The Hoya: Basketball Preview 2012-2013, Nov. 9, 2012

BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2012-2013

table of contents men women

ROSTER & SCHEDULE HOYAS-ORANGE RIVALRY ENDS

4 6

TWO MEETINGS WILL MARK THE END OF SYRACUSE AND GEORGETOWN’S RUN AS BIG EAST FOES.

2011-12 SEASON RECAP

8

GEORGETOWN FACES A FAMILIAR NARRATIVE: IT IS A YOUNG TEAM IN SEARCH OF ITSELF.

2 | The Hoya

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JUST A JUNIOR, STARKS IS THE MOST EXPERIENCED HOYA. HE WILL HAVE TO FIND MORE AS POINT GUARD.

OTTO PORTER 10

12

THE BLUE AND GRAY BOAST FIVE FRESHMEN, THE MOST HERALDED OF WHICH IS D’VAUNTES SMITH-RIVERA.

MARKEL STARKS

DESPITE LOW EXPECTATIONS, THE HOYAS NOTCHED AN NCAA TOURNAMENT WIN LAST SEASON.

2012-13 SEASON PREVIEW

FRESHMEN PREVIEW

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PORTER ARRIVED FROM SMALL-TOWN MISSOURI, AND HIS STORY COULD BE A MOVIE SCRIPT.

around the big east

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women ROSTER & SCHEDULE AROUND THE BIG EAST

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2011-12 SEASON RECAP

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ALTHOUGH THE HOYAS WERE IN THE TOP 25 MUCH OF THE SEASON, SEVEN SENIORS WEREN’T ENOUGH TO GET THE HOYAS TO THE NCAA SWEET 16.

2012-13 SEASON PREVIEW NEW HEAD COACH KEITH BROWN HAS HIS WORK CUT OUT FOR HIM MANAGING A SQUAD WITH FEW EXPERIENCED RETURNEES.

PRODUCTION STAFF EVAN HOLLANDER STEVEN PICCIONE CONNOR GREGOIRE EMORY WELLMAN LEONEL DE VELEZ HUNTER MAIN PAT CURRAN SAMANTHA RANDAZZO

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FRESHMEN PREVIEW BROWN HAS BROUGHT IN A FOUR-MEMBER CLASS, BUT GUARD KATIE MCCORMICK IS OUT WITH AN INJURY. LOGAN BATTLE IS THE LIKELIEST BREAKOUT.

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SUGAR RODGERS ALREADY ONE OF THE MOST DECORATED HOYAS EVER, RODGERS HAS A CHANCE TO MAKE AN EVEN BIGGER MARK IN HER FINAL SEASON ON THE HILLTOP.

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SYDNEY WILSON ONE OF THREE SENIORS, WILSON PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE POST. IF THE HOYAS ARE TO SPRING A SURPRISE, SHE’LL NEED TO FIND NEW NICHES.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS & DESIGNERS Issue Editor Managing Editor Editor-in-Chief Layout Editor Photo Editor Copy Chief Contributing Editor Contributing Editor

Ryan Bacic, Zoe Bertrand, Chris Bien, Michelle Cassidy, Will Edman, Chris Grivas, Web Leslie, Carolyn Maguire, Patrick Musgrave, Arik Parnass, Jamie Slater, Sean Sullivan, Shannon Reilly, Josh Simmons, Erica Wong Photo and design of covers and poster: Leonel De Velez The Hoya’s basketball preview is published annually in November. © 2012. The Hoya, Georgetown University, twice weekly. No part of this publication may be used without the permission of The Hoya Board of Editors. All rights reserved. The Hoya’s basketball preview is available free of charge, one copy per reader, at distribution sites on and around the Georgetown University campus. Additional copies are $1 each.

BASKETBALL PREVIEW | 3

men NO. 0 TYLER ADAMS

NO. 12 DAVID ALLEN

NO. 31 STEPHEN DOMINGO

6-FOOT-9, 275 POUNDS SOPHOMORE CENTER

6-FOOT-2, 175 POUNDS FRESHMAN GUARD

6-FOOT-6, 206 POUNDS FRESHMAN FORWARD

NO. 2 GREG WHITTINGTON

NO. 21 BRANDON BOLDEN

NO. 32 MOSES AYEGBA

6-FOOT-8, 212 POUNDS SOPHOMORE FORWARD

6-FOOT-10, 205 POUNDS FRESHMAN CENTER

6-FOOT-9, 250 POUNDS JUNIOR CENTER

NO. 3 MIKAEL HOPKINS

NO. 22 OTTO PORTER

NO. 34 NATE LUBICK

6-FOOT-9, 223 POUNDS SOPHOMORE FORWARD

6-FOOT-8, 205 POUNDS SOPHOMORE FORWARD

6-FOOT-8, 227 POUNDS JUNIOR FORWARD

NO. 4 D’VAUNTES SMITH-RIVERA

NO. 23 AARON BOWEN

NO. 42 BRADLEY HAYES

6-FOOT-3, 227 POUNDS FRESHMAN GUARD

6-FOOT-6, 205 POUNDS REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE GUARD

7-FOOT, 248 POUNDS FRESHMAN CENTER

NO. 5 MARKEL STARKS

NO. 25 JOHN CAPRIO

NO. 55 JABRIL TRAWICK

6-FOOT-2, 175 POUNDS JUNIOR GUARD

6-FOOT-6, 220 POUNDS JUNIOR GUARD

6-FOOT-5, 210 POUNDS SOPHOMORE GUARD

November 9 11 14 19 20 24 30

Florida Duquesne Liberty ucla* tba* Mt. St. Mary’s Tennessee

January, continued 9 pm 6:30 pm 7 pm 8 pm tba noon 6:30 pm

December 4 8 10 15 22

texas^ Towson Longwood Western Carolina American

7 pm noon 7 pm noon noon

January 5 8 12 16 19 21

4 | The Hoya

ROSTERS AND

Marquette Pittsburgh St. John’s Providence South Florida Notre Dame

2 pm 9 pm 11 am 7 pm 6 pm 7:30 pm

26 30

Louisville Seton Hall

noon 7 pm

February 2 9 11 15 20 23 27

St. John’s Rutgers Marquette Cincinnati DePaul Syracuse Connecticut

4 pm noon 7 pm 9 pm 7 pm 4 pm 7 pm

March 2 6 9

Rutgers Villanova Syracuse

* ^

HOME AWAY LEGENDS CLASSIC JIMMY V CLASSIC

9 pm 7 pm noon

SCHEDULES NO. 00 KI-KE RAFIU

NO. 14 SUGAR RODGERS

NO. 33 BRITTANY HORNE

6-FOOT-2 FRESHMAN FORWARD

5-FOOT-11 SENIOR GUARD

6-FOOT-1 SOPHOMORE FORWARD

NO. 1 KATIE MCCORMICK

NO. 21 JASMINE JACKSON

NO. 35 DOMINIQUE VITALIS

5-FOOT-9 FRESHMAN GUARD

5-FOOT-9 SOPHOMORE GUARD

6-FOOT-2 FRESHMAN FORWARD

NO. 11 ANDREA WHITE

NO. 22 LOGAN BATTLE

NO. 42 VANESSA MOORE

6-FOOT JUNIOR FORWARD

6-FOOT-2 FRESHMAN FORWARD/GUARD

6-FOOT-2 SENIOR CENTER

NO. 13 SYDNEY WILSON

NO. 23 SAMISHA POWELL

6-FOOT-6 SENIOR CENTER

5-FOOT-8 JUNIOR GUARD

November 9 11 14 19 23 24 28

Sacred Heart* TBA* TBA* LSU Cal State Fullerton^ TBA^ La Salle

January, continued

George Washington Monmouth Penn State South Dakota State Yale

22 26 29

Rutgers Pittsburgh Cincinnati

7 pm 2 PM TBA 7 pm 12:15 pm tba 8 pm

February

4 pm 7 pm noon 2 pm 7 pm

March

December 1 4 9 21 28

women

2 9 12 16 23 26 2 4

Louisville St. John’s Syracuse Villanova Pittsburgh DePaul Marquette South Florida

7 pm 4 pm 8 pm 2 pm 2 pm 8 pm 2 pm 1 pm 9 pm 4 pm 8 pm

January 2 5 9 12

Temple Providence Connecticut Syracuse

7 pm 2 pm 7:30 pm 3 pm

15

Notre Dame

7 pm

19

Seton hall

2 pm

* ^

home away preseason wnit cal state classic

basketball preview | 5

RIVALRY HITS END OF ROAD RYAN BACIC

Hoya Staff Writer

When the Big East Conference was founded in 1979, its initial membership comprised just four schools: Georgetown, Providence, St. John’s and Syracuse.

After 34 years — the dawn of the 2013-14 season — that core group will experience its first casualty, as Syracuse moves to the Atlantic Coast Conference. When Syracuse departs, unfortunately, one of the great intra-conference rivalries in the history of college basketball will go with it.

“Certainly, losing Syracuse was not something that was good, especially for Georgetown,” Athletic Director Lee Reed said in August. “That rivalry has changed a bit.”

“A bit” may be an understatement: The enmity between the two schools is one that’s existed ever since that inaugural Big East campaign, and the undiminished intensity that it has brought, game in and game out, will be sorely missed by college basketball fans across the country.

Riding a 57-game home winning streak, the Orange hosted the Hoyas in 1980 in what would be their final game at Manley Field House before christening the newly constructed Carrier Dome.

Georgetown played the role of spoiler in the arena’s last hoo-

6 | The Hoya

rah, however, and then-coach John Thompson Jr. capped off his team’s upset win by infamously declaring, “Manley Field House is officially closed.”

The seeds of rivalry were sown in the wake of that comment, and it began to blossom in the 1984 Big East Tournament championship game between the two teams.

Substituting for All-American center Patrick Ewing in the second half, Michael Graham swung at a Syracuse player following a rebound, but the referees — much to Jim Boeheim’s chagrin — allowed him to stay in the game, with only a personal foul called on the play. The Blue and Gray eventually won the controversial final in overtime.

“Hard-fought” and “down-tothe-wire” became entrenched trademarks of Georgetown-Syracuse games in the decades that followed. The stakes remained high, too, as three more Big East championship games between 1987 and 1992 featured matchups between the two schools.

