Georgetown Hoyas
2012-2013 Overall Rank: #38
Conference Rank: #6 Big East
Georgetown Team Page
Georgetown is coming off of another relatively successful season. They reached the NCAA Tournament and won a game before falling to North Carolina State in a Round of 32 thriller. This year will be a tougher test for Georgetown. The Hoyas lose three starters and do not have a senior on the roster. But Coach John Thompson III has plenty of talent to work with and this is a versatile team that will, as always, be extremely tough to score against.
2011-12 Record: 24-9, 12-6
2011-12 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: John Thompson III
Coach Record: 184-81 at Georgetown, 252-123 overall
Who’s Out:
Jason Clark led Georgetown with 14.0 points per game. He started his senior season as the team’s go-to-scorer, but ended it as the point guard as well. Clark was a dynamic scorer, a fine ball handler, a great rebounder for a guard and a superb defender. He did it all and it will take more than one player to replace Clark. When Clark moved to the point, fellow senior Hollis Thompson moved to the shooting guard spot. Having a 6-8 shooting guard created massive matchup problems. Thompson knocked down 43.0 percent of his attempts from long range and would use his size to attack the basket with ease. Losing those two will force Georgetown to rework their entire backcourt. The frontcourt does lose center Henry Sims. Like Clark and Thompson, Sims started all 33 games and averaged double figures in the scoring department. As much as the Hoyas will miss his interior scoring, they may miss his shot blocking and passing abilities even more.
Who’s In:
The most important newcomer will likely be shooting guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera. Not only is he extremely talented, but Smith-Rivera fills a big need on the perimeter. He may not be the greatest athlete, nor is he especially fast, but Smith-Rivera uses his intelligence to score in bunches. He can shoot and has a knack for picking up fouls and getting to the charity stripe. If he is not starting from day one, he probably will be soon. Small forward Stephen Domingo graduated high school a year early to join this recruiting class and may be needed on the wing. Walk-on David Allen will provide some emergency depth on the perimeter. The frontcourt adds 6-10 center Brandon Bolden and 7-0 center Bradley Hayes. Bolden still needs to add strength, but he is a good athlete who can get on the boards. Hayes will need time to develop his game before making an impact.
Who to Watch:
The frontcourt is amazingly versatile. Otto Porter, Nate Lubick and Greg Whittington are all 6-8 forwards who can be moved around the frontcourt. Porter had a great freshman campaign, averaging 9.7 points and 6.8 rebounds. Porter led the Hoyas with 6.8 rebounds per contest despite starting just eight contests. Porter is a capable shooter and a pretty good passer for a 205 pound forward. Lubick spends most of his time in the paint, but like Sims, he is a great passer from inside. Lubick has been an efficient scorer when he looks towards the basket and without Sims he may be looking to score a lot more this season. Whittington will spend more time away from the basket. He is a good three-point shooter and, along with Porter, is more than capable of defending the three spot. Just a sophomore, Whittington could be in for a big season, but he will need to be more effective on the glass and mix it up in the paint a little more often. Sophomore Mikael Hopkins and Moses Ayegba, who redshirted last season, will battle it out with the newcomers for minutes off of the bench.
Final Projection:
The big men will be among the best in the conference, but the questions are in the backcourt. Markel Starks, a 6-2 junior, was the starting point guard last season until he lost his job to Clark. It is his job again now. Starks only averaged 1.6 assists per game last season and added 7.1 points. He is a good outside shooter and if he can do a better job of creating offense for himself and his teammates, he will be difficult to defend. Georgetown will rely heavily on Smith-Rivers to contribute right away to add more of a scoring punch on the perimeter. Jabril Trawick, a 6-5 sophomore, will look to fill that role as well, but he must improve his shooting if he wants to take too many minutes away from Smith-Rivers.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting Five:
Markel Starks, Junior, Guard, 7.1 points per game
D’Vauntes Smith-Rivers, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season
Otto Porter, Sophomore, Forward, 9.7 points per game
Greg Whittington, Sophomore, Forward, 4.3 points per game
Nate Lubick, Junior, Forward, 3.5 points per game
Madness 2013 NBA Draft Rankings:
#19 Otto Porter
Madness 2012 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#35 D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera
#135 Brandon Bolden
