Last night was a huge kick in the nuts..
That said, here are my thoughts on the state of the program at large.
I thought we would be further along at this point in the Cooley era.
Program PR/Social Media exposure
- Much improved. Still work to be done (misspelling Thomas Sorber's name on the roster), but major steps in the right direction. Cooley opening up practice to Ron, et al has been great. Glad to see he is rewarding the guys who do the leg work, not just the national name guys that swoop in.
Portal Recruiting
- Mixed bag. The class coming into the 23-24 season was really bad. Entire operation felt disorganized. Good improvement for the class coming in this past year. Mack was a guy the whole country wanted, Peavy was a major addition as well. Swinging and missing on a center again was really frustrating. Getting Julius and Seal very late helped, but for this current season they provided no real impact. For this current portal season, the money appears to be there. If Sorber leaves, you can sell a starting 5 spot, and taking over for a 1st round draft pick.
High School Recruiting
- Positive. Getting Sorber and Caleb Williams was huge. Sorber seem destined for Nova, as did Caleb. For Caleb, it was massive to get a Team Takeover kid, and especially one whose father seems to know just about everyone in DMV hoops. Jayden Fort and Drew McKenna are also DMV guys, which is good to see. Julius and Seal from the international ranks seem like good prospects. Would have liked to have been a bigger player for Cam Ward and Jordan Scott, along with Trey McKenney. That said, I think we are positioned really well for the 26 class. Just gotta close the deal.
In Game Coaching
- Massive upgrade over Ewing. When Sorber was healthy, there was a clear effort to involve him, and get the ball down low. Peavy blossomed as an offensive weapon under Cooley. The zone defense was a good change up at times this year. Only real gripe is maybe Curtis Williams should have gotten more run, and a shorter leash on Epps/Mack, but there was also zero guard depth.
Returning Roster Outlook
Jayden Epps
- Scoring numbers were way down, but that is in large part due to a better roster around him. Had several games where he was a complete non-factor. The injury sort of seemed to linger for a while. He's in his final year of eligibility, so perhaps he hits the portal. He's a proven scorer, but still not great on defense, and decision making is questionable at times.
Malik Mack
- Feels like he hasn't yet lived up to the hype. The step up from Harvard to the big east is huge, and he did look overmatched a bit. Shooting numbers took a hit, and had some real clunker performances. I still think he can be the guy at the PG spot, but this off-season will be vital for his development. Cooley's player development has been good so far, and it needs to be with Mack. A team that wants to make the tournament needs better than what Mack was in 24-25.
Curtis Williams
- Improved nearly all his numbers. Felt like a guy who was coming on towards the end of the year. Good size, tons of athletic ability. Still seems like he needs to put it together a bit. Curtis feels best suited for a sixth-man type role, instant shot of energy off the bench. Hopeful that he doesn't explore the portal.
Jordan Burks
- So much potential. Really good athlete, and can score from all 3 levels. Another guy that needs to figure it out a bit. Effort wasn't always there, and his body language down the stretch of the season wasn't great. Absolutely has the tools to be a starting 3/4 in the Big East, just needs to prepare and act like it 24/7. Hopefully playing alongside Peavy rubs off on him. Wouldn't be shocked to see him hit the portal, but would also like him to stay, and for the Hoyas to reap the benefits of his development, if it happens.
Drew Fielder
- Wild swings of emotion watching Drew play. His shooting numbers dropped this year, and a guy his size shooting under 50% from the field is not good. On defense, he was good at times, and really bad at times. Getting bullied all night by NJ Benson yesterday was extremely frustrating. Hits the boards pretty well. Shot selection/decision making was puzzling. Feels like he can be a great backup 4/5, but not sure he's a starting caliber player on a tournament team. Wouldn't surprise me at all if Ed has an honest conversation with him, and says he's being recruited over.
