Midnight Madness Preview

We already caught you up on the new Hoyas over the summer in our KennerLeague recaps, but with Midnight Madness around the corner, we figured it was time for an updated basketball cheat sheet.

Everybody Loves Austin

Publication after publication has picked senior guard Austin Freeman as the favorite for Big East Player of the Year and Coach John Thompson III isn’t tempering those expectations:

“Austin Freeman should be the Preseason Player of the Year in the Big East,” Thompson told MSG.com. “And I think, he’ll be the Player of the Year at the end of the season.”

Freeman, who is also on the preseason Wooden Award watch list, is joined by senior guard Chris Wright on Sports Illustrated‘s Naismith Award preseason watch list and Rival‘s preseason top 50 list.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Moses Abraham has, unfortunately, decided to go by the last name Ayegba, rendering useless half of the clever Biblical references we’ve been saving for the upcoming season. We’re not bitter, we promise.

There Will Be A Class of 2015!

Over the summer, Georgetown fans were getting frantic as Big East rivals snatched up recruits and the number of top high school players dwindled. But in mid-September, Jabril Trawick committed to Georgetown, getting the metaphorical ball rolling. Trawick is a 6’4″ shooting guard from Philly with great toughness. And he’s got hops.

A few weeks later, Mikael Hopkins, a 6’8″ four-star recruit who was ranked the #3 center in his class, took the plunge. Hopkins is only the second Hoya in 40 years to hail from local basketball powerhouse DeMatha Catholic, the other being Austin Freeman. Why? A long-standing grudge between John Thompson Jr. and Morgan Wootten, DeMatha’s legendary former coach.

Stars Aligned?

Georgetown hasn’t successfully recruited a five-star prospect since Detroit-bound Greg Monroe, but two will be in attendanceon Friday night for Midnight Madness. Let’s hope that Kyle Anderson and Daniel Ochefu, ranked 18th and 11th in the countryrespectively, enjoy Wale.

Ochefu is a known quantity as a top-flight big man, but Anderson could end up being a gem. If the Princeton offense could dream, it would obsess over “Slow Motion,” a 6’7″ point guard with superb passing ability. We’ll write that again: a 6’7″ point guard.

Cross posted at: The Voice

Loud Noises!!

Georgetown's hopes for the recruiting Class of 2011 took a hit today in the most devastating fashion- longer sought after Top-10 recruit Rakeem Christmas committed to play at Syracuse. The uproars of despair from the Georgetown faithful at Casual Hoya was instantaneous. The comments are interspersed with jabs from intruding Syracuse fans and the result is essentially a verbal brawl- taking swings at 'Cuse, Rakeem, JT3 and former assistant Mike Cox.

I'm not too worked up over it.

Here's why:

The luxury of being a senior is that after three years of disappointment, faced with one final chance for glory in as an enrolled collegiate fan, the only focus is on this season. Does Rakeem Christmas help us win a championship next season? No. Therefore, I will not lose sleep over it tonight.

There are legitimate concerns about losing this recruit- being deprived of the column title "Christmas Comes Early!" not being the least of those concerns. Assistant Coach David Cox left this year and he was the lead on our #1 target recruit- JT3, whether through his own actions or in the management of his staff, dropped the ball on this one. But after spending hours this summer fidgeting in McDonough trying to find a comfortable position, you will have a hard time subscribing me to the "Woe is Georgetown! JT3 is a horrible recruiter!" petition. The 2010 Class of Markel, Bowen, Lubick and Moses all have impressed- they all can contribute this year, so not all seems to be rotten in the recruiting sphere.

Succeed breeds success and winning is a great recruiting tool. The successes of this years Hoyas will have a far more lasting impact on our program than a single recruiting decision. Austin and Chris are poised to lead us to the strong season, and if they do, the recruiting will fall into place.

Contributing to the panic is how few ESPN Top 100 remain available.... Oh wait, either "None" University is going to have a killer team next year or over half of the elite recruits are still available. This is still in the early signing period, folks. I fully expect that a few responsible, patient individuals (sounds like the type of kids who would well in our system, eh) will choose the blue and gray cap with the large "G" and a bulldog on it.

Also, if Rakeen woke up tomorrow morning, changed his mind and wanted to come to the Hilltop, would you accept him? No thanks, Rakeem. In your choice alone, you've exposed a fatal flaw in your character that we will move on just fine without, thank you.

"The Stark Plug" Heard Round The World!

In my blog post about Kenner League 7/25, both at The Voice and on this blog, I tentatively bestowed a nickname on Markel Starks, the speedy freshman point guard who will be coming off the bench: "The Stark Plug."

As I discovered through the Casual Hoya, ESPN was listening. A Hoya ESPN Insider report mentioned how Starks has already been given the nickname "The Stark Plug" from the Hoya faithful.