One need only look back to this past season to see how little has changed. On Feb. 8, the No. 11 Hoyas traveled to the Carrier Dome to take on the No. 2 Orange.

“Obviously, there aren’t too many games that are as spirited as the Georgetown-Syracuse games have been through the years,” Georgetown Head Coach

John Thompson III said before the game.

His prediction was borne out when regulation once again proved not to be enough to separate them. Knotted at 55 at the end of 40 minutes, the two proceeded to duke it out for another five, until a dagger three-pointer from Syracuse forward Kris Joseph iced it for the hosts.

That win was the 880th for Boeheim, moving him ahead of North Carolina legend Dean Smith into third on the all-time list.

Indeed, with Boeheim and the Thompsons patrolling opposing sidelines more or less straight through since 1976 — with the only break coming during Craig Esherick’s tenure between 1999 and 2004 — elite coaches have represented a central marker of the rivalry.

The elder Thompson, for one, reached a landmark achievement in college athletics when he became the first AfricanAmerican head coach to win a national title, cutting down the nets in 1984 after a win over Houston’s high-octane Phi Slama Jama, led by Hakeem Olajuwon.

The championship came in the wake of a runner-up finish in 1982, and it would be followed the next year by more of

the same, with a heartbreaking upset at the hands of an eighthseeded Villanova squad.

Boeheim’s title, meanwhile, wouldn’t come until 2003. That’s not to say, of course, that his other rosters throughout the years have not been blessed with top talent.

For every great like Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning and Allen Iverson for the Hoyas, there’s been a Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne “Pearl” Washington, Gerry McNamara or Derrick Coleman for the Orange.

Such world-class recruits will still be wooed to each school in the years to come. The difference is that, after this season, they will no longer be going head-tohead in the context of the Big East’s best historical rivalry.

Luckily, there will two more opportunities this season for the two sides to face off.

The first of the two matchups is slated for Feb. 23, when the Blue and Gray will make their second-straight trip to upstate New York.

Less than two weeks later, Syracuse will make the return trip to the District in the two teams’ regular-season finales. That game has already received recognition worthy of its historical nature,

BORN ON A COLD NIGHT IN 1979, THE PASSION AND ENMITY BETWEEN GEORGETOWN AND SYRACUSE HAVE DEFINED THE BIG EAST FOR A GENERATION. BUT REALIGNMENT HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING, MEANING TWO 2012 MEETINGS MARK THE END OF AN ERA. with ESPN GameDay sending its crew for pregame coverage of the matchup.

There is also the potential for the two teams to meet in the Big East tournament — something that wouldn’t be too surprising, given the fact that the Orange and the Hoyas are first and second, respectively, on the all-time Big East wins list.

With Georgetown’s having lost three key components from last year and Syracuse four, this year’s games promise to bring an altogether different feel. The passion and excitement, on the other hand, will undoubtedly be as heightened as ever.

But after March Madness has ended, the Orange will be gone, and the curtain on the rivalry will close.

As Syracuse and Pittsburgh follow West Virginia’s lead in jumping ship, new schools will swoop in to take their place: Southern Methodist, Central Florida, Memphis and Houston will all join the Big East as full members in 2013.

The link of that 1984 championship makes the Cougars the most likely candidate for a replacement rival, but it might take nothing short of another “Manley Field House” moment for any comparable sort of rivalry to grow over the coming

years.

Then again, Georgetown-Syracuse may turn out to be one of those special types of antagonistic relationships that simply can’t be replicated.

Recent conference realignment has majorly shaken up the college basketball landscape. The end of momentous rivalries like this one might just be its greatest tragedy.

basketball preview | 7

DEFYING THE ODDS: ’11 WITHOUT CHRIS WRIGHT AND AUSTIN FREEMAN, THE HOYAS ENTERED LAST SEASON WITH LOTS OF QUESTION MARKS. BUT JTIII AND THE TEAM FOUND ANSWERS — AND WINS. EVAN HOLLANDER Hoya Staff Writer

After the graduation of longtime stars Austin Freeman and Chris Wright, many questions lingered about the 2011-12 Hoyas. With then-senior guard Jason Clark as the only proven star, many wondered how the Blue and Gray could contend in the mighty Big East.

But a funny thing happened along the way.

Aided by the development of then-senior center Henry Sims and the emergence of freshman forward Otto Porter, Georgetown ended up walking away with its first NCAA tournament win since 2008.

Georgetown’s transformation from an inexperienced band of underclassmen to a formidable defensive juggernaut began in earnest over the summer, when the Hoyas embarked on a trip to China and faced off against several Chinese professional teams.

The goodwill tour took on a decidedly sour tone, however, when a poorly officiated game against the army-sponsored Bayi Rockets devolved into an all-out brawl, which was captured on a spectator’s cell phone camera and went viral almost immediately.

While clearly a departure from the trip’s

original goal of fostering diplomatic relations between the two countries, the fight may have served another important purpose in toughening up the young team.

“The incident, just the whole notion that you realize quite literally you will have to fight for each other to survive … they embraced that notion,” Head Coach John Thompson III said.

The Blue and Gray returned home safely and began the season as the only NCAA team to have engaged in hand-to-hand combat with members of the People’s Liberation Army.

After two early wins over the decidedly overmatched Savannah State and UNC

Greensboro, Georgetown headed for the sunny shores of Maui. The first sign that the Hoyas might defy expectations came when they hung tight with then-No. 14 Kansas, though they ultimately dropped a 67-63 decision.

An overtime upset over then-No. 8 Memphis in the fifth-place game in Hawaii convinced many that the Blue and Gray would have to be taken seriously. After thrashing IUPUI in its stateside return, Georgetown headed south to Tuscaloosa, Ala. MAYBE THESE GUYS HAVE IT: GEORGETOWN 57, NO. 12 ALABAMA 55 Playing against a top-25 team for the third time in the early season, the Hoyas ran out to an early lead behind a flurry of three-pointers. Even Clark’s 22 points, however, weren’t enough to prevent Alabama from taking a lead in the final minute. Down one, Clark passed to then-junior forward Hollis Thompson on the wing, who drained a long trey with 1.2 seconds left to elevate the Hoyas to their second win over a top-25 team.

Back in the District, Georgetown ran through a trio of overmatched foes — New Jersey Institute of Technology, Howard and American — before winning an unusual rematch with Memphis, 70-59. But the Hoyas faced their toughest task yet when they traveled to Louisville, Ky., to take on the Cardinals in their Big East opener.

8 | The Hoya

- ’12 RECAP BEASTS OF THE BIG EAST: NO. 12 GEORGETOWN 71, NO. 4 LOUISVILLE 68 Louisville had won 20 straight at the KFC Yum! Center, but Georgetown came out strong — building on a 20-point effort from then-sophomore guard Markel Starks and a double-double from Porter — to take a late lead. Just as in Alabama, however, the Hoyas had to survive a late rally from the hosts. But thanks to an 18-of-24 effort from the charity stripe, the Blue and Gray held off the heavily favored Cards for a statement win to kick off league play.

The Big East season was up and down, which is to be expected in the nation’s toughest conference. The Hoyas beat Providence in an ugly, low-scoring affair and then-No. 20 Marquette in a dramatic comeback before falling to West Virginia and Cincinnati.

Georgetown came back to trounce three league cellar dwellers — St. John’s, DePaul and Rutgers — before disappointing in a loss to a rather lackluster Pittsburgh.

Big wins against Connecticut and South Florida followed, but the Blue and Gray faltered in overtime when they traveled to upstate New York to take on rival Syracuse, then ranked No. 2.

Although the team rebounded with victories over St. John’s and Providence, the season’s low point came on Feb. 21: Georgetown fell, 73-55, to perennial doormat Seton Hall, a loss made worse by a sideline spat between Starks and Thompson III. The Blue and Gray bounced back by thrash-

ing Villanova and carried a 21-6 record into a clash with then-No. 20 Notre Dame on the Blue and Gray’s Senior Night.

PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER: NO. 11 GEORGETOWN 59, NO. 20 NOTRE DAME 41 The Irish were among the nation’s deepest teams, but the Hoyas came out undaunted.

Making use of the aggressive defense that they showed all season, Georgetown limited Notre Dame to just 33 percent shooting from the field. With Sims holding star Irish center Jack Cooley to just two points, Georgetown rolled to a 59-41 victory, sending off Sims and Clark in style.

The win gave the Blue and Gray hope for a double bye in the Big East tournament, but that was extinguished with an 83-69 loss at then-No. 7 Marquette in the final game of the regular season. The Hoyas nevertheless rolled into Madison Square Garden with a firstround bye and downed Pittsburgh, 64-52, in the second round. Unfortunately for the Blue and Gray, bruising senior center Yancy Gates and a red-hot Cincinnati squad were up next.

Georgetown hung tough through two overtimes but ultimately came up short in a 7270 decision.

The NCAA men’s basketball committee gave the 15th-ranked Hoyas the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region and sent them to Columbus, Ohio, where they took on No. 14 seed Belmont in the round of 64.

“FINALLY GOT THE MONKEY OFF OUR BACK”: NO. 15 GEORGETOWN 74, BELMONT 59 With early exits at the hands of Virginia Commonwealth and Ohio in the back of their minds, the Hoyas got off to a sharp start in the round of 64, shooting 61 percent on the afternoon. Clark scored 21 points,

Porter dropped 16 and Sims chipped in with 15 and a smothering defensive effort to lead the Blue and Gray past the Bruins. The game marked Georgetown’s first NCAA win in four years. Starks summed up the meaning of the victory afterwards: “We finally got the monkey off our back.”

Their opponent in the next game, North Carolina State, had failed to beat a top-25 team in the regular season and nearly missed the tournament. But after surging past No. 6-seeded San Diego State in the first round, the Wolfpack were on a mission.

OUSTED ONCE MORE: NC STATE 66, NO. 15 GEORGETOWN 63 Sims faced foul trouble early against NC State, limiting the Hoyas’ ball movement and forcing them to shoot 25 times from beyond the arc. Thompson — playing what would be his last game before declaring for the NBA Draft — scored 23 points, but the Wolfpack held a narrow lead as the game reached its final minute. Georgetown got the ball back with seconds on the clock, but Clark’s heave came up empty, handing the Hoyas another year of NCAA disappointment.

basketball preview | 9

FAMILIAR NARRATIVE FOR HOYAS LIKE LAST SEASON, JOHN THOMPSON III LEADS A YOUNG, UNPROVEN TEAM TRYING TO CARVE OUT ITS IDENTITY WHILE PLAYING SOME OF THE NATION’S TOUGHEST TEAMS. PAT CURRAN

Hoya Staff Writer

It’s November again, which means that only one thing is on every Jack and Jane Hoya’s mind: Leo’s Thanksgiving Feast is only a few weeks away!