Kayvaun Mulready
- Played very limited minutes, so hard to take a lot away. That said, looked overmatched, and given Mack and Epps struggles/injuries, maybe its saying something that he played so little. Seems to be a capable defender, and now that he has a year of college under his belt improvement should come. Doesn't strike me as a guy who Cooley will kick to the curb, but you never know these days.
Caleb Williams
- The late season injury hurts, as he was coming on strong. Seemed to be college-ready, and got a lot of minutes. He's a guy I think can improve a ton coming into next season. Athletically he's not outstanding, but his knowledge of the game is clear. Him hitting the portal would be a disaster, given his TTO ties.
Drew McKenna
- Frankly, doesn't seem like a big east caliber player at this point. He had a great game against PC, but other than that was a non-factor. Very limited sample size, but 1-11 from 3 is a major concern. Another kid where it seems like Cooley might have a conversation with him and encourage a portal entry.
Thomas Sorber
- He got robbed of Big East Rookie of the Year. His injury completely shifted how this season went. I think this is a 20 win team if Sorber stays healthy, and maybe even on the fringes of the bubble. Retaining him has to be the top priority for the NIL people this spring. If he does leave, the silver lining is a lot of money is freed up, and Cooley can sell that he just coached a 4 star kid into a 1st round pick in 1 year. That said, please don't leave us yet Thomas.
Julius Halaifonua
- We hardly got to see him play. His conditioning was clearly an issue, but the raw materials were there. 7 footers don't grow on trees, so you have to be patient and let him develop. Him having an entire offseason with the team should be huge for his growth. A healthy Julius and Sorber next year make this a much more formidable front court.
Jayden Fort and Seal Diouf
- Don't know hardly anything about these two. Ron, your reports on Seal are encouraging. Fort doesn't seem to be in line to play a whole lot next year, but will be a depth guy.
Overall, I'm glad that Ed Cooley is running the show these days. The Ewing era was pretty much non stop disappointment. This portal season will be huge for us. Can we put our money where our mouth is and act like a big time program?
Hoya Saxa
That said, here are my thoughts on the state of the program at large.
I thought we would be further along at this point in the Cooley era.
Program PR/Social Media exposure
- Much improved. Still work to be done (misspelling Thomas Sorber's name on the roster), but major steps in the right direction. Cooley opening up practice to Ron, et al has been great. Glad to see he is rewarding the guys who do the leg work, not just the national name guys that swoop in.
Portal Recruiting
- Mixed bag. The class coming into the 23-24 season was really bad. Entire operation felt disorganized. Good improvement for the class coming in this past year. Mack was a guy the whole country wanted, Peavy was a major addition as well. Swinging and missing on a center again was really frustrating. Getting Julius and Seal very late helped, but for this current season they provided no real impact. For this current portal season, the money appears to be there. If Sorber leaves, you can sell a starting 5 spot, and taking over for a 1st round draft pick.
High School Recruiting
- Positive. Getting Sorber and Caleb Williams was huge. Sorber seem destined for Nova, as did Caleb. For Caleb, it was massive to get a Team Takeover kid, and especially one whose father seems to know just about everyone in DMV hoops. Jayden Fort and Drew McKenna are also DMV guys, which is good to see. Julius and Seal from the international ranks seem like good prospects. Would have liked to have been a bigger player for Cam Ward and Jordan Scott, along with Trey McKenney. That said, I think we are positioned really well for the 26 class. Just gotta close the deal.
In Game Coaching
- Massive upgrade over Ewing. When Sorber was healthy, there was a clear effort to involve him, and get the ball down low. Peavy blossomed as an offensive weapon under Cooley. The zone defense was a good change up at times this year. Only real gripe is maybe Curtis Williams should have gotten more run, and a shorter leash on Epps/Mack, but there was also zero guard depth.
Returning Roster Outlook
Jayden Epps
- Scoring numbers were way down, but that is in large part due to a better roster around him. Had several games where he was a complete non-factor. The injury sort of seemed to linger for a while. He's in his final year of eligibility, so perhaps he hits the portal. He's a proven scorer, but still not great on defense, and decision making is questionable at times.
