GEORGETOWN BASKETBALL THREAD

[allen3xis]

Back for a 4th year

....almost a sigh of relief or a weight being liftedwith the old guys gone...we get to see a team being built and coming together, should be fun.

How I left things last year..

I love JT3 to death. However I hope he learned from this season, which I believe he will have.

Things that need to become evident;

1) Beat the press to score.
2) Get rid of the 5 turnovers a game that everyone sees coming.
3) Adapt the pace and system to the talent. We have the athletes to get out and run sometimes. And no Roy will force the issue. The Villanova and West Virginia games from the BET show a glimpse of the future. We will have big men, Sims and Monroe and they will keep up and be a part of it. Roy couldn't adjust against Nova the first day but we kept the increased pace and you see, he adjusted.
4) More Fire; JT3 and the leftovers have to develop a killer instict. We were up 17 yesterday, don't let off, attack, attack, attack. Our talent will be better than everyone's use it.

Lastly, with JT3...I hope he keeps on developing players the way he has.

He has been fantastic and I wouldn't trade him for anyone, just some things I hope he has learned from, and I fully believe he will adjust.

Now with the roster...

First Dajuan, this year he didn't take the steps expected. Perhaps too much thinking on replacing Jeff, the NBA or his offseason surgery. I hope this off season he uses to his full advantage. His handle and mid range game have to come around. IF they do, he will be unguardable. He also is too talented to limit himself to just shooting 3's.

Sapp....he's solid. I just wish he would limit the careless turnovers. I hope he emerges as the leader and brings the fire to this team and makes some of the more laid back members of the team to have more toughness.

Chris Wright...I have to think there is a good chance he starts next season. We all have become so used to Jon being so steady...and he'll be missed to start the year. However there is no denying Chris is the far more talented player. His quickness and play making ability is going to be such a great asset to the team. If his game matures, which all indications say it will...he will be special. You saw how different the offense looked in the Villanova game from him creating plays, he adds a whole different dimension.

Vern....Have to like what you saw yesterday. He needs to get stronger and more confident. He can thrive in a more uptempo pace which we should implement next season. I liked how he played over the last couple games. He'll have to be a consistent and more reliable option next season as the rest of the frontline will be freshmen.

Rivers...well, hopefully his offense comes around. At this point, I don't know if it will. He still brings defense and will be a junior that can provide experience. He will get minutes...but hopefully Jason Clark becomes what Rivers is with an offensive game. I still like Rivers, but he's a liability on offense.

Freeman....like him a lot. I hope he drops about 10lbs tho, and gets some quickness back. Maybe he can move to his natural 2 spot, which would be beneficial. He can shoot, that's for sure and he showed the capability of putting the ball on the floor and attacking, which is nice to see. His handle has to improve, too many careless TO's for him too. Like Wright, he can be special.

Nikita...maybe he becomes part of the rotation, I doubt it. But there's always a place for a kid who can shoot, which supposedly he does.

Wattad...He cares. Nice to see.

Greg Monroe - I can't wait for him to step on the court. Him at the top of the offense can be

. His passing is incredible for his size and he can put the ball on the floor. One thing I hope he brings is intensity. I think he might be like Jeff in the sense of laid back, but on nights we need him, he just won't let us lose. From what I hear he really is a strong rebounder and shot blocker which will be great to have and something we severely lacked this season.

Chris Braswell- I think I'm going to like this kid a hell of a lot. Tough, great rebounder. Hopefully a throwback Hoya. And from what I hear he has great footwork and is more skilled then given credit for. His rebounding can be used immediately next season.

Henry Sims- Versatile big man, who will play the 5 spot, probably coming off the bench. From what I've read, has a great face up game, and hopefully develops a back to the basket game. Again, a good shot blocker. Every recruiting site seems to be high on him, came on strong this past season.

Jason Clark - A sapp type guard who adds a lot of things to team. Does everything well. Has nearly 1000 rebounds in his HS career for a GUARD playing in one of the tougher conferences around. Supposedly can be the best defender on the team the moment he steps on the court. Which is saying something



Hopefully Vern can become a starter and Dajuan can move back to the 3, which would be great for him. It will be interesting to see if Chris Wright starts.

I think if Chris starts...

- Wright
- Sapp
-Freeman
- Summers
- Monroe

if not,

- Sapp
- Freeman
- Summers
- Monroe
- Macklin


The future is bright. The 09 class includes Hollis Thompson and most likely Dashonte Riley...and on top of that the 2010 class is loaded in the DMV.

I believe we are scratching the surface of what can be done here, and the 4 years are a great foundation.

What we are going to see is a faster paced team...JT3 is no dummy..

Georgetown held its annual basketball Media Day on yesterday afternoon. Coach John Thompson III, as well as senior guard Jessie Sapp, junior forward DaJuan Summers, and sophomore guards Austin Freeman and Chris Wright talked about the freshmen, last year's seniors, this season's schedule, fitness, goals, Jon Wallace's facial expressions, and more. Below are some highlights:

John Thompson III-

On last year's seniors (Hibbert, Wallace, Ewing, Crawford):

Everyone who has followed us and been around knows how special that group is to me. But they are gone. So, love them, and I think they love me, but they are gone. We're not going to dwell on who's not here, we are going to dwell on the guys who are here. The way this group is going to have success is probably going to be a little different than the way that group had success.

What we're not going to do, I think what the fans and maybe [the media] tend to do, is say 'okay, we're going to take Greg Monroe, Henry Simms, Julian Vaughn, and we are going to put them into Roy's hole'. I have never done that, the year starts and you start over and those guys make their own holes.

After the jump, just what kind of facial expressions does Jonathan Wallace have?

On this year's new look…

We are [faster]. The team is different. Obviously, can Chris possibly get down the court a little quicker than Jon? Possibly, probably, yes. All of those guys, the frontcourt guys, get up and down the court more than Roy. So now we have to figure out this team's strengths, so if the question is 'are we going to play faster?' probably. But at the same time, figuring out the best way to win games is what's important.

I think this team has the aptitude and the athletic ability to play at a faster pace than the teams in the past, but at the same time, they understand that at the end of the day halfcourt execution is what wins games. There's going to be a balance and there's going to be a blend; there's going to be an expectation by the coach to be good at all of them and not sacrifice one for the other.

On Greg Monroe…

He is a facilitator. For someone that came into college with the accolades and the hullabaloo that he did, you know, he is someone that will make his teammates a lot better. He has an affinity for passing, and he's picking up stuff in the small group workouts that we've had extremely fast. That's a compliment, that's something that's positive. But we will see. He is totally different, I can't stress this enough, and maybe it's natural to compare him to Roy, but Greg is totally different.

On the schedule…

It's rough. It's a tough schedule, and hopefully I'm not sitting here in April saying that was a mistake. What I wanted to do is find out who we are. We are going to be tested early. It's a very difficult schedule, in fact, the guy sitting over my right shoulder [John Thompson Sr.] thinks it's a very stupid schedule.

For this group it's more important to be tested, to learn, to grow, to improve, and just go through that evolution early. Hopefully we can do that without losing confidence. The league is brutal, so it's not like it's going to get any easier, but my hope and my plan is for this group to grow so that we are in a better position to be good once league play starts.

On Jessie Sapp…

He is a leader naturally. He has been. He's made an imprint on this team for several years now. He has an understanding more than anyone about what his coach wants. He has the ability to not only put himself in the right position, but how to put his teammates where they should be, more so than anyone else right now. That's a big responsibility.

On Chris Wright…

He is beyond his years in terms of his appreciation and knowledge of the game of basketball. He's healthy right now, but the fact of the matter is that he didn't play in the whole Big East season last year. He has to go through normal growth and experiences that people go through.

Now, he's a confident fellow, and that's what makes him special. It's not a question of Chris making the adjustment our freshmen are going to go through in terms of the level of competition and the rigors of practice, or the ebb and flow of the season, it's more the understanding of not only how to place himself but how to place his teammates.

On FSU transfer Julian Vaughn…

He brings experience. He's gone through the ACC. He's big, he's aggressive, and he makes shots, but he has to work on knowing what I want and how I want, but he already understands the collegiate experience.

DaJuan Summers:

On playing without last year's seniors…

It's just different. I can't say that it's harder or that things are going to be harder, I just think it's different. Of course I've grown attached to those guys, so just taking the things that they did and learning from those guys being one of the younger guys. Now I'm the older guy trying to continue that legacy.

On Greg Monroe…

I love the kid. He works tremendously hard and I love his personality, he's very charismatic. His skill set is very good and he's very aware of what's going on on the court. For a young guy it's not likely for him to have the understanding that he has, but I think that's one way he has a one-up on most of the freshmen in the Big East this year.

Chris Wright-

On this year's team…

We have a different team this year, and we can be fast but we are always going to be a great halfcourt team and we are always going to play defense. I think it's going to be the same brand, but it's going to be a lot more running I think.

On Jon Wallace…

What I learned most from him are his facial expressions, you know. He kept everything so secret. Whether he's having a great game-you know Jon can go out and hit as many threes as anybody-or if he's having a horrible game his facial expression was always the same and he always had a cool demeanor.

On playing in the Big East…

I've been ready. It's just a matter of me getting on the court and hopefully proving it. I'm ready for the challenge and I'm excited. The Big East is loaded with tons of guards, and tons of talented players period. I'm excited and I know my team is as well.

Jessie Sapp-

On this year's new look…

With the new guys I think we are going to have more of a fast-paced game. Coach is not going to take away from what he does, so we are still going to have our Princeton Offense, but I think we are going to have the tools to get up and down the court a little bit.

On the freshmen (Monroe, Simms, Clark) and FSU transfer Julian Vaughn…

Those guys work so hard. They came here with an open mind from the beginning and they've been working hard, so I think they've gotten a lot better. Everyone talks about Greg, but you know Henry, Jason, and Julian are working hard and they are going to be sleepers who work perfectly in our offense

On leadership…

I'm a vocal guy, a lead-by-example guy, I try to do it all. Coach will sometimes be like 'Jessie, just calm down,' but you know I just try to be more vocal and talk to the guys in a different manner, not to get them down on themselves, but to motivate them to want to be better. Those guys really take it in.

On last year's seniors…

Those guys were such classy guys. I never thought I'd meet a group of guys like them. Jon was the quiet one, and you know, this sounds funny, but he was the vocal leader and the quiet one. He talked to us a lot more than people think, and I learned that from him. I learned to lead by example from Roy because Roy didn't really talk to anybody, he just shows you what he can do at all times.

On offseason training…

I don't even want to talk about the fitness in the offseason, oh my god, a lot of suicides. I think I ran more this year than my first and second year combined. We get out in the open gym and are running together and no one is getting tired and we are getting up and down the floor with each other. I think it's going to help us in the long run to have both sides of that game, fast tempo and slow halfcourt set, I think it's going to be to our advantage.

On Greg Monroe…

He's coming in with the mind that he wants to learn. People talk about 'Oh, he's good, he's great, he's good, he's great,' but at the same time he's willing to learn more no matter who is talking to him, from [senior walk-on] Bryon Jansen all the way up to Big Coach Thompson [Sr.]. He takes from all them and he does what people ask him to do and that's what I like about him.