But more importantly, basketball season is right around the corner. And with the crisp air and changing leaves comes the annual crop of questions surrounding the men’s basketball team.

The storylines of 2012 are nearly identical to those of 2011: Can the Hoyas defend the paint? Are the young players mature enough for heavy minutes? Who will step up as a primary scorer? Writers, TV pundits and diehard fans will continue to beat these questions to death before the Blue and Gray first take the court tonight.

But despite the striking similarities, this year isn’t quite like last. You can see it in the players’ confident demeanors, analysts’ favorable predictions and fans’ spirited conversations. After a 24-win season that ended in the NCAA tournament’s round of 32 in a supposed rebuilding year, there’s a sense that Georgetown, no matter its faults, has to be taken seriously.

The team will still begin the season outside the ranks of the top 25, which is reasonable considering its very real remaining question marks. These Hoyas won’t lurk under the radar for long, however, should they begin to stack up wins.

Head Coach John Thompson III sees the potential in his squad to do just that, but it’s far from a foregone conclusion.

“They’re a very confident group, so I’ve kind of let them go along with that,” Thompson III said of his team. “But now, starting today, we have to take the steps so that they can become enlightened as to accomplish everything we want to accomplish.”

Thompson III’s focus on methodical development, while undoubtedly encouraging to Hoyas fans, won’t conjure up a dominant center — and “Big Man U,” as of now, doesn’t know who its big man will be. But with sophomore center Tyler Adams ruled out for the year

10 | The Hoya

due to a continuing heart ailment, it’s looking like a two-man race.

The presumptive favorite to fill graduated center Henry Sims’ shoes has to be sophomore Mikael Hopkins. A dynamic power forward who showed flashes of brilliance in very limited minutes last season, Hopkins worked on his body over the summer and looks poised to shift to the five-spot for his sophomore campaign.

“I have to be ready to step into the low-post role,” Hopkins said. “I feel as though I learned a lot from Henry, and I’m ready to step in and replace what he had here.”

Junior center Moses Ayegba, who is returning from an ACL tear that caused him to miss his entire sophomore season, is also expected to contend for minutes in the middle. The 6-foot-9 Nigerian is an unknown quantity — he missed nine games his freshman year due to an NCAA suspension and only played sparingly once eligible — but he’s bulked up even more than Hopkins has and could potentially prove himself worthy of a starting spot.

“He’s better at all facets of the game,” junior forward Nate Lubick said of Ayegba. “He’s catching better, he’s moving better, he’s making shots [and] he’s making plays.

He’s going to need to play some minutes for us this year.”

Lubick himself will likely slide from his usual four-spot to the center position at times this year. But if his offseason workout regimen is any indication — he’s dropped down to 227 pounds and worked on his midrange jumper — the veteran big man will aim to create a mismatch in the post rather than attempt to overpower bigger players.

“I want him to make those shots,” Thompson III said of Lubick. “He worked extremely hard.

If you look at him, you can see his body’s changed.”

But for all his improvements, Lubick isn’t primarily a scorer.

And while the Hoyas’ smothering defense is expected to return with a vengeance, one of last season’s role players needs to step up in a big way to compensate for the loss of Sims, guard Jason Clark and for-

He was the Swiss Army knife, the ultimate garbage man, the guy that scored off broken plays and offensive

ward Hollis Thompson. Who that will be is anyone’s guess, but smart money has sophomore forward Otto Porter and junior point guard Markel Starks hoisting a lot more shots than they did last season.

A dark horse candidate for the Hoyas’ go-to scorer, though, is sophomore swingman Greg Whittington. Largely unknown before winning The Washington Post’s all-Met player of the year his senior year of high school, Whittington came off the bench last season as a defensive specialist. In summer league action, though, he showed an improved jump shot and regularly beat defenders to the rim.

“Greg is just oozing with potential,” Thompson III said. “He was a much different person as a freshman than he was as a senior in high school. And since last year, he’s grown up. ... We want to expedite the process.”

The scoring question will remain a hot topic among fans until the Hoyas hit the court tonight. But for Thompson III, other issues are much more pressing.

“I think with this group, we’re going to be able to put five people on the court that can score,” he said. “I’m not worried about scoring, I’m more worried about the understanding stuff that comes along with being a senior.”

The dearth of veteran leader-

ship is especially concerning, as the Hoyas could potentially face three top-15 teams in their first five games. At least one or two freshmen will probably be called upon to play big minutes against tough teams early in the season.

Fortunately for Thompson III, freshman guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera has shown maturity beyond his years in summer league play. A powerfully built combo guard out of star factory Oak Hill Academy, Smith-Rivera is expected to provide a spark off the bench and may run the point if Starks gets in foul trouble.

“DSR is a physical guard — he’s a big guard — and he can shoot.

And he can score,” Starks said.

“You put all that together, and you have a dynamic player.”

Heading into tonight’s game, there are still more question marks than certainties in the Hoyas’ locker room. But with a promising young core and added confidence from a surprisingly successful 2011-12 campaign, the sky’s the limit for this team.

All it has to do now is put the pieces together.

“I think this group realizes that if the stars align properly — if everyone grows and gets better — we can have a special year.” Thompson III said. “If those things don’t happen, we won’t.”

basketball preview | 11

new hoyas face learning curve CONNOR GREGOIRE Hoya Staff Writer

Another year, another five freshmen.

“We’re young,” Head Coach John Thompson III said. “I can’t lose sight of the fact that it’s going to be freshmen and sophomores that we’re going to depend on a lot.”

You don’t say.

After a season in which the Class of 2015 accounted for more than one-third of Georgetown’s minutes played and 29 percent of its points scored, the Hoyas now have 10 underclassmen on their roster and will again be looking to the new guys for big contributions.

“I’m not going into it with that particular thought process — that this year’s freshmen have to play as much or contribute as much as last year’s freshmen,” Thompson said. “But if they are able to, they will.”

Given the departures of Henry Sims, Hollis Thompson and Jason Clark — who accounted for 45 percent of the minutes and 56 percent of the scoring last year — Georgetown had better hope they are able to.

Leading the incoming cavalry is the 58th-

Sophomore guard Jabril Trawick pointed to Smith-Rivera as the freshman he believes is most likely to make a difference from day one.

“Mentally, he’s ready, I think, as well as physically,” Trawick said. “All of [the freshmen] are ready, we’ve all been working hard, but defi-

“Definitely D’Vauntes stands out to me. He’s really mature as a freshman.”

— Sophomore guard Jabril Trawick

ranked player from the 2012 ESPN 100, guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera. The 6-foot-3, 227-pound Indianapolis native attended high school basketball powerhouse Oak Hill Academy, where he propelled his team to an undefeated season as a senior while averaging 23.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, 4.4 blocks, 3.0 steals and 2.7 assists per game.

nitely D’Vauntes stands out to me. He’s really mature as a freshman.”

Junior guard Markel Starks also thinks that Smith-Rivera will make an impression early in his career. “[He] is a physical guard, he’s a big guard and he can shoot,” Starks said. “And he can score.

So you put all that together, and you have a

dynamic player, if not this year, then definitely next year. But his impact this year is going to be felt — I do believe that.”

Challenging Smith-Rivera in the hype department is forward Stephen Domingo, a 6-foot-6, 206-pound sharpshooter from San Francisco, who chose in July to forgo his senior year of high school to enroll at Georgetown. Domingo was ranked at No. 77 on the 2012 ESPN 100 and played for the 2012 USA U-17 World Championship team in June, starting six of eight games in the tournament en route to a gold medal.

He has already drawn comparisons to Hollis Thompson, another wingman and three-point shooter from the West Coast who also left high school early for the Hilltop.

Domingo didn’t play much in the Kenner League this summer because of NCAA eligibility issues, but Trawick already likes what he’s seen from the newcomer.

“I think he fits in the offense,” Trawick said

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK They have a tough act to follow, but the five members of the Class of 2016 will play big roles in the future if they realize their potential.

12 | The Hoya

STEPHEN DOMINGO A 6-foot-6 swingman from San Francisco, Domingo provided a pleasant surprise for Georgetown fans by leaving St. Ignatius High School after his junior year.

He showed off a silky stroke in one Kenner League appearance and could play spot minutes this year when the Hoyas need to fill it up from long range.

BRANDON BOLDEN Bolden is the most raw athletic talent in the freshman class and has a sweet midrange jumpshot for a 6-foot-10 big man. His Kenner League performances weren’t especially encouraging — he showed very litte feel for offensive or defensive positioning — but with more coaching, Bolden could be a force.

GEORGETOWN IS LOOKING TO BE HEAVILY RELIANT ON YOUTH FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR. BUT FEAR NOT, HOYA FANS — JOHN THOMPSON III HAS THE MEN TO DO IT. OAK HILL PRODUCT D’VAUNTES SMITH-RIVERA CAN FILL UP A BOX SCORE, AND WEST-COAST WING STEPHEN DOMINGO LOOKS LIKE HOLLIS THOMPSON REINCARNATE. ADD IN A COUPLE OF HIGH-UPSIDE BIGS, AND YOU’VE GOT A PROMISING GROUP. of Domingo. “He’s a great shooter. He’s a smart player as well, even though he’s young.”

Georgetown also adds depth down low with centers Brandon Bolden and Bradley Hayes.

Bolden is 6-foot-10, 205 pounds and hails from South Carolina; his high school career was marked by a transfer and a tailing off over his last two seasons, but he has the raw athleticism to become a meaningful contributor in time.

Hayes is a monstrous 7-foot, 248-pound big man from Jacksonville who averaged 13.3 points and 12.2 rebounds per game as a high school senior.

He missed the entire Kenner League season but has the necessary frame to become a legitimate force in the Big East.

Rounding out the freshman class is walk-on guard David Allen, who averaged 23 points, five rebounds and four assists as a senior at Highland Park High School in Texas. He scored his share of points in the Kenner League, but don’t expect him to play meaningful minutes for Georgetown this year.