To the best of my knowledge, I am "the Hoya faithful!" The nickname is simple (word play), makes sense (Markel is pure speed and will be relied on for instant offense) and catchy enough to be recycled into multiple cheesy sports column titles (coming at you this fall, The Voice). I can picture Dickie V. screaming it to the point of nausea already...

Pickin' up Chris Paul

According to the nebulous source that is twitter, Chris Wright and Austin Freeman will be welcoming Chris Paul to the Georgetown campus tonight for a game of pick up. As I was a huge Chris Paul supporter in my pre-Hoya days (I faithfully, though horribly errenously, picked his Wake Forest team to win it all on my bracket two years in a row) so I am thinking about lacing up the basketball shoes and showing off the mid-range game. I assume the two-on-two teams would break down CP3 and I vs. Austin and CW4, so hopefully CP would get me some nice looks around the free throw line.

Kenner League 8/1: Markel v. Vee

The lone game I attended Sunday was the match-up between Vee Sanford and Julian Vaughn and the Tombs (4 frosh, AF and Hollis). It is the maximum number of Hoya's that you can see on a Kenner League court, and the crowd responded in turn with the best showing of the summer.

Markel Starks and Vee Sanford did not disappointed- each player seemed eager to prove himself the better, and it had the feel of the old one-up Nike commercials. Markel had some great flashes, was the first to connect on a three over Vee, and on a fast break left a member of Clyde's quick literally on the ground at the free throw line after disorienting him with a juke. Overall though, Vee manage to exploit some loose ends in Markel's game that haven't been pressed in Kenner. Markel had a tough time staying in front of Vee and though Vee struggled to finish, it forced the Tombs to play help defense and the disruption led to a lot of easy buckets. Markel has shown a propensity to make hard cuts, but he didn't guard them as well- multiple times after Vee passed off the ball to the wing, he was able to get a step on Markel going towards the hoops. Vee's superior length also gave Starks some problems, he was able to stop Starks' progress and forced him into a few careless errors when he tried to dribble through trouble when he clearly should've given it up. Vee also hit near back to back threes in a stretch that put Clyde's in the drivers seat (though his J is still far from a guarantee) and later hit one of his patented floaters.

The game was decided inside- Julian Vaughn was unstoppable. Nate Lubick was stranded inside because Moses Abraham was given the day off after spraining his ankle (we have learned all to well about the dangers of coming back too soon from a hurt ankle as a freshman, see CW 2007-8). Nate doesn't have the strength to contend with Julian, but he did a fair job, was active throughout and had a lot of nice closer range hoops. Sometimes he has the crazy notion that he's a ball handler and shockingly, he's fairly effective. He picked up a lose ball around the opposing free throw line, didn't look over for Markel or Austin and just charged around down the court, dribbled around two defenders and got a good look at a lay-up but couldn't put it in.

Play of the Game: Aaron Bowen posterizing Julian Vaughn. Bowen got the ball in the short corner on the tail end of a fast break and Vaughn was coming down the lane to greet him at the basket and got there just in time to have Bowen thrown down over his outstretched arms. When Bowen first took off I thought there was no chance he'd make it to the rim cleanly but he got up really quickly and he managed to keep his body from catching Vaughn.

It ended up being a strange position at the end of a close game, as I couldn't help rooting for the Tombs (as a Tombs apologist I will note that they played a rigorous game on Saturday as well) and half-hoping that Julian would miss a FT to give them one last shot to tie- but then also being relieved that Julian could hit a FT in a tight game. All in all, Austin, Vaughn stood out, while the other pieces around them looked solid, especially offensively.

Onward to the final weekend of Kenner- this last weekend has been shockingly laced through with defensive effort and hopefully that will continue for the 4 day March Madness of Summer Leagues: the Kenner League Playoffs.

Kenner League 7/31- The Resurgence of Aaron Bowen

After putting on a show two weekends ago, Aaron Bowen has been hesitant to put up jump shots and has had little success when he pulled the trigger. He's run the floor exceptionally well and was making a big impact on transition offense, but his game wasn't as well rounded... until the second half of Saturday's game. In one of the most competitive games at Kenner this summer, the Hoop Magic Warriors used a deep bench and a lot of intensity (Byron Mouton did his best TO, to the extent of fist pumping after made free throws) to put the Tombs down one at half. HMW extended the lead to start the first half; the Tombs kept themselves in the game through gritty- outside shots from Freeman, Hollis and Markel weren't falling as they usually do. It wasn't until a run late in the second half when Aaron Bowen hit two 3's assisted by Markel and another basket that the Tombs took a late lead. With 12 seconds to go HMW hit a 3 to tie the game 67-67. With about 5 second left, Bowman put up another end over end shot, this time a twelve footer and splashed in a final swish. A missed buzzer beater was let with loud applause- this game more than any other at Kenner had a regular season feel. The Hoyas, excuse me, Tombs, were prone to being ground down by a talented and deep team but fought their way out of a hole- most especially thanks to Bowen, who finished with 12 points.

