Basketball Preview
2014-2015
MEN
table of contents
ROSTER & SCHEDULE......4 2013-2014 recap..........6 ROLE PLAYERS...............8 josh smith...................9 With the center suspended, the Hoyas faltered last season. In his final year, Smith looks for redemption.
season preview..........10 attendance................11 freshmen...................12 With the seventh-best recruiting class in the nation, Isaac Copeland and co. are set for stardom.
seniors......................14 jtIII............................15 smith-rivera..............16 After Markel Starks’ graduation, DSR becomes the leader and biggest offensive threat for GU.
big east roundup.......20
WOMEN
ROSTER & SCHEDULE......5 2013-2014 recap.........22 SEASON PREVIEW..........24 NATASHA ADAIR............26 The first-year coach brings with her a penchant for high-energy, defensive basketball.
FRESHMEN..................27 Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year Dorothy Adomako is joined by four other playmakers.
RIVALRIES...................28 KATIE MCCORMICK........29 The junior guard and co-captain has bounced back from two ACL injuries to lead the Hoyas.
big east roundup.......30 PRODUCTION STAFF SAM ABRAMS EMMA HINCHLIFFE MALLIKA SEN ROBERT DEPAOLO IAN TICE MICHELLE XU ZACK SARAVAY ANDREW MAY
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS Sports Editor Editor-in-Chief Executive Editor Managing Editor Layout Editor Photography Editor Copy Chief Deputy Sports Editor
Kara Avanceña, Chris Balthazard, Peter Barston, Chris Bien, Alexander Brown, Aidan Curran, Will Edman, Chris Grivas, Russell Guertin, Julia Hennrikus, Tom Hoff, Michael Ippolito, Carolyn Maguire, Dillon Mullan, Tyler Park, Matt Raab, Paolo Santamaria, Claire Soisson, Laura Wagner Cover and poster photos: Julia Hennrikus and Michelle Xu Cover and poster design: Michelle Xu The Hoya’s basketball preview is published annually in November. © 1920-2014. 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
ROSTERS & sc
men No. 4 D’VAUNTES SMITH-RIVERA
No. 55 JABRIL TRAWICK
6-FOOT-3, 214 POUNDS JUNIOR GUARD
6-FOOT-5, 220 POUNDS SENIOR GUARD
6-FOOT-10, 350 POUNDS SENIOR CENTER
No. 0 L.J. PEAK
No. 11 ISAAC COPELAND
No. 23 AARON BOWEN
No. 1 TRE CAMPBELL
No. 12 DAVID ALLEN
No. 33 TREY MOURNING
No. 3 MIKAEL HOPKINS
No. 13 PAUL WHITE
No. 42 BRADLEY HAYES
No. 5 REGGIE CAMERON
No. 21 RIYAN WILLIAMS
6-FOOT-5, 215 POUNDS FRESHMAN FORWARD
6-FOOT-9, 220 POUNDS FRESHMAN FORWARD
6-FOOT-2, 170 POUNDS FRESHMAN GUARD
ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN TEXAS A&M ROBERT MORRIS FLORIDA* TBD* TBD*
6-FOOT-4, 175 POUNDS JUNIOR GUARD
7 10 13 20 27 31
TOWSON KANSAS RADFORD CHARLOTTE INDIANA^ XAVIER
January 3 6 10 13 17 19 24 27 31
4 | The Hoya
7-FOOT-0, 260 POUNDS JUNIOR CENTER
December noon 7 p.m. noon 9:30 p.m. TBA TBA
6-FOOT-9, 217 POUNDS FRESHMAN FORWARD
6-FOOT-8, 228 POUNDS FRESHMAN FORWARD
6-FOOT-7, 223 POUNDS SOPHOMORE FORWARD
November
6-FOOT-6, 212 POUNDS SENIOR FORWARD
6-FOOT-2, 185 POUNDS JUNIOR GUARD
6-FOOT-9, 239 POUNDS SENIOR FORWARD
15 18 22 26 27 28
No. 24 JOSH SMITH
CREIGHTON MARQUETTE PROVIDENCE DEPAUL BUTLER VILLANOVA marquette xavier CREIGHTON
February noon 7 p.m. noon noon noon
10 p.m.
4:30 p.m. 7 p.m. noon 9 p.m. 5 p.m. 9 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 7 p.m. 2 p.m.
4 7 10 17 21 28
PROVIDENCE VILLANOVA SETON HALL ST. JOHN’S DEPAUL ST. JOHN’S
9 p.m. 2 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 8 p.m. noon
March 3 7
BUTLER SETON HALL
HOME AWAY * BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS ^ INDEED INVITATIONAL
7 p.m. noon
& schedules
m. m. m. m. m. n
m. n
women
No. 1 Katie Mccormick
No. 24 FAITH WOODARD
5-FOOT-9 junior GUARD
No. 2 didi burton
No. 12 justyce swango
No. 33 brittany horne
No. 3 Tyshell king
No. 13 Jade martin
No. 34 Dorothy adomako
No. 4 chenya sealey
No. 22 logan battle
No. 35 dominique vitalis
No. 10 ki-ke rafIu
No. 32 yazmine belk
5-FOOT-5 FRESHMAN guard
5-foot-5 FRESHMAN guard
5-foot-11 sophomore GUARD
maryland eastern shore richmond loyola maryland temple* alabama* kansas* florida holy cross*
6-foot-2 junior forward
6-foot-3 freshman center
December 7 p.m. 2 p.m. 8 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 2 p.m. 7 p.m. 3 p.m.
6-foot-1 FRESHMAN guard
6-foot-2 junior forward, guard
6-foot-2 junior forward
November
6-foot-1 JUNIOR FORWARD
5-foot-11 sophomore guard
5-foot-8 freshman guard
14 16 19 21 22 23 28 30
6-FOOT-2 Sophomore forward
6 9 13 22 30
princeton george washington memphis st. bonaventure creighton
January 2 4 9 11 16 18 23 25 30
marquette depaul PROVIDENCE villanova xavier butler st. johns seton hall depaul
February 2 p.m. 7 p.m. noon 2 p.m. 8 p.m.
1 8 13 15 20 22 27
marquette VILLANOVA xavier butler seton hall ST. JOHN’S creighton
7:30 p.m. March 5 p.m. 7 p.m. 1 providence 5 p.m. HOME 7 p.m. AWAY 1 p.m. 6 p.m. * naismith challenge noon 8 p.m.
3 p.m. 5 p.m. 8 p.m. 4 p.m. 7 p.m. 2 p.m. 7 p.m. 1 p.m.
basketball preview | 5
absent players dera
Hurt By Suspensions, the hoyas failed to make the big dance an Peter Barston Hoya Staff Writer
If you took the collective pulse of the Hoyas at Midnight Madness 2013, a few weeks before the beginning of their season, the only justifiable outlook would have been one of relentless positivity. Yes, reigning Big East Player of the Year Otto Porter was now off to the greener pastures of the NBA, and the still-ongoing sagas of junior forward Greg Whittington (injury) and junior center Josh Smith (transfer eligibility) casted a cloud of doubt over the season. But as a whole, the team seemed poised to make some noise come postseason time. Senior guard and team leader Markel Starks (COL ’14) was final-
ly ready to hang that Final Four banner he so craved. Fellow senior Nate Lubick (COL ’14), a fouryear starter, was alongside him — handed one last opportunity to shed that “coach’s son” label and take the next step. Sophomore guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, fresh off a highly encouraging freshman season, seemed poised to explode in his sophomore year. Junior guard Jabril Trawick, a defensive stalwart, had the chance to become a two-way dynamo. We knew the big guns the Hoyas would be bringing into battle. What made last year so promising was the presence of what seemed like a bevy of complementary players who could form the “missing pieces” of the championship puzzle.
Junior forward Mikael Hopkins was around to swat shots and grab rebounds. Senior center Moses Ayegba (COL ’14) was there to hold his own down low. Senior forward Aaron Bowen, the highflying wing, was a highlight-reel dunk waiting to happen. And, we hadn’t even considered forward Reggie Cameron, the lone freshman, or the drool-worthy potential of Smith, the first McDonald’s All-American to play for the Hoyas since Greg Monroe. Head Coach John Thompson III seemed just as enthused with the prospects of last year’s team. “Last season at this time … we were talking about cutting down the nets,” he said candidly at media day 2014. The 2013-14 Hoyas had studs.
CHRIS BIEN/THE HOYA
Senior guard Jabril Trawick struggled to find his rhythm before eventually establishing himself as the Hoyas’ third scoring option behind guards Markel Starks and D’vauntes Smith-Rivera.
6 | The Hoya
They had depth. They even had newcomers (and the possibility of a mid-season return for Whittington after an ACL injury) to bolster the core further. Things never meshed, however, as a variety of off-court issues coalesced with on-court inefficiencies to make it a year to forget for the Blue and Gray. In a hard-fought opening loss to the No. 19 Oregon in South Korea, Starks and Smith played monstrous games, but a secondhalf disappearance from Hopkins and a dud from Smith-Rivera doomed the Hoyas. The tone was set for a rollercoaster year. After a pit stop for a home victory over mid-major Wright State University, Georgetown travelled to Puerto Rico. There, it suffered a dumbfounding loss to Northeastern University, but it rebounded with a fast-paced win over No. 10 Virginia Commonwealth and a pounding of Kansas State University. The Hoyas stood at a respectable 3-2, but it was difficult to discern any trends from their performances. After a quartet of home games against weaker competitors, the next few weeks looked to provide some respite from the early-season chaos. The Hoyas seemed unfazed in those next four games, winning all of them en route to a solid 7-2 record. But, the major headlines of the season had just started: Whittington had been dismissed from the program for academic reasons. While Whittington was never sure to even return from injury last year, his dismissal was a sobering reality — the Hoyas now had one less card in their deck. Worse yet, there were underlying issues with Georgetown’s early results. First was the concerning trend of Starks, Smith and Smith-Rivera being unable to put together coinciding quality performances. Second, and just as important, was the sheer absence of production from nearly everyone else on the roster. Lubick and Trawick averaged just six points per game in those late-November, early-December easy games. Hopkins’ high-vol-
rail 2013-2014 Season
nce and fell in the nit 2nd round ume, low-efficiency shooting was not a recipe for success. And where was Reggie Cameron? The sharpshooter couldn’t crack the lineup despite the team shooting just a shade over 30 percent from behind the three-point line in those four games. A late-December road trip to face No. 18 Kansas was a disaster; the Jayhawks sent the Hoyas back to Washington, D.C., as 22-point losers. The reasons behind the loss were clear: fouling, rebounding and offensive ineptitude. The Jayhawks outshot the Hoyas by 18 at the free-throw line and outrebounded them by 10. The Hoyas got double-digits from Starks and Smith-Rivera (a trend of dependability that would continue for the rest of the year) but got virtually nothing from anyone else. Lubick, Hopkins and Smith combined for 12 points and just 57 minutes played, and Cameron had not scored in three games. A victory over Florida International University the next week was not much of a consolation. The Hoyas ended nonconference play with more questions than answers. Home wins against DePaul and St. John’s at the start of conference play boded well for the future, but after an ugly road loss against Providence College, the team announced even worse news: It was investigating the academic eligibility of Josh Smith. The center would be held out of games until more information was known. Just two weeks later, Smith was officially deemed ineligible for the remainder of the season. It was a frustrating first year in the District for the big man, who flashed impressive skill but struggled with stamina — Smith himself admits, “Last year, my conditioning wasn’t where it needed to be” — and defensive effort. After the Providence game, the Hoyas travelled to Butler University and won in an overtime thriller that reinforced what we already knew: Without Starks and SmithRivera, this Georgetown team would flounder. On top of this, starter Trawick had a broken jaw
and would be out indefinitely. “What little margin for error existed evaporated following Smith’s suspension and the … injury to Trawick,” CSN Washington analyst Ben Standig said. Without two of their most potent offensive weapons, and having lost a third before he ever stepped on the court, the Hoyas were on the brink of disaster. The next five games encompassed two weeks of pure misery, as the Hoyas dropped all five games to conference foes. Some were lost in an especially excruciating fashion, like the gutwrenching overtime loss at home against Marquette and the hardfought, five-point home loss to Villanova. But with their “backs against wall,” as Michael Bohlin of 247Sports put it, the Hoyas did something crazy: They started to win. It began with a massive victory over No. 7 Michigan State at Madison Square Garden. “When I got hurt, I was able to sit out and watch the different ways I could be effective on the court,” Trawick, who had returned for the previous game, said. His newfound wisdom showed against the Spartans, culminating in the first of what would be a streak of effective outings from the man who would emerge as the third cog in the Hoyas’ offensive machine. After subsequent victories against Butler, DePaul and Providence, the Hoyas were back to 6-6 in the conference. As the final stretch approached, hope remained for the Hoyas to make it to March Madness. The Hoyas came right back down to earth, however, in their final six games. The team suffered major losses to St. John’s and Seton Hall and lost a heartbreaker at Marquette, before rallying back for their best home win of the season over No. 13 Creighton. Georgetown was unable to capitalize on the win, however, as it returned with a flat loss to a scorching hot No. 6 Villanova team at the end of the regular season. What doomed the Hoyas was
CHRIS BIEN/THE HOYA
Sophomore forward Reggie Cameron failed to establish himself as a scoring threat in his rookie season, playing just 13.3 minutes per game. a lack of any semblance of offensive competence from any of the key secondary players. Trawick, Smith-Rivera and Starks had to carry too much of the load. Still, with a decent showing in the Big East tournament, there was still a chance the Hoyas could make it to the NCAA tournament. That dream was never to be realized. During the Big East tournament opener, the Hoyas faced cellar-dweller DePaul in a mustwin game. Their NCAA tournament chances were crushed by the same DePaul team they defeated twice in the regular season by a combined 19 points, losing to the Blue Demons 60-56. While Thompson claims to have been told the Hoyas were “the last [team] out” of the NCAA tournament selection process, such postseason uncertainty was wrought by his team’s failures. The National Invitation Tournament came calling instead. The Hoyas accepted, welcoming West Virginia to McDonough Arena thanks to prior engagements at their usual home arena, Verizon Center. It was the first oncampus men’s basketball game since 2009, and the atmosphere was electric. The Hoyas ran away from the Mountaineers in front of the best crowd seen at a game all year. Smith-Rivera was simply fantastic, and Starks and Lubick
got a proper farewell in front of the Georgetown faithful. Frankly, it felt like a truly fitting end to a turbulent season. The Hoyas took a trip to Florida State for the next round, and they were promptly gashed for more than 100 points in an embarrassing season-finale loss, losing 101-90. It was the first time the Hoyas had yielded 100 points in regulation since the 2000-01 campaign. The triumvirate came up big once again — Trawick, Starks and Smith-Rivera combined for 63 points — but a defensive meltdown to the tune of 11 conceded three-pointers and 38 free throws negated anything worth remembering. Reflecting on a tumultuous season, we learned to appreciate the fine careers of Starks and Lubick. We admired the unmistakable development of Smith-Rivera and Trawick. We learned to temper our expectations for players like Cameron and Hopkins, whose growth hit some speed bumps. In the end, we learned that undeniable truth: “Losing stinks,” as Thompson said at Georgetown Media Day 2014. “Last year was a down year for us, so winning is the big picture here.” Smith-Rivera said. Here’s to hoping that the picture of Hoyas success comes into focus in 2014-2015.