In all, junior guard Markel Starks thinks the Hoyas have a solid batch of new faces to work with.

“I think our freshmen are really good from top to bottom,” he said. “We have some projects, and that’s fine. Georgetown has produced a lot of projects. Look at Henry Sims.”

While it took Sims until his senior year to develop into the kind of player the Hoyas thought they were getting when they recruited him, they’ll need noteworthy contributions from this group much sooner. Sophomores like forward Otto Porter know a thing or two about stepping up as first-years and have tried to impart wisdom on their newest teammates.

“Our past experience allows us to prepare the freshmen for what they’re about to go through,” Porter said. “We tell them to come here to work hard from day one. Everything else will come.”

D’VAUNTES SMITH-RIVERA Smith-Rivera is a powerfully built combo guard in the mold of Austin Freeman and the undeniable gem of this freshman class. He lit up defenses from all over the court in summer league play.

Look for the Oak Hill alum to play big minutes off the bench this year when Starks needs a breather.

Trawick went so far as to say that Georgetown will be dependent on their play.

“We need the freshmen,” Trawick said. “Just like last year, we played a big part, so I think that this year, too, the freshmen are going to be a big part of the team.”

At some other schools, it’s customary for new blood to carry a squad. While Georgetown may not be asking quite that much from players like Smith-Rivera and Domingo this year, the idea of relying on a second consecutive high-impact season from its freshman class represents a less-than-familiar — and perhaps less-than-comfortable — blueprint for Thompson’s squad.

“It doesn’t worry me, though,” Trawick said of the team’s youth. “Young team, youthful, athletic — we get up and down. We work hard, and we’ll be ready to play.”

DAVID ALLEN A speedy guard from Texas, Allen is the newest walk-on to join John Thompson III’s program. He won’t see much meaningful court time, but based on summer league play, Allen will be fun to watch when he does get in. He consistently beats slower guards off the dribble and will pull the trigger from long range.

BRADLEY HAYES Hayes is by far the biggest question mark in his class. At 7 feet and 248 pounds, he could be a dominant lowpost presence, but nagging knee and ankle injuries kept him from seeing the court all summer. We don’t know what to expect with no sample to work with, but Hayes is intriguing due to his size alone.

BASKETBALL PREVIEW | 13

THE LITTLE GENERAL CONNOR GREGOIRE Hoya Staff Writer

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T

here’s a question hanging over this year’s men’s basketball team that could make or break its backcourt: Who is Markel Starks?

Is Starks a politician? The junior guard ran as a vice presidential candidate in last year’s Georgetown University Student Association executive election, after all, and his player bio on GUHoyas.com says he hopes to become a congressman.

Rajon Rondo?

“I love Rondo,” Starks said of his favorite point guard. “I love his game, and he’s a little dude. I’m a little dude.”

Who knows if the comparison can go much further, but the Hoyas would likely settle for a level of point guard play this year resembling that of the star Boston Celtic.

Let’s generalize a bit more. Is Starks a floor general?

“He was it last year, wasn’t he?” Head Coach John Thompson III said. “That role won’t change for him relative to what he did most of last year.”

At least the head coach seems to have an answer for whom he expects Starks to be. It would be nice for Thompson and the Hoyas to rest easy on that estimation, but Starks’ numbers from last season — 7.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and particularly his 1.6 assists per game — don’t exactly scream “floor general.”

Starks was the odd man out in late February when then-freshman forward Otto Porter broke into the starting five. Jason Clark cemented his role as the squad’s preeminent ball-handler, Georgetown routed Villanova and Starks came off the bench for the rest of the season. A little more than eight months later, Clark is gone, and it’s Starks’ show to run.

What’s being asked of him has increased quickly and dramatically, and it’s yet to be

seen whether Starks can rise to the call.

“He’s still growing, he’s still learning [and] he’s still getting better,” Thompson III said.

“He’s going through that, what I would call a natural progression.”

But on a team devoid of seniors and begging for leadership, natural progress may not be enough. Still, the self-critical but ever-confident Starks thinks he has learned how to be the player the Hoyas need him to be.

As he points out, he’s been tutored by a pair of accomplished Georgetown guards in Clark and Chris Wright, and college basketball is and will always be a game of passing the torch.

“I think it’s a process,” Starks said. “You come in as a freshman, [and] you’re trying to find your way, trying to figure out where you are. As a sophomore, you kind of find out how you fit, then you have to figure out, ‘What exactly am I supposed to do?’ I think this year I know exactly — I have everything down.”

That may seem like quite the boast, but a player’s performance can spike over an offseason — Henry Sims proved that last year. And having lost Sims, Hollis Thompson and Clark, their three leading scorers in 2011-2012, the

Hoyas could use an injection from Starks. The former Georgetown Prep standout grew accustomed to putting up points in high school, scoring 25 per game as a senior, and he has shown flashes over the past two years — including a career-high 20-point performance at Louisville last season — that justify his candidacy as a likely replacement at the top of the stat sheet.

But his head coach isn’t putting that pressure on him. In fact, he says he’s not worried about Starks’ scoring at all.

“I’m not going into it like, ‘We’re going to need Markel to go from X points a game to Xplus-six points a game,’” Thompson said. “It’s a lot of the intangibles that I’m more concerned with in losing Henry, Hollis and Jason that we’re going to miss. … But I’m not worried about scoring. I’m more worried about the understanding stuff that comes along with being a senior, with being around [and] with being with the program for a while.”

No matter how much he works on his game or studies film, there’s not much Starks can do about not being a senior. But as he points out, he’s been tutored by a pair of accomplished Georgetown guards in Clark and Chris Wright, and college basketball is and always will be a game of passing the torch.

“I’ve worked on my game, I’ve worked on my body, I’ve studied a lot of film, I’ve watched other players, I’ve watched myself [and] I’ve studied NBA players,” Starks said. “I’ve done my homework, so to say. So my development is remaining to be seen. I think the Q’s and A’s are going to be answered this year.”

In other words, let’s stop talking and play some ball.

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THE EDUCATION PAT CURRAN

J

ust over a year ago, Otto Porter shot around on a side basket in McDonough Arena on Media Day, keeping to himself as his older teammates were assailed with flashbulbs and recorders for the first time in the 2011-12 season.

A first-semester freshman at the time, Porter was prohibited from talking to the media, as per team policy. But that didn’t stop report-

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ers’ eyes from wandering to the back corner of McDonough, where Georgetown fans’ lone source of cautious optimism methodically practiced his unorthodox jumpshot.

Twelve months, 24 wins and one unexpected NCAA tournament appearance later, the quiet kid from Missouri is attracting much more than sidelong glances.

OF OTTO PORTER Hoya Staff Writer

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Porter blew the lid off everyone’s expectations for his freshman season, stunning the Hoya faithful with his talent and maturity as a rookie in the rough-and-tumble Big East. He’s vaulted to the top of NBA mock draft boards, played at prestigious summer camps run by the likes of Kevin Durant and LeBron James and become the presumed sophomore star of a senior-less Georgetown team.

So this fall, it’s Porter’s 6-foot-8 frame attracting swarms of reporters at Media Day, Porter’s name on the all-conference teams and Porter’s jersey hanging in team stores. But against all odds, the ever-brightening spotlight hasn’t made the small-town star go Hollywood.

“He’s a humble dude, so you don’t really worry about stuff like that,” sophomore guard Jabril Trawick said of the hype around his classmate.

“Otto’s as grounded as they come,” Head Coach John Thompson III added. “He just shows up, he brings his lunch pail, he works.”

To understand just how Porter balances growing stardom with his humble personality, though, you need to understand where he came from.

AN AMERICAN TALE If Otto Porter’s life were a screenplay, studio executives would reject it for being too cliche.

Porter grew up a child of basketball royalty in Sikeston, Mo., a town of about 16,000 located in the rural southeastern corner of the state. He attended 171-student Scott County Central High School, the same institution at which his mother, Elnora, and father, Otto Sr., both starred a generation ago. Marcus Timmons, Porter’s uncle on his mother’s side, won two championships in Australia’s National Basketball League. Otto Sr. led the Braves to their first title in 1976, and the school subsequently retired his number.

But the younger Porter didn’t just coast off the lucky hand the genetic lottery had dealt him.

“Otto is extremely lucky, fortunate, blessed to be born into the family that he was,” Thompson III said at a press conference last March. “He has parents that played, uncles that played, and that pushed him. He was not babied. He was not coddled. He was not led to believe that anything should be given to you.”

Kenyon Wright, one of Porter’s coaches at Scott County Central, vouched for his former star’s work ethic by detailing his summer routine.

“He worked at the school. We had a couple of kids that interviewed, and the school hired them to do some painting and some work around the school,” Wright said. “They’d come in, be there at 8 o’clock and work from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. So he did that all summer long — he’d go into school, work, then at 3 or whenever he was done working, he’d be in the gym. ... He’d get into that gym and shoot, run, dribble, do whatever he needed to work on. So come open gym time, he was already there. From 8 in the morning till 8 at night, he was up in the gym, up at school. He never left.”

Those long summer days in the gym paid off in a big way. Porter led the Braves to their 13th, 14th and 15th state championships, and high-level college coaches eventually began to

18 | The Hoya

take notice. In April 2011, after nearly all his peers had committed to schools, Porter finally signed a letter of intent to play for Thompson III at Georgetown.

“We were just very humbled by him being able to do what he’s done without a bunch of media, without playing AAU basketball and stuff,” Wright said. “It’s an experience for him, but it’s also an experience for the town and for the whole community around Scott County Central.”

Porter had made it big the old-fashioned

Porter’s path was more “Hoosiers” than “Hoop Dreams,” more Larry Bird than O.J. Mayo. way. He was never part of the shoe companysponsored AAU circuit, nor was he plagued by the accompanying legions of sycophantic middlemen that complicate so many highprofile players’ college selections. No, Porter’s path was more “Hoosiers” than “Hoop Dreams,” more Larry Bird than O.J. Mayo. In an era of commercialization and corruption in the ranks of the high school basketball elite, Porter’s journey represents the archetypal American sporting dream.

Still, no matter how many charming tales of Middle America might be spun out of Porter’s high school days, none of it would have mattered if his career had fizzled in the glare of the city lights.

