Ed Cooley did not land Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson, but he is making waves in the transfer portal in his first recruiting cycle as head coach of Georgetown. Friday, Kansas State transfer Ismael Massoud announced his commitment to the Hoyas.
Massoud, a Bronx, NY native, started his collegiate career at Wake Forest, playing two seasons in Winston-Salem before transferring to Kansas State in 2021. After starting 18 games in 2021-22, Massoud returned to the bench last season under first-year coach Jerome Tang.
Massoud averaged 15.3 minutes and 5.4 points in 32 games last season. However, his season highlight came in the Wildcats’ Sweet 16 win over Michigan State. Massoud scored a season-high 15 points, making 4 of 6 three-pointers in 28 minutes.
At 6-foot-9, Massoud has displayed his ability to shoot from range. Last season he shot 41.8% from three. He is a 36.8% career three-point shooter.
Massoud joins impressive list of Hoyas additions
Cooley has worked the portal in hopes of building a first-year roster. Former Illinois guard Jayden Epps highlights the group. Epps is a former four-star recruit out of Suffolk, Virginia. As a 6-foot-2 combo guard, Epps averaged 9.5 points on 41.4% shooting from the field.
He will slot at the off-ball guard that can attack the paint off the dribble. His efficiency shooting on two’s — he shot over 51% on two-pointers, will help open the floor for a sharpshooter such as Massoud.
Rowan Brumbaugh is another guard Cooley landed in the transfer portal. Brumbaugh didn’t play last year, redshirting at Texas as a freshman. Thus the observation of him is from high school. At a slender 6-foot-4 frame, Brumbaugh has the quickness, speed, and vision to be the Hoyas’ starting point guard.
Cooley also added 6-foot-7 small forward Dontrez Styles. Styles spent two seasons at North Carolina before entering the transfer portal and choosing the Hoyas. Stylez went from appearing in 30 games to 15 from his freshman to sophomore years.
Stylez is intriguing, considering he was a four-star recruit in 2021. He drew immediate interest from several teams, including NC State, East Carolina, and South Carolina. He told the Bryan Hanks Show he got used to not playing, sparking his call to leave.
Meanwhile, Georgetown also has a freshman commit from 6-foot-9 forward Drew Fielder. Fielder initially committed with Cooley at Providence. But Cooley was able to get Fielder to follow him to Georgetown.
Cooley inherits trio that will shape out Georgetown’s roster
Cooley inherits DC native Jay Heath, Akok Akok, and Wayne Bristol Jr. from the Patrick Ewing era. Heath is the most attractive of the trio. He is Georgetown’s leading returning scorer with 12.3 points per game, shooting 41.5% from the field and 37.8% from three.
Eligibility concerns and injuries limited Heath to 22 games. Still, his ability score was evident. Provided he is not a late transfer entry, Heath is sure to figure in an intriguing three-guard backcourt with Epps and Brumbaugh.
But outside of that, the door is open on who will start and be a huge part of the rotation. Bristol, a Howard transfer from last year, is looking to return to his 2019-20 form when he was the MEAC Rookie of the Year.
Meanwhile, Akok Akok is expected to return to Georgetown. The 6-foot-9 post player will look to improve on his career highs of 6.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
The roster is shaping up for Ed Cooley. Ismael Massoud gives Georgetown much needed shooting and length that could stretch the floor for Epps, Brumbaugh, and Heath. Add Fielde and Akok inside with Stylez and Bristol playing off the wing, and the Hoyas could be more enjoyable to watch than last season’s dreadful group.
