GEORGETOWN BASKETBALL THREAD

[DeadsetAce]

sapp will def. be missed...even with the down year. one game at a time now...hanging by less than a thread

 

[al3xis]

Today a Win or Loss means absolutely nothing other than will we bearing gray or blue on Tuesday

Seton Hall decided our fate.

And that is a 12/13 seed vs SJU...followed by Marquette and Nova if he we make it that far.

Not a horrible draw considering no Dominic James now and they've lost 4 straight.

only bad thing is 2pm games

Georgetown basketball won't be the same without the program's senior soul man.

The lone scholarship senior on Georgetown's roster, charismatic guard Jessie Sapp likely will play his final home game Saturday when the Hoyas close the regular season against DePaul.

While his final campaign on the Hilltop has mirrored the squad's collective disappointment, Sapp closes his career as one of the most productive, passionate and popular players in program history. } "It went by so quick. I can't believe it's over. It's touching, honestly," Sapp said with a wistful version of his signature toothy grin. "It's been a good ride. I'm going to miss these guys more than anyone knows." Statistics don't do justice to Sapp's impact, but the 6-foot-3 guard from New York is one of the school's career leaders in 3-pointers (sixth with 142), games (10th, 133), assists (15th, 306), steals (19th, 142), rebounds (29th, 513) and points (47th, 937).

The only remaining member of coach John Thompson III's first recruiting class at Georgetown, Sapp arrived on the Hilltop for the 2005-06 season with a resume that seemed antithetical to Thompson's Princeton system.

Sapp was a playground virtuoso who learned the game on the courts opposite his family's apartment in the Woodrow Wilson housing development in Harlem, N.Y. He had never played a minute of organized high school ball before an AAU coach discovered him and helped him get a scholarship to National Christian Academy in Fort Washington for his junior year of 2003-04.

"Pretty much all New York players come from Brooklyn, the Bronx or Queens," Sapp said. "For me to actually come out of Harlem and make it and represent them and have Harlem on my back, that's a great feeling."

Instead of a hindrance, Sapp's street-hardened style proved to be his ultimate asset. A bridge between Coach Thompsons past and present, the tenacious, emotional guard - who began his athletic career as a boxer - provided the perfect complement for a backcourt featuring California casual Ashanti Cook and calm, cerebral Jon Wallace. Sapp brought an edgy toughness to Thompson's finesse-oriented teams, developing into the lockdown perimeter defender and improvisational scorer for the Georgetown team that reached the Final Four in his sophomore season.

It was Sapp who drew players like Villanova's Scottie Reynolds and North Carolina's Ty Lawson for the Hoyas' run to a sweep of the Big East titles and through the East Region of the NCAAs in 2007. It was Sapp who stood up to players like Boston College's Jared Dudley, exchanging shoves and technical fouls with the All-American in Georgetown's second-round NCAA tournament victory after Dudley insinuated that the Hoyas were unathletic and soft.

"He's tough," Thompson said. "When we were recruiting him, you watch him play... and realize you weren't watching the quickest cat or the best shooter or the best defender, but he had a knack for willing his way through tough situations. And you've seen that here for four years. Jessie Sapp is a competitor."

As a junior, Sapp refined his offensive skills, drastically improving his 3-point shooting percentage (.296 to .411) and morphing into a clutch shooter for a team that repeated as the league's regular-season champion. Sapp buried last-minute 3s in key wins against Syracuse and West Virginia and led Georgetown's rout of Villanova in the Big East tournament quarterfinals by hitting six of nine 3-pointers en route to a career-high 23 points.

In typical fashion, though, Sapp's favorite moment wasn't one of his brilliant flashes; it was the last-minute 3-pointer Wallace made against North Carolina to force overtime in the East Region final in 2007.

"We set that up, and it came off perfectly," said Sapp, who collected the assist on the play. "Everybody started to believe again when that shot went in. That was an unbelievable feeling."

Nobody is certain what went wrong for Sapp this season; his scoring and shooting percentages plummeted before he was replaced in the starting lineup by redshirt freshman swingman Nikita Mescheriakov. The team's emotional and spiritual leader admitted his ego was stung by the demotion. But Sapp and bitterness have never been bedfellows, and his indomitable spirit won't allow him to write off his senior season before the conclusion of next week's Big East tournament.