On being an underdog…

Personally, I love being the underdog. I love when people think we can't do this or can't do that. We'll show a lot of people, we'll shock the world. I think I've been the underdog so much and I've achieved so much from being the underdog that I just like being there. I like to overachieve sometimes. For us to be the underdog and for me knowing how much talent we have here-when we win it's going to feel that much better.

Greg, Chris and others add a different look. Offensively we'll run more. But still have the half court principles. Defensively, we'llrotate better, hedge on screens and switch on screens. And maybe occasionally extend the D. IF we can rebound this team can be very good defensively.

Overall, the season is on Dajuan and Greg...they have to rebound and be tough in the post. Offensively they really can create problems.

Vaughn was a huge addition after losing Macklin. I'm gona assume he's better. So that's a plus.

...

Schedule
2008-09 (0-0)
11/17: JACKSONVILLE
11/22: DREXEL
11/27: vs Wichita St. [1]
11/28: Old Spice Classic
11/30: Old Spice Classic
12/06: AMERICAN
12/08: SAVANNAH ST.
12/13: MEMPHIS
12/20: MT. ST. MARY'S
12/23: FLORIDA INTL.
12/29: at Connecticut [2]
01/03: PITTSBURGH
01/05: at Notre Dame
01/10: PROVIDENCE
01/14: SYRACUSE
01/17: at Duke
01/22: W. VIRGINIA
01/25: at Seton Hall
01/28: at Cincinnati
01/31: at Marquette
02/03: RUTGERS
02/07: CINCINNATI
02/14: at Syracuse
02/18: at S. Florida
02/21: MARQUETTE
02/23: LOUISVILLE
02/28: at Villanova
03/03: at St. John's
03/07: DEPAUL
[1] Orlando, FL
[2] Hartford, CT

....Last year I pegged the number at 24...and it was 24....this year I see 20 wins.

Overall, a shot at a Sweet 16 and if things break right...MAYBE one more round....or of course we could be gone in the first round....it's all match ups.

The Big East is brutal....probably a 5th or 6th place finish. III is just a better coach than others in the conference to be better than teams like Syracuse orWest Virginia.

..
Chris speaks





"Greg is..special...Greg is, very special."

..
For tonight..


Committed players (2009) - Hollis Thompson, DaShonte Riley,

Committed players (2010) - Nate Lubick, Markel Starks

Recruited players (2010) - RoscoeSmith, Rod Odom, Jelan Kendricks

Recruited players (2011) - Michael Gbinije, Quinn Cook, Chris Martin, John Manning, C.J. Barksdale

Recruited players (2012) - Kyle Anderson, JamaalLewis

And Terrence Jones and Will Barton rumored to be.

That is a boat load of talent...

The program is still scratching the surface....JTIII is not finishing here without multiple titles. I firmly believe that.

Impressed by the efficient throttling the Hoyas authored in his own backyard, Matta offered up his highest praise, "Coach, keep playing like that and you're liable to win a national championship."

Without a second's hesitation, Thompson squeezed Matta's hand and replied simply, "I know."

It wasn't the answer Matta expected, not from the second-year coach of a seventh-seeded team making its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2001. No matter how impressive the pedigree, such a comment was memorable coming from a coach preparing to make his first trip to the Sweet 16.
"There was no arrogance in his words," Matta says. "In fact, the thing that struck me is he didn't even say it with confidence as much as inevitability. Aside from being glad he wasn't coaching in the Big Ten, I thought, 'Wow, there goes a man of singular purpose.'
"We will win a national championship. We will."

LET'S GOOOO

 

[rellbettablues]

+%!$* please.

 

[messiahchild]

Originally Posted by RellBettaBlues

+%!$* please.

 

[lnmymind]

This team is going to surprise so many people. If JT3 lets them go...they're going to flat out just run past and jump over dudes. This is the most athleticteam from top to bottom they've had in years.

 

[worldbeefreeg]

what do you expect out of Jason Clark this year Allen?

 

[allen3xis]

Originally Posted by RellBettaBlues

+%!$* please.

Takin peteys place, are we?

..

what do you expect out of Jason Clark this year Allen?
Everyone loves him so far. He'll log big minutes off the bench. An upgrade over Rivers, for sure. People say he is extremely quick. And itcarries over on both ends.

This is the most athletic team from top to bottom they've had in years.
Definitely, since 96...or actually maybe 01. That team was deep with talent, just an awful coach.

 

[DeadsetAce]

Good stuff, Allen....

 

[rellbettablues]

Originally Posted by allen3xis

Originally Posted by RellBettaBlues

+%!$* please.

Takin peteys place, are we?

..

what do you expect out of Jason Clark this year Allen?

Everyone loves him so far. He'll log big minutes off the bench. An upgrade over Rivers, for sure. People say he is extremely quick. And it carries over on both ends.

This is the most athletic team from top to bottom they've had in years.
Definitely, since 96...or actually maybe 01. That team was deep with talent, just an awful coach.

 

[downyboy]

Originally Posted by lnMyMind

This team is going to surprise so many people. If JT3 lets them go...they're going to flat out just run past and jump over dudes. This is the most athletic team from top to bottom they've had in years.

and if he doesn't let them run i'm calling for his resignation. theres no point to have a team with these type of players if you're not going toutilize their natural athletic ability. with that said, this year's season tickets are now paid in full. can't wait for Nov. 17.

 

[d723]

Allen I can't wait for Midnight Madness tonight ... But the Hoyas have always been a favorite of mine to watch play. Greg is gonna be THAT dude.

But you already know we got this on December 13th

 

[allen3xis]

and if he doesn't let them run i'm calling for his resignation.
C'mon now

. They'll run more...but even if theydidn't...it'd still be a damn good team.
But I do agree..it's time to put these athletes to use. He just has to find a balance in doing so. Half court basketball wins the games in March.

 

[downyboy]

[h1]Team preview: Georgetown[/h1]
Blue Ribbon Yearbook

[h2]COACH AND PROGRAM[/h2]
When John Thompson III arrived at Georgetown in 2004, he faced a huge rebuilding project. The Hoyas were coming off a 13-15 season, the second losing season in six years for a program that hadn't finished below .500 since the 1972-73 campaign.

Even worse, Georgetown, the Big East's standard bearer in the league's formative years in the 1980s, had become an afterthought in the conference. A 4-12 league record in 2003-04 marked the fifth time in the last seven years Georgetown finished under .500 in the Big East.

In stepped Thompson, taking over the family business his Hall of Fame father had started back in 1972. Craig Esherick, the long-time assistant to the original John Thompson, had proved overmatched in the head coach's chair. The younger Thompson not only brought a sense of pride and tradition back to Georgetown, he also brought his father's gravitas and no-nonsense style.

[h4]Georgetown Hoyas[/h4]
[table][tr][td]Last Season[/td] [td]28-6 (.824)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Conference Record[/td] [td]15-3 (1st)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Starters Lost/Returning[/td] [td]2/3[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Coach[/td] [td]John Thompson III (Princeton '8[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Record At School[/td] [td]100-36 (4 years)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Career Record[/td] [td]168-78 (8 years)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]RPI Last 5 years[/td] [td]141-77-36-9-8[/td] [/tr][/table]

Facing his rebuilding task, Thompson started with the foundation. His first freshman class included Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert and Jonathan Wallace. Those three eventually led the Hoyas back to the 2007 Final Four, Georgetown's first Final Four appearance since the days of Patrick Ewing. While Green entered the NBA draft after the 2007 season, Wallace and Hibbert remained. They were fixtures for all four of their years at GeorgetownWallace started every game in his career, while Hibbert started all but 15 games back in his freshman season.

"Roy, as a big man, has been the center of what we were doing literally and figuratively for quite a while. We're going to miss him,'' Thompson said. "Jonathan has been our leader; both on and off the court, for four years.

"They weren't just good players. When I came in and started the program, Jon and Roy were the type of people I wanted. We're going to miss them.''

Faced with Phase II of his rebuilding effort, Thompson said his latest recruiting class will be pressed into service right away.

"These freshmen are going to play,'' Thompson said. "They don't have the luxury of time. I said that with my first group. They'll be thrown in there right away.''
[h2]PLAYERS[/h2]
The incoming freshmen could eventually rival the trio of Green/Hibbert/Wallace. Their prep clippings certainly catch the eye. And the group's two biggest recruits could wind up being cornerstones for the Hoyas over the next four years.

Greg Monroe (#10), a 6-11, 250-pound freshman from Helen Cox High School in Harvey, La., earned McDonald's All-America honors last year and was Mr. Basketball in the state of Louisiana each of the last two years. He averaged 19.9 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots in leading Cox to the 2008 Class 4A state championship.

Monroe is a solid big man with good strength for a youngster who can also step out and face the basket. He can play center or power forward, especially if the weight he added over the last year to go from 225 to 250 pounds doesn't hinder some of his athleticism.

[h4]Blue Ribbon Previews[/h4]

Take an Inside look at the Big East with Blue Ribbon's 2008-09 team reports:

[table][tr][td]Cincinnati
Connecticut
DePaul
Georgetown
Louisville

Marquette
Notre Dame
Pittsburgh
Providence
Rutgers
Seton Hall
South Florida
St. John's
Syracuse
Villanova
West Virginia
[/td] [/tr][/table]
"With his skill level, his ability to rebound and then put the ball on the floor, he'll do things the traditional center does, things the traditional four does and things the traditional three does,'' Thompson said. "He'll have to do all those things.''
Joining Monroe in Georgetown's frontcourt of the future (and present) will be Henry Sims (#30), a 6-10, 225-pound freshman from Mount St. Joseph High School in Baltimore, Md. Sims, who averaged a double-double in high school, is a long-armed athlete. He can run the floor like a small forward, but on defense, he's an exceptional shot blocker. Offensively Sims needs some polish, but he can score, as evidenced by his 32-point outburst against prep powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in a tournament at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame last January.

"He saw significant improvement between his junior and senior years of high school,'' Thompson said. "He'll be a key to what we do.''

Georgetown needs its two young big men to play right away, because Hibbert wasn't the only departure from the frontcourt, which also lost graduated senior Patrick Ewing, Jr. and would-be junior center Vernon Macklin, who transferred to Florida.

But Georgetown's front line will still be highlighted by the emerging star that is DaJuan Summers (#3, 11.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.5 apg, .429 FG, .342 3PT, .707 FT), a 6-8, 236-pound junior. Much was expected of Summers last year after a freshman season in which he started 34 out of 37 games and averaged 9.2 points and 3.7. Green's departure figured to create more opportunities for Summers, but his breakout season never really happened. He struggled to gain consistency, falling short of double-digits 14 times. But the low offensive numbers weren't all his fault. Georgetown's methodical offensive system holds down the individual scoring statistics; Summers' 11.1 points per game were second on the team only to Hibbert's 13.4 average.

Georgetown should play a lot faster this year, which should help Summers and propel him into the upper-echelon of Big East players.

"I'm extremely confident he'll have a successful year,'' Thompson said, adding that Summers has a stronger scoring instinct than Green. "The complexion of our team has changed, and he's been through the rigors of the Big East for two years now. The scouting reports are going to be written around him, and I think he's ready for that challenge.''

