image, and likeness (NIL) world, which “puts you in the hemisphere to compete.” Now that student athletes can profit off their NIL, colleges with dominant brands have greater recruitment appeal.

Cooley also hit upon recruiting athletes who are good for the program and who stay healthy—particularly important after star player Sorber’s February 2025 injury took him out of play for part of the 202425 season, to the noticeable detriment of the Hoyas’ defense.

Georgetown’s last need, according to Cooley, is a home-court advantage. Cooley emphasized the power of students, staff, and companies in seeing the games as events. Support from those constituencies is crucial, as there is “power in numbers.”

Over the last 10 years, average attendance for home games at Capital One Arena has failed to reach even 50% capacity.

“Be the class,” Cooley said, “to infuse energy and strength back into the D.C. community.”

Of his high expectations for the team this season, including a return to the BIG EAST championship, he holds strong in his optimism. “The word ‘if’ is a nonstarter,” he said, so he instead relies on an active and definitive mindset: “we will.” "

Capital 1-0-1: Where the Hoyas play, why they play there, and should they play there?

GRAPHICS BY SHABAD SINGH; LAYOUT BY ELLE MARINELLO

BY SYDNEY CARROLL

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t’s the end of the day. You walk to the bus outside the cafeteria. You then begin the long ride, jealous of everyone that doesn’t need to take the bus. After a pain-staking half hour in tra!c listening to boys yelling in the back, you grab your backpack and get out. But you are not back in elementary school, and you did not just arrive home. You are a Hoya, at Capital One Arena, exhausted, and ready to watch a Georgetown men’s basketball game.

Every bus ride home, you’ll find yourself asking the same question: why won’t they bring back $1 beer night, and as a side note, why on Earth do we play at Capital One Arena? Or perhaps, why don’t we play on campus?

The Hoyas have played on 17 different home courts throughout their history, and only two have actually been on the Hilltop. Former homes include the George Washington, American, and Catholic University gyms, a car barn, and Odd Fellows Hall in downtown D.C. The team played on campus in Ryan Gymnasium (now the Davis Center for Performing Arts) from 1914-1927, and in 1951, they moved to McDonough Arena (approximate capacity 4,000 at the time) when it opened its doors. This remained their home until the 1981–82 season, when the Hoyas moved to the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland (capacity 19,035). The move aimed to accommodate the Hoyas’ growing fan base, and it did: average home game attendance shot up from 4,197 to 8,591 fans in a single season.

The Capital Centre housed the Hoyas until the 1997-98 season, when they moved to Capital One Arena (capacity 20,500).

Attendance at

Capital One peaked in 2007-08 with an average of 12,955 fans per game. Since, it’s been on a steady decline, with average pergame attendance not reaching 50% capacity since the 2012-13 season.

Fan attendance is a complicated problem: more fans will come to games if we win, but having fans in the stands to begin with helps teams win. Chicken or egg?

There is, though, a clear explanation for Georgetown’s attendance problem beyond disappointing seasons—schlepping to Capital One is annoying.

Games at Capital One are at least a three-hour commitment: 30 minutes there, 30 minutes back, the two-ish hour game in between. If you can only make the first half because you need to study for your macro exam, the opportunity cost of the game is too high to go in the first place. Because Georgetown has no Metro station, students often rely on the university-run buses to both arrive at and leave games.

On-campus games are convenient, while also providing a much-needed dose of school spirit. Gene Smith, a former Hoya guard and member of the 1984 NCAA championship team, recalled a game in Feb. 1982 where the team played in McDonough because the Capital Centre was hosting the figure skating group Ice Capades for a 10 night engagement. The nationally-televised game against No. 4 Missouri garnered a record-breaking crowd for McDonough with over 5,000 fans. Students waited in line overnight with kegs, ready for frontrow seats in the morning.

“The crowd was overflowing.

We won the game and it was just an incredible experience that I don’t think any Georgetown fan that attended that game would forget,” Smith told the Voice.