Malik Mack
- Feels like he hasn't yet lived up to the hype. The step up from Harvard to the big east is huge, and he did look overmatched a bit. Shooting numbers took a hit, and had some real clunker performances. I still think he can be the guy at the PG spot, but this off-season will be vital for his development. Cooley's player development has been good so far, and it needs to be with Mack. A team that wants to make the tournament needs better than what Mack was in 24-25.
Curtis Williams
- Improved nearly all his numbers. Felt like a guy who was coming on towards the end of the year. Good size, tons of athletic ability. Still seems like he needs to put it together a bit. Curtis feels best suited for a sixth-man type role, instant shot of energy off the bench. Hopeful that he doesn't explore the portal.
Jordan Burks
- So much potential. Really good athlete, and can score from all 3 levels. Another guy that needs to figure it out a bit. Effort wasn't always there, and his body language down the stretch of the season wasn't great. Absolutely has the tools to be a starting 3/4 in the Big East, just needs to prepare and act like it 24/7. Hopefully playing alongside Peavy rubs off on him. Wouldn't be shocked to see him hit the portal, but would also like him to stay, and for the Hoyas to reap the benefits of his development, if it happens.
Drew Fielder
- Wild swings of emotion watching Drew play. His shooting numbers dropped this year, and a guy his size shooting under 50% from the field is not good. On defense, he was good at times, and really bad at times. Getting bullied all night by NJ Benson yesterday was extremely frustrating. Hits the boards pretty well. Shot selection/decision making was puzzling. Feels like he can be a great backup 4/5, but not sure he's a starting caliber player on a tournament team. Wouldn't surprise me at all if Ed has an honest conversation with him, and says he's being recruited over.
Kayvaun Mulready
- Played very limited minutes, so hard to take a lot away. That said, looked overmatched, and given Mack and Epps struggles/injuries, maybe its saying something that he played so little. Seems to be a capable defender, and now that he has a year of college under his belt improvement should come. Doesn't strike me as a guy who Cooley will kick to the curb, but you never know these days.
Caleb Williams
- The late season injury hurts, as he was coming on strong. Seemed to be college-ready, and got a lot of minutes. He's a guy I think can improve a ton coming into next season. Athletically he's not outstanding, but his knowledge of the game is clear. Him hitting the portal would be a disaster, given his TTO ties.
Drew McKenna
- Frankly, doesn't seem like a big east caliber player at this point. He had a great game against PC, but other than that was a non-factor. Very limited sample size, but 1-11 from 3 is a major concern. Another kid where it seems like Cooley might have a conversation with him and encourage a portal entry.
Thomas Sorber
- He got robbed of Big East Rookie of the Year. His injury completely shifted how this season went. I think this is a 20 win team if Sorber stays healthy, and maybe even on the fringes of the bubble. Retaining him has to be the top priority for the NIL people this spring. If he does leave, the silver lining is a lot of money is freed up, and Cooley can sell that he just coached a 4 star kid into a 1st round pick in 1 year. That said, please don't leave us yet Thomas.
Julius Halaifonua
- We hardly got to see him play. His conditioning was clearly an issue, but the raw materials were there. 7 footers don't grow on trees, so you have to be patient and let him develop. Him having an entire offseason with the team should be huge for his growth. A healthy Julius and Sorber next year make this a much more formidable front court.
Jayden Fort and Seal Diouf
- Don't know hardly anything about these two. Ron, your reports on Seal are encouraging. Fort doesn't seem to be in line to play a whole lot next year, but will be a depth guy.
Overall, I'm glad that Ed Cooley is running the show these days. The Ewing era was pretty much non stop disappointment. This portal season will be huge for us. Can we put our money where our mouth is and act like a big time program?
Hoya Saxa
