2009-2010 Team Preview: Georgetown Hoyas

This preview is brought to you by Trizzle, BIAH's resident Hoya fanatic.

2008-2009 Record: 16-15, 7-11 Big East (11th)

Key Losses: DaJuan Summers (13.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 39% 3-pt.), Jessie Sapp (6.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.6 apg)

Key Returners: Greg Monroe (12.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 bpg, 1.9 spg), Chris Wright (12.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.5 apg), Austin Freeman (11.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.0 apg)

Newcomers: Hollis Thompson, Vee Sanford, Jerrelle Benimon

Greg Monroe might be the most versatile big man in the country.
(photo credit: ESPN)

This is a very telling year for the Hoyas. Last year's collapse was a huge indication that this team was and still is very young. But with a year of college experience under his belt, Conference ROY Greg Monroe and the Hoyas have a chance to be a threat in a watered down Big East.

If DaJuan Summers had opted to return to Georgetown for his final year, the Hoyas would arguably be the best team in the conference. But without a legitimate power-forward, the Hoyas will struggle inside, even if Monroe is the offensive focal point. Greg Monroe is one of the most versatile players in the country. While he still needs to add some strength to be a dominant low-post force, Monroe has quite a variety of finesse moves down low. His biggest strength, especially in John Thompson III's system, is his perimeter ability. Monroe can knock down a perimeter shot, but when a big man at this level steps out to defend him, Monroe has enough handle to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim.

The reason that Monroe is so effective in this offense is his passing ability. Georgetown's Princeton offense is centered around getting the big man touches in the high post. When Monroe gets the ball here, his versatility takes over. He can find open shooters, attack a gap and kick the ball out, or hit a back door cutter. The Hoyas offense thrives on easy lay-ups off of back door cuts, and the fact that Monroe is able to make this pass is a huge reason that some people think Georgetown could be a top four team in the league.

Monroe however, won't be the only Hoya who will have gained experience from last year's rise and fall. Junior guard Chris Wright, the team's third leading scorer a year ago, will now be the full-time point guard with the graduation of Jessie Sapp. Wright will provide the technical style of JT3's offense with a dose of run-n-gun. He loves to get out in transition and is also improving on his outside shoot. The one flaw in Wright's game is his ball handling. His uptempo pace can sometimes get the best of him in the Hoya's meticulous offensive setup, as he averaged over 2 turnovers a game. Last season was a de facto freshman year for Wright, as the limited time he got his freshman season was hampered by injuries. Wright has the talent to be an elite point guard at this level, and look for him to have a breakout season this year.

Joining Wright in the backcourt will be shooting guard Austin Freeman. Freeman is going to play a pivotal role on offense. He is a terrific shooter but can use his fullback-like frame to get to the rim and muscle through defenders. Freeman is a good rebounder for his size, especially on the offensive end. This is important because the Hoyas were woefully inconsistent on rebounding last season (they ranked dead last in the conference in rebounding last season).

The Georgetown starting five for 2009-2010 gets interesting after Monroe, Wright, and Freeman. Last season, JTIII opted to go with a three guard line-up, although much of that was due to the youth and inexperience of his front line. With Jessie Sapp and DaJuan Summers now gone, the question now becomes does he go small again. If he does, there are really two options - sophomore Jason Clark and freshman Vee Sanford. Both have similar builds (long, slender, 6'3" athletes) and both play the game hard, Clark will be the better defender, while Sanford is more known for his shooting touch. Having both on the roster provides Thompson some versatility in the back court.

Up front, JTIII is going to have a decision to make. He lost Dajuan Summers to the NBA, leaving a big hole at the four spot. What made Summers dangerous was the fact that he was able to easily slide between the three and four spots, especially on the offensive end. Without him, Georgetown really doesn't have anyone to fill that role. Senior Julian Vaughn, who transferred to Georgetown from Florida State two years ago, was a highly touted recruit out of Oak Hill, but hasn't developed into much more than a bruiser at this level. Lefty Nikita Mescheriakov, a 6'7" junior, didn't really break into the rotation until midway through last season. It will be difficult for him to see major minutes up front as he is basically a shooter that struggles in the paint. The front court player with the most upside is Henry Sims, a 6'10" sophomore who was a top 50 recruit coming out of high school. Sims is long and athletic, but had difficulty adjusting to the physicality of the Big East. He showed some flashes by the end of the season, and if he can figure it out - the toughness, the Hoya's offense and defensive schemes - he and Monroe would form one of the more versatile front courts in the country.

Freshman Hollis Thompson, 6'6" small forward, is Georgetown's best recruit this season and could be the x-factor for this team. One of the things Georgetown as been missing the last couple of season's is a wing player with difference-making athleticism. They haven't had anyone that can come flying in for a tip dunk, or chase down a fast break and block a shot, or jump a passing lane and get an easy run out. Thompson can do those things, which is important not just because they are the plays that get teams and fans fired up, but because he is really the only guy on this team that can make those kinds of plays.

Outlook: It will be interesting to see where the Hoyas stack up in a not-as-beastly Big East conference. Georgetown's early season non-conference schedule is a mixed bag. They play some duds (Savannah St., Harvard, ODU, Lafayette, Mt. St. Marys), but participating in both the Jimmy V Classic (first round against Butler) and the John Wooden Classic (first round against Washington) along with games against Temple and Duke should give the Hoyas a ton of experience and time to be able to compete in the conference. The biggest issue for the Hoyas is going to be in the paint. They were, as I said, the worst rebounding team in the Big East last season, and lost their starting power forward. You know what you are going to get form them offensively (technical savvy) and defensively (tough, lock down defenders), but unless they can figure out a way to clean up the defensive glass, they are going to be one of the six or seven teams bunched up in the middle of the league.