“The move to the Capital Centre was definitely necessary, just with the popularity of the team—McDonough couldn’t handle it. But that one game highlighted how special it was to have the students and how special it was for it to be on campus.”

There’s an obvious stumbling block to more on-campus games: there simply aren’t enough seats. Today, McDonough’s capacity has shrunk to

around 2,200 seats, not enough to hold even a third of Georgetown’s undergraduate student body, and that’s not even taking into account the opponent's fanbase.

In 2000, there was a $22 million proposal to renovate McDonough and increase capacity to around 6,500, but the plan was never realized. Today, McDonough is among the 20 oldest Division I facilities (and our women still play every game there!). While some fans have created extensive 3D models showing how to bring McDonough’s capacity to 5,600 seats, there aren’t plans for any major renovations through 2036.

However, a more realistic proposal is that Georgetown could simply play more nonconference games, which are less attended, on campus. Last year, the Hoyas took on Wagner College in McDonough because of a conflict with the Washington Wizards (read: not the Ice Capades). The stands were full, energy was up, and most importantly, we won 66-41. Smith thinks that this would strike a good balance: students could support more easily at truly “home” games, while still allowing the team to play most games in a professional arena.

Current junior guard Malik Mack agrees that it’s special to have games on campus.

“I feel like Capital One can get rowdy, but it is a big arena, it has a lot of seats you’ve got to fill in. I feel like those McDonough games are definitely a little bit more intense, you know the crowd is right there on the floor,” Mack told the Voice. “So those McDonough games are definitely a bit more fun in my eyes.”

While it seems like renovations may be out of the question in the short term, more games on campus could help cultivate the fan environment of Smith’s past and, perhaps, Mack’s future. For anyone looking to enjoy on-campus basketball, I also happen to have a readily available solution: women’s basketball, who play all of their games in McDonough! If you want to complain about trekking to Capital One, then make sure you’re also supporting our women’s teams just next door. " OCTOBER OCTOBER17, 17,2025 2025

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BIG EAST predictions

BY STELLA LINN

GRAPHICS BY MASSIMO D'ONOFRIO; LAYOUT BY ELLE MARINELLO

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

1. University of Connecticut espite the loss of the first overall WNBA draft pick Paige Bueckers, the reigning national champions will dominate again this season. This offseason, the team gained major transfers—Serah Williams, from Wisconsin, and Kayleigh Heckel, from the University of Southern California, who will likely join the starting lineup. With the retention of most of their championship lineup led

by Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma, ESPN and, more importantly, The Georgetown Voice project that the Huskies will be number one.

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2. Marquette The Marquette Golden Eagles are in a good position to move up through the BIG EAST this season. After coming in fourth in the conference last year, they are the only NCAA team to retain their entire roster from last season, crucial in a rebuilding BIG EAST. In addition, the Golden Eagles gained a key transfer, guard Jordan Meulemans, who played three years at Butler and has sharpshooting three-point abilities. These key components mean that the Golden Eagles have a real shot this season at soaring (get it!) high in the conference.

3. Creighton Similar to Marquette, the Creighton Bluejays only have one transfer in, but they also have six new freshmen joining the team after losing four of their five starters. The Bluejays’ rebuild puts them behind Marquette in the BIG EAST ranks. However, with the established leadership of longtime coach Jim Flanery, Creighton’s year of rebuilding will still be successful enough to keep them near the top of the conference.

4. Seton Hall The Seton Hall Pirates were a tough opponent last season for the Hoyas.

However, not to fret for I bring good news: the majority of their starters from last season have graduated!

The pesky Pirates will need to develop chemistry with their four new freshmen and transfers. While these transfers bring competitive gameplay experience, all three new players were low scorers last season. Yet, the team has a good enough record that it still stands a chance in the second tier of BIG EAST teams.