"Honestly, anything can happen," said Sapp, referring to Syracuse's run to the conference tournament title in 2006. "I look at the performance [Syracuse's] Gerry McNamara put on at the Garden that year. In fact, I watched that tape just the other day. That could be us.

"I think we're a pretty good team, and you can never count guys out."

 

[true 3 blue]

So we're playing you guys AGAIN. Not liking this at all.

 

[lnmymind]

4 Years goes by way too fast. I remember being with Sapp at the Midnight Madness in 03 when he was a senior in HS like it was yesterday.

 

[downyboy]

can't even give sapp the start? come on now jt3

what a difference a year makes. last year we battled at home against louisville for the reg. season championship, this year we struggle to beat DePaul. sigh

 

[DeadsetAce]

3 wins next week is doable IMO...

 

[freddyimperial]

Markel is DIRTYYYYY. Can't wait til' he hits G'Town in 2010...and I hope Jason Clark has a huge year next year.

 

[al3xis]

"This is a philosophical thing - maybe I'm right and maybe I'm wrong - but I think a lot of people forget that these are college students," Thompson said. "I think a lot of people want to hear me come out and blast this team, jump all over whoever, and they forget that these are young men. They're not pros. ... I don't come over to [the media] and say, 'Little Billy is killing us.' I've never done that and I never will. I do [get on them], but you guys don't see it. ... It's not for public consumption."

"I don't think I've ever said that you don't need rugged players," said Thompson, who admits he and his staff are still scouring the country to locate another post recruit to replace signing day defection DaShonte Riley. "I've never said, 'Oh, we strictly want finesse players.' I am very familiar with the Big East and what type of conference it is and what you need to survive in the Big East."
...
Well, season starts today. Gota take it 1 game at a time.
Hope the guys RELAX and just go play ball. This team got tight after the Pitt game and with each loss just more and more tight. Greg knocked down 2 three'sin Thabeet's face, takes 1 against Pitt and then 1 ALL year after that. The guys have gotten tight and afraid to lose. Just go out play hard and smart andsee what happens.

This team is capable and always has been. The most frustrating part is we've seen it. THIS year.

There is a refreshing sense of honesty about the BET that I always liked about it -- the aura of the Garden coupled with the unforgiving fan bases and the quality of play make it the best of the conference tournaments. Cinderella's horses die here. Humpty Dumpty's shards line the floors of the Garden. This is a tournament of men.

For all of Georgetown's failures this year, the team can redeem the names on the front and the back of their jerseys with a good showing here. And a good showing means winning it all. A good showing does not mean 4 out of 5. Thanks to the season's challenges, the problem facing Georgetown became simple -- win, and get in.

Far distant in our memories is the 2006 Duke game, the 2007 Final Four run and the 2008 BE regular season championship. Never mind 1984. Those days are behind us and more importantly -- this team never tasted those fruits. These men should want to taste their own fruits.

And that is the challenge of tradition -- not to simply marinate in the juices of others, but to take their memories with you as you build new ones.

So much unfinished business resides within the Georgetown family. In 2006 Georgetown settled scores with Durham for Easter Sunday 1989. In 2007, the Hoyas caught Fred Brown's errant pass. Yet sitting within -- yet this year just beyond -- Georgetown's grasp is that night in Lexington.

The past paces the future. Paradoxically, we lay upon the young men and their young coach so much for which they had no role in developing.

That said, when the pundits and even the fans take away your accolades, all you have is what John Thompson had when he walked upon the Hilltop -- pride. Pride in yourself. Pride in your team. Pride in the men who stand with you.

It is this pride that must stay with a team even when things fall apart. Despite the slump, even Georgetown can correct its season-long errors. To do that, the tournament must start at the top of the 10 and roll all the way to the end of the 14. So clear is the objective -- total victory -- that it will be equally difficult to achieve.

But this is why we chose Georgetown. Not because we know things are simple. It is because life is like the BET -- difficult, uncompromising, with hostile people making life a pain -- but you still, and will always, control your own destiny.

We are Georgetown.

LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[lnmymind]

Anyone else's live feed look like an Andy Warhol painting?

 

[downyboy]

Originally Posted by lnMyMind

Anyone else's live feed look like an Andy Warhol painting?

same.

