Get to Know a Transfer: Jonathan Mulmore

Georgetown has not seen a JUCO transfer in nearly 15 years, with the last being Lee Scruggs, who played from 1999-2001. Head coach John Thompson III has broken the mold to allow 6-foot-4 guard Jonathan Mulmore into the program.

Mulmore provides some much-needed depth at the point guard position. Other than Mulmore, Tre Campbell is the only true point guard the Hoyas have on their roster. With limited personnel at that position, he has an opportunity to play key minutes and make an impact.

The Hoyas are hoping that he can have a greater role than the previous player who transferred. Scruggs played two seasons at Georgetown and faded away in his senior season. His numbers dipped and he would no longer be in the starting rotation.

Mulmore hails from Houston, moving after Hurricane Katrina ripped through his home city of New Orleans. He transferred into the program from Allegany College (Md.), becoming the first player to do so since John Turner made the same transition in 1988.

After an injury cut his senior year of high school basketball short, Division I schools disappeared from the recruiting scene. With his two seasons spent in junior college, Mulmore was able to rebuild a reputation for himself and have Division I teams knocking on his door, receiving interest from Ohio State, West Virginia, Temple, Maryland, and a handful of other Division I programs.

This past season, he averaged 26.1 points per game, finishing just one-tenth of a point behind the NJCAA leader. He shot just over 48 percent on the floor.

Mulmore is a quick and effective slashing guard. He likes to drive inside, attack the basket, and finish inside. He can accomplish this task confidently, even when the paint is clogged or through contact. He prefers this direction of attack but if he needs to, he can occasionally take and make shots from beyond the arc. Mulmore drained just 32 percent of his attempts from long range.

On the other end of the court, it appears that his defensive prowess is not up to par with how he plays offensively. Mulmore still has some work to do in order to improve defensively, especially in man-to-man situations. He’s not a real game changer on defense and doesn’t seem to have the same pep in his step as he does when his team is looking to score. He finished 239th in steals last season, tallying only just 39 in 27 games.

Another aspect of his game that needs to improve if John Thompson III does indeed use him as another point guard, is his decision making. When he wasn’t taking a majority of the scoring load, he demonstrated the ability to make some nice passes for his teammates. However, he also struggled with turning the ball over. He had the seventh most turnover total in all of the NJCAA, with 113, and that’s definitely not a category a point guard wants to be leading. Furthermore, he finished the season with a lackluster 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio, barely cracking the top 500 in the NJCAA.

Unlike his experience at Allegany, he most likely won’t have to shoulder the workload when it comes to scoring the basketball. His distribution statistics from last season are a bit skewed as a result. He may very well prove to be a competent and consistent distributor, who also provides a scoring threat.

With D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera graduated, Georgetown begins a new era. The Hoyas will be looking for the answer in replacing the production DSR was able to muster over his four years as a Hoya. Mulmore will have two years of eligibility remaining, and he may be one of the integral pieces in fulfilling that answer—or at least, help provide a smooth transition.