basketball preview | 7
leaving the bench behind Last year’s bench players look to break into the playing rotation
ANDREW MAY
Hoya Staff Writer
When ESPN or The Washington Post discuss Georgetown men’s basketball, they mention the same set list: senior center Josh Smith, senior guard Jabril Trawick, junior guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, the talented freshman forward recruits Isaac Copeland and L.J. Peak and of course Head Coach John Thompson III. With a roster of 14 players, however, the team will call on role players as much as it will on established stars. “We didn’t really have that many bodies last year, and I think that this year is going to be a totally different situation,” Trawick said. “The freshman class along with the veterans [add] depth. We have got a lot of depth.” These role players will play their parts in all facets of the game, if only for a few minutes. Smith-Rivera and Trawick are close to guaranteed to start in the backcourt. Smith has the center spot claimed as his own as long as his conditioning is up to the task, so junior
center Bradley Hayes will likely see only limited minutes. Senior forward Mikael Hopkins averaged only 20.8 minutes a game last season in a low-post rotation that was missing its centerpiece player — Smith — for much of the year. Hopkins’ minutes were curtailed due in part to his high turnover rate and frequent foul trouble. Hopkins fouled out six times and had the third-most turnovers on the team. With Smith returning and freshmen forwards Paul White and Copeland in the rotation, Hopkins may see a diminished role, which would likely contribute to an even smaller role for Hayes. Hopkins is confident about the upcoming season and is determined to keep his starting role. “I worked on getting a lot stronger and on getting more versatile. Just being a leader, being one of the [four] seniors,” Hopkins said. “I really know the offense now. I know everything that everybody on the court is supposed to do.” The 7-foot Hayes averaged just 3.2 minutes a game last year, despite being the tallest player on the
CHRIS BIEN/THE HOYA
Sharpshooting junior guard David Allen featured in just 10 of the 33 games and had just one basket last season.
8 | The Hoya
CHRIS BIEN/THE HOYA
Junior center Bradley Hayes averaged just 3.2 minutes a game last season while backing up senior center Josh Smith. roster. Like with Hopkins, Smith’s return will limit Hayes’ opportunities on the court. Even with a nowcrowded picture at the center position, Thompson sees a chance for Hayes to show great improvement in the 2014-2015 season. “[Hayes] had a very good summer. He got hurt the other day, but he is playing well now. Hopefully, it will just be a couple days and he will be back. He’s got a chance [to be the most improved],” Thompson said. Smith-Rivera and Trawick are both surefire starters in the backcourt. The pair averaged 35.5 and 26.3 minutes last season, respectively, and with Markel Starks’ graduation, the two will likely see even more of the court. The two reliable guards cut potential playing time for then-freshman forward Reggie Cameron last season, something that may continue into 2014 and 2015. Cameron averaged 13.3 minutes and 3.8 points a game last year. The sharpshooting forward appeared in all but one game, but he will face more competition from the talented freshman class. However, he now has a year of experience and an offseason of work to help cement his spot in the rotation. “I feel like a new player. It’s a new year, I’ve got a fresh start, and
I’m really confident and ready to play,” Cameron said. “I think I’m stronger and in better shape than I was last year.” Other players who will play limited roles include junior guards Riyan Williams and David Allen. Allen appeared in 10 games, but only for a total of 17 minutes. The walk-on played just one minute last season but will hope to contribute more as an upperclassman. Williams played just one minute of one game last season, so barring an injury, such as Trawick’s broken jaw suffered against Providence that sidelined him for five games, he will continue to be a fringe player. However, Thompson is not ruling out playing time for anybody. “We’ll see [how much Williams contributes]. We’ll see. I don’t know. Like everybody on the team, you’ll see. He works hard in practice,” Thompson said. Injuries and roster shake-ups are inevitable over the course of a season. Any team needs depth and quality minutes from a variety of players in order to be successful. Hayes and wing players Cameron, Allen and Williams may not be starting the year as stars, but they will have an opportunity to make their mark on the season.
LAST SHOT FOR JOSH SMIth
The senior will try to turn potential into production Chris Balthazard Hoya Staff Writer
High expectations are certainly nothing new for senior center Josh Smith, and this year they are higher than ever before. The former University of California, Los Angeles player’s final year of collegiate basketball is tinged with an air of urgency and high expectations. But with academic and fitness issues reportedly under control, Smith may be ready to meet the challenge. After a surprise NCAA ruling in October granted him two years of eligibility last year, Smith disappointed, averaging 3.4 rebounds, 11.5 points and just under 20 minutes per game before being suspended for academic
reasons in January. Smith’s absence had a direct effect on the team’s success; Georgetown was 10-3 before his suspension, but just 8-12 without the 6-foot-10inch center, ending the season 18-15. During his first game with the team, which took place in South Korea against Oregon State University, Smith led Georgetown in scoring, totalling 25 points in a close loss. Head Coach John Thompson III seemed cautiously optimistic about Smith this season. “Josh has done everything at a high level so far this year,” Thompson said. “Now, sitting here a year ago, I said the same thing, and so now it’s up to him to maintain what he has been doing. Because as of now, he’s
MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA
Smith showed offensive promise with 11.5 points per game before an academic suspension ended his season after 13 games.
on point with everything on the floor as well as in the classroom, but I said the same thing at this point last year, so now he has to continue to do it.” Smith’s absence clearly hurt the team last season; after his team was picked to finish a close second in the Big East behind Marquette University in the preseason coaches poll, Smith watched from the sidelines as Georgetown limped to an 8-10 Big East mark and a seventh-place finish in the conference. “Last year watching them, the only thing I could do was offer moral support. I’m not going to let these guys down again,” Smith said. Smith transferred to Georgetown in January 2013 after two tumultuous seasons and six games of a third with a dysfunctional UCLA team. He had helped the Bruins advance to the third round of the 2011 NCAA tournament, but conditioning problems and decreasing minutes led Smith to leave UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland’s program for personal reasons. As a senior at Georgetown, however, Smith hopes to set the right example for the younger students on the team. “[Senior guard] Jabril [Trawick], [junior guard D’Vauntes SmithRivera], [senior forward Aaron Bowen], [senior forward] Mikael [Hopkins] [and I] are the leaders. Anytime you have five freshmen, you want to set the tone and let them know we’re anchoring the team,” Smith said. “I think the most [rebounds] I had in a game last year was five or six, and that’s unacceptable.” Smith’s rebounding is crucial for a team that graduated center Moses Ayegba (COL ’14) and whose only other center is junior Bradley Hayes, who saw just 3.2 minutes of action per game last season. At the same time, however, Thompson’s offense demands mobility and versatility, problems that the 350-pound Smith struggled with both last season and during his time at UCLA. Smith-Rivera sees Smith’s presence on the floor as crucial to the team’s success. “You can see that our in-and-
ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA
Senior center Josh Smith had just 3.4 rebounds per game. out game wasn’t as good as it was with Josh,” Smith-Rivera said. “Now that Josh is back, it will open up the floor for everybody. I think that is the big thing for us, getting him back along with the talent that we acquired this year and gelling it all together.” Potentially even more important than Smith’s on-court presence is his reliability, motivation and commitment to the team, which seem to be improved this season. “[I’ve seen] consistency [from Josh Smith],” Smith-Rivera said. “It will be a big thing for him, just being reliable for the team, and he has been that.” Smith also spent the summer improving his work ethic at home near Kent, Wash. “It was good for me. I got my first job ever,” Smith said. “I worked at a Nordstrom that had me in salon shoes; I was in the mail room at first, and then I got upgraded.” Smith is a senior in college now, a long way from being a 5-foot 5-year-old in Washington, but he has faced the burden of high expectations on the basketball court for his entire career. This season may be his last opportunity to make it to the next level; to realize his potential and become a legitimate NBA prospect, he must demonstrate improvement both in his skills as well as in his reliability and attitude. If Smith contributes on the floor this year and becomes a team leader, the sky is the limit for the Hoyas.
basketball preview | 9
new talent boosts team, expectations armed with a mixture of seniors and promising freshmen, the hoyas hope to find postseason success Laura Wagner Hoya Staff Writer
At the end of the season, it is not the Georgetown men’s basketball team’s body of work that appears on the banners proudly adorning the walls of McDonough Arena, but the marks of postseason success. “Of course we all want to win more,” Georgetown Director of Athletics Lee Reed said. “But I think sometimes we’re victims of our own success. … It’s a broader view than just one game in March. We look at the body of work.” Reed has a point. In the past five seasons, the Hoyas have won a Big East regular-season championship and made four NCAA tournament appearances — nothing to sneer at. But if you take a closer look at those results, you would see teams failing to reach their potential. You would see a middling overall
winning percentage of .654 since 2007. You would see talented players plagued by injury or academic ineligibility and other promising players transfer away from the Hilltop. You would see flashes of brilliance dimmed by inconsistency. Most of all, you would see the cold, undeniable fact that the Hoyas have not made it past the second round in March Madness since 2007. This year’s squad, armed with a robust mix of seasoned veterans and highly touted rookies, may have the ability to take Georgetown deeper into the NCAA tournament. The Hoyas’ biggest assets are versatility, depth and height, but when you toss in the shooting prowess of Big East Preseason Player of the Year, junior guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, the ability to drive the lane and general toughness of senior guard Jabril Trawick and the dominating low-
JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA
Senior forward Aaron Bowen played in all 33 games last season. He averaged 6.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
10 | The Hoya
post presence and determination of senior center Josh Smith, the Hoyas have all the ingredients of a championship team. Not to mention, the Blue and Gray can also rely on the experience of seniors Mikael Hopkins, who started all 32 games at center as a sophomore, and senior wing Aaron Bowen, whose freakish athleticism can add a spark to any game. “Our team is unique in many ways in that we have a very veteran team,” Head Coach John Thompson III said. “Then we have a freshman group of energy and we have to mix it together. They all are going to get the opportunity to play and play right away.” Thompson said he will mix and match the lineups in search of the best fit, but as of now claims to have “no idea” who the starting five will be for the season opener on Nov. 15, though it’s a safe bet to assume Smith-Rivera and Trawick will run the backcourt, while Smith will get the nod at starting center. Although the rotation is still in flux, one thing is certain: No matter who is on the floor for the Hoyas, there is going to be a lot more height. Freshman forwards Paul White and Isaac Copeland, clock in at 6-feet-9-inches and 6-feet-8-inches respectively, adding length to the frontcourt and opening up the possibility of a more free-flowing offensive scheme. This is good news to Hoya fans frustrated with the slow-developing, methodical Princeton offense that has become synonymous with Georgetown basketball. A style of play that utilizes precision passing, constant movement and backdoor cuts to the rim, it has proved highly effective when executed well, but also rigid and awkward when it is not. As a slower moving scheme, it’s often employed by teams who are physically undersized in order to limit their opponent’s number of possessions. But with the height and experi-
JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA
Senior forward Mikael Hopkins is a leader in the low post. ence of this year’s squad, that strategy seems bound to evolve. “[The offense] is going to move a lot faster this year,” Smith-Rivera said. “We have a great deal of versatility which we lacked last year and I think it will help us a lot.” As for Thompson, he declined to give any specifics on how the Hoya offense could look different. “Our offense is very creative. It changes every year,” Thompson said. Another major offensive change is the scoring hole left by the graduation of guard Markel Starks, who averaged 17.3 points per game in his senior season. Cue SmithRivera. “We need [Smith-Rivera] to score,” Thompson said. “He’s going to have the opportunity [and] burden to score a bunch of points as well as get other people involved.” The team as a whole will have plenty of opportunities to prove itself in nonconference play, including a marquee matchup in Madison Square Garden against Indiana on Dec. 27 before the homeand-home format of Big East play kicks off Dec. 31 at Xavier. “We play Florida in the Bahamas and we play Kansas at the Verizon Center. Those are standout nonconference games … but mostly we’re just ready for the first game,” Trawick said. The fans are ready, too. Not just for the first game or the second, but for Georgetown basketball in March. For better or worse, Hoya fans are not lowering their expectations for postseason success — perhaps this is the year the team will rise to meet them.