Austin Freeman showed why he will be a special player this year- his shot was clearly off this afternoon and in response he ratcheted up his defense and used his size to bully people around the hoop and threaded the needle on a lot of passes that had some muster behind them.

Play that would've had commentators going on for at least 10 minutes were KL games broadcast: Austin dribbled the ball to the wing at Markel Starks who made a sharp backdoor cut and had an easy layup. It was executed so naturally- Starks has a great feel for the game, especially for freshman.

One scary moment: Moses Abraham and Starks came down on each other under the basket and only Starks got up. Moses was able to put weight on it right away, but not much at first, was able to limp back to the bench. He came back in for a minute later, so hopefully it was a rolled ankle that won't be an issue.

Moses is the ideal red shirt if we had depth, he has a long way to go with his hands (stone), but his determination to go after the ball will be welcome on our thin front line. At least a few times every scrimmage it seems he gets deadlocked in a battle for a rebound with a teammate. Also, he swished a few more free throws today- that never fails to amaze people in the audience.

The resurgence of Aaron Bowen has me questioning if there is a health issue with his right shoulder that is in a sleeve. The ball looks so good out of his hand, the multiple air-balls last week seemed such an anomaly.

One thing I noticed about Hollis Thompson that makes me question if he's fully ready to take his offensive game to the next level beyond a spot shooter is that he has a tendency when he's dribbling to put his head down and not see the court as well as he could. He will certainly be an impact player this year and the stronger his ball handling, the further he can tap into his full potential.

I stepped out for the Clyde's matchup, but came back in time to another close finish 70-68. Tomorrow is the day to take note of- Clyde's Versus Tombs. I cannot wait to see Lubick and Moses on Vaughn and, even more direct of a rivalry as for two players who will be dueling for minutes, Markel vs. Vee.

In the final game it was DC Legends versus.... well four guys were doing a shoot-out on the other hoop, one of whom was wearing a polo. I came mainly hoping that Henry would face real competition so I started planning on heading for the door early. A few guys ran into the locker room for unis and they came out with a team... and then five minutes later DC Legends was down 13-3, Premiere Athletics had 6 guys in their bench, Henry was stripped a few times inside and Chris Wright had a jump shot blocked away from behind. I was stunned. Chris, realizing that his teammates were for the most part unable to come within striking distance of the rim on an open three, starting taking it to the glass.

Another scary moment- Chris went up strong with two and he was fouled by the ball and he ended up falling to the floor on his back. He bounced right up, but he was clearly shaken. Fortunately, he seemed fine by the end the game.

Henry Sims had a poor game, was thwarted down low repeatedly and aside from a few nice defensive plays, did not make good use of his size. Though I cannot certianly vouch for anything during the last 10 minutes of the game as my brain and body were vibrating to the continual chant of two well meaning youngsters seated directly behind me screaming OFFENSE OFFENSE OFFENSE or DEFENCE DEFENCE, DEFENCE depending on which situation described DC Legends situation.

Thursday Night Kenner 7/29

The Clyde's/DCX match-up came down to one call on the low block and the Charlie Rangel look-alike referee made the right call (I suppose that's how you can tell the look-alike from the real thing). Up one, Clyde's gave DCX the last shot after a turnover when Vee tried to force it to Vaughn and then missed a 3 pointer, DCX had a fast break and took it to the rim but right at the defender and got the charge call with 3 seconds left. Clyde's 60 DCX 59

Clyde's had no bench and Julian was gulping air by the end of the game, including just standing at the opponents FT line for a whole offensive possession with 3 minutes left to go, but he still was effective using small bursts of energy. He spent a lot of the game posting up and I was most impressed with his hands- he managed to catch multiple tough incoming passes.

Vee struggled, he was able to get into the lane with ease, but it only went downhill from there. Whether block or missed shot, he just wasn't able to put the ball in the hoop.

