Hoyas hope Monroe makes Griffin-esque leap
Posted: Friday, April 17, 2009 10:55 AM
Filed Under:
Big East, NBA draft
The NBA draft did a number on Big East teams this week.
Underclassmen stars like UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet, Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn and Louisville’s Earl Clark all signed (or, in the case of Thabeet, is expected to sign) with agents, ending their college eligibility. Another, Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody, declared for the draft, but probably won’t sign with an agent.
That follows earlier decisions to turn pro from guys like Pitt’s DeJuan Blair and Syracuse guards Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris.
Georgetown was one of the few schools that did get some good news: The Hoyas’ rising star, freshman Greg Monroe, announced he’ll return to school.
Monroe, a 6-11 center, took a page out of Blake Griffin’s book. Instead of declaring after his freshman year to likely be a Top 10 pick, he could boost his stock with a monster sophomore season and be the No. 1 overall selection in 2010.
And if any team could use a Blake Griffin-type season in 2009-10, it’s the Hoyas.
Georgetown imploded this year. It finished 16-15, and lost 12 of its last 16 games. It’s hard to imagine this was a team that beat UConn, Memphis, Villanova and Syracuse.
More disappointing is the attrition on John Thompson III’s roster.
The school announced sophomore swingman Omar Wattad will transfer, making him the eighth Hoya in the last four seasons to leave Georgetown before his eligibility expired. That only includes two players who jumped to the pros. The other six transferred.
Ouch.
"People leave for different reasons," Thompson told the Washington Post. "Some leave because they are unhappy with their playing time. Some leave because of family situations and personal issues. Some people don't necessarily have the option to return. There are different reasons why people leave."
That leaves Georgetown with eight scholarship players for the 2009-10 season or five spots open and forces Thompson to hit the recruiting trail ASAP. It also makes next season crucial.
The Hoyas still have talent. Sophomores Austin Freeman and Chris Wright progressed nicely this season, though Freeman’s outside shot was inconsistent. But after you get past freshman Jason Clark and sophomore Nikita Mescheriakov, there isn’t much.
That’s where Monroe comes in.
He doesn’t play with Griffin’s brute force (he averaged 12.7 ppg and 6.5 rpg last season) and won’t log any 40-20 nights (Georgetown’s offensive style also plays a factor). But he’s just as capable of dominating a game thanks to his all-around skills.
When the Hoyas run their offense through Monroe, he’s just as likely to find the open man as he is to take his man off the dribble and drive to the bucket. That’s what happens when you’re 6-11 and handle the ball like a guard.
He led the Hoyas in steals (1.8 a game), blocks (1.5) and was second on the team with 2.5 assists a game (though maybe that says more about the Hoyas…) Kenpom.com had him among the national leaders in ORtg (110.8), eFg% (57.9), true shooting percentage (61.2), offensive and defensive rebound % (8.8 and 16.7), blocks (5.1), steals (3.7) and fouls drawn per 40 minutes (4.8).
Everything in that list (except rebounding) was better than Griffin did as a freshman.
If Monroe can make a Griffin-esque jump as a sophomore, the Hoyas are going to be Big East title contenders. Simple as that.
