Thompson, Georgetown have won seven straight
Georgetown’s longest Big East winning streak in four years is no accident. The Hoyas have clawed out six of their seven straight wins by single-digit margins — in fact, an average of 5.1 points a victory aide from the 77-52 rout of St. John’s.
That means every game has had tense moments — on the court and in the huddle — in which Georgetown players have been challenged by their opponents and by coach John Thompson III to maintain the focus and poise required to do what is necessary.
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In college basketball, the coach is the unquestioned dictator on a stage on which players often are the target of no-holds-barred histrionics, but Thompson’s demeanor hardly ever makes a discernible change.
“Coach Thompson, he’s pretty much a level dude throughout the whole thing,” Hoyas sophomore Hollis Thompson said. “I think that helps us because a lot of times late in games, people get antsy and excited. But I think his levelheadedness reflects on all of us, and we do what we need to do.”
Just because Thompson III doesn’t instill fear among players, referees and spectators like Bobby Knight or get caught on camera unleashing a curse word-laced tirade like Kentucky coach John Calipari did to Terrence Jones earlier in the year, it doesn’t mean he’s a saint. But beyond the closed doors of a practice or a locker room at halftime, Thompson’s most frequent tactic is a simple piercing, straight-faced glare.
| Up next |
| Marquette at No. 11 Georgetown |
| Where » Verizon Center |
| When » Sunday, 1 p.m. |
| TV » ESPN |
“Do I not get on them? Of course I do,” the coach said. “Does that mean that the person sitting in the 200 level has to say, ‘Ah, there he goes. Way to go, coach.’ That’s irrelevant. I just want to get a response.”
Since four losses in five games that seemed to send the Hoyas spinning, Thompson has elicited exactly what he needs from his experienced group. He got the key defensive stops, transition points and zone-dissecting buckets that earned Georgetown its first road win at Syracuse in nine years on Wednesday.
The Hoyas (19-5, 8-4 Big East) expect another razor-thin contest against Marquette (15-9, 6-5) which hasn’t lost by double-digits since being throttled by Georgetown 80-57 in last year’s Big East tournament.
“Coming off a win like our last one against Syracuse, it’s a great feeling, and a lot of times teams come off big wins and they kind of kick their feet up when they really need to be on their toes,” Hollis Thompson said. “We recognize that because we’ve been through it in the past.”