TOP OF HIS CLASS Porter’s initiation into the world of highlevel college hoops was baptism by fire. The Hoyas embarked on a now-notorious summer tour of China, slugging it out — sometimes all too literally — with the best professional teams the People’s Republic had to offer. Porter made an immediate impact, leading the team in scoring in his first outing and stuffing the stat sheet throughout the trip.

But it was assumed — and assumed correctly, — that the freshmen would get much more burn in these exhibitions than could be expected in the regular season. So while Porter’s performance in China was encouraging, the jury was still out on just how much on-court impact the Georgetown faithful could expect from the skinny forward in his first season, especially given the lack of media hype and highlight reels of his high school days.

Thompson III knew better. The eighth-year head coach gave Porter major minutes from the start and repeatedly referred to him during the season as “the most prepared freshman I’ve ever coached.”

And the more court time Porter saw, the more he impressed. He busted open two-three zones with his automatic midrange jumper.

He led the team in rebounding despite coming off the bench for most of the year. He helped break full-court presses when the guards got in trouble.

But the star freshman’s most significant contributions may have come on the other end of the floor. His quick feet, 7-foot-1 wing-

span and strong defensive instincts allowed him to guard four positions effectively. Aided by classmate Greg Whittington, Porter wreaked havoc on the wings of a smothering two-three zone, and the duo’s versatility allowed Thompson III to experiment with nontraditional lineups. By the end of the year, Georgetown was regularly starting four players that stood 6-foot-8 or taller.

“We have several guys that are 6-foot-8, 6-foot-9 that can guard guards, guard little guys, guard medium guys, guard big guys,” Thompson III said after Georgetown’s victory over Belmont in the NCAA tournament, presumably referring to Porter and Whittington.

“And they’re willing to do it. It’s not just the gifts that God has given them. It’s a desire. It’s attention to detail. It’s caring about getting stops.”

Porter was neither as smooth as Hollis Thompson or Austin Freeman, nor as flashy as Chris Wright or Allen Iverson. But he was so undeniably efficient on offense and versatile on defense that by the time he broke into the starting lineup in late February, Porter had earned the trust of teammates and fans alike.

Few were surprised, then, when it was Porter who took the last shot of regulation when Georgetown was down two to Cincinnati in the Big East quarterfinals. The Hoyas ended up losing that game in double overtime, but the freshman’s poise against the Bearcats — in addition to his 20-point effort in a second-round win over Pittsburgh — left no doubt about who would be the star next season.

INTO THE SPOTLIGHT Porter’s role as a team leader became all the more apparent at the end of March, when Thompson declared for the NBA Draft as a junior. With no seniors on the 2012-2013

roster and juniors Markel Starks and Nate Lubick coming off shaky seasons, Georgetown would be counting on the rising sophomore to become the centerpiece of the offense and a leader in the locker room. For the Hoyas to have a chance at building on their success, Porter needed to spend the summer preparing to put the team on his back.

So, in a move that should shock nobody, Porter went home.

He was the Swiss Army knife, the ultimate garbage man, the guy that scored off broken plays and offensive rebounds while defenses were focused on seniors Jason Clark and Henry Sims.

After the end of classes and before the beginning of summer camps, Sikeston’s favorite son returned. The question was whether or not he would still be the same humble guy.

“Oh, yeah,” Wright said. “And of course, you can tell he’s definitely grown up. ... He’s just got his goals in mind. That’s what he’s always had.”

Even after all the hype and all the pressure of inheriting a high-level Division I basketball team, Porter made time to attend Scott Central baseball games, shoot the breeze with his old high school coach and sign autographs for adoring fans.

After the brief respite in Sikeston, though, it was back to the grind for the workmanlike forward. He put up huge numbers in this summer’s Kenner League games and was a

model leader for the freshman-heavy Tombs squad. He received rave reviews at the Kevin Durant and LeBron James Skills Academies, where he reportedly showed drastic improvement in outside shooting, the one inconsistent dimension of his game last season. His name floated even further up mock draft boards.

“Everything that was a weakness, I tried working on,” Porter said. “I went to the camps, and they actually taught me how to shoot from distance, and it helped set up the shots a little bit.”

But although Porter may have assuaged doubts about his ability as a team leader and as a perimeter threat — he went through shooting drills with the guards in the season’s first open practice — questions will remain about his ability to shoulder the scoring load until the Hoyas step onto the court Nov. 9. For all his talent, Porter was never the first or even second scoring option last year.

He was the Swiss Army knife, the ultimate garbage man, the guy that scored off broken plays and offensive rebounds while defenses were focused on seniors Jason Clark and Henry Sims.

This year, he’ll have to be more than that. If the Hoyas are to be truly feared, Porter needs to consistently be the guy that his teammates look to and opposing defenses dread when the shot clock is running down in an elimination game.

We won’t know for sure whether he can do that until this winter. But if his coaches and peers are to be believed, he’s not one to bet against.

“It’s something you can definitely see,” Wright said. “He’s gotten an opportunity, and he’s going to take every chance to fulfill that opportunity that he’s got.”

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SWAN SONG: BIG EAST COA CAROLYN MAGUIRE & JOSH

THE FAVORITES

MIDDLE OF

1. LOUISVILLE Head Coach Rick Pitino’s defending Big East tournament champions return most of last year’s squad. The Cardinals boast an aggressive zone defense — led by junior shot-blocker Gorgui Dieng and ball-pressuring senior point guard Peyton Siva — that might be the best in the country. If Siva can pick up more of the scoring burden, don’t be surprised if Louisville ends up with a second-straight trip to the Final Four.

2. SYRACUSE Georgetown’s perennial rival has a tall order in replacing four key players from last season’s 34-3 squad. Senior guard Brandon Triche and the Orange’s deep bench will have to step up to replace Fab Melo, leading scorer Kris Joseph and guards Dion Waiters and Scoop Jardine. That bench, however, is likely to make a big impact, and Syracuse will likely contend for the Big East title in its final season before leaving for the ACC.

3. NOTRE DAME The Fighting Irish lost Tim Abromaitis, but they played much of last season without him and still finished with 22 wins. The backcourt tandem of playmaking juniors Eric Atkins and Jerian Grant should support senior forward Jack Cooley. Notre Dame also has shored up its frontcourt with senior center and Michigan State transfer Garrick Sherman and freshmen Zach Auguste and Cameron Biedscheid.

4. CINCINNATI Although their brawl with Xavier might be the lingering memory of last season, the Bearcats finished 26-11 with a Sweet 16 appearance. Cincinnati loses forward Yancy Gates but returns junior perimeter shooter Sean Kilpatrick and senior point guard Cashmere Wright. Junior forward Titus Rubles and redshirt freshman forward Shaquille Thomas will help the Bearcats maintain up-tempo play, making them sure contenders.

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5. GEORG

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6. PITTSBURGH Adding to last season’s disappointment, the Panthers have lost the heart of their team, sharpshooting guard Ashton Gibbs. Five of Pitt’s seven top scorers return, though, including senior point guard Tray Woodall and emerging junior forward Lamar Patterson. Woodall’s ability to lead a young backcourt and the performance of two newcomers — freshman center and Big East preseason rookie of the year Steve Adams, and junior transfer Trey Ziegler — will determine if the Panthers will catch fire in the Big East.

7. MARQUETTE The Golden Eagles lost a combined 35 points per game and major defensive flexibility with the departures of Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom. Head Coach Buzz Williams has many talented wing players to pick up the slack, however, with junior forward Jamil Wilson likely seeing an increased role. The team’s most intriguing player is 6-foot-5 Arizona State transfer Trent Lockett, a senior guard. He, along with returning guards Vander Blue, a junior, and Todd Mayo, a sophomore, should keep Marquette competitive.

8. SOUTH FLORIDA The Bulls surprised the Big East with a 12-6 conference record that led Head Coach Stan Heath to be named the conference’s coach of the year. Leading scorer Augustus Gilchrist has graduated, but sophomore point guard Anthony Collins — who established himself as one of the league’s better young players — should step into a bigger role. USF also scored a strong recruiting class and boasts a strong veteran frontcourt. While the Bulls may not sit atop the league at the end of the season, they can no longer be ignored.

ACHES’ PRESEASON POLL SIMMONS Hoya Staff Writers

F THE PACK

GETOWN

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9. CONNECTICUT No Big East team lost more than the Huskies after last season. Not only did defensive standout Andre Drummond and smooth scorer Jeremy Lamb graduate, but Head Coach Jim Calhoun retired after 26 years at the school. His replacement, Kevin Ollie, has big shoes to fill but will be helped by the strong backcourt of clutch junior Shabazz Napier and slashing sophomore Ryan Boatright. It hardly matters, though, because sanctions from Calhoun’s tenure mean the Huskies are ineligible for the Big East and NCAA tournaments.

10. ST. JOHN’S The Red Storm lost only one notable player — Moe Harkless — but they are still a young team made up mostly of freshmen and sophomores. St. John’s will have to turn to sophomore guard D’Angelo Harrison, who led all Big East rookies in scoring last season, in the backcourt, while hoping fellow sophomore guard Phil Greene will step up to lead. While the Johnnies have a lot to sort out, they will have Head Coach Steve Lavin back this season, given that he seems to have won his battle with prostate cancer.

11. RUTGERS Very green last season, the Scarlet Knights now have experience to go along with last year’s talented recruiting class. Forward Gilvydas Biruta, Rutgers’ most consistent big man last year, transferred to Rhode Island, but 6-foot-9, 250-pound Kansas State transfer Wally Judge, a forward, should help make up for his absence. A backcourt led by sophomore guards Jerome Seagears and Eli Carter will also be a strength for the Scarlet Knights, who seem poised to surprise some of their Big East rivals.

LEAGUE CELLAR 12. VILLANOVA After finishing 5-13 in the Big East last year, the Wildcats were hit with the departures of starting guards Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek. That means Head Coach Jay Wright will have to reinvent Villanova’s backcourt while depending on returning senior center Mouphtaou Yarou — the team’s top returning scorer — sophomore guard JayVaughn Pinkston and junior forward James Bell to lead the team without a top-notch incoming class.