If Monroe or Sims starts at center and Summers ends up at power forward, Thompson could go with a smaller, but more experienced lineup, by putting 6-4 sophomore Austin Freeman (#15, 9.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.6 apg, .513 FG, .400 3PT, .816 FT) at small forward. Freeman started 23 games as a freshman. He came on late in the season, including a 15-point game in the regular-season finale against Louisville that clinched the Big East crown for the Hoyas. Freeman possesses a strong frame and accurate jumper. He hit 40 out of 100 shots from three-point range as a freshman, giving Thompson the option of playing him at the off-guard spot at times.

"He's someone who as a freshman had the luxury of just being out there,'' Thompson said. "He's a very good offensive player. The game seems to come easy to him. I think Austin's in a position to have a very good sophomore year.''

Georgetown's frontcourt will also include 6-9, 246-pound sophomore Julian Vaughn (#22, 3.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg), who transferred from Florida State last spring because of an illness in his family. Because of the personal nature of the transfer, the NCAA granted Vaughn a waiver so he won't have to sit out this season.

If the freshmen Monroe and Sims, aren't ready, Vaughn could step into the center role right away. Thompson thinks the Georgetown system, which is built on centers, could be a better fit for Vaughn.

"He's a big, strong kid,'' Thompson said. "He's an aggressive kid. I like that. He's had a year of college ball under his belt, so he understands the length of the season. He's going to be a presence for us.''

Freshman Nikita Mescheriakov (#5), a 6-8 freshman from Minsk, Belarus and St. John's Prospect Hall in Frederick, Md., sat out last season at Georgetown after the NCAA ruled he was ineligible for the first 10 games of the year.

"Prior to coming to this country, Nikita briefly participated with a professional team in Europe,'' Thompson said.

Despite the fact that Mescheriakov was not paid, he had to sit. That put him behind and he wound up taking a pass on the entire season. Eventually, Thompson thinks Mescheriakov could become a three-point threat at small forward.

"It gave him a chance to get acclimated to being here and what we're doing,'' Thompson said. "He added 15 pounds. He's in position now after a year to be able to step in and help.''

Even with the loss of Wallace along with that of defensive ace Jeremiah Rivers, who transferred to Indiana, the Georgetown backcourt will be one of the best in the Big East.

Start with the vastly underrated 6-3 senior Jessie Sapp (#21, 9.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.2 spg, .438 FG, .411 3PT, .759 FT). Sapp started every game the last two seasons. He's technically the shooting guard, and he did knock down 62-of-151 shots from three-point range last season. But it was Sapp (not Jonathan Wallace) who led the Hoyas in assists. Thompson will lean heavily on Sapp, who is the only scholarship senior on the team.

"He just makes plays,'' Thompson said. "You look at Jessie and analyze him and you wish he could do more of this or you wish he could do that more. But he consistently makes plays.''

Chris Wright (#4, 5.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.1 apg, .486 FG, .478 3PT, .522 FT), a 6-1 sophomore, will take over Wallace's vacated spot at the point. Nothing against Wallace, who ran the Georgetown offense with steady efficiency for four years, but Wright might represent an upgrade at the position. Wright, a former McDonald's All-American out of St. John's High School in Washington D.C., played in only 16 games last season after suffering a severe ankle sprain. "For all intents and purposes, he wasn't 100 percent in those games,'' Thompson said. "Because he was injured last year, people forget about him and what a terrific player he is.''

More than anything else, Wright brings more quickness to the court, which will energize Georgetown's transition offense and also provide for better defense on the ball.

Sapp will be Wright's backup at the point, while Freeman could step in for Sapp at the two. But backcourt depth will come from Omar Wattad and Jason Clark, a pair of underclassmen. Sophomore Wattad (#31, 1.0 ppg, 0.4 rpg), a solid 6-5 and 225 pounds, played sparingly as a freshman, appearing in just 11 games. Two years ago, though, he averaged 20 points per game at Science Hill High in Johnson City, Tenn. Thompson thinks Wattad's ability to hit the three-pointer will help keep defenses honest.

"He took a year to adapt and grow,'' Thompson said. "We're going to need to get some time out of him.''

Clark (#20), a 6-2 freshman from Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Va., quickly caught Thompson's attention with his hustle, defense and all-around game.

"Jason just fills up a stat sheet,'' Thompson said. "He's in perpetual motion. The kid doesn't get tired. I think he's going to be in the mix.''
[h2]BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS[/h2]BACKCOURT: B+
BENCH/DEPTH: B
FRONTCOURT: B+
INTANGIBLES: B

People writing off the Hoyas are making the critical mistake of looking at who Georgetown lost and forgetting about who returns.

Yes, everybody loved Roy Hibbert and Jonathan Wallace, and rightly so. Those two players, along with Jeff Green, helped John Thompson III resurrect the Georgetown program. But in Hibbert, Georgetown loses a 7-2 center who averaged a mediocre 6.4 rebounds plus 13.4 points per game. In Wallace, Georgetown does lose a mistake-free point guard, but at 2.6 assists per game, how much offense was Wallace creating? Mistake free also meant taking no chances and putting no pressure on the opposing defense.

Look for a different type of Hoya Paranoia this season. Wright figures to have the pedal to the metal with Sapp, Freeman and Summers flying down the court with him. The plodding Hibbert will be replaced by the Greg Monroe-Henry Sims-Julian Vaughn triumvirate.

It's a solid group, one that could easily break out of the Big East's muddled midsection and into its upper crust.

"We're going to be young, but I think we're extremely talented,'' Thompson said. "In [the fall], this group will start the process of coming together. I think they have a chance to be very good. We have some young players in our freshmen and even the sophomores that will be key to what we do this year. There's no substitute for experience, but our expectations are to do what we've done before, which is win.''

 

[lmbassclown]

It's been a while since I've written on this thread, I used to run this with allen back in the glory days of the '06-07 season when Jeff, Roy, andJon rampaged through the Big East and to the Final Four and I told a 10-year old St. John's fan to go blow his dad (who was standing next to him) a afterhe called me a h*mo during a Georgetown-St. John's game at the Garden. I kept mostly silent during last season, taking the loss of Jeff Green pretty hard,and having the feeling throughout the entire season that our squad lacked the die-hard attitude, the confidence, the desire to win and play at the highestlevel, and the heart they needed to succeed. As much as I may miss Hibbert and Wallace, it's refreshing to see a relatively fresh squad that a lot ofso-called experts doubt will do much damage this season. As beloved as he might be, Hibbert couldn't block or rebound at the level that he should havewith his 7'2 frame while a guy like Hasheem Thabeet would. He lacked the intensity and confidence that was necessary to lead this squad last season. Asfor Jon, he could never run a fast-paced offense, did not run the point as well as he did in 07 (probably because he had Jeff to help), and didn't creategreat offense.

For a team that stressed running a Princeton offense, I could probably count on my fingers the number of backdoor cuts and passes that we made last year,compared to two seasons ago. A team that fails to run the offense that it dedicates itself to is a team that's bound to fail. We couldn't reboundeven though we had size. We didn't attack the basket. We depended on shooting threes, which were not always consistent and made players less confident indriving to the hoop. That's exactly what happened last season.

With this year's new squad, I like how they're in a position of adversity where they are forced to prove themselves, instead of being cursed with anundeservedly high rank and a weak schedule that doesn't challenge them. They need to be doubted and underrated. They're not a UNC or a Duke, theyshouldn't get a high rank that'll make them arrogant and play down to their competition. Win or lose, it's going to be exciting what this new teamis going to bring. From what I've read, it looks like we've been working really hard in the offseason. I like to see that we're becoming a fasterteam and that the players, despite the loss of Hibbert and Wallace, are becoming confident.

I've been hyping Chris Wright up since before he ever suited up in blue and gray. The dude averaged 30.1 PPG in high school and is lightning-fast, morethan capable of running a faster offense, with much more potential than Jon Wallace. Although he will experience some growing pains, having missed a hugechunk of last season, I think that being forced in a position where he's the only true and worthy PG to handle the offense will make him play to the bestof his great ability. I think he'll surprise a lot of people this season who have forgotten about him.

It looks like Austin Freeman has shed some poundage and will be ready to move up and down the court better than he did last season. It irritated me that aguard as talented as he is would limit himself to shooting threes all day instead of driving to the hoop and that he was playing the 3-spot when he should besticking to SG.

As for Jesse Sapp, he's put in a position where he has no choice but to lead this team, being the only senior. He had more assists than Wallace did andcan shoot from the perimeter. He seems confident, ready to lead, and I think he'll get leadership help from Summers.

Dajuan was a huge disappointment last year, probably giving in to the pressure that he had to replace Jeff when they are different players. Dajuan is mostcomfortable at the 3-spot and I'm hoping that with the addition of Monroe, Sims, and Vaughn, he'll be able to return to that spot on a more consistentbasis. Just like with Freeman, I didn't like how he was put in a position he's not completely suited for, at PF, and I think that damaged hisconfidence a bit. He needs to stop settling for threes and also learn to attack the basket. I'm hoping to see more Jordan-esque dunks, along the lines ofthe one he made while sonning UNC in the final minutes of overtime in the 07 Elite Eight.

As for our number one recruit, Greg Monroe has the potential to be something really great. A power forward/center who can rebound and block, but can pass andshoot like a guard can be the piece that ties the whole team together. As long as he plays to the best of his ability, stops being lazy, and is confidentenough, I think he's going to be dominant. He really has no choice, since JTIII is pressing his top recruits right into service.

I think Henry Sims is an underrated big body, who will take the pressure off of Monroe to play true center and will be able to get blocks and boards that weremissing last season with Hibbert. Clark will be a reliable bench guard, who is also underrated. Getting Vaughn from FSU was a great move to plug the holeleft by the departure of Vernon Macklin, who never could learn the Georgetown system.

In regards to our schedule, I like how we're playing Duke in January. This game always seems to wake us up. We're going to be playing in the OldSpice tournament and get a taste of talent not limited to the Big East. I think the teams we play will make us play our best, instead of getting complacent oroverconfident. All in all, win or lose, I'm excited to see what's going to happen this season. It's going to be good.

 

[allen3xis]

If tonight's display is any indication, future Georgetown squads will have little trouble forging team chemistry.
"It's beautiful having all the recruits here who have verballed," Georgetown Prep junior Markel Starks said as he palled around with fellow2010 commit Nate Lubick and 2009 commits Hollis Thompson and Dashonte Riley.

"But what about this guy?" Thompson wondered, pointing to the fifth member of the group, Jalen Kendrick, the No. 26 recruit in the class of 2010,according to Rivals.

Kendrick broke into a wide smile and said he was "just waiting for the word" from Starks before commiting to Georgetown. "I'm gonna letthe hype die down first," he said, getting the rest of the group to combust into laughter.

Who knows whether he'll actually come here - there are so many variables with recruiting - but he certainly seems to be seriously considering it.

"This is our [Hollis and Dashonte] second time here," Thompson said. "The first time was a good experience. It's nice to come back andenjoy some more of it…We get a good feel for school spirit - can see what to expect."

