Top 5: Area college basketball players to watch
By: Top 10 and Craig Stouffer
Washington Examiner
November 8, 2009
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| 1 » Georgetown’s Greg Monroe (already projected to be an NBA lottery pick) is only a sophomore, but his success will be key to the Hoyas’ season. (Getty Images) |
The five biggest college basketball programs in Washington are all in various states of rebuilding. Here are the biggest building blocks on each team:
1. Greg Monroe, center, Georgetown, sophomore
The area’s only projected NBA Draft lottery pick resides on Old Hilltop. The latest in a long line of stellar big men for the Hoyas, Monroe is the star around which Georgetown will revolve. His ability to read the game and distribute make him unique at his position, but scoring (12.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg) will be how he gets Georgetown back on track.
2. Greivis Vasquez, guard, Maryland, senior
We’re going out on a limb and guessing that Vasquez’s play, not his mouth, will be what garners attention this season. A preseason All-ACC selection, Vasquez (17.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 5.0 apg) knows only the former will vault him into the first round of next year’s NBA Draft. Well, that and winning, which will keep folks off Gary Williams’ back, too.
3. Cam Long, guard, George Mason, junior
Although Long led the Patriots in scoring with 11.7 points per game last year, he was far more valuable than that, something that didn’t go unrecognized by the CAA, which named him to the preseason all-conference team. Buoyed by another strong recruiting class, Long has the chance to shepherd this group into March Madness once again.
4. Vlad Moldoveanu, forward, American, junior
The 6-foot-10 former St. John’s College High standout went along for the Cinderella ride on the Eagles bench last year after transferring from George Mason. He’ll finally be able to contribute when he becomes eligible after the fall semester. The outlook at that point might not be as rosy since American doesn’t return a single starter from last year.
5. Damian Hollis, guard, George Washington, senior
At 6-foot-8, Hollis has always been looked at as a prodigious talent. Only mental mistakes keep him from realizing that potential. As a junior, his scoring improved from 9.1 points per game to 13.4, but his turnovers also went up by 50 percent, from 1.8 to 2.7 per game. He’s one of two seniors returning after last year’s awful 10-18 campaign.