13. DEPAUL The Blue Demons finished last season with just three conference wins, but Head Coach Oliver Purnell has his squad moving in the right direction. The team returns its top four scorers from a year ago, including stellar junior forward Cleveland Melvin, the top returning scorer in the Big East. DePaul is undersized down low, however, which will make it difficult for it to contend in the Big East.

14. SETON HALL Seton Hall took some big hits in the offseason, losing leading scorers Jordon Theodore and Herb Pope to graduation. The Pirates turn to versatile wing Fuquan Edwin, who established himself as an elite Big East defender last season. Seton Hall hasn’t finished above .500 in the league since 2005-06, however, and its roster is filled with too many question marks and no reliable big men to turn that around this year.

15. PROVIDENCE With guard Gerard Coleman’s transfer, the depleted Friars are picked to finish at the bottom of the conference. Head Coach Ed Cooley has assembled a highly rated recruiting class, but its gem — point guard Kris Dunn — will be sidelined early with a shoulder injury. PC’s other blue-chip recruit, Ricardo Ledo, has been ruled academically ineligible by the NCAA, leaving Providence without many viable scoring options or much reliable depth.

BASKETBALL PREVIEW | 21

NO HAPPY ENDING FOR SENIORS PAT CURRAN

Hoya Staff Writer

For the Georgetown women’s basketball team, the 2011-12 season was all about missed opportunities.

It doesn’t look terrible on paper. The Hoyas finished 23-9, made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament and put two players on all-Big East teams. For a program that only marked its most recent arrival on the scene four years ago, that’s an objectively successful season.

But you’ll have to forgive Georgetown fans if they don’t see it that way.

The season was characterized more than anything by a failure to show up when it mattered. From a 19-point November drubbing at the hands of local rival Maryland to a brutal 39-32 loss to West Virginia in the Big East tournament, the Hoyas struggled to execute — especially on offense — in the season’s biggest games.

The trend was especially disheartening considering the high expectations with which the Blue and Gray entered the year.

The vaunted class of 2012, pivotal in turning the program around, had finally reached its senior year. Dominant shooting guard Sugar Rodgers had another year of experience under her belt. Head Coach Terri WilliamsFlournoy’s swarming defense had nearly propelled Georgetown past powerhouse — and No. 1 seed — Connecticut in the 2011 NCAA tournament.

By all accounts, this team appeared ready to step into the national spotlight.

But nearly every time they had a chance to prove themselves against a highly ranked team, though, the Hoyas went belly up. They remained in the top 25 for the entire season — climbing as high as No. 15 in the nation after a 13-game winning streak — but never secured the marquee victories that would push them over the edge.

So when fourth-seeded Georgia Tech ended fifth-seeded Georgetown’s season with relative ease in the second round of the NCAA tournament, it was with disappointment that the Hoyas’ seven seniors walked off the court for the last time.

AN INAUSPICIOUS START: NO. 11 MARYLAND 72, NO. 10 GEORGETOWN 53 After beginning the season with an uninspiring but satisfactory home win over Longwood, Georgetown made the short trip to College Park to take on local rival Maryland. The Terrapins entered the game with revenge on their minds. In the second round of the previous year’s NCAA tournament, the Hoyas had blown out the Terps on their own court, and the likelihood that Maryland would roll over again was fairly low.

Few were expecting, though, that Georgetown would roll over the way it did in a match of the No. 10 and No. 11 teams in the country. Rodgers was a paltry 1-of-12 from the field, while Georgetown was outrebounded by a huge margin and made only seven shots in the second half. Still, Williams-Flournoy

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wasn’t fazed.

“We don’t rebound well — we’re small — these are all things we have to deal with,” she said after the game. “But we can focus on what we do well. We press well, and Maryland handled that. Sugar won’t have these types of nights. A lot of what happened tonight typically won’t, and we need to focus on getting better at what we do.”

HITTING THEIR STRIDE: NO. 17 GEORGETOWN 71, NO. 7 MIAMI 46 The Hoyas lost their next game — a tough 11-point decision at LSU — but WilliamsFlournoy was proven correct when her team subsequently proceeded to reel off 11 straight wins. Many of those wins came against cupcake teams, but not all: Georgetown traveled to Miami and laid a 71-46 beatdown on the seventh-ranked Hurricanes in its final game before Christmas, a win that was overlooked by many because of its timing but that may have been the best of the year for the Blue and Gray.

“They were averaging 81 points per game, and we were only giving up 51 points per game,” Williams-Flournoy said at the time.

“We continued to preach over the past 10 days that if we could play defense, we would win.”

The theme of defensive intensity was consistent throughout the extended winning streak, during which Georgetown never gave up more than 60 points and even held some opponents below 40. It was the offense, however, that stole the show in the last few games

COMING OFF A SWEET SIXTEEN BERTH WITH AN EXPERIENCED ROSTER AND ONE OF THE BEST SCORERS IN THE COUNTRY, GEORGETOWN WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH IN 2011-12. THINGS DIDN’T WORK OUT THAT WAY. of the run.

The Hoyas traveled north to Hanover, N.H., to take part in Dartmouth’s Blue Sky Classic.

While they were undoubtedly the favorites, few could have predicted just how dominant the Blue and Gray would be. Rodgers went off for 34 points against Vermont and a careerhigh 39 against Dartmouth, outscoring her opponents’ entire roster in the latter game.

“We’ve seen Sugar do this before. We’ve seen her shoot the lights out,” Williams-Flournoy said. “But what people don’t realize is that Sugar does so much more. She rebounds, she gets steals, she plays defense. She just played an all-around game.”

BIG EAST BLOWOUT: NO. 3 UCONN 80, NO. 14 GEORGETOWN 38 The conference schedule brought Georgetown back to earth in the worst way. The Hoyas continued to pick up wins, most notably a blowout of No. 20 Rutgers in late January, but most of the Big East’s ranked teams — DePaul, Notre Dame, Louisville, St. John’s — beat the Blue and Gray with ease.

Perhaps the worst of these losses came in an early February trip to Storrs, Conn., to take on third-ranked UConn. The Huskies were undoubtedly better on paper, but, then again, Williams-Flournoy had shown herself capable of outfoxing Geno Auriemma with her tough defensive strategy the previous year.

That didn’t happen this time. Freshman Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis scored 23 points off the bench, and UConn crushed Georgetown, 80-38, for its 99th consecutive home win.

Licking their wounds, the Hoyas went on to win three straight games, but there was no underestimating the confidence-killer of losing a 42-point decision to a conference rival.

“There’s nothing we can do about this game now,” Williams-Flournoy said then.

“We can’t go back and grab it.”

OUT LIKE A LAMB: WEST VIRGINIA 39, NO. 12 GEORGETOWN 32 If disappointment was the byword for the season, humiliation was the takeaway from Georgetown’s postseason.

The Blue and Gray came out completely flat in the Big East tournament, scoring a measly 32 points in a loss to unranked West Virginia.

They were awarded a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament and beat an overmatched Fresno State team before falling to Georgia Tech in the round of 32. Tia Magee, Rubylee Wright and the other seniors ended their impressive careers with little fanfare.

When Georgetown learned that it would be losing defensive genius Williams-Flournoy to Auburn at the end of the season, it became clearer than ever that the loss to Georgia Tech didn’t just end a season.

It ended an era.

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uncharted territory EVAN HOLLANDER Hoya Staff Writer

Usually when a team graduates seven seniors and acquires a new head coach, the resulting season is called a rebuilding year.

Don’t tell that to Georgetown women’s basketball Head Coach Keith Brown.

“Rebuilding is a touchy word for me,” Brown said in late October. “When you rebuild, you are saying you haven’t brought in kids to continue the legacy you have built. I think we have brought in those kids — they just need to catch up.”

Despite being at the beginning of his career as a head coach, Brown knows all about the Hoyas, having served as an assistant to former Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy for five years until she departed for Auburn in April.

“I think Terri did a good job of preparing our whole staff for what Georgetown is about,” Brown said. “The biggest problem is that I have too many freshmen, too many kids who haven’t played last year.”

Other than senior guard Sugar Rodgers and senior center Sydney Wilson, none of the returnees played more than five minutes per game last season. That leaves Brown with some big holes to fill in his rotation — and makes it harder for players to get a breather.

“I’m going to miss having a lot of people,” Rodgers said. “Because now we only have 10 people. That’s not that many subs, so you have to be able to play the whole game and be in topnotch shape.”

That meant a long summer in the weight room, and Brown had to make some adjustments to practice to conserve energy.

“We are going to have to change some things.

We can’t go as hard as we want to,” Brown said.

“We’re going to have NBA shootarounds sometimes, just to shoot the ball and save their bodies.”

Brown’s biggest priority, though, is to find new scoring options. When asked about his plans, he rattled off a list of players that he thinks can be counted on for bigger contributions. “[Junior guard] Samisha Powell — I think she can give us some points. [Sophomore forward] Brittany Horne — she’s flat-out shooting the ball extremely well,” Brown said. “[And] Sydney and [junior forward] Andrea [White]. I think one of the things about Andrea is that she has to give us 12 or 13 points.”

That’s not accounting for Georgetown’s four freshmen, although that class will number only three players, as guard Katie McCormick recovers from tearing her ACL. Brown, though, feels like he’s coaching even more green players than his four newcomers.

“I think we have one senior and nine freshmen because a lot of the kids that were upperclassmen didn’t play,” Brown said. “What we’re going to have to do is be patient. And the biggest difference is that the younger kids need an opportunity to grow.”

For her part, Wilson has already seen that

24 | The Hoya

growth, especially in adopting a more balanced approach to dividing responsibilities.

“In practice, when we scrimmage, we actually score a lot more,” Wilson said. “There’s more of an even distribution of scoring. We never really had that in the past. I think the freshmen are really stepping up. They are really good players.”

Brown echoed the same sentiment, noting that the team’s chemistry seemed to have improved as players had to rely more on each other.

“I think we’ll be a better team because they have to rely so much on each other now. … We’ll be a better team continuity-wise,” Brown said.

“They like each other, and that’s the most important thing in women’s basketball.”

Also important to Brown is implementing a slightly tweaked approach to basketball on the Hilltop.

“If you’re open, shoot the basketball. That’s my philosophy,” Brown said. “That puts pressure on the defense. That would be the biggest change. They will have an opportunity to make their own calls on the floor.”

A good example of that changed vision is Wilson, who has trained over the summer with assistant coach Tim Valentine — one of the three new assistants that have joined Brown on the coaching staff — to improve her midrange game

and develop new post moves.

