Julius Halaifonua Commits to Georgetown

Top 60 Big Man Julius Halaifonua just announced he’s a Hoya. Halaifonua was long a member of the 2025 Recruiting Class, ranking as highly as 33 on On3 before he reclassified to the Class of 2024.

Halaifonua hails from Auckland, New Zealand, and was a member of the NBA Academy Program. Halaifonua is a very skilled 7’0” big man, with a very versatile offensive game. His versatility, and well-rounded offensive game is very unique for a big man, making this addition especially interesting.

Watching some of his games with his Australian team, Center of Excellence in the NBL 1 (NBL is their main league, NBL 1 is the NBL's version of the G-League), combined with the clips above, gives a solid look at the skillset he will bring to the Hilltop.

What Halaifonua Brings to the Table

Halaifonua is an excellent passer for a big man. They used him in that rub/cut set quite often. He has the height to see over the defense and make some tough passes. Teams have to respect his outside jumper, adding another element to his offensive game. He has a legitimate three-point jumper which he can step out and knock down. He’s one of the most skilled big men entering college basketball next season.

His offensive game rounds out, with legit skill with his back to the basket. He’s fairly right-hand dominant, but he has multiple moves he can go to with his back to the basket. His hook shot is always an option, but his post fadeaway for a 7’0” will be very tough to guard. His offensive skillset is special, it’s very rare for a big man to be as versatile as Halaifonua is.

Defensively in his NBL1 games, he went up against smaller guys mostly. 6’8” wings who could put him on the perimeter and drive on him. Those guys were fairly consistently able to take him outside and sometimes take advantage, either knocking down a tough jumper or blowing past him and getting to the rim. Halafanioua is a much better defender when he's able to stay under the rim, he doesn't have the foot speed to stick with many guys on the perimeter.

Halaifonua is a fine rebounder at this stage, nothing special. He’s not yet at the point where he’s bullying opposition with his strength, he’s much more of a finesse big. There were a couple of times he would tip the ball to a guard to secure the end of the possession, rather than grabbing the rebound himself. He could have been coached to do this, or this could be a tendency of his, I think we’ll learn more as this season approaches. Against smaller competition, there was rarely a game where Halaifonua looked dominant on the glass, which is something the Hoyas might ask him to do.

The offensive skillset of Halaifonua is undeniable. He’s a legitimate offensive threat from anywhere on the floor and is a very creative offensive player. His offense makes it undeniable for him to get minutes. His offensive versatility makes him one of the most interesting prospects entering the conference next season.

He still has some growing and developing to do on the defensive end, and in the Strength & Conditioning Department, but this is a huge upside pickup for the Hoyas, this late in the offseason. Halaifonua fills a need at the five spot and does it with significant upside for the future.

His Words

Halaifonua established a relationship with Georgetown throughout the recruiting process, which allowed for them to win his recruitment over schools like UNC and Kentucky, who were also involved in this recruitment.

Halaifonua also sees a path to immediately impacting the Hoyas next season, saying “Over the course of the last year I've developed a great connection with Coach Cooley and [Brian] Blaney. I believe in what is being built at Georgetown and believe there is an opportunity to contribute to the program’s success in my first year,” via 247Sports.

He added, "My future teammates were welcoming and they all share a common goal to improve. Also, I feel I can achieve and grow as a person and as a student at Georgetown as it is a world-class academic institution."

Hoyas Roster

Julius Halaifonua becomes the eleventh and final addition to the Georgetown roster for the 2024-25 season. Halaifonua will immediately be in the mix for minutes at the five spot, next to fellow freshman Thomas Sorber, and Sophomore F Drew Fielder.