Thompson spent his first three seasons at Loyola High School in the Los Angeles area and will spend his senior year at De La Salle in Concord, Calif.

"Georgetown is a great school," said Starks. "We got Hollis, I like that, he's a great player.

"Dashonte, he's the future big man. We have my other buddy [Lubick] over here. Hopefully Jalen Kendrick."

The most important thing, Starks said, was that each of the four commits considered both basketball and academics before committing.

"Basketball, the school itself, it's pretty prestigious," he said.

As for Riley?

"He said everything" he said, pointing at the loquacious Starks.

"When I talked to the first Coach Thompson [Jr.], that was it. I wanted to come here," he said.

Georgetown has "a pretty good track record of developing great big men," he said. "I'd like to prove I can be a great big man likeAlonzo, Patrick."

Kidded Thompson: "The big man tradition was important for me too. That way I can just shoot and they'll get the rebounds and pass it backout."

"We have great forwards and guards coming in too," Riley added.

Lubick, a bit more reserved and already having spoken to The Hoya, stood by quietly but seemed just as much a part of the budding group of friends.

These guys really seem tight. They could be seen together posing for pictures for their parents. And Kenrick is supposed to be a great player, so Hoyasfans should hope he does indeed follow suit.

Friday, October 17th, 2008 Uncategorized

 

[wildkycat]

how you get a screenname with "%@@ clown" in it?

 

[i nasmatic i]

Originally Posted by LMBAssclown

I told a 10-year old St. John's fan to go blow his dad (who was standing next to him) a after he called me a h*mo during a Georgetown-St. John's game at the Garden.

 

[allen3xis]

Can tell Jessie shed a few and is in great shape.

Raft : Have a great year.
Chris : Ok. We will.

 

[allen3xis]

2007-8 Season Statistics

All available games

  Player                 Min     On    Off     On/40  Off/40  Net/40    Summers, DaJuan      730:22   +196   +83     +10.7  +9.2    +1.5             Ewing, Patrick       582:43   +114   +165    +7.8   +13.0   -5.1             Hibbert, Roy         741:40   +290   -11     +15.6  -1.3    +16.9          Wallace, Jonathan    764:25   +268   +11     +14.0  +1.3    +12.7               Sapp, Jessie         722:31   +246   +33     +13.6  +3.6    +10.0          Macklin, Vernon      335:07   -9     +288    -1.1   +15.2   -16.3            Wright, Chris        198:34   +31    +248    +6.2   +11.1   -4.9           Rivers, Jeremiah     513:12   +37    +242    +2.9   +16.7   -13.8              Freeman, Austin      690:28   +215   +64     +12.5  +6.4    +6.1             Crawford, Tyler      131:33   +4     +275    +1.2   +11.5   -10.2            Wattad, Omar         31:50    +9     +270    +11.3  +10.2   +1.1       Safe to say we aren't gona miss Vern and Jeremiah much...to calculate Jessie Sapp's Net Offensive Efficiency:Jessie Sapp played 1171 offensive possessions, and the Hoyas scored 1298 points while he was on the court.

[1298 / 1171 x 100 = 110.8 Off. Eff. on-court]
He sat for 561 offensive possessions, and the Hoyas scored 585 pointswhile he sat.

[585 / 561 x 100 = 104.3 Off. Eff. off-court]
So Jessie Sapp's Net Off. Eff. is equal to:

(Off. Eff. on-court - Off. Eff. off-court) + Team Off. Eff. =
(110.8 - 104.3) + 108.7 = +6.5 + 108.7 = 115.2 pts/100 possessions


Before I jump into the defensive analysis, I first want to see if my idea that player-based on-court / off-court netefficiency correlates to individual player rating holds water. To do this, I'll take a look at each player's net offensive efficiency versusindividual offensive rating for last season.

One last point before I go on, the individual player ratings here won't match exactly with what either Pomeroy or I post for season totals. Since Idon't have play-by-play data for all games, I re-ran the player ratings using box score data only for games that also had p-b-p data [to see which gamesare missing, go to the player page].

Let's take a look (as always, click any image to enlarge):





This seems to work quite well! Players in the upper right of the graph are the best offensive players by either metric, while players in the lower left are not carrying their weight. The red line is a linear fit to all the data (r = 0.81), excluding Bryon Janson, who just doesn't have enough playing time to generate meaningful stats. The slope of the line is about 0.55, significantly less than 1, which is actually to be expected. The Net Team Efficiency stat doesn't completely isolate a player from his teammates in the way that Off. Rating attempts to do; since there is variability player-to-player, the range of the Net. Team Eff. stat gets compressed - a bad offensive player surrounded by good players will look better than he is.

The strong correlation indicates that the two statistics are highly coupled (co-variant). Individual offensive rating is a fairly well-accepted statistic, and it seems to do a good job of measuring how important a player is to teamefficiency. Of course, the converse should also be true - team offensive efficiency as a function of each player on or off the court is a good measure ofindividual offensive value.

Moreover, and here's where I may be stretching the statistics a bit, the scatter plot can tell us a bit more: if a player is above the line, he makes theteam more efficient than expected based upon Off. Rating (i.e. the player is underrated by Oliver/Pomeroy/etc.) while if he is below the line, he is overrated.Keep in mind that there are considerable uncertainties for the data on both axes that are not shown or even calculated, because that would make my life a lotharder. But it looks like Jessie Sapp and Roy Hibbert were underrated offensively last season, while Patrick Ewing Jr. and Vernon Macklin were overrated.


Now, let's now take a look at the defensive side. The math as the same as presented above, just looking at defensive possessions now.





Things here are not so clear-cut as for offense. There is poor correlation between the two data sets (r = 0.11), so I've just thrown a 1:1 line onto thechart. Note that both axes have their scaling reversed (they get smaller as you head away from the origin), since a lower defensive rating or efficiency isbetter. Again, players in the upper right corner are the best defenders, those in the lower left are the worst.

One thing that I notice immediately is that the scaling for the two statistics is much closer to 1:1 than for offense. We already expect that Net Def. Ratingshould be compressed since we can't isolate individual players, only their effect on the team while on the court. But here, the Def. Rating stat showsabout the same scaling meaning either a) there isn't as large a difference between a good and bad defensive player as there is for an offensive player, orb) the Def. Rating stat isn't able to isolate individual defensive skills.

To take this a bit further, we demonstrated above that the Net. Efficiency methodology for offense seems to work quite well in correlating to a"good" measure of offensive prowess, albeit on a somewhat compressed scale. Since the method is identical for defense and offense, there's noreason to expect Net Efficiency to stop working for defense. Therefore, it could be argued (I just did) that Net. Def. Eff. is a better measure than Def.Rating.

 

[allen3xis]

almost there

 

[allen3xis]

The D.C. area remains a basketball hotbed, and Georgetown continues to sign the District's top talent.

By Fiore Mastroianni // Hoya Staff Writer

For a small Catholic school without a state, planted in between the Universities of Maryland and Virginia, it would be easy for Georgetownto get lost in the recruiting shuffle. But a commitment to seeing local high school students early and often has given Head Coach John Thompson III a leg uparound the Beltway.

New York is the basketball Mecca and Philadelphia has Broad Street, but D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia areproducing some of nation's best ball players, and one needs to look no further than Georgetown's most recent additions to the NBA to see how localtalent has changed the face of the program. Green, Roy Hibbert (COL '0 and Michael Sweetney all came from inside the Beltway.

In recent years, the D.C. area has become a font for future NCAA and NBA stars.

The 2002-2003 season and Linas Kleiza of Montrose Christian (Md.) marked the flood of D.C. area players making their mark on the NBA andcollege after a period of time when the District fell well behind New York and Philadelphia in national prominence.

The next season was even richer with Rudy Gay, Green, Hibbert and Sam Young of Pittsburgh graduating.

Green's Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Kevin Durant was The Washington Post's player of the year in 2005-2006.

And Michael Beasley, the most talented freshman in college last season and a favorite for the NBA's rookie of the year award thisyear, grew up in and around Fredrick, Md., and most of the half dozen high schools and preparatory academies he attended are in the area.

Georgetown is small. There is no getting around the fact when talking about the Hoyas and recruiting.

With an undergraduate population one-sixth the size of Maryland's, no on-campus arena and a shared practice facility, something elsedraws the area's best to McDonough.

"The whole basketball organization and the school itself is like a big family, and that's what draws a lot of people here,"sophomore guard Austin Freeman says.

Besides a beautiful campus, Georgetown had to rely on its history and Allen Iverson's popularity to keep recruits interested whilethey suffered through the NIT years of Head Coach Craig Esherick (MSB '78, LAW '82).


Allen Iverson is the Answer to a small school

Iverson was not the best role model, and his off-court troubles made the news, but his prolific scoring and devil-may-care attitude caughtattention and made him popular.

"Just watching [Iverson] growing up, that's who I wanted to be," says Villanova guard Scottie Reynolds of Herndon, Va.

"I had the braids back then, No. 3 [jersey] in high school, baggy shorts, everything. I'm from Virginia, I played on the BooWilliams [AAU team], A.I. is just somebody you respect."

While the flashy Iverson kept Georgetown in the minds of aspiring eighth graders across the country, Georgetown the institution, the eliteschool that could ball, never lost its place with those nearby.

"Georgetown was always a great place. The campus is very beautiful," Villanova senior forward Dwayne Anderson says.

Anderson, a D.C. native, says he grew up a Georgetown fan like Reynolds even though Maryland was the more successful team during theirformative years.


Villanova's Scottie Reynolds grew up a Georgetown fan.

"The thing about Georgetown is, it's not a state school, it's not like that. It's either something you grow up into orsomething you fall in love with," Reynolds explains.

"It has its own different kind of setting how they reach people. … But then you see the basketball side where it's not Maryland,it's not UVA."

Reynolds, like Georgetown junior forward DaJuan Summers, believes what makes Georgetown different is the sense of history the school hasand the physical connection to that history in Head Coach John Thompson III.

"Players and fans know that if you're going to be a part of Georgetown, you have to have a winning spirit," Summerssays.

"You've got to be a winner. And that's part of the reason why I committed here, just the history and the legacy and knowingI'd become a better overall basketball player being in this atmosphere."

Making initial contact with high-caliber recruits has been made easier by Georgetown's success on the court reestablishing it as alegitimate contender and churning up memories of the 1980s heyday and, more importantly, Georgetown winning basketball games.

Thompson's arrival and subsequent success made Georgetown a more attractive choice for local recruits.

While Georgetown used to be a school with a winning past, it was stuck in mediocrity for the better part of the 1990s and early 2000s.

The transition to being the favorite made Georgetown the local school to play for even after Maryland's national championship in2002.

"I mean at the end of the day, doesn't everything come down to winning?" Thompson says.

"That may sound cold; that's reality. At the end of the day, it's about winning. Now, you take our winning as well aseverything else this institution has to offer, and then I think that can separate us."

And it has separated Georgetown.

The best local recruits have been high on Georgetown since Thompson established himself.

Freeman and freshman guard Jason Clark were The Washington Post's player of the year their senior years, and all four players from theD.C. area on this season's roster were named to the prestigious All-Met first team their senior year of high school.