5. Villanova The greatest asset the Villanova Wildcats have this season is God. Sources (the Villanova Women’s Basketball team’s Instagram) say Pope Leo XIV is a big women’s basketball fan, so he’s commanding the powers that be to give Villanova a good season. Despite the prayer, this Jesuit school’s publication says that this emergence cannot match the power of Geno Auriemma. The Wildcats lost junior guard Maddie Webber, whose production will need to be replaced by newcomers to help the Wildcats maintain their spot above the middle of the pack.

6. Providence The Providence Friars look to rise in the BIG EAST ranks thanks to five killer transfers.

Two of these transfers, Eseosa Imafidon and Payton Dunbar, come from the successful programs: Louisville and Virginia, respectively. This has subsequently caught the eyes of those invested in the Providence play. These players, along with three other transfers, will be crucial in guiding the relatively young team that saw a bulk of its players graduate.

7. St. John’s Last year, the St. John’s Red Storm fell to eighth after a few seasons of top five finishes.

They hope to remedy that by following a similar strategy to their recent seasons of recruiting: bring in a few freshmen and a large group of high-scoring transfers from smaller schools.

The adjustment to a higher level of play may prove difficult, but under the leadership of successful coach Joe Tartamella, the team should do well. By next season, fans may see the Red Storm back in their typical tier with Marquette and Creighton, but during this adjustment period they remain a tier below.

8. Georgetown Now is time for our dear Georgetown.

The Hoyas picked up speed at the end of last season, momentum that should carry into a strong start this year. Despite losing BIG EAST co-defensive player of the year, Kelsey

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Ransom, Georgetown still has strong pillars in senior guard Victoria Rivera and sophomore guard Khadee Hession. The Hoyas have momentum, experience, and the support of the esteemed Voice behind them. While they rebuild, they will bounce back from a tenthplace finish in the conference last season.

9. DePaul Next up are the Blue Demons of DePaul, who will fall from their 2024-25 middle-ofthe-pack finish. DePaul is seeing significant turnover, including their longtime head coach Doug Bruno, who stepped down from his position at the end of last season. While the team did play briefly without his leadership due to health concerns, this is the first year officially without Bruno after a 39-year tenure. While Bruno’s assistant coach Jill Pizzotti has been recognized as the right person to take the helm, this major change will undoubtedly challenge the Blue Demons this season.

10. Butler The Butler Bulldogs (aka the second-best bulldog mascot in the BIG EAST) had some major turnover, but also brought in some major talent. What this season for Butler will come down to is experience. The Bulldogs only have one senior and a team of majority underclassmen. It will take some work for this team to mesh together, which may not happen for the Bulldogs. However, this writer would still like to see Blue and Jack’s meetup on Instagram no matter the season’s outcome.

11. Xavier Holding steady from last season, Xavier will bring up the end of the BIG EAST again.

While the team has some promising new transfers from the SEC that will bring tough game experience, they still lack what it takes to overcome the rest of the conference. The team has been rebuilding the program post-COVID, after having an unfilled team and facing game forfeits, but this will take several more seasons. Sights are looking up for Xavier as additions to the team could help the Musketeers win more than one BIG EAST game.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

1. University of Connecticut Akin to the women’s side, the University of Connecticut will prove dominant in Men’s Basketball too, although with a smaller gap to those behind it. Despite a second-round loss last season after two back-to-back championships, the team’s roster, led by head coach Dan Hurley, remains relatively consistent, which will help the Huskies improve.

This consistency paired with a stacked incoming class will prove successful for the UConn Huskies.

2. St. John’s In close second is the Red Storm of St. John’s University. The Red Storm had a huge season last year in head coach Rick Pitino’s second campaign with the school. The team went into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed, unfortunately ending in an untimely second-round loss to a hog wild Arkansas. Senior forward Zuby Ejiofor is the only player who averaged 10 or more minutes last season still on the team, though having the number one transfer class will certainly make up the gap.

