Georgetown senior guard Jonathan Wallace smiled when asked about the Hoyas’ 17 three-point attempts in the first half of their season-opening win over William & Mary, shots kindly referred to by head coach John Thompson III as “too many.”
“We had the open shots, and we’ve got guys on the team who can make those,” said Wallace, who then gestured to 7-foot-2 All-American center Roy Hibbert (Georgetown Prep) standing beside him. “At the same time, we’ve got a big presence down low.”
Georgetown made the appropriate adjustments, feeding Hibbert for 12 of his game-high 22 points in the second half against the Tribe.
The performance was evidence that the learning portion of the year is once again underway as normal for the Hoyas, who are getting accustomed to leaning more on Hibbert and dealing with the departure of Jeff Green (Northwestern High), the team’s biggest weapon and smartest player.
“Every one gets anxious once you get around the five minute mark of the game,” said Thompson. “But [Green] had a unique understanding of, ‘Oh, this is a big possession right here.’ We’re growing into it.”
In their opener, the Hoyas also received only two points off the bench, with freshmen Austin Freeman (DeMatha High) and Chris Wright (St. John’s High), despite carrying McDonald’s All-American pedigrees, looking like, well, freshmen. Freeman played 12 minutes, had three rebounds, made one jump shot and missed three 3-pointers. Wright, coming off a broken foot, took one shot and had three turnovers in nine minutes.
“They did okay,” said Thompson. “Both of them are going to be very, very good.”
