Sapp could sit down as Hoyas pick themselves up
After benching Georgetown senior guard Jessie Sapp at halftime of last weekend’s overtime loss to Cincinnati, Hoyas head coach John Thompson III left open the possibility that there might be changes to his starting lineup this weekend at No. 23 Syracuse (18-7, 6-6 Big East).
Thompson said he wasn’t sure yet on Thursday, but Sapp (who has struggled throughout conference play, including zero points in a season-low six minutes against the Bearcats) appeared ready to miss his second start of the year after missing just one start in 71 games during his sophomore and junior seasons.
Georgetown
at No. 23 SyracuseWhen » Saturday, noonWhere » Verizon CenterTV/Radio » ESPN/980 AM/92.7 FM, 94.3 FM
“I’m going to work hard whether I’m playing in the game or not playing in the game,” said Sapp, who also came off the bench against Florida International on Dec. 23. “I’m going to work hard in practice, try to better myself and my teammates as well. I’m not going to give my teammates the short end of the stick because I didn’t play last game. We work too hard as a unit for me to even think about it. That’s just plain being selfish.”
Thompson, who said Sapp was “fine,” was markedly upbeat despite having lost six out of the last seven games and facing another trip to the Carrier Dome, where he is yet to win since taking the helm five years ago. The Orange, however, have lost six of their last eight, including the Hoyas’ 88-74 thumping at Verizon Center one month ago.
During Georgetown’s first full week off between games since early December, Thompson hasn’t used the work “relax” with the Hoyas (13-9, 4-7), but he has tried to get his underclassmen-loaded squad to “remember that we’re good.”
“I still have a lot of confidence in these kids,” said Thompson. “They’re working their behinds off, and we have to get that confidence back. Losing that comes with losses, but I still believe in this group.”
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