Of The Washington Post's last eight players of the year, two play for Georgetown, one is a senior at Villanova and four, Kevin Durant,Rudy Gay, Linas Kleiza and Delonte West start for NBA teams.


Austin Freeman was a Washington Post player of the year his senior season.

As much as he has made winning a priority, Thompson, has done just as well creating meaningful relationships with players and aninstitution young players want to be a part of - and a local institution that takes care of its own.

"It is important to Georgetown's mission. It is important to President DeGioia that Georgetown is an integral part of what goeson in Washington, D.C.," Thompson says.

"Georgetown's presence in Washington is something in athletics and beyond athletics, basketball and beyond basketball. It issomething that is important to our president, something that is important to me."

Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.) Head Coach Joseph Wooten spent four years with Clark, the first player from O'Connell to come to Georgetown.Wooten says that Thompson made it a point to make a personal connection with Clark, especially since there was no previous O'Connell-Georgetownconnection.

"I know Jason felt like he had a great relationship with the coaches and felt like it was an up-and-coming program and they werereally turning things around. … With Jason, they started recruiting him when he was a freshman in high school. It didn't mean they were offeringscholarships at that point, but they were there and they were letting him know they were interested."

Besides getting to players early, Thompson goes his own way on the recruiting trail, unfazed by reported rankings or how many teams may beinterested in a recruit. According to Wooten, Thompson and his staff have complete faith in their own judgment.

"The thing I like about them is they know what they want and they go after what they want," Wooten says.


Jason Clark joined Freeman and a list of NBA players as the all-Met player of the year.

"They don't worry about what else is going on around them. A lot of times you get the, 'Oh, who else is recruiting him,'but they don't care. … It goes both ways. Let's say nobody is going after a kid, they'll go after him if they think he's the rightkid."

Thompson's job is made easier by the sheer number of Division I recruits in the area and a level of high school play not seen in mostother cities.

More important to Thompson and his heady Princeton-style offense is the quality of local play and the coaches that direct it.

"There are a lot of other pockets you can go to where they have a lot of good players, but they aren't really getting schooled.But the level of the coaching in this area, I think, is terrific," Thompson says.

With so much well-coached talent nearby, Thompson can be discerning with the high school players he makes offers to, and that proximitylets him monitor progress of those he is considering.

Pittsburgh Head Coach Jamie Dixon laments the comparative dearth of high-quality high school players in his area and the difficulty he hasin watching players develop.

"You see a kid his junior year of high school and some people say he's the best player in his year based on what he did hissophomore year," Dixon said.

"Then you may not get a chance to see him all of his senior year of high school. There's a lot of development that can go on witha 17-year-old kid - his senior year of high school - and the player you get maybe isn't the player you thought you saw. And that happens a lot, you may notactually see a guy in person for a whole year."

For Thompson, the best local high school players are no more than a half-hour's drive away, and Wooten says that Thompson hasdistinguished himself by the number and quality of appearances he makes at high school games.

"It's not just John or Craig Esherick. … Every single coach has his own way of doing things," Wooten says. "One thingthat John and his staff do a really nice job of is they're in the gym a lot. They do a good job of getting out and seeing the players play."


John Thompson III separates himself from other coaches on the recruiting trail with his visits to high school games.

The word "family" comes up often when talking to recruits and coaches about Thompson and Georgetown - not because Thompson isfollowing his father at Georgetown, but because those players and coaches see a coach who cares about his players and is building an honest program.

When freshman center Greg Monroe committed to Georgetown a year ago, he said that Georgetown was smaller than his hometown's LSU, andhe liked that sense of community.

When freshman center Henry Sims committed to the Hoyas in his junior year of high school, he said that the connection he had withAssistant Coach Robert Burke played a large role in his decision to commit so early.

In the Big East, Villanova competes most directly with Georgetown for local recruits because of the two schools' proximity.

"I have great respect for John, and if they're recruiting a guy, I like that because I know what John likes," Villanova HeadCoach Jay Wright says.

"And I like what he likes. Sometimes with other schools, if they're recruiting a guy, we might not want him. We say, 'Oh,that coach is interested in him, hmm.' But with Georgetown, we like it."

Villanova's Reynolds, Anderson and senior forward Dante Cunningham and Georgetown's Chris Wright all seriously considered bothschools.

The two schools have similar Big East histories and reputations for success, and head coaches known for recruiting level-headed players.As schools and as rival basketball teams, Georgetown and Villanova have become more alike.

"I think what's happening, for whatever reason, is … the image of our programs is becoming similar, and I think that's whyall the guys we have from the Maryland-Virginia area considered Georgetown and have great respect for Georgetown," Wright says.

Wright credits Georgetown for helping him recruit better players, tipping his cap to the fact that Georgetown has had the upper hand inthe conference the last few years.

As area recruits consider Villanova and the Hoyas, they see limited playing time at Georgetown because of the high-caliber players alreadythere, Wright says.

By cultivating a strong presence in the area and brining together smart, top-talent local recruits, Thompson has created a core of localswho know each other before enrolling, have played with and against each other and have a common frame of reference for their past.

"It's fun because we all know each other. It's not like we're new to each other," Summers says on seeing familiarfaces from the start.

"You get a one-up on most guys coming into college. They need to figure out where they're from. We already know where we'refrom and how we feel about the school and why we're here. We went through the process together; we were there together."



...



Jessie Sapp's toughness was born on the playgrounds of Harlem. It has shown on the courts of theBig East.

By Bailey Heaps // Hoya Staff Writer

Chapter I: New York

The rain starts to fall, but that doesn't bother Jessie Sapp. He's going to keep shooting. The rain picks up. He shoots some more.His stepfather, that afternoon's H-O-R-S-E opponent, runs inside to escape the downpour. Jessie keeps hoisting up shot after shot. The deluge continues,but so does Jessie Sapp.

He doesn't miss.

Looking back six years later, Sapp points to that afternoon as critical to his development as a basketball player.


Jessie Sapp learned the game of basketball on this court in Harlem.

"My stepfather told me that was the best moment - that's the best thing I could have possibly done, continuing to work on mygame, no matter what," he says. "After he told me that, I've always took that into consideration, like if I was playing and it was about to rain,everybody [would] be like, 'I'm out,' but I [would] continue to shoot. I guess that makes my jump shot wet."

That day's basketball game took place on one of the two courts tucked between the three buildings of the Woodrow Wilson Houses, theprojects located at 105th Street and First Avenue in Harlem where Jessie Sapp grew up.

The court is made of a blue-green concrete with a red and orange key area. The backboard is lamb's-wool white and the rim as red as astoplight. These days, there is no net.

The Wilson Houses, erected in 1961, are New York City Housing Authority developments that house 1,300. The 20-story brick buildings aretall and ominous. Bars cover the windows of each of the 398 apartments, even the ones a dozen stories off the ground. A small red and white teddy bear ispinned to the ground-floor utility entrance. The area is not totally devoid of green - leafy trees sprout up in between buildings.

"It's not like other projects," Sapp says. "It's three buildings, three buildings. … Other projects have like five[or] more than seven buildings and my projects only have like three buildings.

"It's different; it's just different in so many ways," he continues. "Even though it's small, I think we'remore of a family because it's small. We have a little more of that family-oriented stuff within that neighborhood, but it's tough. It's realtough."

Keith Smith, one of Sapp's AAU basketball coaches, says, "The neighborhood he grew up in, Harlem, New York - tremendously old,rich African-American heritage. It's also known for being crime-ridden."

In 2001, a father stabbed his teenage son to death at the Wilson Houses. Sapp was interviewed about it by The New York Times. In 2005,according to the New York Daily News, one of Sapp's best friends, Alonzo Milligan, was killed by a stray bullet. And a year later, Sapp's own sister,Steveasia, was injured when a bullet struck her in the mouth.

"It made me who I am," Sapp says of New York. "I think it was tough on me, it had its up and its downs, but it made me whoI am, and I'm proud to be from there. I wouldn't change it for the world."

For three years, Sapp has been something of a role player on a team full of McDonald's All-Americans and future NBA studs. He has beenovershadowed by the jack-of-all-trades star, Jeff Green; the 7-foot-2 behemoth who always loved Georgetown, Roy Hibbert; the little walk-on who could, JonWallace; the legend's son, Patrick Ewing Jr.; and the other legend's son, John Thompson III. But Sapp's story and his road to the Hilltop may bethe most noteworthy of all. That he is set to start his senior season as the cornerstone of this Georgetown team is a testament not simply to God-given talent,nor just to strong family ties, but rather to tireless hard work and a survivor's spirit that was forged on the streets and playgrounds of New York.


Sapp admires the scoreboard at Madison Square Garden in his native New York.

Jessie Sapp shows his emotions on the court. When he's happy, you see that wide, toothy grin that fans love. When he's angry, hegives the no-nonsense stare that screams "I won't back down."

When Sapp holds court for bunches of reporters, he's loud and playful and he cracks jokes. He lathers praise onto his teammates to analmost comical degree. He spares no acclamation.

But when he sits down one-on-one with a reporter, when he's asked to mentally return to his old neighborhood, he's quieter. Hespeaks slowly and evenly and he pauses at all the right moments. His introspection is clearly genuine.

As he revisits his humble origins, his eyes appear distant, like he's picturing some almost-forgotten moment from the past. Even as heshares his favorite anecdotes, you can tell he has dozens of others that he keeps to himself.

Normally loquacious, Sapp is often at a loss for words when asked to describe something from New York.

Many of Sapp's Georgetown teammates have played AAU basketball since shortly after they could walk. Not so for Jessie. A boxer as akid, he saw basketball as a rather informal endeavor.

"I've always played," he says. "Even the people who don't know how to play basketball always played basketball. Soas I started to play basketball more and I started to really like it and I started to want to play so I just practiced. I worked at it. Rain - I'm outsideshooting. Snow - I'm outside shooting, getting tough enough. I guess that's how I got pretty good so fast."

Each year, Harlem native DJ Kay Slay would play host to a street ball tournament on the courts at the Wilson Houses. Sapp says that theDJ's tournament served as his official introduction to the world of street ball.

"I played against Headache [Tim Gittens]. He's one of the best streetballers out there," Sapp says. "Jamaal Tinsleycame out, Ron Artest came out, a lot of people came out. There's a lot of good memories."

One year, Sapp played in two games back to back and won MVP in each. Just like the rainy game of H-O-R-S-E, his superb performancefunctioned as an indicator of his basketball potential.

"That's when I kinda knew, or I didn't know, but I kind of thought, 'Hey, maybe I can really do this.'"

In those days, Sapp's game was typical of street-ballers. He was, he says, "a slasher" with an "OK" shot.

"Back then, people were scared to jump me because I wasn't afraid to, like," he pauses and then whispers, "dunk onsomebody."



In addition to his exploits on the neighborhood court, Sapp began to play for a small, relatively unknown neighborhood team called theUnion Settlement Wildcats.

On one occasion in 2003, the Wildcats took to the court against the AAU juggernaut New York Gauchos. After a strong performance by Sapp,Gauchos coaches Keith and Kevin Smith approached Sapp's coaches for a sit down.

"He was outstanding, and we thought the Gauchos would be a program where he could flourish," Keith Smith says.

