For the first time in his coaching tenure at Georgetown, John Thompson III does not have a dominant big man. But that isn’t the primary issue the Hoyas need to address coming into the 2010-11 season.
The harshest lesson Georgetown has had to learn in recent years is no matter the opponent, the fire inside must burn the same. Last season the Hoyas convincingly beat both NCAA finalists — eventual champion Duke and runner-up Butler — during the regular season. But riding high after those victories — and higher still after a stirring run to the Big East tournament final — Georgetown found itself in cruise control and couldn’t get out until it was too late, particularly as a No. 3 seed in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
“I think the problem last year was however many inches between each one of their ears with the way they approached that game,” ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas said. “You can’t play as well as they played over the course of the Big East tournament and then all of a sudden get blown out by [17] by Ohio.”
Which is why it doesn’t matter that there’s no longer a Greg Monroe, who was picked seventh in the 2010 NBA Draft, or a Roy Hibbert to anchor the middle. In fact, the Hoyas expect to be even more versatile than ever because they have an increased number of interchangeable parts, including six different players who are between 6-foot-6 and 6-10.
Senior guards Austin Freeman, the Big East preseason player of the year, and Chris Wright are responsible for both setting the tone and carrying the load offensively.
“Even if we had Greg back, we’d have to make adjustments because obviously we came up short,” Wright said. “I think what we learned last year is we can play with anybody. We can play with anybody. We can lose to anybody. We just have to stay focused in the games that we don’t necessarily get up for.”
The nonconference portion of the Hoyas’ schedule this year is chock full of games that should help rid them of that temptation, starting with Friday’s visit to Colonial Athletic Association preseason favorite Old Dominion.
“I possibly bit off more than we can chew,” said Thompson, who is entering his seventh season. “We’ll see. I know that this team has to grow, and I know that this team is going to be tested early, and hopefully we can have success early while we are growing.”