 

[the wizard]

Chris needs to take the ball and refuse to pass it.

 

[al3xis]

^ I think Chris needs to make this HIS team.

At least, somebody does. And he's the best candidate.

I gota lot to say about the year and stuff, ill get to that later.

Question, NIT or decline it ala Esh? I'm on the fence, the best thing this team might need is just a break and completely erase the past 2 and half monthsfrom their memory. Unless III gives minutes to Henry and goes big for the NIT, i don't see what it accomplishes.


On the recruiting front..

Latavious Williams still has Memphis in the mix.
"Memphis is still recruiting me," Williams said in response to Cousins' recent commitment. "I've been talking with [assistant] coach [Josh] Pastner."

Williams' travel team coach, Scooter Owens of Brandon Bass Elite, said Memphis coach John Calipari is expected to travel to Houston to check in on Williams in the near future. Owens, however, also noted that the crowded front line at Memphis might hurt its chances at landing Williams.

"With all the top players Memphis will have next year, I'm not so sure that Latavious wants to play as the third or fourth guy," Owens said. "He wants significant minutes, and he also needs some room to play inside even though he is developing his perimeter game. With Memphis, it's not so much Cousins, but it is the junior college players that they are bringing in and [Shawn] Taggart coming back that is a concern. Anytime a coach brings in junior college players, he is bringing them in with the intention of them playing right away."

Presently, the other top option for Williams is Georgetown. After being named Most Outstanding Player of the National Prep tournament in Dayton, Tenn., Williams headed up to Washington, D.C., to unofficially visit Georgetown. Williams, who has never traveled that far north before, enjoyed the visit.

"I was able to visit the campus, and it is a nice school," he said. "It's all right up north."
I would guess without or with DaJuan the kid could find 20 minutes a night if he gets after it.

 

[lnmymind]

If he goes to Memphis...I hope its because he got some of that money and not because he thinks its the best fit for him. With all those players they got comingin and the guys already there...he wouldn't see the floor at all next season.

 

[al3xis]

You expect any transfers?

I've thought about it and really don't see any potential ones, Henry would be the only one with a possible gripe but i can't see him goin anywhere.

 

[lnmymind]

If there are I'll know about it within these next couple of weeks. Last year after the Davidson lost is when dudes started letting their emotions show andtalked about leaving. Jeremiah and Vernon were openly walking around campus telling people they were done.

 

[venom lyrix]

down goes Georgetown again!!!!

twice we take you down

DJ and Paris killed yall in the first half and then it was the sean evans show in the 2nd...yeaaa

STJ ALL DAY!!!!!

 

[pharelfor3]

Sorry to see Sapp go out like that but glad to see my boys at SJU get a big win. Stand the eff up.

 

[al3xis]

Originally Posted by venom lyrix

down goes Georgetown again!!!!

twice we take you down

DJ and Paris killed yall in the first half and then it was the sean evans show in the 2nd...yeaaa

STJ ALL DAY!!!!!

Guess I shoulda rubbed salt in the wound when we were up 53-14 against you guys last year

 

[DeadsetAce]

Originally Posted by venom lyrix

down goes Georgetown again!!!!

twice we take you down

DJ and Paris killed yall in the first half and then it was the sean evans show in the 2nd...yeaaa

STJ ALL DAY!!!!!

congrats

yes im bitter

 

[al3xis]

"You have to handle the highs and the lows and we haven't responded well this season to the lows," Thompson said. "Whether it be from a possession on the court, to a loss, the ability to forget, to learn from, to get the emotion out of it and move on, we haven't done well this year. And I mean in every aspect, from play to play, from game to game, and that's, I think, a large part of that. I'm not trying to put all of it on this, but a large part of it is youth. … Obviously, we're going to have the core group back and its not the time to talk about next year, but like I said, I felt confident going into every game this year and the hurt of this year hopefully will help us in the future."
nail on the head.

read into the "having the core back" as you will..

 

[DeadsetAce]

sounds like we'll be accepting that NIT invite...

 

[downyboy]

Originally Posted by Al3xis

Question, NIT or decline it ala Esh? I'm on the fence, the best thing this team might need is just a break and completely erase the past 2 and half months from their memory. Unless III gives minutes to Henry and goes big for the NIT, i don't see what it accomplishes.