After agreeing to switch teams, Sapp was sent to the Gauchos' city-wide tryouts. According to Smith, Sapp was nearly guaranteed a spoton the team, but Smith likes to have his top players match up in tryouts anyway to show them right away how "fierce" the competition is going tobe.

Also trying out that day was Levance Fields, now a senior guard at Pittsburgh.

"[Levance and I] were guarding each other that day. We were going back and forth, back and forth, going at it, going at it,"Sapp says. "I'm like, 'Man, who is this guy?' He's like, 'Man, who is this guy?' And then we just clicked from there on. We madethe team, backcourt together, and we just kicked from there on. Since then he's been my best friend."

Added Fields: "The first day I met him, he actually had a cut hand taped up, and we were playing, trying out for the Gauchos, bothwere competing against each other and we both took a liking to each other's game because neither one of us backed down."

When Sapp told Fields that he had played organized basketball for less than a year, Fields was shocked.

"I thought they were lying when they told me because he was just so aggressive," Fields says. "He could jump, he couldshoot, from the beginning, he did everything. He was unselfish. A lot of the New York guys get a rep for being selfish. He was not that at all, just the totalopposite and very well-liked."

Fields is not the only other recent Gaucho who has gone on to high-level college basketball. The list is quite stunning: Weyinmi Efejuku(Providence), Geoff McDermott (Providence), Edgar Sosa (Louisville), Sundiata Gaines (Georgia), Russell Robinson (Kansas), Ronald Ramon (Pittsburgh), CurtisKelly (Kansas State, formerly UConn).

One of Sapp's first games for the Gauchos came against Riverside, a team now known as the Metro Hawks, which featured Keith Benjaminand Terrell Biggs, both of whom now play with Fields at Pittsburgh; A.J. Price, now at UConn; and Derrick Caracter, formerly of Louisville. Sapp and Fields hadnot yet been united in the backcourt.

"They thought they was going to kill us," Sapp says. "Semifinals, we killed them. I went like 7-for-7 from beyond the arc.We killed them. That game stood out for me."

Another seminal victory, Sapp says, came against Team Texas, which featured Byron Eaton, now an Oklahoma State Cowboy, and Sean Williams,formerly of Boston College, now with the New Jersey Nets. By this point, Sapp was playing alongside Fields and Kelly. The crowd was hostile and with threeminutes left, the Gauchos trailed by 12.

"Just for us sticking together and not giving up, we could have easily given up. Just for us sticking together, just being inHouston, in Texas, to beat the team in Texas with their crowd, that really meant a lot to us," Sapp says. "That's when we really knew we could doa lot. I think that game really prepared me for college because that atmosphere was crazy."

Julius Allen, who coached Sapp his second year on the Gauchos, said that Sapp's crunch-time poise, by now well-known on the Hilltop,was honed during his AAU days. While he doesn't remember Sapp hitting any buzzer-beaters, "he hit a lot that led up to those."

"I remember us winning games because of what Jessie did," Allen says. "Jessie is a winner. He is not afraid to take the bigshot. He is not afraid to be down 15 points. He is going to win.

"He originally got that wearing the black and orange. We instilled that in him."

Smith remembers his team playing in the AAU Super Showcase national championship and squandering a 17-point lead against Team Illinois. Itwas Sapp, he said, that hit the big shots and made the big plays that got the Gauchos over the hump.

After his first year on the Gauchos, Sapp's promise was apparent. Colleges started to come knocking and it was clear that basketballwould be not just a neighborhood pastime, but a ticket out of the neighborhood.

Sapp, his family and his AAU coaches started to look at high school opportunities outside of Manhattan. Eventually, they settled onNational Christian Academy in Fort Washington, Md.

"We knew that Jessie kind of needed to focus on his educational side and that it would be best for him to get in a situation where heis away from the city and all of the distractions that you can cross," Smith says. "It worked out great for him and he was able to refocus."

Says Sapp: "It was just a better opportunity. I wanted to be in the best position to play college ball. … That was the decision meand my family made, and I think it was the right decision."



Chapter II: Fort Washington

On one of Jessie Sapp's first days at National Christian, he strolled through the gym and saw one of his new teammates, the one dubbed"sophomore sensation," working on his shot.

"What's up, man," the kid said to Sapp.

By now, his name - Kevin Durant - is well-known, but back then, he was just beginning to burst onto the national stage.

It was guys like Durant and Deron Washington, who went on to star at Virginia Tech, and Abdulai Jalloh, who plays at James Madison, whohelped Sapp acclimate himself to his new surroundings. Indeed, the jump from Harlem to Fort Washington presented a real culture change for Sapp.

"I'm used to seeing buildings and concrete and all that stuff, and I get there and it's just like trees and grass and houses,and so it was real different," Sapp says. "They talk different than we do. It took me a while to understand the slang terminology they were usingbecause it was different, but when I got there I clicked there with the players.

"Those guys worked hard, I wasn't used to working as hard as those guys. They just embraced me and took me in as one of theirown. We just went from there."

Sapp averaged 12 points his first year at NCA and learned how to be a role player rather than a star.


Jessie Sapp

"You know any given night, any person will be the man, and that happens to be the same thing at Georgetown: On any given night,somebody can be the man. There's no specific person who is going to be the superstar. It helped me a lot," he says.

Still, his one year as a complement to Durant was enough to draw attention from dozens of schools.

Rivals.com reported that Clemson, Georgia Tech, UConn, Virginia Tech, Arkansas, Fordham, Ohio State, Marshall, Maryland, Miami and Pitthad all expressed interest by May of his junior year.

That summer, Sapp returned to New York to suit up for the Gauchos, and in June, after a string of impressive performances, Sapp reportedlyadded Georgetown to his list. In October 2004, Sapp attended Georgetown's Midnight Madness and by November 2004, days before the high school season wouldbegin, Sapp's NCA Coach Trevor Brown was openly predicting that Sapp would pick the Hoyas.

Levance Fields said that when he and Sapp first started to hear from college coaches, they plotted to attend the same school andtransplant their backcourt duo elsewhere.

"That whole process - we went through it together," Fields says, "trying to go to the same school, but obviously Georgetownpresented itself better than Pittsburgh [to Sapp] and Pittsburgh presented me something better than Georgetown, so we had to go our separate ways."

Sapp still remembers the first time he saw John Thompson III watching one of his Gauchos games.

"I was nervous, I was just like, that's Coach Thompson," Sapp says. "I mean, you would think I'd be like that whenI seen his father."

Soon, Sapp saw Thompson at one of his NCA games, and then Sapp attended a Georgetown open gym, where he spoke to Thompson at length. Sappsays that Thompson's intelligence, as well as his cool demeanor, were both readily apparent.

In January 2005, he officially committed to play for the Hoyas.

"It's the Big East, and Georgetown will give me a great education, too," Sapp told Rivals.com. "I know they are a goodprogram and [Coach John Thompson III] is making it an up-and-coming program again."

As a senior, with Durant at Oak Hill Academy and Washington at Virgina Tech, Sapp became the man for National Christian. He averaged 23points a game and moved as high as 55 - he had previously been just outside of the top 100 - in Rivals' recruit rankings.

When the season came to a close, it was time for yet another transition, this time to Georgetown.



Chapter III: The Hilltop

Sapp's Hilltop story is better known. He played 16 minutes a game as a freshman and averaged a hair under three points. He moved intothe starting five as a sophomore and helped guide Georgetown to its first Final Four since 1985. As a junior, he increased his scoring from 9.1 to 9.7 pointsper game and hit clutch shots against Connecticut, Syracuse and West Virginia.

Sapp has developed a reputation more for his intangibles than for any one skill, like shooting or ball-handling or defense. More thananything, it is toughness that has defined Jessie Sapp. That toughness, sharpened on the streets and courts of Harlem, translates into a mental resolve thatmakes Sapp unflappable in crunch time and as such, one of the most respected players in the Big East.

Thompson describes Sapp's unique quality like this: "The understanding that when we get in what most would perceive to be tightsituations, that that's when we have to have a calmness and a focus so we can execute, and we'll let the other guys get nervous or excited, and I thinkJessie has that unique ability."

Thompson cites Sapp's defense of Villanova's Scottie Reynolds in Georgetown's 58-55 win on Feb. 17, 2007. Reynolds was limitedto just five points in the second half.

Kyle McAlarney, a Staten Island product who plays for Notre Dame, has played against Sapp since high school.

"He's tough. He's tough. He's a winner," McAlarney says. "If I had to label him as one word, I'd sayhe's a winner. Last year, he did everything Georgetown needed him to do to win games. He's the guy making plays and I've been going up against himsince high school and he's always been like that."

Says UConn's A.J. Price: "He stays within his game, he doesn't really get out of his comfort zone, and that's what makeshim good, it's just that simple. He knows his self very well."

UConn's Jim Calhoun, who has seen his fair share of special players during his 22-year reign as the Huskies' head coach, feelsthat Sapp's toughness has affected the rest of the Hoyas.

"I love him, I love him, I love him, simply put," Calhoun said last winter in a Big East coaches' conference call."Maybe it's a New York thing, but whatever it may be, his toughness rubs off on everyone else - and not a blatant toughness, not a stupid toughness -a competitive toughness that I love and respect. I consider him to be - and it's really up to John [Thompson III] to determine who is the most valuableplayer on their team - but from an outside viewpoint there can't be anybody more valuable. I think he can do something not a lot of other players can do -he transmitted his toughness to the rest of the team and it's contagious. I think in the Syracuse game, he transmitted it to other players, and it's anamazing characteristic and it's why he's, in my opinion, one of the more feared players in the league."

Jonathan Wallace voiced a similar compliment of Sapp after the team's victory over Boston College in the second round of the 2007 NCAAtournament. During that game, Sapp and the Eagles' star, Jared Dudley, got involved in a bit of a shouting match.

"That aggressiveness that he shows kind of trickled on down to the team and let those guys know, 'Hey, we're not goinganywhere. You may have got a little lead on us, but we're still here. We're not going to leave.'"

As Calhoun implied, many feel that Sapp's toughness is a product of his upbringing in Harlem.

"You go through so much in this city that you prepare for everything," Sapp says. "I think growing up prepared me fordifferent situations and how to go about my business in all those situations."

"When you play a New York City brand of basketball, you learn that you're tough, you're mentally tough," Smith, theGauchos coach, says.

"A lot of time they project New York City being a flashy brand, and that's a little part of it. The toughness, that is where thatcomes from, and being able to keep your composure when everything is on the line."

Thompson warns against attributing Sapp's toughness only to the Big Apple.

"There are a lot of people that grew up where Jessie grew up that aren't tough, and so - could it possibly be a part of it, hecan answer that better than I - but he is someone who I think in terms of all his experience, who he is as a person, he is a survivor, he can adjust."

Despite his decision to attend high school and college outside of New York, his roots in the neighborhood remain strong. His family,including his younger sister, Steveasia, with whom he is especially close, still lives there. And these days, on the Wilson basketball court, the name JessieSapp means something.

"In his neighborhood, they have a reunion day for the entire neighborhood, everybody showed him so much love," Smith says."His mom is very big in the community, they show him so much love and affection and appreciation. It's like he's carrying the whole neighborhoodon his shoulders. We love that."