It was the first full game of Benimon's that I've seen and I was pleasantly surprised. His defense on Vaughn was very good, he was very active fronting him and created a few turnovers when people tried to go over the top. He was active around the hoops and managed to put back a few offensive rebounds. Otherwise, his offense game overall is still exceptional timorous. I kept count for the last ¾ of the game and, I am quite serious, he was averaging less than one dribble per touch on offense. The only time he looked to do anything was pass was at the end of the first half when his man slipped on a sweat spot on the floor and fell to the ground (he drained it, his no arc shots/free throws are surprisingly effective). Unfortunately the final minutes he caught the ball on on the arc, dribbled to the block and then back to the corner using seven dribbles and dashes his incredible ratio. One would think in Kenner league of all places, he would try to open up his offensive game at least a few times- just even the hint that he was looking to do something other than pass would be a huge advantage. All in all, I realized Benimon is going to maintain his minutes at least when the matchup dictates. For strong swing men like Kris Joseph, Benimon is likely the only one who can D them up and I'm sure he will get the opportunity to do so.

The Tombs were played tough by the scrappy Bowie State Bulldogs but pulled away in the end, 73-55. Freeman was back and seemed almost fatherly (this was enhanced by his wristband that a spot on it that reflected light exactly like a wristwatch does). He took over for a few bursts, but otherwise, spent a lot of time dishing and encouraging the Frosh. One play in particular on a two on one break, Austin during the regular season 10 time out of 10 with a smaller guard between him and the hoop will use his body and power to the rim. Last night he dished behind his back and Aaron Bowen swooped in for the flush.

Bowen played a completely different role than he has the last few weeks- not attempting a jumpshot once, but running hard and making a different in transition with his very good speed and leaping ability.

Nate Lubick has quick hands, which cuts both ways. It acts as a neutralizer when face guarding quicker opponents because he is effective at batting the ball away, but it will definitely cost him some cheap fouls. Bulldogs played small (sometimes really small, there was a maybe 5 8 guy out there on Hollis in the post for one possession, luckily he was pulled quickly) so Nate and Moses just subbed on and off for most of the game. Nate was pretty gassed during his long stretches- I think conditioning alone prevent Nate and Vaughn from shoring up the post positions (Henry's got to be able to be a steady contributor and I am suspecting he might be opening day starter over Hollis).

Speaking of Hollis, he looked solid, was able to play both inside and out against a smaller team and looked average, though not confidence instilling, when he took the ball up the floor a few times. He has a great ability to finish layups near the hoop once he gets his momentum going into the lane.

And the man of the hour, Markel Starks, has impressed the last two weekends, but I thought Thursday night was the best I've seen him. There cannot be a long list of guys in college hoops that can stay in front of him. He played a flawless first half, completely under control, drawing fouls at the hoops, kicking to open shooters, hit shots, playing tough defense- he elevated the play of everyone on the team. The highlight for me was a defensive one where he spoiled a 3 on 1 break. I am not sure how his feet kept up with this movement, but he lunged forward and looked like he was fully committed to the man with the ball, jump back and then recovered to his left to knock the ball out of bounds in a single, continuous movement. Such great quickness and composure. The second half contained a few miscues, but overall the steadiness continued and hit a couple threes on the run that blew the game open. I'm am chugging down the Markel kool-aid- this kid is going to be a player for us this year.

Inception

Here's the final line of the AP Report at ESPN.com about Georgetown's victory over Seton Hall on January 14, 2010 that planted a montrous seed of an idea in my mind:

"It was frustrating," Clark said. "That was refreshing, and it kind of gets my
confidence back."

The offensive creativity Clark displayed on a few occassions during his freshman year that he was unleashed (only at the end of the shot clock) made me instantly a fan. A loose reincarnation of one of my all-time favorite college players, Jamar Wilson, with a few extra inches height and Stretch Armstrong-esc reach.

But that quote, more innocent than I remember, struck me as just a little off-tune. The Hoyas were 13-2 at the point and #11 in the country and the quote seemed to beg for qualification about the team. "It's been frustrating personally and I'm glad the team has been gotten off to such a good start while I get my confidence back."

Since Clark is the #1 man next year, it is both unlikely and unwise to cut his minutes, but if the situation requires our lineup to go big and Clark loses a larger cut of minutes than others, I have the uneasy feeling that another Sapp-CWright conflict is not out of the question.

Hope I'm wrong and that the intensity Nate "I accidentally close-lined an opponent at Kenner" Lubick and Starks helps usher in an era of increased defensive intensity to match the offensive power our backcourt brings.

Kenner 7/25

Skipped the Saturday games for the pool due to the lack of Hoyas playing and the overabundance of humidity but was back on Sunday. As the unreal heat broke by way of an apparently violent batch of storms, a fairly large group of Hoya faithful were sheltered from reality on the wildly uncomfortable pull out bleachers (I wonder how old when my self consciousness gives way to bleacher seat cushions...) Lucky, I had Dave and Chris join me for the Tombs game so Rich was spared of my benign eavesdropping.

Clark and Team Takeover spent the warm-ups in what amounted to a dunk contest, so it was no surprise with Takeover up twenty, the last ten minutes of the second half devolved into a series of uncontested jams. When six footers repeatedly get open dunks in a set offense, you know ”defense” is an illusion that passes the time until you get the ball back.

