It remains to be seen exactly what Georgetown will look like following a season in which all but three players on the Hoyas’ roster were underclassmen.
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The graduation of Jason Clark is also expected to move Markel Starks into Georgetown’s lead guard role as a junior after an up-and-down sophomore campaign provided the team’s most controversial moments aside from the preseason brawl in China.
A starter in 24 of Georgetown’s first 25 games — sitting out once due to illness — Starks (7.4 ppg) was benched without explanation by Hoyas coach John Thompson III following the team’s 73-55 loss at Seton Hall on Feb. 21, a game in which there was a heavy amount of on-court jawing between the Hoyas and Pirates.
After missing all of the following game against Villanova, Starks returned to action but never regained his starting spot the rest of the season.
Late in Georgetown’s NCAA third-round defeat to North Carolina State, Starks positioned himself at the Wolfpack free throw line each time the Hoyas fouled, barking instructions to his teammates but more importantly not allowing the opposing player to get ready for his free throws.
At one point Starks responded to the N.C. State fans who were yelling at him to step away, telling them to “shut up.”
Starks’ dose of attitude and mind games were somewhat successful, as the Wolfpack missed three of five attempts during one stretch to keep the Hoyas in the game until the final buzzer. But it could be a hint that replicating the understated and tight-knit group that defied expectations this season won’t be easy.
– Craig Stouffer