FIlling the phonebooth Opponents, Not record, behind low verizon center Attendance Will Edman
Hoya Staff Writer
On March 18, the Georgetown basketball team beat West Virginia 77-65 in the opening round of the National Invitational Tournament in the first men’s basketball game played in McDonough Arena since 2009. Although it was little more than a consolation win at the end of a disappointing season, 2,133 fans packed McDonough Arena to urge on the Hoyas. Georgetown did not disappoint. “[The atmosphere] was unbelievable,” men’s basketball Head Coach John Thompson III told THE HOYA after the game. “I’ve seen a lot of games here, and I said before the game that I hoped the atmosphere would be like those games. And it was.” The game was only played on campus because the cavernous, 20,000-seat Verizon Center, Georgetown’s normal home venue, was playing host to the Ringling Bros. Circus that evening. However, the raucous crowd prompted questions of whether the Hoyas actually receive a better home advantage in McDonough’s cozier environs. Georgetown’s Big East rival Villanova employs a similar model, holding most of its home games in the on-campus, 6,500-seat Pavilion and only playing its marquee games at the Wells Fargo Center, an NBA arena home to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Pavilion, though small, has developed a legendary reputation for its excellent atmosphere. Because of the arena’s substantially smaller capacity, Georgetown could never adopt a similar model and play more of its home games in McDonough. The larger size of Verizon Center, also known as the Phonebooth, makes it a much more sensible fiscal option, and it has reached capacity for significant games. However, last season, Gerogetown failed to attract many fans to the Chinatown arena, drawing an average crowd of just 8,670 per home game, the lowest attendance since the 2004-2005 season and well below the peak years of 2008-2012, when Verizon Center averaged crowds of over 12,000 per game. Is the Georgetown fan base decreasing? This appears to be a distinct possibility, especially con-
sidering that during the 2012-2013 season, in which the Hoyas won a share of the Big East title and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, the mean home crowd size was only 10,911, almost 2,000 less than the year prior. However, an investigation of the underlying data suggests that though Georgetown might not achieve the attendance of prior years in the future, its numbers are not in steady decline. First, it is important to note that in the 2012 nonconference season, Georgetown had a stretch where it played Towson, Longwood and Western Carolina at home successively. Attendance did not exceed 8,500 in any of these games against JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA low-profile competition, and if these Verizon Center saw a record-breaking attendance of 20,972 for games are excluded from the data Georgetown’s 57-46 win over Syracuse on March 9, 2013. set, average home-game attendance rises to 11,750, much closer to the Louisville, Notre Dame, UConn son, seasons without a home game and Pitt, have enrollments of over against Syracuse will likely feature norm. Meanwhile, the dip in attendance 20,000, large travelling fan bases lower attendance. Likewise, because the Hoyas no last year had several causes. The and alumni scattered throughout first, and most obvious, is that the the Washington area. Because these longer play the former Big East Hoyas had a relatively poor season. teams are generally in the national heavyweights, it is unrealistic to Last year’s game against Villanova, title conversation and their fan expect attendance to reach the the Big East champion, capped off bases travel so well, the Phonebooth heights of recent years. However, usually filled for their a comparison of the home games a five-game losing games against the against current Big East teams that streak. Meanwhile, Georgetown played in both 2012Hoyas. the home matchup The data from the 2013 and 2013-2014 shows only a against Creighton, last decade of George- small decline in attendance. It is fair second in the confertown basketball allows to assume that this decrease was at ence, came so late in the season that AVERAGE HOME ATTENDANCE for some intriguing least partly due to the Hoyas’ poor Georgetown’s NCAA FOR THE 2013-2014 season, observations. Since the record, and for this reason, a signifibeginning of Thomp- cant overall decline in the Georgetournament hopes which was the lowest son’s tenure in the town fan base seems unlikely. had nearly disap- since 2004-2005. “I have a more positive outlook 2004-2005 season, home-game attenpeared. “Last year was an usual combina- dance has trended slightly upward, on this year,” Babyak said. “This year tion of bad juju between the team however there is significant variance we’ll have busses shuttling from choking so dramatically in the tour- within each season that speak to campus directly to Verizon Center. The team looks better from a talent ney the year before, low expecta- more specific trends. Weak opponents attract weak standpoint this year with seasoned tions and bad performance,” Hoya Blue Vice President Nick Babyak crowds, as demonstrated by the players and a highly rated freshman (MSB ’15) said. “When the team is relatively low attendance numbers class.” Big games bring big crowds. As mediocre, it’s tough to convince during the nonconference season people to trek down to the Phone- every year, which usually are be- part of the new Big East, Georgetown booth if the opponent is no good tween 5,00 and 10,000, a time when will not be playing as many marquee Georgetown usually plays a few conference games as in the past. either.” Indeed, the largest influence on “cupcakes.” Meanwhile, attendance However, this year, the Hoyas will attendance last season was perhaps spikes for marquee matchups. For host big nonconference home games the quality of opposition that the example, every Syracuse home against elite programs like Kansas, Hoyas played. The reformation of game is usually the most-attended and statistics do not suggest that atthe Big East marked a significant game of the season — the final tendance will continue its decline. Instead, a young Georgetown change in the caliber of George- game against Syracuse in 2013 was a record crowd at Verizon Center team with loads of talent will hope town’s opponents. The “old” Big East contained at 20,972. These games represented to find a greater home court advanan eclectic mix of small and large peaks in attendance, and though tage. All that remains is to see how schools. Teams in the upper tier the Hoyas will resume their series many people we can fit into the of the conference, like Syracuse, with their greatest rival next sea- Phonebooth this season.
8,670
basketball preview | 11
the Fantastic five
JTIII’s impressive recruiting class heads to the hilltop with Sam Abrams
Hoya Staff Writer
After missing the NCAA tournament and being knocked out in the second round of the NIT, the Hoyas needed a spark. Luckily, the Hoyas’ recruiting efforts gave them a fire. As ESPN’s seventh-best recruiting class in the nation hits the court for Georgetown this season, expectations are high, but the talent is there to match them. Five-star recruit Isaac Copeland is the true catch of the class. Even before wowing Hoyas fans with a win at the Hoyas Madness dunk contest, the athletic 6-foot-9-inch power forward has impressed Head Coach John Thompson III. “Isaac is a basketball player. He can play inside, he can play outside. He can guard multiple positions. Isaac is a very good rebounder. So we’ll see,” Thompson said. Although that may not sound
like an ecstatic endorsement of the Raleigh, N.C., product, Thompson is likely trying to relieve the pressure of high expectations currently buffeting the lanky big man. Copeland is expected to compete for major playing time at the four position, currently occupied by senior Mikael Hopkins, who has been struggling with fouling and ball control over the course of his career. Jason Smith, Copeland’s coach at prep school powerhouse Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., raved about his former star player’s potential on the Hilltop. “I think it’s a tremendous fit,” Smith told 247 Sports. “Georgetown is one of the top universities in the world, and Isaac is an exceptional student academically. Georgetown has a system that wants to have as many versatile and skilled guys on the floor to run their offense and that fits Isaac to a T. He’s very skilled, very versatile and did what he had to do to help us win. He was a will-
MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA
Forward Isaac Copeland from Brewster Academy (N.H.).
12 | The Hoya
ing rebounder and he’s someone that wasn’t afraid of contact in the post.” Copeland led Brewster, along with Kansas commit Devonte Graham, to the New England championship as well as a National Prep Championship as a senior. The MVP of his Kenner League team over the summer, Copeland’s strengths include hitting mid-range jumpers, rebounding and changing the game at both ends of the court with his considerable athleticism. Whenever someone that big can do a 360-degree reverse dunk and make it look easy, as Copeland did during Hoya Madness, it is hard not to get excited to see what he can do against opposing defenses. While Copeland certainly impressed over the summer, the leading scorer of the entire Kenner League, which featured Georgetown stars D’vauntes Smith-Rivera and Jabril Trawick,
was freshman forward L.J. Peak. The native of Gaffney, S.C. — the hometown Kevin Spacey’s character Frank Underwood in the hit show “House of Cards” — scored 23.9 points per game and impressed with his ability to slash to the basket. The 6-foot-5inch, 215-pound small forward is the most physically impressive of the five freshmen, resembling Trawick in both physique and playing style. Senior center Josh Smith is one fan of Peak’s game. “I think L.J. has been the most [impressive freshman],” Smith said. “We all knew he was a great scorer coming out of high school, he had crazy numbers, but since I’ve been here, the guys I said before [are good] but L.J., he’s really good, he’s smart, he scores, he can dribble, he can shoot, he has a really good feel for the game for someone who hasn’t played in college yet.” Peak will look to become just the third freshman to start in
CLAIRE SOISSON/THE HOYA
Forward L.J. Peak from Gaffney High School in South Carolina.
p with a chance at stardom
MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA
MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA
MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA
Guard Tre Campbell
Forward Trey Mourning
Forward Paul White from Whitney Young High School in Chicago.
the first game of the season in Thompson’s 11 years at the helm. Former point guard Jonathan Wallace was the first to do so in November 2004 — Thompson’s first game as head coach — and former center Greg Monroe was the second in November 2008. Senior Aaron Bowen will challenge Peak for playing time on the wing. If the promising athlete cuts down on his turnovers, he could be a potent force for Georgetown from the opening game. The third recruiting gem of the Class of 2018 is forward Paul White. Like Peak, White is a fourstar recruit. The 6-foot-8-inch Chicago native will have the opportunity to serve as an important member of the frontcourt rotation, likely backing up Hopkins and Smith along with Copeland. While more of a developmental project than the aforementioned freshmen, White averaged a respectable 12.7 points per game this summer at Kenner League. Thompson thinks that White’s potential puts him in the same category as Copeland and Peak. “Sitting here now, we have five freshmen, and three or four of them are going to be thrown right into the mix right from the beginning,” Thompson said. “So I think the biggest impact, I think we’ll see once we start playing games. ... I wouldn’t be
surprised if two or three months from now that answer is L.J. [Peak], I wouldn’t be surprised if two or three months from now that answer is Paul White and I wouldn’t be surprised if two or three months from now that answer is Isaac [Copeland].” White spurned hometown DePaul to come to the Hilltop, where his versatility will allow him to see court time at several different positions. “We could put Paul in the backcourt right now without a hiccup. He can do a lot of different things. He has a good feel for the game, throws passes, can score and is used to winning, which means a lot,” Thompson said. “If you look at his high school career, not just winning, but when there was a big game he played well in big games. There is some merit to that.” Indeed, White is used to winning, as he led his Whitney Young High School team to the 2014 Illinois 4A State Championship over Benet Academy. White played alongside No. 1 overall recruit Jahlil Okafor, who is now at Duke. Freshman guard Tre Campbell is the freshman class’s lone Washington, D.C. representative. The Saint John’s College High School product also considered area schools like the University of Maryland, George Washington
and Virginia Commonwealth before deciding to become a Hoya. The three-star recruit may not have come to the Hilltop with the hype that Copeland received, but he is also likely to play significant minutes for the Hoyas, who lack depth at point g uard following the graduation of Markel Starks. Campbell will slot in behind starting floor general and junior co-captain D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, and hopes to learn the ropes from the Big East Preseason Player of the Year. So far, the 6-foot-2-inch guard has made a positive impression on Thompson, who expressed confidence in Campbell, explaining that he does not think that Starks’ absence will result in weak team ball-handling. “It doesn’t have to be the little guy that brings it up [the court]. We have multiple people here including our little guys, and I do understand how Tre [Campbell] has been good. I don’t think the point guard position is going to be an issue,” Thompson said. While he shot only 38 percent from the field over the summer, the point guard did average an encouraging 16.7 points and 1.3 steals a game. Forward Trey Mourning rounds out the five-member class. The son of Georgetown
great and NBA Hall of Fame member Alonzo Mourning (COL ’92), Trey comes to his father’s old stomping ground with considerably lower expectations. The wiry 6-foot-9-inch forward will take some time to develop and does not figure to be a part of the playing rotation in his first year on campus. He struggled over the summer, averaging just 5.4 points per game on a paltry 28 percent shooting in the Kenner League. However, Trey did pull down 7.1 rebounds per game, good for third-most among all Hoyas. Senior guard and co-captain Trawick thinks that Trey’s impressive work ethic has stood out among a talented freshman class. “Isaac Copeland was a five-star player. All of them [are good]. Tre Campbell [is] local, he’s ready to play, he plays defense, he’s a natural point guard and Trey [Mourning] works hard so I like all of the freshmen,” he said. All five players offer different sets of skills for Thompson to use on the court. With Copeland’s solid fundamentals, Peak’s speed and scoring, White’s ability to solidify the low post, Campbell’s ball-handling skills and Mourning’s rebounding and energy, the Class of 2018 may prove to be Thompson’s best recruiting class ever.