Chapter IV: Today

This season, for the first time, Jessie Sapp will take the court without the calming influence of Wallace, without the big target ofHibbert, without the exuberant Ewing. Indeed, Sapp is the only scholarship senior.

"I have to have a positive attitude at all times, no matter what goes on. Sometimes that gets tough because it is not your day,"he says. "But I've learned a lot, I've grown a lot, so I just take it as the day goes."

With the Class of 2008 departed, Sapp says he intends to make a more concerted effort to lead.

"I'm the vocal guy, I'm the lead-by-example guy, I try to do it all," he says. "Coach be like, 'Jessie, justcalm down.' I just try to be more vocal, talk to the guys in a different manner, not to try to get them down on themselves, but just to motivatethem."

Sapp's greatest improvement, according to Thompson, has been his ability to transition his mindset from "when can I get myshot?" to "when can I get my teammates a shot?" The biggest growth for a basketball player, Thompson says, is gaining a feel for his teammatesevery move. Sapp, after three years in the program, has just about reached that point.

Chris Wright, who will likely start in the backcourt with Sapp this year, will look to the senior for guidance. For the Hoyas, that islikely a good thing, because they will need a steady Wright in order to have a successful season.

"What I learned from Jessie is that he's very strong-willed, not just as a basketball player, just as a person," Wrightsays. "You learn he's a tough kid, and he's been through it, and on the court he's been through everything you can possibly go through.He's been to the Final Four, he's won the Big East tournament. Who else better listen to?"

Like most seniors, Sapp's mind has wandered to what next year will bring - school, basketball overseas and, of course, the NBA are alloptions - but for now, he says he is focusing on the task at hand.

Georgetown starts this season outside the top 10 for the first time since Sapp's freshman season. That's just fine with JessieSapp.

"I've been the underdog so much, and I've achieved so much from being the underdog that I just like being there," Sappsays. "For us to be the underdog and for me to know how much talent we have here, I think when we win it's going to feel that much better."



..



By Doug Hance // Hoya StaffWriter

DaJuan Summers is 6-foot-8 and an exceptional athlete. He can dribble with the ease of a guard, he can thread bounce passes betweendefenders with precision, and he can effortlessly bury shots from all over the court. The man is also capable of throwing down thunderous slam dunks.

Summers knows that he has the physical gifts to excel. Now he wants the decision-making skills to take his game to another level. Thejunior forward from Baltimore says his primary focus over the offseason has been on improving his basketball mind.

"I've been more acute to the mental aspect of the game," Summers says. "Knowing when to score, when to attack, when toget rebounds, how to affect the game in different ways - that's been the biggest thing for me this offseason."

Summers' mental maturation is the latest step in a career that has seen him go from a chubby sixth-grader who spent most of his timeon the bench to a preseason all-Big East selection. Along the way, he has impressed those who have known him best with his determination, a quality that hiscoaches say was instilled in him by his mother, Twana Summers.

Early Challenges

Summers says that the sixth grade marked the low point of his basketball career. Though he always had a knack for shooting the ball, hewas not particularly quick or athletic at that stage of his life. Things got so bad that he decided to take a year off from the sport.

"I was short and round and I wasn't getting any playing time," Summers says. "I was upset about that. I knew how toplay, I just didn't know how to contribute."

Fortunately for Summers, he grew six inches during his year-long hiatus. After that growth spurt, the sport became much easier for theslimmed-down seventh-grader.

"I still had my shooting ability, so I just started working on big man skills and trying to get in better shape," Summerssays.

His work started paying off. Two years later, Summers made it onto McDonogh School's varsity roster as a 6-foot-4 freshman. FormerMcDonogh Head Coach Matt MacMullen says that he was immediately impressed with what the mild-mannered young man showed him in practice.

"What stood out that first year was just how competitive he was and how great of a player he wanted to be," MacMullen says.

McDonogh had a varsity squad made up of mostly juniors and seniors at the time. The best player on the team was a 6-foot-5 senior namedMike Popoko, who would go on to play for Stony Brook University. MacMullen remembers Summers challenging Popoko every day in workouts.

"Popoko was bigger and stronger at the time, but DaJuan never backed down," MacMullen says. "We knew that DaJuan was goingto be a great player not necessarily because of his ability, but because of that drive he had inside him to be a great player."


Summers made McDonogh School's varsity roster as a freshman.

Anthony Lewis, who coached the Cecil Kirk AAU team Summers played on throughout his high school career, also took note of Summers'determination early on.

"You could sense right away something about his work ethic," Lewis says. "He was a workaholic type of kid who put in thetime and the effort and the hours to get better."

Both MacMullen and Lewis say that Summers got his willpower from his hard-working single mother.

"DaJuan's mom is a very strong person," MacMullen says. "She was there when he needed help, and she made sure he madethe right decisions."

MacMullen calls Summers' mother "his foundation," pointing out that she taught him to persevere and to never makeexcuses.

"Knowing how hard his mom works and the type of person she is, I think that probably motivated him to work his tail off,"MacMullen says.

Adds Lewis: "He's anchored by his mom. All of the accolades should go to her for raising him right."

High School Dominance

Though Summers made strides during his sophomore year at McDonogh and cracked the team's starting lineup, it was not until his junioryear that he really began to stand out. MacMullen says that Summers looked like a new man on the first day of practice of his junior campaign.

"He had gotten so much stronger," MacMullen says. "He had really started to fill out. And he was so much moreathletic."

MacMullen points to one game early in the season as Summers' coming out party. McDonogh was taking on D.C.-powerhouse Gonzaga, and asluck would have it a member of Georgetown's coaching staff was in the stands to check out the rising star.

"DaJuan was a beast in that game," MacMullen says. "He had like 24 points and 17 rebounds, and he had never done thatbefore. At that point we realized, wow, he's going to be something special."

Summers went on to be named Baltimore County's player of the year by the Baltimore Sun - a rare feat for a junior - while leading histeam to the conference championship game. He averaged 29.2 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists as a senior and once again brought home player of the yearhonors.


As a senior in high school, Summers averaged 29.2 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

As Summers made a name for himself on the hardwood, he was playing two different styles of basketball depending on the time of year. Whilehe competed on his school team, Summers was asked to play center and handle most of the squad's scoring. When he played AAU ball for Cecil Kirk during thesummer, he played a more wide-open, fast-paced game meant to showcase his athleticism. MacMullen explains that although the McDonogh coaching staff wanted todevelop Summers' skills, their main goal was to win basketball games.

"What we needed to do to win games was get DaJuan the ball down low," MacMullen says. "He was by far our best player, so weneeded him to be a scorer first and a passer second."

Neither DaJuan's experience in McDonogh games nor his play for Cecil Kirk fully prepared him for Georgetown's Princeton offense,which is more deliberate and requires precision passing. Yet Summers was again asked to adjust quickly when he arrived on the Hilltop.

Hoya Years

Summers first saw the court exactly six minutes and 38 seconds into his Hoyas career. He came off the bench and played 10 minutes duringGeorgetown's opening day win against Hartford. Three games later, Summers made his first career start, leading the team with 17 points in a victory overFairfield. He's started ever since.

Summers tallied some impressive numbers during his freshman year, averaging 9.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Though his statisticsimproved during his sophomore season (11.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg), many Hoya fans were expecting more. Summers took more shots than anyone except Roy Hibbert, yet hehad the lowest field goal percentage (.429) and the lowest three-point percentage (.342) of the team's starters. He also had fewer assists than all theother starters, averaging only 1.5 assists per game.

Summers admits that he may have been too focused on scoring during his first two seasons at Georgetown.

"In previous years, my approach to the game was always trying to score. I felt like I was a scorer," Summers says. "I stillam a scorer, but I felt like that was the only way I could affect the game."

MacMullen says Summers' scorer's mentality makes sense considering the role he played in high school.

"He was scoring 25 points and getting 15 rebounds per game, and people were getting the ball to him," MacMullen says."Georgetown's offense requires a very unselfish style of play - you've got to be able to pass and do other things he wasn't always asked to dofor us."

Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson III says that he was not disappointed with Summers' sophomore performance. He attributes criticismof Summers' season to people's desire to compare him to former Georgetown standout Jeff Green.


Summers has been a starter since early in his freshman year.

"I think that people expected or wanted DaJuan to do the things that Jeff did," Thompson says. "I think a lot of people mayhave judged his year based on that comparison."

Thompson says that Summers worked hard this past offseason in terms of strength and conditioning and is poised to have a good year.However, Thompson cautions that Summers will not be a reincarnation of Green.

"If people are looking for DaJuan to be Jeff Green, that's not going to happen," Thompson says. "That's not to sayhe's not going to be more effective in other ways than Jeff was, but he's a different person, he's a different player."

New Responsibilities

Since Jeremiah Rivers and Vernon Macklin transferred during the offseason, Summers finds himself as the lone junior on this year'ssquad. He now has more experience than anyone else on the roster with the exception of senior Jessie Sapp.

He says he's ready for his new role as a team leader.

"From being in the program so long, I know how Coach expects things to be done," Summers says. "Knowing those types ofthings will help me be a leader. I can show the freshmen how things are done here so they don't feel as much pressure on them."


Summers, the Hoyas' lone junior, will be one of the team leaders.

Indeed, Summers seems to have genuinely bought into Thompson's philosophy about only focusing on the next game on the schedule. Whenasked what he thought the most important game of the season would be, he responded by saying that the first game is the most crucial.

"Then after that and after that is the biggest game of the season," Summers says. "That's how we always approach it,and that's the best way to approach it. If you get your mind set on too many different things then you can't focus as well on the next thing, the taskat hand."

He stresses that he is not concerned with personal accolades, saying he does not care who scores the points as long as the Hoyas win.Right now, Summers feels like he can best contribute by continuing to improve the mental side of his game.

"After having a lot of intimate conversations with Coach and him showing me different ways to affect the game, I feel like thatmental part of my game has just skyrocketed," Summers says. "Just knowing when to get the rebound, consistently going after rebounds harder,consistently making good passes, consistently playing your guy and stopping him from scoring."

He says that his overall understanding of the game is what sets him apart now from where he was freshman year.

"Coach told me when he recruited me that I was an all-around player, I just didn't know it yet," he says. "Now I have abetter understanding about what being a well-rounded player really means."

In fact, Summers' game might be so polished that it could be his last year wearing a Hoyas uniform. He is considered to be a possiblefirst-round draft pick as early as the 2009 draft. Last summer, Summers got a chance to showcase his talent to NBA scouts at the Lebron James Skills Academy inAkron, Ohio, and the Vince Carter Skills Academy in Orlando, Fla. Yet Summers dismisses questions about the NBA, saying he is entirely focused on winning gamesfor Georgetown right now.

MacMullen agrees with the scouts who think Summers has a future in the NBA, stating that Summers' work ethic will be the key to hissuccess at the next level.

"He obviously has an NBA body, but the reason I think he's going to not only be an NBA player but a really good one is thathe'll do whatever it takes to be a good NBA player," MacMullen says. "There are a heck of a lot of players out there with a good body, but therearen't many with his drive and toughness and determination."

