Guard becomes more of a playmaker for Hoyas Jason Clark’s focused expression never changed as he took a seat on the bench during a timeout in Georgetown’s come-from-behind victory over Marquette on Wednesday.
With fellow senior Henry Sims and lone junior Hollis Thompson reduced to spectators because of foul trouble, Clark and four freshmen had chipped away at a Golden Eagles lead that had been as large as 17 points in the second half.
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Clark could have used a rest. Instead, he shook the chance for a break and played all 20 minutes after halftime in the 73-70 win. In the process, he once and for all shed the notion that his offensive game is predicated solely on shooting set 3-pointers.
| Up next |
| No. 9 Georgetown at West Virginia |
| When » Saturday, noon |
| Where » WVU Coliseum, |
| Morgantown, W.Va. |
| TV » MASN |
From the moment he started at Georgetown, Clark’s ability to guard on the perimeter set him apart. This season, Clark’s ability to create at the other end of the court off the dribble has come to the forefront for a team that is full of tenacious players but lacks a traditional playmaker. Thompson has developed into a premier shooter, Sims is a facilitator and freshman Otto Porter is the ball-hawking rebounder.
“Jason is a good player,” Hoyas center Henry Sims said. “When he focuses in, you can’t score on him and you can’t stop him from scoring.”
Clark’s game-high 26 points against the Golden Eagles gave him his 10th career game with at least 20. It was only the third time he reached that threshold with two or fewer 3-pointers.
In addition, Clark’s long-range game has steadily decreased in its importance to his offensive production since his sophomore season, when 62 percent of his shot attempts were from beyond the arc. That number dropped to 51.4 percent last year. Through 14 games this year for the Hoyas (13-1, 3-0 Big East), he’s down to shooting from distance 44 percent of the time.
Meanwhile, Clark has already been to the free throw line 67 times, only seven short of the 74 trips he made as a junior.
Against Marquette, Clark turned defensive stops into increasingly determined attacks at the rim, even though he struggled uncharacteristically at the line (6-for-13), where he’s shooting 76 percent for the season. He was 6-for-7 after halftime from the field.
“From the very first possession of the second half, you saw his focus change that, ‘I’m going to guard that guy,’?” Hoyas coach John Thompson III said. “As he focused in on his defense, his shot started to fall.”
Georgetown began the year unknown in large part because of its freshman. But Clark’s talent, growth and belief also may have been undervalued.
“We joke about it, but most of the time we have a feeling when we’re down that we’re not going to lose the game,” Clark said. “It’s nice to have that confidence.”