BASKETBALL PREVIEW | 13
seniors hold vital roles the veterans all have something to prove Dillon Mullan Hoya Staff Writer
There is senior guard Jabril Trawick, the tough-nosed player from West Philadelphia who wears his heart on his sleeve. There is senior center Josh Smith, the giant from Kent, Wash., with the soft touch, whose size is both his most brutal enemy and his greatest asset. There is senior Mikael Hopkins, the lanky power forward desperate to break out before his time runs out. There is senior forward Aaron Bowen, the fifth-year swingman looking to leave a legacy beyond a handful of highlight dunks. Finally, there is senior center Tyler Adams, whose career was halted by unforeseen circumstances. He stands there, rebounding warm-up jumpers for a team that he could have walked away from. They arrived at different times and from different roads. They have seen a classmate leave for the pros and another throw away his potential. They have won a regular-season conference championship, and they have survived catastrophic postseason upsets and the death of the old Big East. Together, these five are the senior members of the Georgetown men’s basketball team, and what unites them is that they still have something to prove. “Sure, we’ve had a lot of things happen that don’t usually happen in a program, but coming into this year we’ve got a fresh start,” Trawick said. “When we don’t go to the tournament and we lose, it’s a big problem.” Junior guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera is the Big East Preseason Player of the Year and the team’s leading scorer, but Trawick is undoubtedly this team’s emotional leader. The 6-foot-5-inch combo guard takes pride in guarding three different positions, playing with old-school Big East physicality. “With the way my personality is and the kind of player that I am, I’m going to be a natural vocal person on the court and off the court. I just try to teach, so I’m going to be a lead-
14 | the hoya
MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA
Senior guard Jabril Trawick is ready to embrace his role as a vocal and emotional leader for the team. er,” Trawick said. “We’ve got high expectations this year, especially with the group that we’ve got, [so] we want to win big, we want to make a deep push in the tournament, win the Big East and we want to lose as few games as possible.” Georgetown was sent home in the second round of the 2012 NCAA tournament by North Carolina State, which had not beaten a ranked team in the regular season. That disappointment was nothing compared to the catastrophe that was next year’s Florida Gulf Coast game. In that first-round NCAA tournament game, the secondseeded Hoyas lost to a 15th-seeded program that had only come into existence in 1991. After sitting out a year, highly touted big-man Josh Smith joined the fray in 2013-2014 to ease the pain from forward Otto Porter’s departure for the NBA. But, academic issues kept him off the court after just 13 games, and the Hoyas’ season came to an end against Florida State in the National Invitation Tournament. “This is my senior year, so I’ve got to go all out,” Smith said. “Me and [Hopkins], if we can get at least 15 baords between us, that will put us in a better position.” Smith is capable of being unstoppable on the low block. His impressive size is matched by surprisingly nimble footwork. When asked about Smith’s fitness, Head Coach John Thompson III said that Smith is, “better; he’s been good, [I have]
cautious optimism.” “I feel sorry for the guys that are going to have to try to guard him this year,” Hopkins said of his lowpost partner. “In practice, I get to beat him up a little bit, and I don’t foul out. In the game, they’re going to have to do a lot of work. Josh is one of the biggest athletes playing sports, and it’s not just that he’s big. He’s got good hands, he can handle the ball and he can finish.” Hopkins, has benefitted greatly from both the double teams Smith draws in games and the experience of practicing against him. The 6-foot9-inch power forward is aware of the late development of recent Georgetown big men. Roy Hibbert (COL ’08) and Henry Sims (COL ’12) found themselves on NBA rosters thanks in large part to breakout senior years. “A lot of people around campus say that this is my Henry Sims senior year because people saw that his first three years, he didn’t play as much; but his last year he did a lot of work in the offseason, and he came back ready to play,” Hopkins said. “He put some numbers on the board, and that gave him the chance to make it at the next level. Hopefully this is the year that I’ll be able to do that. Hopefully this is the year that this team can win.” Aaron Bowen is the wildcard of the roster. In a Georgetown squad that is armed both with experience as well as a freshman class full of potential, the Jacksonville native and fifth-year senior can be the bench
spark other teams don’t expect. “With the freshmen and Josh back, we should have been picked number one this year,” Bowen said. “It has to be a team effort to win if we want to be a number one seed this year, which we are going to do.” Among the bouncing balls and screeching shoes that make up the chaos of a Georgetown basketball practice, the smiling face of Tyler Adams is a constant. The soft-spoken Mississippian appeared in only four games as a freshman before the discovery of a heart condition ended his playing days. Since then, Adams has remained with the team as a positive presence, despite the cruel nature of his condition. “Tyler has a unique stick-to-it-iveness that is unique. He came in [and we were] anticipating him being an integral part of what we were doing from day one. And then he has heart issues and can’t play. That’s hard. That’s hard. For someone that basketball has meant so much to him, it is hard on him, and it is hard on us,” Thompson said. This group of seniors has been through many ups and downs together. They helped Georgetown reach the NCAA tournament, only to be knocked out in the first weekend. They made headlines brawling with a professional Chinese team, but also silenced Syracuse University’s Carrier Dome with a signature win. If these seniors want to be remembered fondly on the Hilltop, it is time for them to make their mark.
poor results turn up heat After postseason mishaps, is jtIII on the hot seat? TOM HOFF
Hoya Staff Writer
After the firing of John Thompson Jr.’s successor Craig Esherick in 2004, John Thompson III took over the reins as Georgetown men’s basketball coach. The 20142015 season marks his 11th year at the helm and brings a question that many among Georgetown students, alumni and supporters are asking: Is this a make-or-break year for Thompson? In 2007, Thompson, forward Jeff Green (COL ’12) and center Roy Hibbert (COL ’08) led the Hoyas to a Final Four appearance, highlighted by Green’s thrilling game-winner to beat Vanderbilt in the Sweet Sixteen. Although Georgetown lost to Ohio State in the Final Four after beating North Carolina in the Elite Eight, Hibbert won his matchup with Ohio State center and future NBA lottery pick Greg Oden. It seemed like Georgetown was headed for a period of great basketball success in the coming years. Yet Thompson’s Hoyas simply have not delivered in the tournament since that March. In the past seven years, Georgetown has made the tournament five times — even the Florida Gators, who won in 2006 and 2007, have missed the tournament twice in that time span. The problem for the Hoyas lies in what has happened during March Madness itself. The results have not been so kind. Three times, the Hoyas have won just a single game in the tournament. In 2008, they were upset by Davidson’s Stephen Curry and company, as the 10 seed beat the second-seeded Georgetown. The following year ended in the NIT’s first round against Baylor, and in 2010 and 2011, the Hoyas lost in the first round as a three seed and a six seed, respectively. In 2012, on the backs of Jason Clark, Hollis Thompson and Henry Sims, the Hoyas won the first round as a three seed, much to the rapture of the entire campus. But the happiness was short-lived, as the Hoyas lost
to yet another double-digit seed in the second round, 11-seeded N.C. State. Criticisms of Thompson started to pile up, saying that he and his team could not perform when it mattered most to Georgetown — late March. Thompson silenced those critics when Georgetown beat Syracuse by 22 points in a historic lastever Big East matchup at Verizon Center to capture the 2013 conference title, with College Gameday on campus to capture the moment for a national audience. But the doubts returned less than two weeks later. Georgetown, behind sophomore superstar Otto Porter, earned a two seed in the NCAA tournament. It then became only the seventh two seed in history to lose to a 15 seed, falling at the hands of Florida Gulf Coast University, a school established in 1991 and with no basketball history. “The easiest explanation for the Hoyas’ tournament woes is that Thompson simply isn’t very good at preparing Georgetown for the single-elimination party, Thompson’s critics would argue,” Jason Reid of The Washington Post wrote. Although the lack of a NCAA tournament appearance in 2014 cannot be held against Thompson as a coach due to a weakened roster and several key departures due to
off-court reasons, the 2013 loss, as well as the losses over the previous six years, raise important questions. Are these March losses enough to put Thompson’s job in jeopardy? Director of Athletics Lee Reed believes that Thompson has done an excellent job leading the program, and is in no danger of losing his job. “I think JTIII has done a phenomenal job. We won the Big East championship two years ago and I think sometimes we’re victims of our own success,” Reed said. “It’s a broader view than just one game in March. We look at the body of work. … We look at how he’s a wonderful ambassador for this program, for this university. I don’t think we could find a better coach.” Despite Reed’s adamant support for Thompson, the coach’s true status in the administration’s eyes could be a bit cloudier. Thompson’s predecessor, Craig Esherick (GSB ’78, LAW ’82) was fired on March 16, 2004, after a 13-15 season. His dismissal was surprising because in late February of that year, Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia released a statement saying, “I have confidence that Craig Esherick — who
helped to build our tradition of excellence in men’s basketball — is that right person to strengthen and lead our program.” One complaint about Thompson is that while he has recruited a litany of talented players, his most successful postseason team was mostly comprised of his predecessor’s recruits. Team leaders Green and Hibbert were both recruited during Esherick’s final season, but Thompson had taken over the coaching duties once they arrived on campus in fall 2004. The pair led Georgetown to the Final Four in 2007, and the Hoyas have not been back since. However, Thompson has recruited and developed a number of his own stars, including center Greg Monroe, Porter and forward DaJuan Summers. College sports are all about expectations, and this is even more the case when it comes to the jobs of individuals. Virginia Commonwealth Head Coach Shaka Smart is considered one of the best coaches in the country despite never having won a title, and there is a reason that we all remember former Butler Coach Brad Stevens for getting the smallschool Bulldogs to the Final Four two years in a row, rather than not winning either time. Both coaches exceeded expectations, and they are rewarded for it in our minds. This season is all about changing expectations. CBS Sports predicted the Hoyas to finish second in the Big East behind Villanova, due in part to the return of center Josh Smith and a top-two recruiting class in the conference, along with Seton Hall. The Hoyas are expected to make the tournament, and anything less will be deemed a complete failure. However, fans are aware of the limits that this team faces, with three freshmen likely to see heavy minutes and uncertainty surrounding the development of forward Mikael Hopkins and center Josh Smith. Thompson could be on the hot seat should the Hoyas miss the tournament for a second year in a row, but he has likely done enough in his 11 years at the helm to keep his spot on the Hilltop.
basketball preview | 15
DSR’s Day Taking the reins, Junior guard and co-captain D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera will determine how far the hoyas go SAM ABRAMS
12 | thehoya
Hoya Staff Writer
basketballpreview | 13
D
’vauntes Smith-Rivera has a lot on his shoulders right now. Between being named the Big East Preseason Player of the Year, taking over at least some of the point guard duties from graduated team captain Markel Starks and tutoring the five freshmen on the roster, the 6-foot-3-inch junior could be excused for feeling a bit apprehensive. But at Georgetown Media Day 2014, SmithRivera appeared calm, confident and fully in control. “Everybody who was at the [Big East] press conference, all the other players put a target on me at that point hearing [about my honor] be announced. So I put a target on everyone else as well. I’m looking forward to exceeding their level of play,” Smith-Rivera said. In earning the preseason honor, SmithRivera joins an elite group of just five other Hoyas to have ever won the award. The junior
co-captain found out that he was in the company of Georgetown greats Patrick Ewing (CAS ’85), Allen Iverson and Roy Hibbert (COL ’08) not from the coaching staff or his teammates, but from his mother, Kelana. “It’s a blessing. To hear my mom call me and tell me that before I found out this past weekend, it was great,” Smith-Rivera said. “Twitter gets the word first. She called me and was excited. She’s more excited for this season than I am, it’s crazy. My mom is a basketball junkie, so I’m happy to make her proud.” Since then, the junior guard has also been named to the 36-person Bob Cousy Award Preseason Watch List, which is given to the best point guard in the nation at season’s end. While Smith-Rivera has already succeeded in making one of his fans proud, he still has the Georgetown student body to satisfy. Last season, after senior center Josh Smith’s
JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA
Smith-Rivera started 32 of 33 games last season and led the team in scoring with 17.6 points per game. He also led the team with 66 three-pointers and 41 steals.
