Defensive prowess already impressing Hoyas The mistake would be to regard Greg Whittington as just another one of the long, athletic, versatile and interchangeable players who have turned 10th-ranked Georgetown into one of the biggest surprises of the season.
None other than former Georgetown coach John Thompson Jr. has suggested that the 6-foot-8 freshman from Columbia, Md., could wind up being the best defensive player the Hoyas (15-3, 5-2 Big East) have ever had.
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“I think he has a chance to be,” Hoyas coach John Thompson III agreed. “I really do. Now that’s saying a lot. Obviously, Mike Riley, Gene Smith pop into my head immediately, and Greg is very different than both of them when you start talking about defenders. … A lot of things about basketball he’s just learning and being exposed to. But with time, he has the skill set and understanding and the caring to accomplish that.”
| Up next |
| Rutgers at No. 10 Georgetown |
| When » Saturday, noon |
| Where » Verizon Center |
| TV » MASN |
That’s a tall order for a player who wasn’t highly recruited until last spring, in particular by the Hoyas, who snatched him away from Maryland, Clemson and DePaul. Whittington also hasn’t thrust himself into the national spotlight like fellow freshman Otto Porter, who made his first career start in Georgetown’s 83-75 win at DePaul on Tuesday.
But Whittington is just as capable defensively as Porter — Thompson said the two are equally effective at the top of the Hoyas’ 1-2-2 pressure defense.
“My length messes everybody up,” said Whittington, who also has begun to emerge on the glass, pulling down nine offensive rebounds in the last two games. He set a career high with eight rebounds in last weekend’s 69-49 win at St. John’s, using his work on the glass to match a career-best eight points.
“Otto, he’s just everywhere,” Whittington said. “That’s all that is. Other than that, me and Otto are the same player. We do the same things. We just to do things to the best of our ability.”
Whittington hasn’t shot the ball quite as well from deep, missing 21 of 26 attempts from beyond the arc after connecting on two of three in Georgetown’s season-opening 83-54 demolition of Savannah State.
“He has a shot,” Hoyas senior guard Jason Clark said. “I don’t want anybody to think he doesn’t because he’s been missing lately.”
Thompson III thinks it’s just jitters and said he’s comfortable when Whittington lets it go.
“Yeah, I’ve got to do a better job of being ready to shoot the ball,” Whittington said. “But other than that, I’m comfortable shooting it.”
For now, he’s relishing the chance to work on defense and rebounding, which should come in handy Saturday against Rutgers (11-8, 3-3), which has won three of its last four games and is off to its best conference start since 2003-04. Whittington was asked about the Hoyas’ dogged pursuit of the basketball, which has helped them earn two straight wins after a recent two-game skid.
“It means you’re getting second shots,” Whittington said. “That’s how you get wins.”
