After one season at Maryland, Qudus Wahab is transferring back to Georgetown. The 6-foot-11 center is headed back to the program where he started his collegiate career.Ā
In March 2020, Wahab appeared destined for collegiate greatness and possibly more under Hoyas head coach Patrick Ewing. Wahab helped lead Georgetown to an improbable 2021 Big East tournament championship.
He averaged 12.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in his breakout sophomore 2020-21 season.
However, he shockingly transferred 30 minutes up the road to Maryland to play under head coach Mark Turgeon. Yet, Turgeon stepped down from his position eight games into last season. Danny Manning took the reins as the Terrapins interim coach.
Wahabās play suffered tremendously with his playing time and significance greatly reduced.Ā
By seasonās end, Wahab averaged 19.3 minutes per game along with 7.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 0.8 blocks.
The Nigerian nativeās American handler took the brunt of criticism for leaving.
Without Wahab Georgetown dropped off as well. The Hoyas went 0-19 in the Big East and completed the season with 21 straight losses after their first-round exit from the Big East tournament. It was the Hoyas first last-place finish in Big East history.
āIām happy to see Qudus Wahab back on the Hilltop,ā Ewing said in the Hoyas press release. āIām looking forward to him helping us get to where we want to be as a team and for our staff to help in his development and his growth.ā
Regardless of the split, both Wahab and Ewing have eaten humble pie and worked out any differences. Now, Wahab joins a Hoyas frontcourt that will also feature Connecticut-transfer Akok Akok.
āItās good to come home to a fanbase and a system that I am familiar and comfortable with,” Wahab said. āThere will be a lot of new faces on the team and coaching staff that I have built a good relationship with recently, which makes this transition easier. I am excited to play with and work with my new Hoya team. I think coming back to the Hilltop will prepare me even more for my ultimate goal of playing in the NBA.ā
Itās been a strong recruiting period for Ewing and the program he helped put on the map as a player in the 1980s. The Hoyas also landed transfers from Brandon Murray and Wahab returning to Georgetown is probably the best move for him. Now, with last season behind him, hopefully he can get back on track to duplicate his success as a sophomore.