18 | The Hoya
suspension, the Hoyas struggled in games where DSR and Starks were clearly the only two real threats to score. In the upcoming season, Georgetown must work toward developing a balanced and varied offensive attack. Even though the Hoyas aim to have a more wide-ranging array of scoring options this year, one thing is for certain — this is DSR’s team. Last season’s starting shooting guard has been given both the opportunity and the responsibility to score and create chances for the Hoyas offense this year. Of course, none of this would have been possible without a breakout sophomore campaign. While Smith-Rivera did impress during his freshman year, averaging 8.9 points per game, he vastly improved in 2013-2014, delivering 17.6 points per game. In fact, he outperformed Starks in every major category aside from assists (as Starks played the point guard position), including points, rebounds, steals and turnovers per game, as well as fieldgoal, free-throw and three-point percentages. This is especially impressive considering that DSR accomplished these statistics while deferring to a team captain two years his elder. Now, with Starks gone, it is DSR’s job not only to score, but to create opportunities for his teammates. “[My role is] just to make sure guys get comfortable,” Smith-Rivera said. “[I’ve been] able to gel with those guys and figuring out what everyone can do really well and what everybody likes to do. So the chemistry is definitely great.” The senior leadership has expressed confidence in their team co-captain. “DSR is a great ball player so playing the 1 (point guard) and 2 (shooting guard) is not really hard for him. He’s smart and he’s got the skills,” senior guard and co-captain Jabril Trawick said. While DSR has always been a standout performer, he has never been the singular star of a team. At North Central High School, he and former Purdue star Terone Johnson led the Panthers to the Indiana Class 4A State Championship game in 2010. While he is a native of Indianapolis, DSR’s basketball talents took him to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia for his senior season. On that team, he played alongside four other seniors who would go on to play for major Division I programs, like future UCLA guard Jordan Adams, who often overshadowed DSR. Adams played two years for the Bruins before being drafted in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. Although he now has the burden of being Georgetown’s top threat, Smith-Rivera knows that his supporting cast is key to the success of the team. “A lot of people are making it seem as if I am the only scoring option on this team, which is definitely not true,” Smith-Rivera said. “We have got a lot of guys who have been stepping forward, and with the returning veterans we have also, they will be big contributors.” Despite his breakout sophomore year and his preseason accolades, DSR realizes that there are still aspects of his games that require improvement. This offseason, he said that defense and passing were his two great-
est emphases. “Defensively, for the most part, that’s what I have been focused on. Offensively, [I’ve been working on] being more creative for my teammates,” Smith-Rivera said. If Smith-Rivera can make the transition from effective volume scorer and rebounder to efficient floor general and defensive stalwart, Head Coach John Thompson III will find it even more difficult to keep him off of the court. DSR’s huge number of minutes played is an indication, in part, of his amazing production, but also of the team’s lack of depth. After playing 35.5 of every 40-minute game, Smith-Rivera will hopefully be able to relinquish some playing time to freshman point guard Tre Campbell. Thompson has been impressed with Campbell’s early development. “Tre has been very, very good. I think the transition from high school to college is very difficult regardless of position, and regardless of whether you play a sport or not. ... Tre has been probably ahead of where I anticipated, quite honestly,” Thompson said. Smith-Rivera has been similarly taken with Campbell’s dedication. “His heart, man, his heart [has impressed me]. You can’t measure somebody who is going to work hard every day. He comes in here, he puts in the hours, puts in the work and we expect him to bring a lot to the table as well,” Smith-Rivera said. Even if Campbell occasionally allows for Smith-Rivera to take a rest on the bench or more likely, move to his more natural shooting guard position for a bit, DSR will have to tranCHRIS BIEN/THE HOYA sition into a more pass-first offensive outlook in order to initiate Georgetown’s offensive sets Smith-Rivera earned Big East Preseason Player of the Year honors. He was on the all-Big and distribute the ball inside. Smith will re- East second team last season and is on the Bob Cousy Award preseason watch list. quire a pick-and-roll partner to replace Starks, Thompson emphasized that leadership and senior forward Mikael Hopkins and fresh- was the lack of versatility, which we have this man forward Isaac Copeland will need a guard year, as well as the presence of Josh Smith would come from a group of veterans this will help us also. So this year we are definite- year, a vast departure from last year’s dyto feed them touches in the low post. namic. Surprisingly, Smith-Rivera’s meteoric rise ly more than capable.” “[DSR and the seniors] have done a good job It remains to be seen whether DSR will has coincided with a disappointing stretch for the men’s basketball program as a whole. taste postseason glory in college, but this of sharing [the leadership role],” Thompson said. “If you look at the last three years, Markel DSR’s 33-point performance as a fresh- year appears to be his best chance to do so. Armed with a bevy of seniors all with has been so dominant, his personality on the man against DePaul in February 2013 was quickly followed by a home-and-away sweep something to prove, and up against a weak- court and off the court, but now, I’m thinking everyone’s personality is coming out of archrivals Syracuse within a twoa little bit more, which is good. That week span on the way to a second should not come off as sounding negseed in the NCAA tournament. ative toward Markel. We needed that, However, the joy over the victories that was good, but now everyone else against the hated Orange were soon is shining.” erased by a shocking first-round While the team is clearly more loss to 15-seed Florida Gulf Coast. In egalitarian than in years past, Smiththat game, DSR played 33 minutes Rivera will have to be the player that but shot 0-for-6 from three-point range, scoring just six points and D’Vauntes Smith-rivera, shines brightest for the Hoyas if they becoming one of three Hoyas to DESCRIBING THE REACTION OF conference RIVALS at MEDIA DAY in hope to make it back to the NCAA this year. foul out in the humiliating 78-68 new york to his PRESEASON big east PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD. tournament Luckily for fans on the Hilltop, loss in Philadelphia. Smith-Rivera appears to be shoulderDespite the historic loss, DSR clearly had an impact freshman year. While ened conference in which the Hoyas are pro- ing the weight of expectations, the burden of Smith-Rivera did not disappoint last year, the jected to finish second according to the Big a new on- and off-court role and the tutelage Hoyas never had the clutch finish of 2012- East Preseason Coaches Poll, the conditions of the freshmen just fine. The Big East Preseason Player of the Year 2013 and their second-round exit in the NIT seem ideal for Georgetown to make a run in hopes that “people are saying the same thing was a deserved end to a lackluster campaign. March Madness. Of course, that all comes back to whether at the end of the season.” DSR sees a different ending to this year. If that is the case, he’ll likely hear about it “Last year at times, defensively, we weren’t Smith-Rivera can deliver on the court and in before his mother calls. at our best,” Smith-Rivera said. “I think that an enhanced leadership role.
“
All THE OTHER PLAYERS PUT A TARGET ON ME AT THAT POINT HEARING [about my honor].
”
basketball preview | 19
Time for REDEMPTION: BIG EA aidan curran
Hoya S
A year ago, Villanova, Providence and Big East newcomers Creigh while the Hoyas finished a disappointing seventh in the conferen scorer Doug McDermott, and the departure of Marquette’s core three teams in the Big East Preseason Coaches Poll: Villanova, Geo
4. XAVIER After finishing the regular season tied for fourth in the Big East and losing to N.C. State in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, Head Coach Chris Mack and the Musketeers hope to mesh veteran leadership with a primarily young team. Xavier welcomes six freshmen from a highly regarded recruiting class. After losing its top two scorers in Semaj Christon and Justin Martin, Xavier will have to look for a new set of offensive weapons who can carry the team if it is to get back to the NCAA tournament.
5. PROVIDENCE Friars Head Coach Ed Cooley has steadily built up the Providence program, which reached the NCAA tournament last year and the NIT the year before. Now, the team looks to turn more heads in the postseason. Depth is one of the strengths for this team, and redshirt sophomore Kris Dunn and freshman forward Jalen Lindsey will be called upon to provide key minutes for the team. The Friars are a young but talented team, and with a strong head coach in Cooley — they could be a dark horse in the conference this year.
1. VILLANOVA Jay Wright’s Wildcats look to build off last year’s 29-win season that led to a Big East regular-.season title but ended in defeat at the hands of Shabazz Napier and the Connecticut Huskies in the third round of the NCAA tournament. Senior forward JayVaughn Pinkston, a Big East Player of the Year contender, leads an experienced and talented group, which loses leading scorer James Bell but returns its next seven highest-scoring players. Sophomore guard Josh Hart will be called upon to fill the void left by Bell’s departure, and if he can put up similar numbers, the Wildcats will be positioned to make another deep run in March this year.
2. GEORGETOWN SEE PAGE 10
3. ST. JOHN’S Led by first-team reseason all-Big East selection senior guard D’Angelo Harrison and junior center Chris Obekpa, St. John’s will look to take the next step toward reliving its past glory under Head Coach Steve Lavin. After finishing fifth in the Big East last season, many expect the Red Storm to make a jump into the elite portion of the conference. Obekpa, though undersized for a center at 6 feet 9 inches, already holds the school record for career blocks, and will be called upon to anchor the defense.
20 | The Hoya
G EAST PRESEASON Rankings
urran
Hoya Staff Writer
mers Creighton and Xavier earned bids to the NCAA tournament, he conference. After the graduation of Creighton all-time leading uette’s core contributors, the title race is likely down to the topillanova, Georgetown and St. John’s.
7. MARQUETTE* After Head Coach Buzz William’s departure to Virginia Tech, Steve Wojciechowski takes over after serving as associate head coach under famed Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Senior starters Derrick Wilson and Juan Anderson return for their final season, and are joined by 2013-2014 Big East all-Rookie team selection Deonte Burton and BYU transfer Matt Carlino. Like Butler, a major challenge for the Golden Eagles will be smoothing the transition to a new coach.
9. CREIGHTON The Blue Jays figure to take a major step back after star forward Doug McDermott’s graduation and subsequent move to the NBA. In his son’s absence, Head Coach Greg McDermott will need to look for another main source of offense. Creighton did not have any representatives on the preseason all-conference team for the first time since 2007-08. Forward Leon Gilmore, an incoming freshman recruit, will be called upon to provide dependable play at the power forward position.
6. SETON HALL The key for Seton Hall this season is consistency. After losing 10 games by five points or fewer and using 20 different starting lineups due to injuries, Head Coach Kevin Willard, entering his fifth season, will need a better showing this year in order to avoid the hot seat. Luckily, unlike past years, he has an elite recruiting class, ranked 12th by ESPN, which will bring a needed influx of top-notch talent. Headlined by ESPN Top-20 prospect Isaiah Whitehead and premier power forward Angel Delgado, the Pirates will look to shock their Big East rivals this season with depth, talent and good coaching.
7. BUTLER* Two days before fall practice began, Head Coach Brandon Miller was granted a medical leave of absence, and Assistant Coach Chris Holtmann was named interim coach. After returning four of five starters from last season, and four of its top-six scorers from 2013-2014, Holtmann will have the benefit of taking over an experienced, mature team commandeered by leading scorer Kellen Dunham and leading rebounder Kameron Woods. The biggest hurdle for the Bulldogs at this point will be overcoming the void left by Miller’s departure.
10. DEPAUL Head Coach Oliver Purnell enters his fifth season already on the hot seat, with an overall record of 42-77. DePaul lost a lot of talent from last year, as forward Cleveland Melvin left the program, guard Charles McKinney was dismissed from the team, and guard Brandon Young graduated along with center Sandi Marcus. Purnell will lean heavily on sophomore duo point guard Billy Garrett Jr. and center Tommy Hamilton to try and salvage what already looks like a bleak season. It is hard to see the Blue Demons improving on last year’s 12-21 overall record, and Purnell’s job looks to be in jeopardy.
*Butler and Marquette tied for seventh in the Big East Coaches Poll.
BASKETBALL PREVIEW | 21
in rebuilding season
Despite the efforts of senior forward andrea white and center natalie butler, the hoyas limped to an 11-21 Record Paolo Santamaria Hoya Staff Writer
The 2013-2014 season began ominously for the Hoyas, after former Head Coach Keith Brown resigned in October 2013 after he was placed on paid leave amid allegations of verbal abuse. The subsequent hiring of interim Head Coach Jim Lewis made for a rocky start to last year’s campaign. The team already faced an uphill battle in the task to replace
the nearly 23 points and seven rebounds per game of graduated Georgetown women’s all-time leading scorer Sugar Rodgers. On top of that, the Hoyas had to transition into the new-look Big East conference. Clearly, it was to be a year of change on the Hilltop. After a streak of five straight seasons finishing with a winning record and three straight qualifying for the NCAA tournament, last year marked the second season in a row that the Blue and
ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA
In her first season, sophomore guard Tyshell King, a defensive specialist for the Hoyas, averaged just over 10 minutes a game.