Though Summers can do remarkable things on the basketball court, his former coaches agree that his character is his most impressiveattribute.

"He's genuine and he works hard," Lewis says. "He's just an outstanding young man."

"He's a great teammate and a great human being," MacMullen adds.

Summers says he has always believed that he could be where he is today.

"Even when I was pudgy and fat, I always felt like I'd be able to be good at basketball and affect the game," he says."I could always shoot, and I always loved it. I think if you really love something it works out for you."

 

[allen3xis]

[h2]Monroe and Co. Will Hit the Ground Running[/h2]
By Kevin Wessel // Hoya Staff Writer

Georgetown is called Big Man University for a reason. Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning, Roy Hibbert - the Hoyas are known for their dominant centers.

And this year, if an athletic big man from Louisiana has his way, it will be no different. Greg Monroe, a 6-foot-11 Parade and McDonald's All-American, is one of the most hyped freshmen in Georgetown history and among the top rookies in the nation. He is the crown jewel of the Hoyas' highly rated incoming class and the heir apparent to the storied big-man throne at Georgetown.

Monroe, a likely starter from day one, will be joined in the frontcourt by sophomore transfer Julian Vaughn and freshman Henry Sims, and guard Jason Clark rounds out the quartet of new players.


Greg Monroe is one of the top freshman in the nation.

Though Monroe is filling the void left by Hibbert's graduation and the transfer of former high school all-American Vernon Macklin, he's no traditional center like Hibbert.

"He's totally different [from Roy]," Head Coach John Thompson III says. "Maybe it's natural to try and put him into: OK, Roy did this, Greg should do this, but it's totally different."

Monroe's high school highlights are full of the Harvey, La., native grabbing a defensive rebound and leading the break the other way, either finishing with a dunk or passing off to a teammate filling the lane. Monroe, a lefty, has a smooth shooting stroke and can step out to knock down three-pointers. In the lane, he is capable of scoring with both hands. Monroe is listed at 250 pounds on the Georgetown roster, which means he put on 25 pounds since his senior year. The extra bulk will help him bang with physical Big East centers and forwards.

One area, however, where it may be impossible to downplay comparisons between Monroe and Hibbert is their playmaking abilities. Hibbert was called a "point center" by some analysts for his excellent passing, and many expect the same of Monroe.

"He has an affinity and the gift for being able to pass the ball," Thompson says.

Monroe averaged 21 points and 14 rebounds per game his senior year at Helen Cox, and was an efficient shooter, nailing 65 percent of shotsfrom the field and 75 percent from the free-throw line. His athleticism and long wingspan made him one of the premier shot-blockers in the high school game. Monroe was twice named "Mr. Basketball" in Louisiana and led Helen Cox to the 2008 state title.

Despite all that, Monroe was occasionally criticized for not taking over more games in high school or scoring as much as other McDonald's All-Americans. But his skills, unselfish play and court awareness lend themselves very well to higher levels of play, and teammates already see Monroe fitting in at the college level.

"He's very aware of what's going on in the game," junior forward DaJuan Summers says. "For a young guy, it's not likely for him to have the understanding that he has, but I think that's where he has a one-up on the freshmen in the Big East this year."

Thompson also knows that Monroe brings a lot more to the table than points and rebounds.

"He is a facilitator," Thompson says. "For someone that came into college with the accolades and the hullabaloo that he did, he is someone that will make his teammates a lot better."

Another similarity Monroe shares with Hibbert is the devotion to becoming a better player.

"I love the kid. He works hard," Summers says. "He works tremendously hard."

Adds senior guard Jessie Sapp: "No matter who talks to him, from [senior walk-on] Bryon Jansen all the way up to big Coach Thompson [Jr.], he takes it, and he does what they ask him to do."

Backing up Monroe will be Vaughn and Sims.

Vaughn, a 6-foot-9 transfer from Florida State, brings valuable experience to the team.

"He's gone through a season in the ACC," Thompson says. "He has to learn what I want, but he understands the collegiate experience."

Vaughn has been helping Monroe and Sims in practice, teaching the freshmen about playing the post at the college level.

"Obviously up front with Greg, with Henry, with Julian, they're going to have to bear the brunt of a brutal, physical league," Thompson says, "so they've got to get ready for that, and they have to push each other in practice."

Vaughn played 13 minutes per game last year for the Seminoles, averaging three points and two rebounds a game. He blocked 21 shots.


Transfer Julian Vaughn received a waiver from the NCAA and will not have to sit out a year.

"He's a big, rugged, aggressive kid that makes shots," Thompson adds.

Vaughn, who can hit the occasional three in addition to scoring closer to the basket, will likely make his biggest impact on defense. He was a prolific rebounder and shot-blocker in high school, and his wingspan is that of a seven-footer.

Normally transfers must sit out a year, but Vaughn was granted a waiver by the NCAA since he came to Georgetown to be closer to his home in Vienna, Va., and he was in good academic standing at Florida State. Receiving the transfer waiver was critical for the Hoyas, who lost Hibbert, Macklin and Patrick Ewing Jr. from last year's frontcourt. The trio combined for over 60 minutes per game last year.

Sims, a Baltimore, Md., product, will also help fill the vacancy in the frontcourt. His 6-foot-10, 225-pound frame is still too thin for a big-time college center, but Sims has a tremendous upside and the potential to be a great player.


Freshman Henry Sims will be called upon immediately.

"Henry is someone you see getting better every day," Thompson says. "Everyone's heard that big men start to figure it out and get better late, and that's happened with him."

Like Monroe, Sims can shoot and run the floor. While he needs to work on scoring consistently, Sims should contribute immediately with his defense and shot-blocking prowess.

The lone guard of the group is 6-foot-2 Clark. On offense, the Arlington, Va., native is quick ballhandler, but will need to work on his jumper. Thompson praises Clark for his attention to detail and his ability to do a little bit of everything to help his team win.

"Jason is just a basketball player," the coach says. "He is someone that truly appreciates every aspect of the game - whether it's rebounding, whether it's guarding, whether it's coming up with loose balls, whether it's getting deflections."


Jason Clark will do a little bit of everything for Georgetown.

Clark is a strong on-ball defender who could take over the role of defensive stopper left vacant by Jeremiah Rivers' transfer. He is also a deceptively good rebounder for a player his size.

As a group, the four new faces will be thrust into playing significant minutes much quicker than freshmen have been in past years. Georgetown has not started a freshman in the season opener since 2004, but with only four returning regulars, the Hoyas will almost certainly have a new player in the starting lineup come Nov. 17.

"They don't have the luxury of time," Thompson says. "The expectations on the young guys are going to be great, and we're going to expect them to perform quickly, to learn fast and to understand immediately."

Playing such a significant role on the court, the new players - all exceptional athletes - will affect the Hoyas' style of play.

"With the new guys, I think were going to have more of a fast-paced game," Sapp says. "Coach is not going to take away from whatever he does; we're still going to have our Princeton offense, but I think we have the tools to get up and down the court a little more."

Regardless of the style of play, Georgetown will need its four newcomers to play with skill and discipline beyond their years.

"I told them in the summer," Thompson says, "they came here, and in terms of the words 'freshmen' and 'sophomores' and 'juniors' - we're not going to be able to use those."



..

[h2]A New Point of Emphasis: Running an Up-Tempo Offense[/h2]
By Dave Finn // Hoya Staff Writer

Hoya fans' last memory of sophomore guard Chris Wright on the court was in the closing minutes of the Davidson game in Raleigh, N.C., on Easter 2008 - Georgetown was in the midst of seeing its 11-point halftime lead slip away and its national championship dream was teetering on the brink. The ball found its way into Wright's young hands; he dribbled up the court, masterfully weaved through traffic, aggressively drove to the rim - and turned the ball over.


Chris Wright

Although Wright probably should have made a pass at some point on that possession, his desire to have the ball in his hands with the game on the line is a quality Blue and Gray fans could learn to value.

"He's a confident fellow," Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson III said at the team's media day last month. "That's what makes him who he is; that's what makes him special."

The Hoyas, of course, went on to lose to Davidson 74-70, signaling the end of the careers of then-seniors center Roy Hibbert, guards Jonathan Wallace and Tyler Crawford and forward Patrick Ewing, Jr. Guard Jeremiah Rivers and forward Vernon Macklin, both sophomores, left soon after to start afresh at Indiana and Florida, respectively.

With about half of last year's squad no longer on the Hilltop, Wright has now become one of the prominent faces of this season's younger version of the Hoyas. Eight of the 11 players listed on the roster are either freshmen or sophomores.

"[The seniors] left a Georgetown tradition and they left a sense of pride and brought that sense of pride and tradition back to Georgetown," Wright said. "It's our turn now and I think everyone here is up to the task. Now we're just saying that, but we're going to prove it."


Wright played in 16 games his freshman year.

Wright arrived on the scene last year alongside Austin Freeman; while Freeman played his way into the starting lineup, however, Wright was forced to the sidelines with a foot injury.

"It was very frustrating but it allowed me to wear some nice suits," Wright said. "It's a new season and everyone here is anticipating a new beginning. Hopefully not just me but everyone stays healthy this year."

As he aims to avert injury for the entire season, the 6-foot-1 speedster will likely be asked to step in as the starting point guard - a position manned for the past four years by fan-favorite Wallace. Thompson said Wright will need to get experience in games after sitting out for the entire Big East regular season last year. And just as fans should not expect a polished point guard immediately, they also should not expect a point guard cut from the same cloth as Wallace.

"The year starts and we start all over," Thompson said. "Those guys are going to forge and make their own holes and pegs. [The media is] going to take Chris Wright and put him in Jonathan Wallace's hole and compare and contrast all year. … I don't do that."

Though Wright may not have the calming presence and steady hand under pressure that the unflappable Wallace displayed, the sophomore's speed could up the tempo of the Hoyas' offense.

"Can Chris get up and down a little quicker than Jon? Possibly, probably yes," Thompson said.

When Wright was on the floor for 16 games last season, he certainly displayed a unique quickness and appeared to be a point guard perfectly suited to lead an up-tempo attack. As a freshman, he also showed a remarkable level of creativity that cannot be taught.


"We can be very fast," Wright said.

"We have a different team," Wright said. "We can be fast, we can be very fast, but we're always going to be a great half-court team because that's our motto, and we're going to play defense. I think it's going to be the same brand of basketball, it's just going to be more running, I think."

Senior Jessie Sapp, likely to be Wright's backcourt mate, joked that the team ran more sprints in the offseason this year than they had in the previous two years combined.

With the departure of the half-court weapon Hibbert, who had trouble getting up and down the floor in transition, and the arrival of athletic big man Greg Monroe, the Hoyas' personnel indicates that Thompson could look to integrate a running style into his Princeton offense. Wright will experience baptism by fire but should be the catalyst of a more up-tempo attack.

"I really don't feel nervous," Wright said. "I feel nervous because I'm excited, but I don't feel timid or anything. I'm ready to go."

 

[craftsy21]

so this is kinda like allen's personal journal.

 

[allen3xis]

Exactly. So I don't bombard the other post with this stuff

 

[philballa09]

 

[shannonscrooks]