In the one-and-done college world, it’s not infrequent that star-laden teams often consist of one or more highly touted freshman starters who demand minutes, attention and the ball.
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A bolder and trickier approach is a second unit made up entirely of first-year players.
That’s exactly what Georgetown coach John Thompson III has this season, with five freshman who have all yet to make a start but have played 93.7 percent of the ninth-ranked Hoyas’ bench minutes (874 out of 937).
| Up Next |
| No. 20 Marquette at No. 9 Georgetown |
| When » Wednesday, 7 p.m. |
| Where » Verizon Center |
| TV » ESPNU |
The expectations were set when the team traveled to China last August. Five months later and two games into Big East conference play, with a third against No. 20 Marquette (12-2, 1-0) on Wednesday, those freshmen have come to define what is different about the Hoyas (12-1, 2-0) and has propelled them to a 10-game winning streak.
“We kind of knew that we had to pick up the slack and try to help the older guys,” freshman forward Otto Porter said.
Porter, who has averaged 27.7 minutes a game, has pulled down 26 rebounds in the last two contests and has come to replace sophomore starter Nate Lubick in late-game situations.
Freshman Greg Whittington is second in bench minutes (16.9 a game). And first-year guard Jabril Trawick was an early spark in last week’s upset at then-No. 4 Louisville, scoring all of his career-high nine points in the first half.
Freshmen forwards Mikael Hopkins (7.7 mpg) and Aaron Bowen (5.9 mpg), who played seven games as a freshman last year before redshirting due to a shoulder injury, have seen limited action.
“The competitive qualities that our freshman class brings, in general, was definitely needed,” Thompson said.
With just one junior and two seniors on their entire roster, the Hoyas have displayed a unique trust in each other and competitiveness without reservations. They’ve also made crucial plays, such as Porter’s contribution (six points, 12 rebounds) in an offensive struggle against Providence on Saturday.
“It’s good for the freshmen guys to be able to come in and get that confidence, and know that they can contribute,” junior Hollis Thompson said. “No matter what time of the game it is, they feel like they can come in and can make plays for us.”
As he prepares his young squad to handle the increased spotlight that comes with being ranked in the top 10, coach Thompson said age has nothing to do with it.
“I think this group is just excited about playing,” he said. “I think as a coach, you hope year after year that they understand what the world says is irrelevant, and what we do on the court will take care of what the world says. I think this group truly just likes playing together.”
