We have talked the past few days about two remaining needs for the 2026-2027 Friars before we deem the roster complete and no longer lacking any holes. One of those pressing needs was a lead guard to complement ascending talent Gavin Hightower. Providence has checked the box on one of those needs with the transfer commitment of Georgetown point guard Malik Mack.
Mack may have been playing on a basement dweller in Georgetown the past two years, but who are we to judge? The past two years for Providence have been abysmal, so I think it’s fair to wipe the slate clean for Mack and Georgetown and objectively analyze how he performed at the Big East level the last two years.
We go into detail on his game, what he does well, what he needs to improve on, and what he’ll bring to Providence.
In his two years at Georgetown, Mack has finished 7th in the Big East in assists per game. While there are some questions that Friar fans have about Mack’s ability to truly run a show (and I do think some of the concerns are warranted), the numbers illustrate that he has been consistently one of the top assist men in the conference the last two years. That is no small feat.
Mack last year had the following assist numbers: 21 games with at least 4 assists, 13 games with at least 5 assists, 8 games with at least 6 assists. Mack probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves for being a facilitator because he was asked to do too much scoring for the Hoyas and became rather inefficient at that. The shooting numbers mask overall solid point guard play, in my opinion. Asking your 6 foot guard to carry the offense probably isn’t the wisest of strategies.
Mack for his size is actually a pretty strong rebounder. He had 8 games last year where he grabbed at least 5 rebounds. You’ll take that every day of the week from your 6 foot point. To me, that shows an eagerness to get his hands a bit dirty and help the team out on the glass.
The other thing I’ll say is that Hodgson is gambling on himself in that a shift in offensive strategy will unlock aspects of Malik’s game that we didn’t see from Malik at Georgetown. Ed Cooley gave Providence some of the best years the program has had in quite some time, and I personally loved watching an Ed Cooley team scrap and claw to victory after victory even if it wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing. It is also okay to admit that watching Cooley’s offense with its archaic flex offense from the 1800’s was like watching paint dry or grass grow.
Take a look at this holistic view of Providence by analytics guru Evan Miyakawa. There are a number of telling stats, but what jumped out to me is how “high” Mack tested offensively. He is the highest ranked offensive addition in the portal, which is eye opening and surprising. Hodgson talked about using analytics when doing portal evaluations. I wonder if Mack was an analytics darling by Hodgson and staff like Evan alludes to here.
Hodgson may see what Mack did under Georgetown and believe his more run and gun, free flowing offense will unleash a version of Mack we haven’t seen in Big East play in his two years as a Hoya. That’s the goal and vision that I think a lot of Friar fans are clinging on to with this commitment, and I do think it is okay to project a more efficient Mack under Hodgson.
Mack was asked to shoulder too much offensively last year at Georgetown, and I don’t think we’ll see that at all at Providence, which ultimately will serve Mack well. Malik Mack led the team in shooting, as he shot the ball 404 times. The next closest person was KJ Lewis at 333 attempts. For perspective, the only Friar that shot the ball more last year than Mack was Jaylin Sellers at 421 attempts. That hopefully puts into perspective just how heavily Georgetown leaned on Mack, as we all know Sellers offensively put his Superman cape on.
Mack not only ran the show, but was tasked with being the primary or secondary scorer on a team that lacked talent. This is asking too much of your point guard and likely explains his drop in three point field goal percentage from 35.5% in 2024-2025 to 29.8% in 2025-2026 . Under Hodgson in 2026-2027, Mack will still hunt his shots, sure, but I think he’ll be more of the 3rd – 5th scoring option at any point on the court. I believe that will lead to a more efficient Mack in all facets of his game offensively.
Defensively, I admit I have my concerns. He is slight of build for the Big East, as all Friar fans are aware, but I’m hopeful that surrounding him with defensive erasers like Byrd, Vanterpool, and Aletan will help him on that side of the ball. Providence has nailed its defensive additions, and Mack brings a facilitator and scoring punch at the 1 spot that was sorely needed.
What’s Next – Roster Additions
As I alluded to above, this addition eliminates one of two glaring needs. The other need I still see on the roster is another legitimate frontcourt body. I’m not talking about a 6’8 guy that you can project to play the 4/5. I’m envisioning an addition of a 6’10+ frontcourt player. In my ideal world, this player can stretch the court and knock down the deep ball, but that may be asking too much. I’d be as content as a fan can be in the preseason with the addition of another frontcourt body. With said addition, I’d deem this roster ready to roll for the 2026-2027 season without any obvious holes.
Summary
This was a needed victory for Hodgson and the Friars. They fill a need and land an upperclassman with familiarity playing in the rugged Big East. This commitment, Georgetown theatrics aside, should be applauded.
I think it’s a fair assumption to believe Mack will start Day 1, but I can’t wait to see him and Hightower compete for the spot. Based off what I’ve read, seen, and heard about Hightower, he won’t assume his spot on the bench as backup PG is a foregone conclusion. That will be a fun battle to watch over the Summer.
Malik Mack has the chance to be the next Providence cult hero simply for leaving Ed Cooley and Georgetown to come play for Providence. If he performs well, he’ll become a fan favorite.
We thank you, Malik, for seeing the light and joining the good guys on the Providence Friars.
Smart man.
Go Friars!