Georgetown has lost four players to transfer this month and two this week alone, but after beating Syracuse 89-79 on Saturday in a throwback to the great Big East rivalry, Orange coach Jim Boeheim said it's been addition by subtraction for the Hoyas as it relates to one player.
"They got rid of a guy that wouldn't pass the ball to anybody and just shot it every time, and that's why they're good now," Boeheim said about the rush of recent transfers, apparently throwing shade at transferring lead guard James Akinjo. "Patrick [Ewing] can't say that but I can. He lost two games for them by himself."
Akinjo was Georgetown's second-leading scorer and leading assist man at the time he left the team to transfer to another school, averaging 13.4 points and 4.4 assists per game. Since he and a trio of Hoyas announced they will transfer or leave the team, they've gone on a 3-0 run that has included road wins over Oklahoma State and SMU, and is now punctuated by a convincing win over Syracuse.
It's hard to agree with Boeheim's reasoning, given Akinjo's talents and abilities. Still, the results are hard to argue with. And Boeheim, as backhanded a compliment as it was, is right about one thing.
"They've got a really good point guard [Mac McClung], he's getting people the ball, and he's settled into his position where he gets his shots and makes them," Boeheim said. "They have good inside guys, they have good shooters, I think they have a really good team. I think, by far, this is the best team we've seen from Georgetown the last few years."
Whether Boeheim is right or wrong, one thing is safe to assume here: Syracuse can almost certainly be ruled out for an Akinjo transfer destination.
