Alex Cowan G | Graduate
Alex Cowan returns to the DMV after four years (three active) at Wagner College on Staten Island. Cowan made a significant impact from the get-go at Wagner—she started 25 times in her freshman season in 2019-20, and after redshirting in 2020-21 due to an injury, she bounced back even stronger as the only Wagner player to start all 29 games of the 2021-22 season. Last year, she averaged 14.1 points per game, ranking fifth in scoring in the Northeast Conference (NEC), and received Second Team All-NEC honors. Prior to her time at Wagner, Cowan played for St. John’s College High School, just a 20-minute drive away in Northwest D.C. where she led her Cadets to three state titles.
Cowan brings much-needed scoring ability to the Hilltop. She will have to adjust quickly to the pace and physicality of play in the BIG EAST, but given her steady improvement in conference play last season, it should be an easy adjustment. Cowan’s shooting also will be an important aspect of her game that she’s bringing to the Hoyas. Cowan shot 35.5 percent from deep on 307 attempts across her three years at Wagner and is excited to continue playing at a higher level. “I feel I bring a calm and experienced presence to the team,” she wrote to the Voice. She will make an impact right away for the Hoyas, hopefully stepping into the vacant starting guard position left by Kristina Moore’s graduation.
Mya Bembry F | Graduate
Mya Bembry, a graduate transfer from Seton Hall, brings BIG EAST experience to an already experienced roster. She comes to the Hoyas as a second-time transfer after starting her career with one year at Penn State, and then three years in her home state of New Jersey at Seton Hall. In her most recent season at Seton Hall, Bembry started 31 of her 34 games, and averaged 4.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, putting her second only to Kelsey Ransom in rebounds based on last season’s numbers. Prior to her collegiate days, the 6′ 1″ forward tallied 1,718 points and 1,068 rebounds over her career at West Orange High School in West Orange, N.J.—both school records.
Bembry was the first commit under head coach Tasha Butts, who noted that Bembry’s BIG EAST experience and versatility would be valuable to the team in a press release from Georgetown Athletics. Bembry’s ability to play as both a guard and a post will allow her to see minutes from the start, likely coming off the bench to do the dirty work and fill in as needed. She hopes her experience will help Georgetown develop as a program, hoping to bring “a sense of calmness and maturity” to the team, in an email to the Voice. The transfer also expressed a desire to help the Hoyas “climb the rankings to set [Georgetown] as one of the major powerhouses of this league.”
Mayla Ham F | Freshman
As the only freshman on an experienced roster, Mayla Ham will have her work cut out for her to get minutes. But she already has a strong case for playing time, bringing her desperately needed 3-point shooting and rebounding to the Hilltop. Ham had a dominant high school career at Wayne Memorial, earning a slew of honors (including but not limited to 2021 all-state and 2021 First Team All Detroit-West, as well as being named as a 2022 Miss Basketball candidate) and leading her team to two state tournament final four appearances.
“I feel like I am a versatile, fast, and gritty player who likes to score,” she said in an email to the Voice. Ham excels as a shooting guard, but has the rebounding skills of a big, averaging 19.1 points per game on 37 percent 3-point shooting as well as 9.8 rebounds in her senior season. She’s a welcome addition for a team that shot only 27.6 percent from three last year and should fit in well alongside Kelsey Ransom and Graceann Bennett, who are both strong scorers but aren’t as dominant from beyond the arc. If she’s able to adjust to the collegiate game quickly and force her way into the lineup, Ham has the potential to fill the gap left by Milan Bolden-Morris’s graduation a couple of years ago as Georgetown’s go-to sharpshooter. She has high hopes for the season and wants the fans to buy in. “Come support!! This will be a season you won’t want to miss with the best coaches!” she wrote.
