Providence hits the portal again and adds... Malik Mack?

A transfer portal shocker.

Malik Mack was supposed to lead the turnaround for Georgetown under Ed Cooley. Now — two years later — he’ll finish his collegiate career as a Providence Friar.

Who could’ve dreamed up this scenario back then?

Of all the twists and turns that occur in Portal Season, no one saw this coming. Two years ago, Mack was considered one of the top ten players in the transfer portal market. 247 Sports ranked him as the best point guard available after he won Ivy League Rookie of the Year behind averages of 17.2 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.0 rebounds for the Crimson.

The Hoyas finished 9-23 overall and 2-18 in the Big East that year. Mack was the highest-profile addition heading into Cooley’s second season at the Hilltop — a group that included eventual NBA draft picks Thomas Sorber and Micah Peavy.

With Sorber and Peavy vastly outperforming expectations in year two under Cooley, Mack played huge minutes (34.8 per game), led the team in assists (4.3), and was third in scoring (12.9) as a secondary scoring option.

Mack shot 35% from beyond the arc, but just 38% overall — and he saw his numbers from three dip during conference play to 27%.

Playing without either Sorber or Peavy, Mack caught fire in the postseason Crown Tournament, first going for 37 points on 8-12 beyond the arc against Washington State and then scoring 25 more in a season-ending loss to Nebraska.

With Sorber and Peavy off to the NBA, the hope in D.C. was that Mack would parlay his strong finish into a huge 2025-26 campaign. He certainly started the season well (19/8 vs. Maryland, 16/7/3 vs. Clemson, 24/4/4 vs. Dayton, and 16/7/3 vs. Miami in November), but by season’s end, Mack’s numbers looked similar to his first year as a Hoya: 13.6 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game on 38% shooting from the field and 29% beyond the arc.

Georgetown finished tied with Xavier for last in the Big East with a 6-14 mark, but rallied in the Big East Tournament, despite being down star wing K.J. Lewis. They took out DePaul in the first round and knocked off Villanova in the quarterfinals, but eventually fell to UConn, 67-51, on Friday night.

The loss to UConn would mark the last time Mack would suit up for Georgetown.

He entered the portal earlier this spring, taking with him the promise of two years ago, and on Tuesday Joe Tipton of On3.com reported the rather shocking news that Mack was headed to Providence.

It’s either a testament to what truly matters in the portal era, or perhaps a sign of what’s transpiring at Georgetown, that Mack would witness the vitriol directed at Cooley and the Hoyas when they visited Providence the past two seasons — and yet he still decided to jump ship.

At this time a year ago, it seemed very possible that Bryce Hopkins would switch from Providence to Georgetown, considering Cooley helped revive his career, but Hopkins eventually chose St. John’s.

Mack’s Georgetown-to-Providence flip is a certifiable shock.

Juicy storylines aside, the question now becomes how Mack fits in at point guard alongside Ryan Mela and the talented transfer haul of new PC head man Bryan Hodgson.

Mack certainly brings experience, having played 33.8 minutes per game to this point of his career, plus he’s seen every gym the Big East has to offer.

Can he become a more efficient shooter playing in Hodgson’s fast-paced system? It probably depends on how and where he gets his shots.

This season, Mack shot 39.8% on catch-and-shoot opportunities, ranking in the 83rd percentile nationally, and he was terrific when spotting up (90th percentile).

His efficiency dropped in the pick and roll game, where his national ranking dropped to the 40th percentile. It’s worth noting that Mack had nearly 350 pick-and-roll possessions last season versus just 87 as a spot-up shooter.

This is probably a good time to point out that Hodgson’s USF team had over 200 more spot-up possessions than Georgetown this season. The Bulls had about five more spot-up possession per game.

Mack had 138 assists to just 67 turnovers and shot 82% at the free throw line. He was effective against the physical, pressing style of St. John’s: 18/8 and 15/5/5 in two games against them.

This is more of an offense-first point guard. As virtually every Friar fan knows, Mack is paper-thin and not physically imposing defensively. Stylistically, he’s essentially a 180 from Gavin Hightower, the point guard Hodgson brought with him from South Florida who rarely takes a jump shot and is a pest defensively.

With this move, Mack instantly becomes one of the most intriguing players in the Big East next year. As we learn more and more with each passing season, college basketball is strictly a business in 2026, but despite that, Mack’s decision to head to Providence registers as a stunner.