Jason Clark was 4-7 with 10 points in a relatively competitive first half. He finished with around 20, but the stats aren’t to faithful to reality. The Team Takeover was by far the better team (VaTech F Jeff Allen in particular impressed) and cruised to a 80-60 final. Clark looked sharp offensively, was strong with the ball, but his offensive prowess has never concerned me.

No Austin today (rumored that he was in Vegas) so The Tombs underclassmen had a chance to run the show.

Reading the number crunching at Hoya Prospectus over this past week has had me anxious about the development of Hollis Thompson. A tall line-up very well might be our best despite not having the most talented 5 on the floor and Hollis hasn’t yet stood out in Kenner. His beautiful left handed take against Ohio was the single positive memory that I took into the off-season and I have high hopes for him this year. With Austin out, Hollis did not disappoint, energetic on defense, hitting his spot up shots on offense, drew fouls under the hoops on offense finished with over twenty. My personal dream scenario: the emergence of Hollis threatens to infringe on Clark’s minutes and forces him to buckle down on defense and make good on the potential he has to be an all-conference defender.

Markel Starks- The Stark Plug? Has it been said yet? He can be the lightening off the bench. The name is too short sighted though- he will be the floor general in turn. It was such a start contrast to see Starks expressionless intensity for the entire scrimmage after watching Clark and co. Harlem GlobeTrotter their matchup. It helped that it was a close game and Starks took control of the team, huddling them around the free throw line and even grabbing some jerseys. In the decisive run to seal the game, he an end to end drive and converted his only three point attempt of the day.


Nate Lubick had a few great boards in the first half, those long white arms rising up, outspread like Touchdown Jesus. He was quieter in the second half until he consecutively dove on the ground for a loose ball and took a charge. If we create a stat for times he ends up on the floor, I think he’ll have a shot a averaging a triple double by time he’s finished at the Hilltop.

After singing the praises of Aaron Bowen last week, he started the day 0-3 from 3pt with two air balls. He looked absent and wore an expression sadly similar what I remember from the Dajaun Summers’ days. Finished the game with a great steal/ breakaway dunk sequence, but it wasn’t enough to wash away the disappointing game. Hopefully this was a fluke, because he doesn’t have the size to cover a 3 man in the Big East, he needs that jump shot to be as beautiful as it was last week to earn PT.

Moses really got the crowd behind him… in warm-ups. He made 5 straight midrange jump shots, with a part of the crowd “ooh-ing” at each make, before one collided in mid-air with another ball. Any hint of refinement amongst his raw athleticism is something to get behind. He also converted his first successful post move that I’ve seen, a simple baby hook, but encouraging none the less.

Kenner League 7/18

Sunday 7/18 Kenner Updates

-Clyde’s defeated Premier Athletics 83-56, from the final score hard to believe that the first 30 minutes of this game were the mostly tightly contested of any I saw this weekend.

-What a difference a day makes for Vee Sanford. Today his fellow guards looked out of control while he had the reigns well in hand and was getting to his spots on the floor. As he went, the team went-he started the game 5-6 (2-2 3P) but a lead slipped away in the second half when he missed four shots in a row. He bounced back in the second half, 3-4 to finish with 19 points including two floaters, including one mid-range floater (he shot it from the foul line). I challenge you to find me a player in the country with a better mid-ranger floater game.

-CAMEO OF THE DAY Randy 'White Chocolate' Gill was on Premier Athletics- yes, he was the guy on that MTV show He was a reality TV show star before it was cool.

-Julian Vaughn made some nice moves in the first half that didn't go down, was active inside, but was out-staged by former GW player Pops Mensah-Bonsu. He turned it on in the second half and powered the break away, owned the boards and finally finished a few very pretty post moves.

-The Tombs,apparently hungover over from their Jeff Green experience on Saturday (he was in the building on Sunday but did not play), got off to a sluggish start and Higher Level took the lead for the first half. The second half was a steady comeback orchestrated by Austin Freeman, again the best player on the court, creating opportunities for his teammates- Lubick, Hollis, Bowman all played significant roles in a the second half comeback.

-The frosh frontmen had to hold their own today, I think all three of us (Moses, Nate and I) were a little star struck by Jeff Green and their play faded the peripheral. Mike Morrison of George Mason outplayed both of them in the first half, but in the second half when The Tombs run came together they marginalized him.

-My Jeff Green body type comparison for Moses Abraham was wrong- I realized that when I thought he was Vernon Macklin when he entered the gym. Moses was sturdy down low, altering shots, including one great block he pinned to the backboard.