Well said, I see no point in going to the NIT and continuing the same mess. If JT3 accepts he needs to go in there with an eye towards next yearand let some of these younger guys play their game.

 

[al3xis]

NEW YORK | An autopsy always follows a suspicious death.

Hence, the tenor and direction of the questions directed at Georgetown coach John Thompson III following a 64-59 opening-round loss to St. John's in the Big East tournament Tuesday were no surprise. After all, a Hoyas team that started 12-3 with victories over potential No. 1 seeds Connecticut and Memphis spiraled to a 4-11 finish that included two losses in eight days to the lowly Red Storm.

"That's kind of harsh, isn't it?" Thompson said when one reporter referred to his team's "flop." "It's a long season - I say that from the first team meeting and the first news conference. During the course of the season, you have to handle the highs and the lows. And we haven't responded well this year to the lows - whether it be a single possession on the court or a loss. The ability to forget, to learn from the emotional part and move on, we have not done well this year. And I mean in every aspect, from play to play and from game to game.

"And I think a large part of that is youth. I'm not trying to place all the blame on that, but it is a factor when you have only one senior and one junior and start three players going through their first Big East seasons [Greg Monroe, Chris Wright and Nikita Mescheriakov]."

While the Hoyas (16-14) await word on an NIT bid, perhaps they can sort out their offensive devolution. The team wasn't adept on either end of the court this season, but Thompson said the team's punchless offense frustrated him most. In its last four games, only one of which came against one of the league's better defensive teams (Villanova), the Hoyas averaged 54.8 points.

Monroe and other key young players may have hit the proverbial "freshman wall" of fatigue. It's also possible that Georgetown's Princeton-based offense, which relies on its players' near-instantaneous read-and-react abilities, is too complex and counter-instinctive for younger players.

"It's not rocket science. I think people talk about our offense too much," Thompson said. "Any player at any level, you go through a growth and maturation process. Everyone has a system they run, whether it's us or any other team in the NCAA or in the pros. It takes time, and it's taken this group a very long time to get into a rhythm. But I trust in their intelligence. I trust in their decision-making. I trust in their offensive skill sets that they can make reads. And in doing that, eventually it will make us more difficult to guard and make them better basketball players."

Perhaps the only truly good news is the Hoyas are likely to suffer fewer personnel losses in the offseason than virtually any team in the Big East. Sixth man Jessie Sapp is the only senior on the roster.

Nobody is likely to depart early for the NBA. Summers' pro stock has plummeted with the team's fortunes and has stated he will return for his senior season. And moments after collecting the Big East's rookie of the year honor, Monroe said he "definitely" will return for his sophomore season.

The Hoyas expect to return nine of the 10 players in this season's rotation and welcome top-50 national recruit Hollis Thompson (who greyshirted this season). And Thompson confirmed last week that he is searching for another big man to help resolve the team's chronic rebounding issues.

So next year's team won't be able to tab youth or a lack of talent as an excuse.

"I've said this over and over again this year: We have to move on," Thompson said. "This has been a year of a whole lot of moving on. If we get the opportunity to play in the NIT, we have to start fresh, get a little bit of a rest here and hopefully come out a different team. ...

"We will figure it out. Obviously we will have that core group back next year. And not that it's time to talk about next year right now because I felt confident in every game we went into this year, but what hurt us this year hopefully will help us next year."

So Greg says he'll stay again, and we'll take an NIT bid.

DaJuan really has no choice. If he does go, he's gona have to be sayin his prayers on draft night for guaranteed $. Personally, I do want him back.

One thing...it was mostly due to bad competition, but the defense turned around late and we ended up having the 18th best in the country....while thathappened, obviously the offense went south.

 

[DeadsetAce]

the offense just could not go on a decent run. we'd have these short bursts...but no sustained offense. they'd just fizzle. happened habitually. withthe way our defense played down the stretch, there were many games we could have won if we just stayed consistent on offense.

 

[downyboy]

It's also possible that Georgetown's Princeton-based offense, which relies on its players' near-instantaneous read-and-react abilities, is too complex and counter-instinctive for younger players.
That was the problem on offense. No one was reacting, everyone was holding the ball and looking for something. Need to play hot potato with theball so the defense can't adjust.

I won't believe Monroe until the day after the last day to declare for the draft.