22 | The Hoya
Gray failed to do either. The Hoyas sputtered to an 11-21 season, and only managed a 4-14 record in Big East, good for eighth place in the 10-team conference. Following a dominant 56-37 win against ninth-seeded Xavier in the first round of the Big East tournament, the Hoyas lost to eventual champion DePaul 78-54. With the loss, Georgetown was eliminated from postseason contention. “It’s been hard. We’ve struggled with switching coaches a lot and trying to adapt to new plays and the different teams that are coming in, so it was hard not being able to make it where we wanted to,” junior forward Logan Battle said of the team’s disappointing form in two consecutive seasons. Despite the Hoyas’ struggles, the team demonstrated tremendous growth. Then-freshmen guards Tyshell King and Jade Martin, forward Faith Woodard and center Natalie Butler brought youth and energy to a team with only two seniors, forward Andrea White and guard Samisha Powell. Woodard had a successful season, averaging 10.2 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game. For her efforts she was named to the Big East all-Freshman Team and the Big East all-Academic Team. “I couldn’t have done it by myself,” Woodard said. “I had my teammates helping me, and my coaches and the coaching staff believing in me, so it was definitely a team effort.” Meanwhile, Butler headlined the freshman class. The standout center dominated both ends of the floor, averaging a doubledouble with nearly 14 points and over 13 rebounds per game. She was unanimously named Big East Freshman of the Year in addition to being named to the all-Big East Second Team. Despite the preseason mired by controversy, the Hoyas got off to a strong start, winning six of their first 10 games including the championship in the Great Alaska Shootout. Considering two of their first four losses were against
top-10 teams, the Hoyas appeared poised to have a successful season under the guidance of Lewis. Following a loss against No. 10 California, Georgetown went on to win five of its next six games, including a statement win against D.C. rival George Washington University 78-57. In this game, the Hoyas showed their potential, dominating on both ends of the floor as five players scored in double figures. However, after the 6-4 start the season would soon slip away from the Blue and Gray, as they dropped 17 out of their remaining 22 games. “We started off really well, just trying to pull ourselves together with a lot of things that happened, but a lot of things continued to occur,” said current team co-captain and junior guard Katie McCormick of the Hoyas’ fall. In the midst of a six-game losing streak, the Hoyas had a stretch where they lost three close games in a row in overtime by six total points against Florida, Creighton and Marquette, respectively. Georgetown would finally notch its first conference win 8579 against newcomer Butler, coming back from a 19-point deficit. White and Natalie Butler dominated inside and each posted a double-double, as White scored a game-high 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Natalie Butler totalled 15 points and 15 rebounds. This proved to be a theme throughout the season. When both White and Butler dominated, the team won. After the Butler win, the Hoyas lost seven in a row before eventually winning 66-58 against Xavier at home. Again, White and Butler led the team, with White tallying 25 points and 14 rebounds and Butler notching 16 points and pulling down 17 rebounds. Midway through the season, the Blue and Gray recorded their best win of the season, a 60-57 upset at home against No. 22 St. John’s. Powell, then-sophomore
on, Hoyas disappoint
te and freshman cord
forward Logan Battle and Woodard led the team in scoring with 13, 12 and 12 points, respectively. Meanwhile, White and Butler once again controlled the glass, grabbing 10 and 14 rebounds, respectively. The Hoyas were boosted by a large number of contributors on offense instead of relying on the dynamic ButlerWhite duo. In the second to last game of the Big East regular season, Georgetown won 71-65 against Providence, providing itself with momentum entering the conference tournament, despite a defeat at conference-winner DePaul the next game. Once more, the White-Butler tandem controlled the paint, and therefore the game, each recording a pointsrebounding double-double: 17 and 10 for White and 10 and 20 for Butler. After a loss against DePaul in the season finale, the Hoyas turned their attention to In a display of yet more post domination, Woodard and Battle each scored 13 points, and Butler notched yet another double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds, as the Hoyas cruised to a 56-37 win over Xavier. A close game at half, Georgetown blew the game open scoring eight unanswered points to start the second half as part of a 21-3 run to take a commanding lead and shut down Xavier for the rest of the game. After an impressive win in the opening round, the Hoyas had a monumental task at hand: defeating the DePaul Blue Demons, a team that had beaten Georgetown by an average of 20 points in two regular-season games. The Hoyas’ season ended with the 78-54 loss, a game in which Logan Battle scored 20 points and grabbed six boards for the Blue and Gray, while Butler managed to tally yet another double-digit rebounding game with 11. However, the Blue Demons were able to capitalize on the Hoyas’ mistakes, scoring
JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA
Sophomore forward Jade Martin played in all 32 games for Georgetown last season. In her freshman season, she averaged 3.2 points a game and 1.5 rebounds a game. 33 points off of 28 Georgetown turnovers. With a season of loss, change and injury wrapping up, seniors Andrea White and Samisha Powell performed well in their swan songs and rallied the Hoya fans, as they both posted impressive lines, with White averaging 15.2 points and nine rebounds a game and Powell leading the team in assists. Of course, Butler was the standout of the disappointing season, so much so that rumors of her transferring to national powerhouse Connecticut began to buzz around the area.
And indeed she did transfer, following highly regarded recruit Shayla Cooper, who had transferred during the season. Cooper, who was named the Big East Preseason Player of the Year, only played in two games, but averaged 16 points per game in her limited minutes and decided to depart the Hilltop for Ohio State. The graduations of Powell and White, coupled with the transfers of Cooper and Butler provided an unsettling end to the year. Despite this, the team remains hopeful for 2014-2015. “This season, the sky’s the lim-
it,” McCormick said. For a senior-less team looking to implement the playing style of a new coach while searching for oncourt leadership after several key departures, the Hoyas certainly have their work cut out for them. However, the feeling around the program is one of confidence and anxiousness to start the season and rid themselves of the demons of last year. With a new, promising coach in Natasha Adair and an exciting five-player freshman class, Georgetown may be closer than many think to returning to its former glory.
basketball preview | 23
hoyas lose standout
After Natalie butler and shayla cooper transfer, GU looks t Mike Ippolito Hoya Staff Writer
With basketball season finally here to quiet the rather unusual amount of offseason drama, energy grows by the day on the floor of McDonough Arena. Yet just a year removed from having the 16th-ranked recruiting class in the country, two of Georgetown’s most skilled players have departed, leaving the already young team with only three sophomores.
REPLACING LOSSES
Undoubtedly, the two biggest pieces of offseason news were the hiring of former Georgetown assistant coach Natasha Adair as head coach, and Big East Freshman Player of the Year Natalie Butler’s decision to transfer to the University of Connecticut. Butler’s choice to leave for the back-to-back NCAA champion
Huskies may have been Georgetown’s toughest loss of the season. Butler, a 6-foot-5-inch center, averaged a double-double with 13.3 rebounds and 13.9 points per game and was the only Hoya to start and play in every game last season. As a freshman, she averaged over 36 minutes of playing time per game and would have provided invaluable leadership to a team without any seniors. Additionally, 6-foot-2-inch forward Shayla Cooper transferred to Ohio State after just two games. The Hoyas do return sophomore guards Jade Martin and cocaptain Tyshell King, and sophomore forward Faith Woodard, who all gained valuable minutes last year and contributed from the beginning. Woodard averaged 31 minutes and over 10 points per game, finishing third on the team in rebounding and
second in assists. Martin and King also averaged double-digit minutes per game as freshmen, which will help them develop into key contributors this year. Although replacing Butler’s size and ability to rebound will not be easy, freshman center Yazmine Belk, a three-star recruit from Nazareth Regional High School in New York, is in prime position to succeed. She averaged 10 rebounds a game in her final year at Nazareth and was lauded by scouts for her ability to get to the rim and finish in traffic. She should fit well into Adair’s philosophy, which emphasizes defense and rebounding. “We have so many players over 6 feet that we need to be disruptive on the wing and inside, but we also need to be a better rebounding team. So, those will be two of our biggest focuses: defense and rebounding,” Adair said.
As the team’s only center, Belk should see early minutes from the outset and begin to make an immediate impact down low and on the glass. Another new addition that should help compensate for the loss of Butler is the nation’s 60th-best recruit according to ESPN, Dorothy Adomako. At 6-foot-1-inch, Adomako is tall for a wing and a perfect example of the quick, smart players that Adair favors. In addition to her impressive 21.5 points per game during her senior year at Cosby High in Midlothian, Va., her ability to rebound and steal the basketball make her a complete player. The Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year averaged nine rebounds and nearly three steals per game, a skill set which will help Georgetown not only replace Butler’s production, but also fix other fundamental problems like a porous defense and turnover-prone offense. As one of the youngest teams in the country, some early growing pains will only be natural for the Hoyas. However, the longterm benefit of such a young team is the immediate on-court experience that the five-member freshman class will receive. “On the court, experience is going to be the best teacher, and as coaches, we’re going to have to have patience,” Adair said.
Adair’s Energy
JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA
Left to right: Sophomores Faith Woodard, co-captain Tyshell King and Jade Martin form the backbone of a young Hoyas team. All three averaged double-digit minutes per game last season.
24 | The Hoya
To ensure the beginning of a turnaround this season and as a program, the Hoyas must improve on turnovers. Last season, Georgetown ranked an abysmal 332nd out of 343 Division I teams in turnovers, at 19.8 per game, and it was third from last in turnover margin at -6.91 per game, good for 341st place. There are positive signs that the turnover situation should improve, but the most notable factor may be the renewed sense of team chemistry. Junior forward Logan Battle has observed an increase in enthusiasm. “We have a lot more energy than we are used to. It’s a lot different than the last two years,”
outs, gain new coach
ooks to improve in a new system Battle said. Fellow junior forward Dominique Vitalis relishes in the fresh mindset of Adair. She said that Adair’s priorities are, “energy, attention to detail and communication.” With a focused group and an experienced sophomore class, the Hoyas should be able to reduce their turnovers. Eliminating giveaways should take pressure off the defense, as fewer turnovers equate to fewer scoring chances and fast-break opportunities for opponents. Although last year’s 11-21 record, including a 4-14 Big East mark, was disappointing, it does not tell the whole story. The Hoyas’ defense was stout for much of the year, outrebounding their opponents by an average of 8.3 boards a game and holding opponents to 37 percent shooting. Butler and graduated senior forward Andrea White may have accounted for approximately half of the rebounding output, but the team holistically knows what it takes to play aggressive defense and refuse opponents second chances. In this regard, Adair doesn’t plan to deviate from the team’s defensive strengths. “I love defense. We will press full court, we will press half court, we will cause duress when we can. We’re starting to implement a lot of those systems, and the players are seeing it work, and they’re getting excited about it,” Adair said. From the players’ perspective, Adair’s systems and love for defense translates into one idea: “Run,” Vitalis said. A team that can use hustle and speed to turn effective defense into better offensive chances should make this team exciting to watch. It will probably take a while for the on-court chemistry to truly develop. There is no substitute for live experience, something this team lacks. However, looking forward, there is a great deal to be optimistic about. The absence of seniors means that, barring transfers, the team will remain intact throughout the 2015-2016 season
and the minutes played by the freshmen this year could reap tremendous dividends in the future.
