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Hoyas in need of major adjustments
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It's time for Greg Monroe to take over (AP Photo/ David Kohl)
It's hard to argue that Georgetown is in a slump. With their fourth straight loss, the most recent coming to an unranked Cincinnati Bearcats team, the Georgetown Hoyas have been pushed around, outhustled, and outcoached so far in 2009. And after a searing 10-1 start, the Hoyas appear to have eased off the gas pedal, and are quickly drifting into the gridlock of the Big East.
With each loss, another hole has been revelaed in this Hoya team. Early losses pointed to sound defense getting overwhelmed by strong big men. But recent struggles point less to the ballboards, where in their four recent losses, they have been bested by a manageable 4.75 per game. Instead, the Hoyas have been beaten trounced by aggressive wing players who are attacking earlier in the offense, preventing the Hoya D from mounting its forces. But occasionally even after making it back into position, the Hoyas are sufferring mental breakdowns; leaving a man open, not fighting through screens, and even missing lane assignments, allowing free passes right to the rim.
Much of this is to be blamed on a lack of mental preparation, which is a roundabout way of blaming the coaches. But John Thompson III is in a difficult position. His team is after all, inexperienced. They start a sophomore and a freshman at the two most important positions on the court, and back those positions up with a sophomore and two freshmen. Guard Jessie Sapp is the lone senior in Thompson's rotation, and he's certainly not the type of player capable of willing his team through the dark, wintery months of the regular season.
And in addition to being inexperienced, freshman center Greg Monroe and leading scorer Dajuan Summers are both facing tough decisions on whether to declare for the 2009 draft. If Monroe and Summers stay, the Hoyas will no doubt be a top five team next year. But if they declare, Thompson will be facing a similar scenario to this season, only with an experienced backcourt instead of a talented tandem of forwards.
But losing underclassmen to the NBA is a cold reality of coaching in today's NCAA. Coaches have to prepare as if there is no next season; cramming four years of teaching and discipline into the heads of the rising and supertalented players who are often only in school because they can't declare for the NBA straight from high school. So in order to extract the most from this season, I offer some reasonable adjustments.
1. Greg Monroe needs to show better passing skills. One of Monroe's best traits is his willingness to share the ball. Even at an early age, Monroe understands that the ball doesn't always swish beautifully through the net, so it has to be shared with other potential hot hands. The Hoyas are 6-1 when Monroe collects more assists than turnovers, and that trend is unlikely to change, based on Monroe's track record of being a good passer.
2. Find more clean looks for Austin Freeman. The Hoyas desperately need Freeman to connect from long range in order to properly space the floor. They are unbeaten whenever he shoots better than 34% from downtown. One of the two things keeping Georgetown from competing for the NCAA title is the lack of a solid shooter for Monroe to kick the ball to when the defense collapses. And if Freeman can focus on his balance when releasing his shot, there is a good chance that he can fill that role.
3. Play Jason Clark more. Clark, a 6'2'" guard certainly has holes in his game, but his production thus far has outpaced Sapp's by enough that it would be foolish to leave him off the court. In addition to Clark's increased production, he's only a freshman, while Sapp, a senior, has a far lower ceiling.
4. Carve out minutes for Henry Sims. Even though the Hoyas' losses are more attributable to poor wing play, doesn't mean that the Hoyas couldn't use more production inside. Sims, a freshman whose high school success was based as much on hustle as talent, could stand to be in the offensive rotation more than he is at the moment. Plus there is no center on the Hoyas roster, and anything that Sims can do to ease the burden of Monroe having to bang underneath the basket, the better.
But when teams are in need of that midseason spark, that catalyst to jumpstart the second half of the season, they usually gravitate to the talent. And even if that talent happens to be a true freshman, it's talent just the same. A solid second half would probably help Greg Monroe's draft stock, but a motivated, collected, leadership move would ensure that Monroe is one of the first three names announced on draft night.