-Moses' offensive highlight- on secondary look during a fast break Moses got the ball 5ft from the basket with a man separating him from goal- he faced up and charged. There may have been a left handed dribble involved, but it was not a basketball move. Completely without finesse but you have to love the aggression- to follow it up he made two free throws with nice rotation (he missed two earlier, but they were only part off). One main improvement for him this year would be hands- on one rebound he out jumped the opponents but didn't grab the ball at the height of his jump and the ball ended up going off his forearms out of bound.

-MOST IMPRESSIVE: Nate Lubick's footwork. He is the first player we've had since Roy who makes a post move that consistently gets him closer to the basket. His spins are tight, surprisingly agile and he got himself two close looks; he also had a handful of assists from the post. His other strength was able to be more active under the rim and I love how he gets the elbows out and smacks the ball when he gets a board. Once the satisfying smack of palm on the rubber rings out, you can attempt to get the basketball from Nate, but the price might be sacrificing structural soundness of your skull. He even hit a three, he didn't pull the string on the double clutch on the three as hard as yesterday but he managed to put it down.

-Markel Starks dropped off a bit from yesterday, he had a few carelessly turnover in the beginning. He made a few incredible cuts, one of which Lubick found him for a layup that must have made JT3 salivate. He brings the quickness. The MOST UNDERWHELMING of the day goes to Starks' free throw shooting. Markel clanged two today and is starting to form a pattern of misses from the stripe.

-For the whole weekend, Aaron Bowen was the MOST CONSISTENT HOYA. His jumper is pure, he shoots it with confidence from three and mid-range and at 6'6 he can get the shots off. He just doesn't miss open looks. He showed off his athleticism with some good weak side help. If he can show intensity on the defensive end during the regular season, there is no way JT3 can keep him on the bench.


The Henry Sims Show: In the DCX vs. DC Legends game there was a great sequence where Henry followed a missed fast break layup with a two-handed-legs-kicking-out flush. Back on defense, he blocked a shot, gathered the rebound, launched an ill advised soccer throw in down the court that was intercepted and then he held his ground on a 3-1 break and blocked a shot against the rim. Granted that the center on the other team had the make up of a mid-major power forward, Henry was like an octopus, he was rejecting shots everywhere. It was the most confident I've ever seen him, but he still was unable to use his post moves to get him closer to the hoop. He can run the floor well and had a few amazing alley-oops, but the slower Georgetown plays, the more Henry's skills are minimized.

-First look at Jerrelle Benimon- I loved his willingness to go after the ball last year and his athleticism was even more apparent today, making some good stops on defense, but his offensive deficiencies appear to remain. He's always been willing to look for his other teammates, but if he doesn't make himself some sort of a threat he will continue to have a hard time finding them. It's too small of a sample to judge his progress, but he is going to find a way to step up lest his minutes be redistributed to the likes of Hollis, Bowman, and Lubick.

-After dropping 40 last night and being matched up against a point guard that shared my dimensions (even if you don't know me, I'm a blogger for the Voice so you can surmise the intimidation), Chris Wright didn't take the even too seriously. As long he doesn't get hurt, I don't care what he does until Midnight Madness.

Kenner League The First 7/17

Kenner League 7/17 Blog
The scheduled 4:40 game that was devoid of Georgetown players was switched to the opening slot at 2 pm. It contained little to report on; the main thing that stuck with me from the game a non-player, non-coach who sat on Beyond Belief's bench who vaguely reminded me of the Counting Crows lead singer. Not your typical hoops entourage member.

Julian Vaughn, Vee Sanford and Clyde's Squad: 75
Higher Level 67

Julian Vaughn, a great friend of the arts, fellow English major, provided the expected. He had a steady 4-5 FG in the first half with a nice jumper from the foul line and similar results in the second half. As the tallest and strongest player on the court, he achieved some success around the basket though many times he was unable to make progress to basket and had to look outward for an outlet. I am always impressed by his ability to get up when he goes after the ball, but he is not the type of player that can anchor a defense for 40 minutes a night and he seemed to disappeared for portions of the scrimmage. After the opposing center snuck inside for a huge two handed dunk in the second half, Vaughn was re-energized and upped his intensity and chased down a few boards.