3. Marquette Maybe this prediction is a nostalgic tribute to the school I (and possibly every Georgetown student from the Midwest) almost went to, but the Marquette Golden Eagles will have a season of upsets, including overtaking Creighton. Marquette has set itself apart by not using the transfer portal, opting for their fourth consecutive year of exclusively freshmen new players.

Head coach Shaka Smart recruits the old-fashioned way, focusing on players who can mature within the program, so a starting lineup of all Marquette veterans gives them a leg up this season.

4. Creighton Next comes the Creighton Bluejays.

The Bluejays finished well in the 2024-25 season as the final BIG EAST team to lose in the second round of the tournament last year. The Bluejays lost some major stars from last season, especially Ryan Kalkbrenner, who brought almost 20 points per game and serious height.

Their transfers, especially junior forward Owen Freeman from Iowa, should help make up for the void in the height department, but it won’t be enough to push them past fourth.

5. Xavier Right in the middle comes the Xavier Musketeers, who may be much lower on all professional rankings, but for whom I have hope. Most valid concerns for Xavier come from its brand new coach Richard Pitino (whose name you may recognize: his dad coaches the St. John’s men’s team) and subsequent roster. However, the Musketeers have impressive height and a team of mostly upperclassmen, so if the team can gel, it’s still a contender for, at least, a winning season.

6. Providence Ed Cooley’s former school, the Providence Friars, could heat up this season. Last year saw the end of the Cooley remnants. Now, coach Kim English has been able to fully craft his team, and the incoming transfers are impressive. Providence is bringing in Jason Edwards, a high SEC scorer from Vanderbilt, and two ACC transfers: Daquan Davis and Jaylin Sellers. These experienced players will no doubt be assets this season, along with freshman Jamier Jones. The new-look Friars should be climbing the BIG EAST ranks.

7. Georgetown Rah, rah, rah, hoorah! Time for our beloved Georgetown Hoyas. As is typically the case, it’s hard to tell how the Hoyas will do this season. Georgetown comes into this season with no new freshmen, yet a very new team. Junior guard and hometown star Malik Mack will be the player the team relies on, especially as he will likely be surrounded by transfers in the starting lineup. The Hoyas have players coming from big-time programs, which should give fans hope for Georgetown one day being restored to its former glory. However, it should also be noted that this is probably not the year that it’s going to happen.

8. Villanova The Vatican isn’t the only Novarelated institution under new leadership; the Villanova Wildcats are approaching their first season with former Maryland head coach Kevin Willard. Before going to Maryland, Willard headed at Seton Hall (a team that, unfortunately for them, has yet to be mentioned on this list) from 2010-22. This familiarity with the BIG EAST, along with the fact that Willard brought with him three Maryland players, will be beneficial to mitigate the new-staff adjustment period. Still, the Wildcats have a tough road ahead with an almost entirely new team.

9. Butler Butler University, which seeks its first conference-winning record in six years, brings in the BIG EAST’s bottom three this season. With a large freshman class, Butler must utilize its bench and rely on younger players to bring height and different energy. The team could make waves if redshirt sophomore Jamie Kaiser Jr. stays healthy. But there is nothing that stands out for Butler right now, which is why they sink to the bottom of this ranking.

10. DePaul Penultimately comes DePaul and its Blue Demons. Second to last in the conference last season, DePaul has retained its, arguably, best three players.

Additionally, last season was head coach Chris Holtmann’s first in Chicago, so with one under his belt, they should be able to capitalize. This being said, they did not clearly improve from last year. For DePaul to progress, it will take defensive work and returnees leveling up, but consistency should help the Blue Demons this season.

11. Seton Hall Lastly comes the Seton Hall Pirates, who will take a while to transform into Seton Ball. The Pirates, in an attempt to reform last season's 2-18 BIG EAST record, have stacked their potential lineup with new faces. While these transfers are scorers and add height to the team, they are from schools few have heard of. Seton Hall has limited resources and is working with what they can, but this will probably not be their season. !

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