Georgetown Hoyas News

Don't expect three No. 1 seeds from the Big East again. The league lost a lot of quality players, but with 16 teams and a few bright stars remaining, it will still be fun, Gary Parrish says.

Pacers re-up Hibbert's contract to see whether he can come close to Oden's foul-per-game statistics

A pictorial look at the average fans of Big East Schools.

Coach: John Thompson, sixth year Last season's record: 16-15 Spotlight player There was a time when Greg Monroe was clearly the No. 1 player in the 2008 recruiting class, although that was before he signed with Georgetown and then concluded his high school career. There was a time when he made that original ranking appear prescient, although that was before he completed his freshman year with the Hoyas. Monroe needs to sustain — he needs to pursue greatness every day, unrelentingly, because he... has all the qualities necessary to be a dominant player. He is quick, powerful and extremely skilled, able to play facing the basket or in the post. How badly does he want it? Reason to hope This team is loaded with high-level players, and Monroe is just the start. Point guard Chris Wright is extremely gifted, a powerful guard who can create opportunities and make a shot. Wing Austin Freeman is said to be in better physical condition, and he was a scoring threat in his first two college seasons. Second-year guard Jason Clark and freshman Hollis Thompson also were coveted recruits. Any team this strong at the point (Wright) and in the post (Monroe) should be a factor in its conference race. Reason to mope Yes, here we go again, lamenting the Princeton offense. The principle objection to this scheme in the Georgetown setting always has been that it tends to keep opponents with less talent in games. Last season Georgetown defeated eventual No. 1 seed Connecticut, No. 2 seed Memphis and No. 3 seed Villanova. Two of those teams made the Final Four. But the Hoyas lost to St. John's, Notre Dame, Seton Hall and Cincinnati (twice), none of which made the NCAAs. Georgetown has won the Big East averaging 69 points, so it can't be said success is impossible at that pace. But the Hoyas are making it harder than it needs to be. Bottom line After a difficult season, Georgetown is ready for a resurgence. The big victories the Hoyas enjoyed last season proved they still can play with the best. It will not hurt to have lost DaJuan Summers because his lack of taste for rebounding too often was damaging. There are too many excellent players here — and they're too well-taught — for this not to be a successful season. Mike DeCourcy is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at decourcy@sportingnews.com.more>>

Ray Fittipaldo, Sporting News Yearbooks Leading into the college basketball season openers, Sporting News will preview each of the top 25, counting backward from our preseason power poll. For more great college basketball content, order your copy of our College Basketball 09-10 yearbook, or pick one up at a newsstand today. After three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including a trip to the Final Four in 2007,... Georgetown took a step back last season in John Thompson III's fifth season as head coach. The Hoyas struggled to a 7-11 record in league play, which was quite a fall after consecutive regular-season league championships and back-to-back appearances in the Big East tournament title game. Georgetown couldn't manage to win one game in the conference tournament last season and limped into the offseason having lost 12 of its final 16 games. At times, it appeared the Hoyas were close to being a good team — witness the three overtime losses during a seven-game span in league play. But at other times they seemed lost and disinterested, which could be derived from the two losses to St. John's in the final week of the season, including a 64-59 loss in the opening round of the Big East tournament. Things should be much better this season because the Big East isn't such a meat-grinder of a conference anymore. The other reason for optimism is the return of three players who will be among the best at their positions in the league. Sophomore center Greg Monroe is the team's leading returning scorer. He averaged 12.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Monroe, who stands 6-11, is not a dominating inside presence capable of controlling the paint with his size. However, he does play an overall game that is impressive when you consider he was the Hoyas' leader in rebounding, blocked shots and steals and was second on the team in scoring and assists. Monroe is one of the best passing centers in the game and a perfect fit for Thompson's Princeton-style offense. Even though Monroe is a finesse player, he has to show more of a willingness to defend and rebound. In his matchups against two of the best centers in the league last season, Monroe allowed DeJuan Blair (20 points, 17 rebounds) and Luke Harangody (31, 10) to get the better of him. Joining Monroe as returning starters are guards Austin Freeman and Chris Wright. Wright had a solid sophomore season, averaging 12.5 points per game while dishing out a team-high 117 assists. Wright was particularly strong down the stretch when he was the leading scorer in five of the final nine games, including a season-high 25 in an overtime loss at Syracuse. Freeman, a 6-4 junior, will play either shooting guard or small forward. He averaged 11.4 points and 4.2 rebounds a game last season, but must improve his outside shooting if the Hoyas are going to be a better offensive team this season. He shot just 30.6 percent from 3-point range. The Hoyas also must become a more consistent offensive team. They ranked 11th in scoring last season with 69.3 points per game and their 3-point shooting was eighth at 33.2 percent. In their final five Big East games, Georgetown failed to score 60 points. Even though the defense was solid all season, it's hard to win games with that type of offensive output. — For much more, purchase a copy of Sporting News College Basketball '09-10 by calling 1-800-380-7404. Or order online at sportingnews.com or streetandsmiths.com.more>>

Hoyas at #21 in initial ESPN Coaches Poll

Why do I have such ill-will towards Kentucky right now?

DaJuan Summers Already a Disappointment in Detroit?

No Way These Chicks Went to Georgetown

Duke Blue Devils debut the worst promo ever

The AP takes a look back at the Hoyas struggles from last year as they preview their chances going forward.

Comments from Coach Thompson on Media Day