Vee Sanford was at the center of my main gripe about JT3's coaching job last year. As we were torched again and again by the quicker Ohio's quicker guards, perhaps fresh young legs off the bench would have helped stopped the bleeding- but Vee was never given the game opportunity to develop. Stat lines like his Butler ones- 1 minute, 1 steal, 2 points the door wide open for speculation on how effective he could be on a longer leash. His phenomenal leaping ability, those easy 360 jams in warm ups, did nothing to temper my expectations that he would have a chance to shine over watered down Kenner competition.
From the start, he was shaky, committing three turnovers in the opening minutes, but calmed down and ran the point more effectively- finishing the first half 3-6 including a nice follow and made an off balance three. The second half he tried to assert himself further, but to little avail- finishing 3-9 and 0-3 from long range. His great athleticism just did not transfer to quickness, he lacked explosiveness and did not stand out among the guards on his team. His ball handling was fair, but loose- it seemed liable to be exposed by stronger defensive pressure.
Especially in comparison with the Freshman guards who were on later, I regretfully have to label Vee the Underwhelming Performer of the Day. My hopes of him as a potential primary ball handler this year were hindered (of course, it is but one scrimmage), but there is certainly a place for him in the Georgetown scheme. He ran well without the ball and considering his body control and ability to finish, he could mimic Chris Wright's slicing cuts that so often allows teammates to find him near the basket for easy layups.


Tombs 72
Team Turner 61

When JEFF GREEN the most decorated Hoya in JT3 era makes an appearance, the crowd is at full attention. And for Jeff Green to join the Tombs with all four Freshman, Austin Freeman and Hollis Thompson is an out and out gift to the fans. I wonder if any of the Frosh had their “welcome to the big leagues” moment as Jeff Green was effortlessly shredding the opposition. Its comforting to see the continuity of the best active Georgetown playing with a line up that started 3 freshman (Moses, Lubick and Starks)- it raises the spirit of the program. It makes Hoya greatness, on both a team and individual level, seem as if it isn't so far away.


The opponents, Team Turner, were no Washington Generals. Composed of Maryland and GW players they had some fight in them and the game never devolved into layup lines.

First Look:
The Four Freshman, the main attraction of the Kenner League.

All fans are anxious about mitigating the damage of Greg Monroe's departure so natural the two big men, Moses Abraham and Nate Lubick, are the frosh who under the most scrutiny. Vaughn and Sims cannot anchor a front court on their own- if big man by committee is going to lead to any success this season, the new guys have to contribute.

The first thing you notice is that Moses Abraham is a man. He was the same body type as Jeff Green but a bit thicker. He won the tip but soon made it clear where his offensive area is- an ugly foul line shot, an ineffective post move but I loved how he always attempted to slam it home when he was near the hoop. Never succeeded, it kept being batted away (he definitely needs work on his hands) but the aggression on its own was noteworthy. He collected a handful of agile rebounds in a row in the second half off of foul shots- but that all highlights his weakness: when in position, he has the athletic ability to get the ball. Too often, he was not in a position to make an effective move on a live ball, nor did I see him alter many shots. All and all, I was not disappointed because of his size alone- we've desperately been hurting for physicality of the bench and Moses can help fix that.

Our top rated recruit, Nate Lubick, also a big, strong, post player, quickly declared his candidacy for the Ugliest of the Day award. His double clutch shot from outside the three point line had people wincing before it finally left his finger tips. When he launched a second, equally as ill-fated, three pointer in the second half, he sealed the deal.

We can only hope that is a scrimmage only tinkering project that never strays far from McDonough. There was positive signs outside of this- he showed his surprising speed by getting to a loose ball on the other end of the court and passing it off to Austin for an easy lay up. His sprint is more of a prance, though, queue up an equestrian themed nickname.

My favorite was his willingness to sacrifice his body, he took a nice charge attempt and you can tell instantly he is the kid not afraid to to dive on the floor. He was very eager to pass, he had a lot of touch passes down low, a few of them he probably would have been better served to take himself. His heart is in the Georgetown offense, he is trying to make the smart players pass, but the execution was lagging.

The Hoya's return one of the most experienced, talented backcourts in the country- I have no idea how JT3 is going to find minutes for Aaron Bowen, but the kid deserves to see the court. He is a similar player to Hollis Thompson, a bit shorter and does not have the same length, but he was terrific on offense. His three point shot was beautiful, the end over end rotation, and he shot it with confidence. He scored at least 12 pts with 2 Threes and soaring follow to a layup of Austin's that spun out. He was fun to watch and he brought his own fan club- he had the loudest cheers of the day.

The Georgetown Point Guard torch was passed from JWall to Chris Wright and next in line is Markel Starks. Clark and Austin provide a solution for getting the ball down the court and into the
offense, but Starks provides (teetering a wildly overambitious nickname) the floor general leadership. He is thin, but muscular, and his ball handling skills are elite- he was unaffected by the opponents defensive pressure. His shot was solid and he had a quick release. I had him marked for just under 10 points, but he provided a steady hand. A comfortable lead only slipped away when both Starks and Jeff were on the bench and I was shocked that it didn't seem superfluous to include Starks' absence as a reason for the slipping lead. When he returned he locked in on defense and got a 5 second call on the opposing team. CWright is the leader of our team, but he cannot go all 40 minutes, nor can he always avoid foul trouble- and in those times Starks will have an opportunity to prove himself. I cannot wait to have his speed coming from the bench- Markel Sparks was the MOST IMPRESSIVE HOYA at Saturday's Kenner League.