One unexpected challenge the Hoyas have faced so far this season is having to adopt a practice schedule centered on weekends because of class conflicts for several players.

“Welcome to Georgetown,” Brown said.

“One of the things I love about Georgetown — because I was an educator — is that academics do come first. When [senior center] Vanessa [Moore] has to take a class, and it’s a government class, and it’s her major, and she wants to go to law school, and she has to take this class during practice, we have to adjust.”

Scheduling hiccups aside, Brown assesses his transition to the top job as a smooth one.

“My time is precious now, juggling the job and the family,” Brown said. “I have more commitments now; I have more interviews now. That’s probably been the biggest adjustment.”

As for the team’s chances, Brown gave an upbeat assessment, saying he expects the team to turn in a winning season. He then addressed that same rebuilding theme.

“We’re getting it together, not rebuilding,” Brown said. “We don’t rebuild with a player like Sugar. What we’re doing is being a young ball club trying to win some games.”

HOYAS RELOAD RYAN BACIC Hoya Staff Writer It is difficult to replace a group like Georgetown’s Class of 2012 easily.

The most successful in program history, with three NCAA appearances to their name in four seasons on the Hilltop, last year’s seven seniors racked up 93 wins during their collegiate careers.

In the process, Tia Magee, Rubylee Wright and company took the Hoyas from marginal to upperechelon status.

It goes without saying, therefore, that this crop of freshmen has a tough assignment.

“When you lose seven seniors in a program that has been on the rise like ours, we know that it’s going to be some type of effect,” first-year Head Coach Keith Brown said. “Our young people are going to have to step up.”

Because the Blue and Gray have only 10 players on the roster, larger contributions will be essential from the four-member rookie class. Brown noted that he’ll be looking to put together a seven-player rotation, but the numbers game means that that rotation will rely more than usual on its rookies.

With all four new Hoyas in Georgetown’s No. 26 recruiting class rated 88 or higher by ESPN — the highest being guard Katie McCormick at a 94 — that might not pose too much of a problem.

The seeming “chaos” of Georgetown’s defensive initial schemes, however, is something that Brown thinks takes time for all incoming players to wrap their minds around, regardless of their talent level.

“The biggest thing we’re going to have to do is that I’m going to have to be patient. I’m used to calling out defenses, and they know it right away,” he said. “And the biggest difference is we have to go back to teaching this year.”

Star senior shooting guard Sugar Rodgers’ continued ascent, fortunately, should take a bit of the pressure off of the younger players, especially as they get their feet wet in the weaker, non-conference portion of the schedule.

McCormick, unfortunately, will miss the en-

MARYLAND PREP STAR KATIE MCCORMICK WAS EXPECTED TO LEAD THIS GROUP, BUT SHE’S OUT WITH A KNEE INJURY. IT’S UP TO WING LOGAN BATTLE AND A PAIR OF DEVELOPING POST PLAYERS TO MAKE UP FOR THE LOSS OF SEVEN SENIORS.

tire season due to an ACL inury suffered over the summer. Skilled wing Logan Battle, a four-star prospect out of Springfield, Va., will be expected to pick up the slack.

Rodgers was optimistic about the new group of players, singling out Battle in particular as ready for prime time.

“I can say you should watch out for Logan — she’s a good freshman,” Rodgers said. “She’s athletic as crap, and she plays hard. All of them play hard, but I play against her [in practice, so] I can see her the most.”

Brown echoed Rodgers’ sentiment while also noting Battle’s potential for improvement.

“Logan Battle is a flat-out player, She doesn’t always go the right way, but she can finish, and she can get her shot off.”

While Battle’s journey to the Hilltop may only take half an hour, Ki-Ke Rafiu’s trip from Nigeria to a Pennsylvania prep school and then the District has been a considerably longer one.

Like Battle, the 6-foot-1 Rafiu prefers a swing role, tending to stick more to the perimeter than new frontcourt teammate and New Jersey product Dominique Vitalis.

It is Magee’s and Adria Crawford’s ability in the paint that will be most missed from last season, as the two tenacious rebounders each averaged six boards per game in their 2011-12 campaigns.

Making up that gap will fall mostly on the shoulders of 6-foot-6 senior center Sydney Wilson, but Rafiu and Vitalis will be expected to play a role as well.

“Ki-Ke and Dominique are still learning because a lot of times, schools take girls who are 6-foot-1 or 6-foot-2 and make them a post player,” Brown said. “What we do is make them wings so they’re able to handle the ball on the perimeter more. They’ll be better basketball players next year, but they’ll be able to help us this year.”

As with every new group, there’s plenty of room for growth. Nonetheless, Wilson believes the freshmen are already making an impact.

“In practice, when we scrimmage, we actually score a lot more,” she said. “There’s more of an even distribution of scoring. We never really had that in the past. I think the freshmen are really stepping up — they are really good players.

“I feel good about this year. I feel better about this year than any of the years of the past. That was kind of unexpected, but we have a lot of fresh faces, and I feel good about it.”

Seven seniors may be gone, but the trio of Battle, Rafiu and Vitalis should help keep Georgetown in the thick of things in the Big East.

That means that rebuilding, Brown emphasized, will not be the name of the game this season.

“John Thompson Jr. wants me to say it’s a rebuilding year. He always tells me, ‘You lost seven seniors,’” Brown said. “Rebuilding is a touchy word for me. When you rebuild, you are saying you haven’t brought in kids to continue the legacy you have built. I think we have brought in those kids — they just need to catch up.”

If they do that, this year’s freshmen four might end up having as much of an impact as last season’s seven graduates.

LOGAN BATTLE At 6-foot-2, Battle has excellent size for wing player and will definitely create mismatches for a Georgetown team badly in need of a secondary scorer.

DOMINIQUE VITALIS Vitalis is more of a natural post player than Battle, but Brown has emphasized that even the forwards in his system will be taught perimeter skills.

KI-KE RAFIU A native Nigerian who tore up Philadelphia’s Catholic schools as a senior, Rafiu will help shore up a front line that was decimated by graduation.

KATIE MCCORMICK McCormick, a 5-foot-7 guard from Maryland, was the highest-ranked Georgetown recruit and singled out for praise by Head Coach Keith Brown. But she will miss this season with a torn ACL.

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HARTFORD BOUND: BIG EAST

WILL EDMAN & PATRICK MUS

THE FAVORITES

MIDDLE OF

1. CONNECTICUT

5. RUTGERS

Iconic Head Coach Geno Auriemma’s Huskies enter the season as national title contenders once again. After losing to Notre Dame in last season’s Final Four, UConn has reloaded with another topranked recruiting class. Three all-Big East players — junior guard Bria Hartley, junior center Stefanie Dolson and sophomore forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis — should easily help the Huskies make up for the graduation of leading scorer Tiffany Hayes.

The Scarlet Knights have been exceptionally consistent under Head Coach C. Vivian Stringer. This season, Rutgers returns three starters from a team that was in and out of the top 10 last season. Although that squad has lost two of its players — point guard Khadijah Rushdan and forward April Sykes — Stringer struck gold with the nation’s thirdranked recruiting class, bringing in forward Rachel Hollivay and guard Kahleah Copper.

2. NOTRE DAME The Fighting Irish return two starters, boast eight veterans and welcome a freshman class that has been rated as one of the nation’s best. Senior guard Skylar Diggins, who has been named Big East preseason MVP for a second consecutive year after coming off a 600-point junior season, will lead a core of experienced players that has already gone to the national championship. Expect the experienced Irish to be the Huskies’ most serious competition this year.

3. LOUISVILLE The Cardinals finished last season ranked No. 16 in the national coaches’ poll but disappointed in the postseason by being ousted in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Louisville will hope to break through this season, and four returning starters give them hope to do so. First team all-Big East junior point guard Schoni Shimmel, who averaged 14.3 points and 4.7 assists per game last season, is the best of the returnees.

4. ST. JOHN’S Although they were ranked seventh in last year’s Big East preseason poll, the Red Storm defied expectations by finishing second in the league. St. John’s followed those results with a Sweet 16 finish, and although it’s lost two seniors to graduation, the team could make a similar run this year. Key returners are senior guards Shenneika Smith and Nadirah McKenith, who are both preseason all-Big East. Look for Smith and McKenith to lead the dark horse Red Storm.

26 | The Hoya

6. DEPAUL DePaul’s current situation bears striking similarity to Georgetown’s a year ago. After a 23-11 finish last season, the Blue Demons can boast one major advantage going into the upcoming season: experience. Preseason all-Big East senior guard Anna Martin leads a squad that returns six players from 2011-2012, including four starters. With that in mind, DePaul has a good chance to improve on its second-round finish in last year’s NCAA tournament.

7. SYRACUSE The Orange expect to improve on last season’s WNIT semifinal finish. Although leading scorer Iasia Hemingway has graduated, Syracuse returns senior center Kayla Alexander, the main contributor to Syracuse’s finish atop the Big East in rebounds per game last season. Head Coach Quentin Hillsman expects to bolster his backcourt with a five-player recruiting class that ranked sixth in the nation. Big things are expected from freshman guard Brianna Butler, the nation’s No. 13 recruit.

8. GEORG

See pa

COACHES’ PRESEASON POLL

SGRAVE Hoya Staff Writers

F THE PACK

LEAGUE CELLAR

9. SOUTH FLORIDA

12. CINCINNATI

After making a run in last season’s WNIT, USF will hope to make the Big Dance this season. The Bulls are experienced, having lost only one starter to graduation in guard Jasmine Wynne. But Wynne was the team’s leading scorer at 15.4 points per game, and who will shoulder the load remains unclear. With an uninspiring recruiting class and no dominant scorer, it will be tough for South Florida to make much noise in the Big East, let alone on the national scene.

The Bearcats have been on an upswing in recent seasons, finishing 16-16 last year — seven more wins than the previous season’s total. Cincinnati also won its first postseason game in 10 years, defeating Duquesne in the first round of the postseason WNIT. To keep the momentum going, the Bearcats will have to count on redshirt junior guard Dayeesha Hollins, who averaged 14.8 points per game last year but also finished with a team-high 105 assists.