Looking Ahead
For all parties in McDonough, junior guard and co-captain Katie McCormick perfectly stated the clear end goal. “The goal is to win a Big East championship,” she said. While this goal is highly unlikely this season, as the Hoyas are projected to finish eighth out of 10 teams in the conference by the Big East Preseason Coaches Poll, it is clear that the Hoyas have many positive pieces coming together and will be a motivated team going forward. The road to success in the Big East undoubtedly goes through DePaul. At the annual Big East Media Day on Oct. 22 in New York City, DePaul was picked to repeat as conference champions and the Blue Demons return all but one of their starters from last season’s Sweet 16 run. The Jan. 4 matchup against DePaul will be the first true inconference measuring stick for a rejuvenated and rebranded Hoya team, pitting DePaul’s top-notch offense against Adair’s defense. Last year, DePaul led the Big East in scoring by averaging 83.5 points per game and nearly 20 assists per game. This game should especially test the wing and perimeter defense of the Hoyas because of DePaul’s propensity to take three-point shots. The other toughest Big East challenges will come from Villanova and St. John’s. The Red Storm were picked to finish second in the preseason poll, but last year’s struggling Hoyas were able to beat St. John’s in arguably their most impressive win of the season. Somewhat ironically, St. John’s and Villanova emulate the style of play Adair wishes to instill at Georgetown. Villanova had the fewest turnovers of any team in the country at 8.8 per game and both Villanova and St. John’s played the best defense in the Big East by allowing 58.4 and 62.1 points per game, respectively, far better than Georgetown’s average
JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA
Sophomore forward Faith Woodard started 26 games as a freshman and averaged 10.2 points per game, third best on the team. of 69.7 points allowed per game. Outside of the Big East, the Hoyas will have several prime opportunities to rebuild their reputation on the national scale. The biggest out-of-conference test is a matchup with the Florida Gators on Nov. 28. The Gators advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season and can provide the Hoyas with an earlyseason opportunity to turn some heads and build momentum at home. The Hoyas will face off against two other major conference teams in Alabama and Kansas at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge in Lawrence, Kan. For all of its promise, this team is still a young one and for all of the long-term excitement, it is vital to keep expectations within
reason. As the season progresses and the off-court chemistry develops into on-court synchronization, expect a better, more disciplined team that should win its share of conference games and rise in the Big East standings. If cohesion occurs sooner than expected and the Hoyas can spring some upsets and finish with a winning record in a weaker Big East, there could be an NIT berth waiting at the end of the season. Last season was filled with some highs and many lows, but the future of Georgetown women’s basketball looks stable and bright, especially in the minds of both players and coaches. McCormick summed up the team’s mindset. “We’re not focusing on the past, we’re looking toward the future,” she said.
basketball preview | 25
aDAIR RETURNS TO HILLTOP
tHE FORMER GEORGETOWN ASSISTANT COMES BACK AS HEAD COACH, AIMING TO SEND THE HOYAS BACK TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2012 DILLON MULLAN Hoya Staff Writer
Most people do not have a choice but to look up to Natasha Adair. “Coach A,” as she is known by her players, is 6 feet 2 inches tall and her wide smile and firm handshake are captivating. She has won and lost in every role of college basketball: on the court, the sidelines and the recruiting trail. In doing so, she has developed a patient demeanor and exudes a calm confidence that will serve her well in her first season at the helm of a Georgetown women’s basketball program wracked by instability over the past two years. Adair returns to the Hilltop after being an assistant coach for the Hoyas from 1998 until 2004. “I’ve gone through each step and phase of learning and development, and coming back to Georgetown, it feels like it is time, this is my team,” Adair said. “I was not looking for a change, but then [Director of Athletics] Lou Reed called. I can’t even imagine myself not being here. It’s home. I’m a born-andraised Washingtonian.”
In her playing days, basketball took Adair from Einstein High School in nearby Kensington, Md., to Pensacola Junior College and eventually the University of South Florida. Her coaching career began at Georgetown, before she honed her skills during an eight-year stint as an assistant and associate head coach at Wake Forest. The College of Charleston then named her head coach ahead of the 2012-13 season. “Knowing the tradition of Georgetown and just what it stood for academically, socially and athletically made this a dream come true,” said Adair, who has quickly hired two of her former Georgetown players as her assistants. “I was in Florida. She called me on a Friday night at 10 o’clock and said, ‘I need you to be in D.C. by Sunday,’” said assistant Sarah Jenkins (COL ’05), a former starting guard and team captain. “I’m the energy bus of this group. I’m getting everybody hyped, everybody ready. I was the same way as a player. It means a lot to come back and be here.” If Jenkins supplies the energy,
michelle xu/THE HOYA
Head Coach Natasha Adair’s energetic and defensive-minded approach has offered a welcome change of pace for the Hoyas.
26 | The Hoya
fellow assistant coach Melba Chambers (COL ‘99), who was a starting guard at Georgetown from 199599, supplies the fervor. Chambers followed Adair to the Hilltop after serving as an assistant to her at the College of Charleston. “I appreciate what Georgetown stands for, so to say I was excited when Coach A called me is more of an understatement,” Chambers said. “I’m more of the feisty one, I must say; I get real riled up. Coach Jenkins is more of the ‘Come on guys, we got to pick up the energy,’ and I’m more of the one screaming ‘Come on, let’s do it right.’” Adair has a unique relationship with her assistants because they were once her players. “I’m mama hen with this group, but I love the way we balance each other out,” Adair said of her coaching staff. “If you just look at her stature, you don’t think she could hold you off, but Melba was a Baltimore police officer, narcotics unit, so that’s pretty tough. She’s the no-nonsense one. Sarah, she is our energy bus.” Together, Jenkins and Chambers will serve as a bridge between an inexperienced team and its head coach. Adair is the Hoyas’ fourth coach in four years, but there are no seniors on the roster to have experienced it all. The two assistant coaches find comfort in the fact that they were once in their players’ shoes. “We teach them and tell them, you can’t tell us that you can’t, because we did it,” Jenkins said. “Everything you’re going through right now, we’ve already done it.” Adair appreciates the dynamic of her coaching staff. She trusts her former players to keep tabs on the pulse of the team and build the relationships necessary to create a healthy team dynamic. “The players don’t always want to always come to the head coach because they think it’s the principal’s office or they don’t want to say certain things,” Adair said. “They have Melba and Sarah as resources. They played here, they were in the locker room and they were on that floor.” The coaching staff exudes a passion for the Hilltop that catches your attention as soon as you step
into their offices. The three women are quick to admit that they are working their dream jobs, and it is impossible not to believe them. However, emotional investments and dreams are not worth much once the ball is tipped. Nine conference games ended in double-digit losses for Georgetown a season ago, and a month after Adair was hired, one of the lone bright spots in the 2011-12 campaign, Big East Rookie of the Year and 6-foot-5-inch center Natalie Butler, transferred to Connecticut. Adair is working tirelessly to implement her own philosophy and rein in all the turbulence that has recently struck her program. “There’s no pressure off just because it’s our first year here and we don’t have any seniors,” Adair said. “We don’t just want to keep them close, we want to win. We’re going to be very defensive-minded. I think we need to lead the league in steals and rebounding from the wing position.” Adair preaches a hardworking and disruptive brand of basketball that reflects her own playing style. The former power forward pulled down 12.5 rebounds a game during her senior year at South Florida. “I think people get confused with [things like] ‘I scored 30 points, but did we win, how successful were we, did you set a screen to get your teammates open so that she could score and did we celebrate that screen?’” Adair said. Behind Adair’s desk hangs a picture of Rebekkah Brunson (COL ’04), her star pupil. The Minnesota Lynx forward possesses three WNBA championship rings and embodies everything that Coach A wants out of her players. “Bekky wanted to out-hustle everybody. She didn’t just want to outwork the competition, but her teammates as well,” Adair said. “It didn’t matter if she missed a 15foot jumper because she was getting the rebound anyway. Win every sprint, dive on every loose ball, that’s the philosophy we preach everyday.” If Adair has her players buy into that type of philosophy, the Hoyas will be hard to stop.
reinforcements arrive fIVE newcomers to CONTRIBUTE from Day one MATT RAAB
Hoya Staff Writer
The addition of five freshmen to the roster of the Georgetown women’s basketball team has provided an additional jolt of youth to an already young roster. On a team that will feature no seniors, the freshmen will all have chances to contribute early as first-year Head Coach Natasha Adair feels out the roster. Center Yazmine Belk and guards Dorothy Adomako, DiDi Burton, Chenya Sealey and Justyce Swango all provide skill sets that allow them to play various roles around the court. Despite significant turnover from last year, the freshmen, who make up more than a third of the roster, are not expected to directly fill shoes, instead partaking in a group style of play. “The good thing with us this season [is that] we talk about everything by committee. We don’t have top-heavy, we don’t have bottom-heavy,” Adair said. “Everyone’s going to have an opportunity to be an option.” With the unusual selection of Swango, a freshman, as one of the team’s three captains, along with sophomore Tyshell King and junior Katie McCormick, the youth of the team is clearly thought of as a strength. Swango, who is expected to contribute at point guard, impressed Adair with her energy on and off the court; as a result, all three years of players are represented in captainships. “[Swango is] a ball of energy and you want your leader to be excited every day,” Adair said. “You want your leader to bring that enthusiasm to practice every day and she does that.” While she was originally recruited to play at the College of Charleston, where Adair was then head coach, Swango made the transition to Georgetown after Adair’s return to the Hilltop. Standing at just 5 feet 5 inches, the freshman comes to Georgetown on the heels of a highly successful high school career at Prin-
MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA
MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA
CLAIRE SOISSON/THE HOYA
Left to right: guard Dorothy Adomako, center Yazmine Belk and co-captain guard Justyce Swango. cess Anne High School, featuring four straight trips to the Virginia State Group AAA Championship game. The diminutive guard averaged 12.5 points, 5.5 assists and 5.0 steals per game as a senior, leading her school to the second state championship of her career. “I’m very humbled,” Swango said of her leadership position. “I just take it as a[n] opportunity to just keep growing.” Belk, from Nazareth Regional High School in Queens, N.Y., is Georgetown’s only listed center on the roster. As the 16th-ranked recruit in the nation in the ESPN 2014 rankings at her position, she should have the opportunity to make an important impact with her size and versatility. At 6 feet 3 inches, Belk is the tallest player on the team, but her style of play is not purely oriented toward the low post. “[Belk’s] not going to be a typical post player,” Nazareth Head Coach Ron Kelley said. “She can shoot the ball very well, long range and mid-range. She’s a pretty versatile big kid, she can dribble the ball, she can score underneath the basket, so I think and I hope that she’s going to show those skills at the collegiate level like she did in high school.” After a year anchored by the play of a dominant, post-up center in Natalie Butler, who has since transferred to national preseason No. 1 Connecticut, Belk will provide something of a change of pace. But for Adair, change is exactly what should be expected.
“Last year’s over for us, it’s a totally different team, totally different scheme,” Adair said. Belk, like Swango, was attracted to the Hilltop by the coaching staff, coming to Georgetown after a change in the Virginia Commonwealth coaching staff that allowed her to relinquish her commitment to the Rams. According to Kelley, Belk was always interested in the Georgetown campus and took the opportunity to be a part of a young team with a promising staff. Chenya Sealey, a point guard in her high school years, comes to Georgetown from Bartow, Fla. A McDonalds All-American nominee, she will add to the Hoya backcourt depth and will provide scoring ability and versatility in that area. While Sealey comes to Georgetown with a lot of hype, perhaps the freshman with the greatest upside is Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year Adomako. The 6-foot-1-inch guard led Virginia’s Cosby High School to a perfect 25-0 season and the Group 6A State Championship in her senior year. Adomako and the rest of the freshmen will be tasked with replacing some of the production from Butler, graduated senior forward Andrea White and once-promising freshman guard Shayla Cooper, who transferred to Ohio State after only featuring for Georgetown twice last year. Butler and White alone combined for nearly half of the
Hoyas’ scoring last year. If any group of players is up to this tall task, it is this group of confident, energetic freshmen. Three of the freshmen, Swango, Burton and Adamonko, come from the Virginia-Maryland area, and Swango and Adamanko played together on their travelling club AAU team. Burton came to the Hilltop from Baltimore City College High School. She uses her 5-foot 5-inch frame to her advantage on offense and defense, as she tallied high steal totals to complement her scoring throughout her high school career. The trio of freshmen guards brings some homegrown talent and excitement to the team. As the squad coalesces, an emphasis on energy and passion has taken root under Adair’s guidance. “From day one they’ve been receptive, they’re all sponges to what we want to do,” Adair said. “So I can’t put a hat on one particular player on who’s going to excel because I see greatness in them all and it’s different every day.” The freshmen stressed that their integration into the team has been smooth, and that they are excited for the opportunity to contribute to the program. “We take up a big part of the family so we probably take on more responsibility per se,” Burton said. “But we all have to contribute as a team to get that one goal — and that’s to win the Big East championship.”