RED CARD: Austin Freeman was ejected with under 5 left to go in the game for shouting at an opponent he had to be separated from. Otherwise, Austin looked liked his old self- in both halves he went on one of his patented scoring bursts that made him so deadly for most of last year. On an assortment of drives, three's and mid ranger, Austin scored around 20 points. His aim was sharp and he looked in good shape- it was exciting to see.


A pick-up style scrimmage floods the game with offensive by easing the defensive intensity to unreal levels and, as we know, not everyone is effected equally. Today's VICTIM OF INFLATION recognition goes to Hollis Thompson. Jeff Green's productivity took away rebounds and scoring opportunities away from all of the Tombs, but none more than Hollis Thompson. Green started in his place on the wing, and aside from a missed 3 pointer, Hollis was hardly heard from in the first half. Late in the second half Hollis drained a three, had a few rebounds in traffic, and dishes a few assists. He appears to be stronger than last year and with his length, there is the very real possibility we could run him at the four against a small team.

The final game with an easy win by DC Legends fronted by Chris Wright and Henry Sims. Chris is such a known quantity- he's a streaky shooter- he missed two open three's to start the game and responded by using his size and strength to get to the rim and finish inside and made some nice kicks to the wing. He was the best player on the floor.

Henry Sims is still such a mixed bag. Whether you cling to the positives or negatives to make predictions about the regular season probably tell more about your personal optimism or pessimism than anything else. He hit a mid range jumper, showed better hands by grabbing a rebounding and holding onto it while swarmed by guards, has the best length of any Hoya, was able to alter shots, but when he was posted up, gave up ground quickly and a few easy baskets were scored on him. Henry's man was similar in size, but got four quick fouls in the first half and after that the Bulldog's had only skinny swing men to cover Henry so the stats after that revealed little.


A Note on the Statistics:
I tried to keep a tab on all the Hoyas' shooting numbers, but I wouldn't vouch for perfection on any of them. For one, I found myself sitting in front of voice of Georgetown basketball Rich Chvotkin so I was distracted by eavesdropping into his comments about the games. Secondly, sitting by the aisle was a poor choice. When the stream of fan traffic causes you too miss a few shots and you realize your numbers are going to be well of anyways, it slackens the diligence. As with any scrimmage statistics, extrapolate them to your regular season expectations at your own peril.

Strained Vocals- The Kenner League Curse

Welcome to the hottest summer on record in the nation's capital. Justly so, as I am working for a conservative organization- its something like being in purgatory, atoning for its w43 sins and hoping for some redemption in '10 and '12. Yet far more captivating of the imagination than the ideological wars in the pearly white Capitol building (how do they make it SO WHITE at night) is in the 1960's aspiring high school basketball arena that is McDonough.

This is my first summer in DC, so to this point, McDonough had only two dates of note in my basketball world- Midnight Madness and its once annual function as mid-exam slaughterhouse of middling programs (do we have verifiable proof that ODUs actually happened?).

I vaguely had knowledge of the Kenner League scrimmages, but in the passing of summers (5:30 wake ups to get to work at the exquisite Mill Road Acres Golf Institute and visiting the Novgorod, Russia and many rounds of golf) I have been outside the grip of my basketball fixation. That changed this year. The clubs are gathering dust back upstate and its nearly too be outside anyways. Enter Kenner League. A first look at rookies, checking up on returning players, seeing local competition and the returns/visitations of old/current superstars is the perfect storm of endless speculation. The days have gone slower since my first visit. It's like looking at the clock every five minutes at work, except the metaphorical 5:30 pm is 80 something days when March Madness opens the year.

In anticipation of wanting to write about the Hoyas, I contacted my friend Chris at the Voice Blog before my first week at Kenner about the possibility of doing some write ups. The result was verbose than I imagine. In my post-Kenner excitement, I took advantage of Chris' generosity and dropped a 3000 word report into his lap. Thankfully for frequenters of his site, Chris has whittled down my long winded commentary on Kenner League into a few palatable blog posts. The Voice doesn't have the word count (patience?) for my unabridged commentary on Georgetown Hoops and I've realized dumping a huge write up on Hoya Talk is just obnoxious. In striving for a healthy balance to the unhealthy mid-summer college hoops obsession, I've put this blog together to deposit my thoughts in full.

Baring a self exile from the pre-season festivities through an unforeseeable amount of will power, I'll be here until the lights go off on the college hoops world in April and they hand me a diploma and ask me to make something of myself in the real world.