Victory over Memphis seen as big step forward Georgetown had plenty to lose heading to the Maui Invitational as perhaps the most unknown team in a loaded field.
Instead, next to tournament champion Duke, the Hoyas (4-1) made the biggest gains of any team over the course of three games in three days, using the disappointment of an opportunity lost in their opening-round 67-63 defeat to No. 14 Kansas as the source of inspiration for significant improvement in their final two contests.
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| IUPUI at Georgetown |
| When » Monday, 7 p.m. |
| Where » Verizon Center |
| TV » MASN |
“It was good for us,” said Hoyas coach John Thompson III, whose team beat Division II Chaminade in the second game, then upset No.?8 Memphis 91-88 in overtime to capture fifth place. “This team, our team, has a lot of room for growth still. We have high expectations of each other to achieve that growth. I think we took some steps this week as Jason [Clark] said after that game the other day.”
Because of another stellar performance from Clark, the victory over the Tigers certainly didn’t seem like an upset. The day before, the senior guard had torched Chaminade with a career-high 28 points, matching a career best with six 3-pointers.
Clark hit four more 3s against Memphis, the biggest of which came with 52 seconds left in overtime. His ability to generate offense with penetration off the dribble is a sign of his veteran confidence and an underrated aspect of his game. He provides crucial versatility to the Georgetown offense, which stayed patient against Memphis after often rushing things against Kansas.
“I think that the team is getting better with dealing with adversity,” Clark said. “We’re getting better. I think we responded well after the loss after Kansas. I think everybody’s starting to pay a lot more attention to what we need to do on the court on offense.”
Clark’s growth has been mirrored by senior center Henry Sims (10.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.0 apg) and complemented by freshman Otto Porter, whose 6-foot-8 frame and variety of skills (nine points, eight rebounds, four steals, three assists, two blocks vs. Memphis) made him a recruiting coup for Thompson.
With Porter and fellow 6-8 freshman Greg Whittington, Thompson has the athleticism to disrupt opponents with constant switching in a man-to-man defense and the length to cut off passing lanes and easy shots in a zone. Against the Jayhawks and the Tigers, however, the Hoyas occasionally blinked and allowed themselves to be beaten with alley-oops off backside cuts.
Sims and forward Nate Lubick, who struggled against Memphis, also will be tested regularly in Big East play, and the same can be said for the mettle of Clark’s supporting backcourt cast of Markel Starks and Jabril Trawick.