basketball preview | 27
new big east, dIFFERENT bEAST
The conference transitions after losing premier programs, INCLUDING ucONn, nOTRE DAME AND lOUiSVILLE Kara Avanceña
American Athletic Conference. Connecticut is widely regarded as one of the best teams in the nation, with a After a few tumultuous years of whopping nine national titles unconference realignment, 10 schools der its belt. stand in the “new” Big East that was Similarly, Notre Dame, a Catholic established in 2013. Although the school like Georgetown, which has Catholic Seven has remained intact, one national championship in its the marquee basketball conference history and has competed in the that once captivated fans of col- NCAA championship game in three lege basketball across America has of the last four years, departed the ceased to exist. Big East for the Atlantic Coast ConThe current Big East prides itself ference after the 2012-2013 season. on being a basketball-first league. The loss of those two teams, However, for women’s basketball among other prominent squads especially, the loss of powerhouse like the Louisville, Rutgers and West teams may have delivered a drastic Virginia, has visibly affected the sucblow to the conference. cess of women’s basketball teams in Many of teams that departed the the Big East. Big East were ones that regularly The Big East had consistently find success in the NCAA tourna- earned the most bids to the womment. Connecticut, one of the core en’s NCAA tournament each March. teams during the creation of the In 2011, the Big East brought nine original Big East Conference in teams to the tournament, meaning 1979, left the league in 2013 for the that the majority of the conference was considered among the nation’s best 64 teams. In 2013, the conference sent eight to the NCAAs. With over 300 Division I programs, that is a staggering number. However, in the 2014 tournament, the Big East only secured two bids to the national tournament, as DePaul and St. John’s scored seventh- and eighth-seeded spots, respectively. Meanwhile, Connecticut and Notre Dame had No. 1 seeds, while CLAIRE SOISSON/THE HOYA West Virginia DePaul won both the Big East tournament and the and Louisville were placed in regular-season championship last season. Hoya Staff Writer
28 | The HOYA
the bracket as a No. 2 and No. 3 seed, respectively. Although the future of women’s basketball in the Big East may appear bleak, the teams involved are hopeful about the upcoming season. The teams and coaches fervently believe that the evolving nature of the conference will give the Big East and its new teams the time to hone its new identity and establish a dominance similar to what the conference once carried. “With the coaches that we have, with the emphasis on women’s basketball you are going to see teams jump up,” Villanova Head Coach Harry Perretta told bigeast.com. “I told all of the coaches that when the old Big East started we got two teams into the NCAAs so don’t get discouraged, look forward to what we can do and not where we are now.” In spite of the struggles that the new Big East faced last season compared to preceding seasons, teams are looking to define a new, united conference identity. “Hopefully we will start getting that name across the country of being an athletic conference that wants to push this pace of women’s basketball and be an exciting brand to play and watch,” Marquette University Head Coach Carolyn Kieger told bigeast.com. The Big East teams are intent on focusing on the positives of the conference realignment and how the changes bump the role of women’s basketball up in the conference food chain. “It is great to play in a league where you don’t have 85 football guys ahead of you every day,” DePaul Head Coach Doug Bruno said at Big East Media Day at Madison Square Garden. With the recent additions of Xavier University, Butler University and Creighton University to the core group of Catholic Seven teams, the Big East is eager for what is yet to come. “The Big East has played with [its] current 10 teams for an entire sea-
JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA
Xavier joined the Big East before the 2013-2014 season. son and at this point we are looking to the future, not the past,” Georgetown Director of Sports Information Barbara Barnes said in an email. The university declined to comment further on the subject of conference realignment. Ultimately, the reformulation of the Big East will give teams within the conference newfound opportunities to compete for the title. Between 1994 and 2013, Connecticut won the Big East title for all but four seasons. Fellow departed teams Boston College, Notre Dame, Villanova and Rutgers were the only other schools to also claim the Big East championship in that time span. The departure of dominating teams made it possible for a team like DePaul to win the Big East title for the first time in its history in 2014. Encouragingly, its success did not stop there, as the Blue Demons went on to finish in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament. DePaul is currently ranked 18th overall in ESPN’s preseason national rankings. The new nature of the Big East will also give the Hoyas an opportunity to claw their way back to the NCAA Tournament, though perhaps not this season. Georgetown took its last trip to the NCAA tournament in 2012, then finished with a dismal 11-21 record in 2013-2014. According to a Big East preseason coaches poll, the Hoyas are expected to finish in eighth place in the 10team conference this season. While the memory of the former Big East and its greatness is all that remains, what follows in its wake offers a different kind of glory for all of the teams involved.
guard overcomes injuries McCORMICK PUTS INJURY HISTORY ASIDE, ASSUMES LEADER STATUS Tyler Park
Hoya Staff Writer
After tumultuous turnover in recent months, including an entirely new coaching staff and the return of only two of the team’s five starters, junior guard and cocaptain Katie McCormick is a familiar face who will lead a young Hoyas team into the new season. The 5-foot-9-inch upperclassman scored 8.5 points per game last season, making her the team’s second-leading returning scorer behind sophomore forward Faith Woodard. McCormick also led the team with 45 three-pointers, making her one of the Hoyas’ most dangerous outside threats. Despite her on-court prowess, McCormick’s most important role on this year’s team may not have anything to do with her outside shooting or all-around ability. As a junior with two years of experience on the Hilltop, she is a crucial veteran presence for a team with no seniors and five freshmen. The Hoyas’ freshman class, which consists of guards DiDi Burton, Chenya Sealey, Justyce Swango and Dorothy Adomako and center Yazmine Belk, has looked to veterans like McCormick for leadership. The class has already shown considerable promise, as Adair made the unusual choice to name Swango as a co-captain alongside McCormick and sophomore guard Tyshell King. Adomako was named the Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year, and Belk, Burton and Sealey were all highly successful high school players and highly regarded recruits. Belk praised McCormick’s ability as a leader as the team prepares for the beginning of the season. “Katie’s a really good leader. She makes sure that we’re going to class, she makes sure that we’re shooting when we have free time and she checks up on everybody and shows that she really cares about everybody on the team,” Belk said. McCormick, who has played for three different coaches during her three years at Georgetown, has embraced her role as one of the team’s primary leaders.
“We’re young, so it’s a little harder, but I would say that our freshmen came in and made it a little easier on us in the junior class,” McCormick said. “There’s a little bit of a difference [between juniors and seniors], but we’re still upperclassmen, we know how to handle things, and so my junior class and the team in general have all come together and helped each other.” In past years, the Leonardtown, Md. product has had problems with injuries. During her freshman season, she missed the team’s first 11 games due to a knee injury, and missed the team’s final seven games after sustaining another knee injury. In her sophomore campaign, McCormick missed four games due to more minor knee issues. Although she was mostly healthy for last season, knee problems have plagued McCormick through much of her collegiate career. However, this year she feels healthy and ready for the upcoming season as opening night approaches. “This is the first year that I’ve felt really good. The knee feels good, and I don’t have any other injuries, so hopefully it will stay like that,” McCormick said. McCormick praised the Hoyas’ exceptional medical team and credited them for assisting her with her rehabilitation from her various knee injuries. “The trainers are everything. Shannon [Hubbard], our trainer — to me, she’s the best trainer that’s come through here, and going through two ACL rehabs, she’s done her job. She’s great,” McCormick said. On paper, the Hoyas are not a threat to challenge for the Big East title this season. Last year, the team struggled through a disappointing season, finishing 11-21 and 4-14 in Big East play, before losing three stars to graduation and transfer. As a result, the Hoyas were picked to finish eighth in the 10-team conference in the Big East Preseason Coaches Poll. Still, led by Adair, who spreads an infectious amount of positive energy to everyone around her, the Hoyas are optimistic that they
MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA
Junior guard and co-captain Katie McCormick played in 28 games and started 15 last season. She averaged 8.5 points per game. will be able to have a highly successful season. With seven players on the roster who are 6 feet 1 inch or taller, the team will play an aggressive style of defense that could cause problems for opponents. McCormick, projected to slot in as the team’s starting shooting guard, will look to provide solid all-around play. She spent her summer working to become a more complete offensive player, and focused on improving her pull-up jump shot, floater and ability to attack the rim. McCor-
mick hopes that her individual improvements, combined with the hard work of her teammates and the infusion of new talent, will lead to a great season, with a possible postseason run. “I don’t think there is a ceiling. If we play the way that I know we can, the way we’ve played certain days in practice, we can go as far as we want to go. The postseason is up to us,” McCormick said. Special to The Hoya Russell Guertin contributed reporting.
basketball preview | 29
chasing providence: BIG EA TYLER PARK
Hoya S
In the first season of the new-look Big East, DePaul and St. John’s NCAA tournament. This year, several teams around the league return Preseason Coaches Poll frontrunners DePaul, St. John’s and Villan Hoyas’ chances, meanwhile, are slim.
3. villanova Coming off of a decent season that resulted in an appearance in the women’s NIT, Villanova will look to return to the NCAA tournament this year. While last year’s leading scorer, guard Devon Kane, graduated, the Wildcats return the rest of their rotation from last season, including junior guard and preseason all-conference selection Caroline Coyer and her twin sister Katherine. Head Coach Harry Perretta returns for his 36th season at the helm, and looks to increase his total of 638 career wins. Perretta’s methodical offense allowed Villanova to lead the nation in fewest turnovers per game last season with just 8.8 per game, and the Wildcats will focus on continuing to take care of the ball en route to a successful season.
1. DEPAUL DePaul returns a lot of its firepower from a wildly successful 2013-2014 season. The Blue Demons, who received a No. 7 seed in the tournament, defeated Oklahoma before upsetting No. 2 seed Duke to earn an appearance into the Sweet Sixteen, where they fell to Texas A&M. They return five of their six leading scorers from last year, highlighted by senior guards Brittany Hrynko and Megan Rogowski, both preseason all-Big East honorees. Hrynko led the Big East in assists last season while Rogowski scored 15.7 points per game and made an incredible 45 percent of her three-point attempts. DePaul is led by last season’s Big East Coach of the Year Doug Bruno, and is projected to win the league again this year, according to the Big East Preseason Poll.
2. St. John’s Led by then-sophomore guard Aliyyah Handford, St. John’s earned a No. 8 seed in last year’s NCAA tournament, where it defeated USC before losing to No. 1 seed Tennessee. Handford, now a junior and a preseason all-league selection, is the undisputed leader of the Red Storm, as she returns from a season in which she scored 16.7 points per game, fifth-best in the Big East. St. John’s also returns key players in junior guard Danaejah Grant and senior forward Amber Thompson, who each received preseason all-Big East recognition. Head Coach Joe Tartamella has led his team to consecutive NCAA tournament appearances in his first two years, and he will look to continue that trend this season.
30 | The Hoya
4. creighton Creighton will be led by junior guard Marissa Janning, this year’s Preseason Big East Player of the Year and last season’s Big East scoring leader at 17.6 points per game. The Bluejays graduated three starters from last season’s 20-win team, necessitating some changes from Head Coach Jim Flanery. Still, this year’s team should still be a significant threat in the Big East, as senior forward Alexis AkinOtiko and sophomore forward Brianna Rollerson should be ready to take on larger roles, and Creighton looks to replace its departed talent and compete for a top conference spot.
G EAST PRESEASON RANKINGS
R PARK
Hoya Staff Writer
nd St. John’s led the conference, and later each earned wins in the eague return significant talent, and many teams, including Big East n’s and Villanova, will have legitimate postseason aspirations. The
8. GEORGETOWN SEE PAGE 24
9. xavier Head Coach Brian Neal’s team struggled in his first year at the helm, and its two leading scorers from last year, guards Shatyra Hawkes and Ashley Wanninger, both graduated. However, there are some reasons for optimism in Cincinnati. Xavier returns a number of key rotation players from last season, led by junior guard Jenna Crittendon, who was the team’s leading rebounder and second leading scorer. In addition, the team adds two transfers and five freshmen. Still, it seems that the Musketeers are a few years away from being a true contender in the Big East.
5. seton hall Head Coach Anthony Bozzella enjoyed one of the most successful campaigns in school history in his first season, as the Pirates reached the 20-win plateau for the first time in 19 years. Seton Hall looks primed to enjoy even further improvement in Bozzella’s second season, as it will return two of the Big East’s top four scorers from last year in junior forward Tabitha Richardson-Smith and graduate student guard Ka-Deidre Simmons, both of whom were named preseason all-Big East selections. In addition, the team adds three freshmen and a junior college transfer, as well as three other transfers that will be eligible in the 2015-16 season. It appears that this program’s fortunes are looking up.
10. butler Following the 2013-14 season, there was a mass exodus from the Butler program. Star forward Daress McClung graduated and Head Coach Beth Couture was fired. The damage did not end there, as four players, including three of the team’s regular starters, transferred. Included in that group was center Liz Stratman, who led the Big East in blocked shots with 2.7 per game last season en route to being named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. First-year Head Coach Kurt Godlevske will have the difficult task of rebuilding this program, but it is hard to envision the Bulldogs making a mark in the conference this year.
6. providence Third-year Head Coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl will look to lead Providence out of the cellar of the Big East. The Friars are led by senior guard Tori Rule, who ranked sixth in the Big East with 16.1 points per game, and senior forward Alexis Harris, a preseason all-league selection who ranked sixth in the conference with 8.9 rebounds per game to go with her 14.0 points per game. With these two standouts returning alongside the rest of the team’s six leading scorers from last season, it seems likely that the Friars will improve upon their paltry total of two Big East wins from last season, even if they are not yet ready to challenge for the conference title.
7. marquette Unfortunately for the Golden Eagles, star forward Katherine Plouffe, who ranked second in the Big East in scoring and third in rebounding in her senior season, graduated alongside two other starters from last year’s team. First-year Head Coach Carolyn Kieger, a former standout player at Marquette, will look to senior guard Arlesia Morse, a preseason all-conference selection, and senior forward Apiew Ojulu to fill the voids left by the departed players. Marquette will attempt to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011, though this year that will be a tall task.
BASKETBALL PREVIEW | 31