10. VILLANOVA Experience could be on the side of the Wildcats this season, as they return four starters from their 2011-12 campaign. Senior forward Laura Sweeney — who led her team in points, rebounds, steals and blocks last season — has been named preseason all-Big East Honorable Mention. The pressure is undoubtedly on Sweeney to live up to preseason billing and help her team build on last year’s WNIT third-round appearance. If not, it’ll be a down year in Philadelphia.

11. MARQUETTE Last season was the worst in more than a decade for the Golden Eagles, who finished below .500 for the first time since the 2000-2001 season. While Marquette returns all five of last year’s starters, the team failed to recruit any serious help from the ranks of high school stars. To be more successful, the reeling Golden Eagles must hope the two freshmen they did land, forward Katherine Plouffe and guard Brooklyn Pumroy are ready to contribute in a big way.

GETOWN

age 24.

13. SETON HALL The Pirates finished a disappointing 8-23 last year, winning just one Big East game. Seven new players will join the program, though, and Seton Hall’s turnaround hopes are pinned on them. Senior guard Brittany Morris, who started all 31 games and averaged 11 points per game, will lead the Pirates. Joining Morris in a leadership role is redshirt sophomore Ka-Deidre Simmons, who missed all of last season with an injury but was selected to the 2011 Big East all-freshmen team.

14. PITTSBURGH After a winless in-conference campaign 2011-12, the Panthers have nowhere to go but up. Pitt is resting its hopes on the development of freshman Marvadene Anderson, who, at 6-foot11, is the world’s tallest teenage girl. With Anderson anchoring the middle and leading scorers Briana Keisel, a sophomore guard, and Ashlee Anderson, a redshirt junior guard, returning, the Panthers should be able to win at least one Big East game.

15. PROVIDENCE In addition to losing Head Coach Phil Seymore — who resigned at the end of last season — Providence lost key seniors Teya Wright, Rachel Barnes and Lola Wells. Although their outlook seems bleak, the Friars hope for development from senior point guard Symone Roberts. The Friars also have an interesting young prospect in freshman forward Evi Iiskola, a member of Finland’s national team.

basketball preview | 27

one year to finish the job EVAN HOLLANDER Hoya Staff Writer

B

efore last season, Sugar Rodgers — Georgetown’s dominant shooting guard — knew she would be the scorer on a team full of threats. That skill will be in even greater demand this year, as Rodgers scored more than 70 percent of the points posted by the Hoyas’ underclassmen last season.

And she will have to carve out that role with a new coach and a team that includes four freshmen on its depleted 10-woman roster. The expectations for Rodgers are still high, however, with the senior’s having been named to the preseason all-Big East team and with WNBA prospects looming after graduation.

The biggest change for Rodgers from last year to this year is probably adjusting to new Head Coach Keith Brown, who took over at Georgetown when former Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy left for Auburn. It also might be the smoothest transition of all.

“We know Coach Brown. He recruited most of us,” Rodgers said. “He wasn’t head coach — he was an assistant — but he had that head-coach mentality, so him as head

28 | The HOYA

coach is very exciting.”

And although some players might be daunted by Brown’s outspoken courtside demeanor, Rodgers seems to relish it.

“He motivates us, more than anything,” Rodgers said. “So if you see him yelling, that’s just motivation.”

Of course, Rodgers averaged 31 minutes per game last season, so it’s not like she was getting a lot of breaks anyway.

“She’ll play the whole game,” senior center Sydney Wilson said of Rodgers. “But it’s just good to know there is someone who could come in for you and give you a potential

[Rodgers] is ahead of both Rebekkah Brunson and Katie Smrcka-Duffy on the scoring list. That’s significant because both of those stars of the previous decade went on to the WNBA, something that Rodgers aspires to do as well.

What will be tougher for Rodgers and the team to adjust to is the departure of seven seniors and sophomore Taylor Brown’s decision to transfer to George Mason. That leaves a much smaller roster, one with fewer options for the Blue and Gray’s coaches to put on the court.

“I’m going to miss having a lot of people,” Rodgers said. “Now we only have 10 people.

That’s not that many subs, so you have to be able to play the whole game and be in topnotch shape.”

break.”

One way to cope with having less potential for a breather is the weight room. That was just one part of Rodgers’ summer routine, however.

“I’ve worked more on ball handling this summer and midrange game,” Rodgers said.

“And getting bigger, faster and stronger.”

Those skills will be essential if Rodgers is to transcend her role as a points producer and provide more help to the youngest Hoyas.

Making sure she does so is one of Brown’s biggest concerns.

“I’m going to need points from everybody.

Sugar is going to give us what she’s going to give us, but everybody in the country knows it,” Brown said.

Somewhat counterintuitively, Brown believes that developing more scoring threats alongside Rodgers will boost the senior’s productivity.

“They’re going to be defending her, but if the other girls can take up the slack and score some points — not 20, but seven or eight — they’ll free Sugar up to score some more points, since she’s extremely efficient.”

That efficiency has made Rodgers the second-highest scorer in Georgetown history, and, as she is just 78 points out of first place, she will likely set a record this season that will last for years to come.

SENIOR SUGAR RODGERS IS ALREADY ONE OF THE MOST ACCOMPLISHED PLAYERS IN GEORGETOWN HISTORY. NOW PLAYING FOR A NEW COACH ON A ROSTER FULL OF YOUNGSTERS, RODGERS WILL HAVE TO TAKE ON EVEN MORE ROLES. AND SHE’LL DO IT WHILE PURSUING HER DREAM OF PLAYING BASKETBALL PROFESSIONALLY.

Either way, she is ahead of both Rebekkah Brunson and Katie Smrcka-Duffy on the scoring list. That’s significant because both of those stars of the previous decade went on to the WNBA, something that Rodgers aspires to do as well.

“The WNBA is there. I could go. I want to go,” Rodgers said. “It’s kind of like a dream come true … not just for me but for some of the people around me who don’t get the opportunity to go.”

Mock drafts have Rodgers going early in the first round, behind stars like Baylor’s Brittney Griner and Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne that have broken into mainstream consciousness.

“I’m very excited for [the WNBA], and I’m kind of speechless, since it’s right around the corner,” Rodgers said. “But I’ve got to focus on my last college debut. I’ve got to focus on my senior year, since that’s even more exciting.”

Unlike last season, these Hoyas are not burdened by high expectations. For Rodgers, that’s reduced some of the pressure — and given her hope that the best is yet to come.

“I say, ‘No pressure.’ You go out there and play basketball, and at the end, you’ll see your results,” Rodgers said.

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CENTER STAGE RYAN BACIC Hoya Staff Writer

H

aving averaged a paltry 3.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game during the 2011-12 campaign, senior center Sydney Wilson is looking for a huge leap forward in her final season.

18 | thehoya

And given more freedom now under firstyear Head Coach Keith Brown, a fully healthy and newly confident Wilson just might get there.

“If you’re open, shoot the basketball — that’s my philosophy,” Brown said. “That puts pressure on the defense. So that would be the biggest change. They will have an opportunity to make their own calls on the floor.”

That change in mentality will have an especially strong impact on Wilson, who stayed mostly in the post in the first three seasons of her collegiate career under former Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy.

But much like Henry Sims, Greg Monroe and others have in recent history on the men’s side, Wilson will now be expected to pop out from the paint and exert an influence on the game in other, non-traditional ways. For Sims and Monroe, that meant being smooth-pass-

ing big men, but for Wilson, it will mean an increased responsibility to take — and hit — outside jump shots.

The skill is one that Brown has always felt Wilson had in her repertoire, but it is something that both player and coach plan to see much more of this season.

“I’ve always thought that Sydney is one of the most skilled big girls in the country, as far as her skill set,” Brown said. “She can knock down that midrange jump shot from the elbow. She can knock down shots all over the floor. The biggest problem has been getting Sydney to translate what we see from her in practice to the [games themselves].”

Beginning this past summer, though, Wilson has taken her efforts to the next level in order to eliminate that disparity.

Weight training was a big part of the entire team’s offseason routine, but Wilson went the extra mile through in-depth workouts with assistant coach Tim Valentine, whom Brown brought to the Hilltop from Elon University after taking the reins in May. The focus in Valentine’s sessions was on improving Wilson’s shooting abilities but also on being more willing to pull the trigger when called upon.

“This was the first time in my three years [at Georgetown] that I had someone [to work with] who was so post specific,” Wilson said. “He really helped expand my game and do things that big girls should really be doing, and then he also let me know, ‘You can shoot from the top — you can do those other things.’”

Brown was equally pleased with Wilson’s progress so far under Valentine’s instruction.

“I think Sydney’s done a tremendous job this summer, and Coach Valentine has done a tremendous job this summer of giving her the confidence to shoot that shot,” he said. “We need points out of Sydney, and she’s going to be able to shoot the ball.”

Although Wilson started 29 of 32 games last year, the Silver Spring, Md., native was just seventh on the Hoyas in field goals attempted.

It’s safe to say that that will not be the case again this time around.

And with every opponent’s defense likely to be honing in on All-American shooting guard Rodgers, the offensive contributions of Wilson and others become that much more important.

“Sugar is going to give us what she’s going to give us, but everybody in the country knows it,” Brown said. “They’re going to be defending her, but if the other girls can take up the slack and score some points, not 20 but seven or eight, they’ll free Sugar up.”

Wilson’s role is further amplified due to the loss of frontcourt players Tia Magee and Adria Crawford. Magee averaged 11.1 points as a senior last season, good for second on the team after Rodgers; Crawford, meanwhile, averaged 4.6 in addition to tying for the lead with Magee in rebounds with six per contest.

Needless to say, making up for that loss in rebounding will be huge, and a large bulk of that task will be assigned to the 6-foot-6 Wilson. With her knees finally healed after a rough preseason injury during her first year at Georgetown, Wilson should be able to get more spring in her jump this season and, as a result, be more successful on the glass.

“She probably feels the best she’s felt since she was a freshman,” Brown said. “When you tear the meniscus in both knees, it takes a little while for you to get your bearings.”

With a shortened roster, Wilson and her teammates will all have to remain fit throughout the course of the season, too.

With all of the time and energy that she’s invested on her own and with Valentine — and if she can manage to stay on the court — the Hoya faithful may very well end up seeing a Sims-like improvement out of Wilson this season.

After all, Brown’s made a very deliberate point out of giving his starting center the green light. All Sydney Wilson has to do now is go.

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