Dante:
I look forward to reading Clay’s picks for the Hoyas’ top performers this upcoming season because regardless of who he selects, there is simply no way that he’s going to be anywhere near the truth. I say this because he told me that his picks will include neither Jeff Green nor Roy Hibbert. Madness. Madness that transcends even the Midnight variety.
Emblazoned on the shirts of hundreds, if not thousands, of loyal Hoya fans is JTIII’s classic quote: “Some have forgotten. We will remind them.” Well, after last season, reminded they have been. Most in the world of college basketball have now acknowledged Georgetown as a major contender and, specifically, have acknowledged that both Green and Hibbert are forces to be reckoned with.
CBS SportsLine announced on October 26 that both players have been named among the top 50 candidates for the Men’s 2006-07 John R. Wooden Award All-American Team. To be named to this team is considered the single highest individual honor in college hoops. Just a few days before that, both were named to the All-Big East preseason team as two of only three players who also received All-Big East honors last year when they were both named to the second team.
CBS has called Green one of the most versatile players in the Big East Conference over the last two seasons. He finished the 2005-06 season leading the team in scoring with 11.9 points per game, was second in rebounding with 6.5 boards per game and led the team in assists with 3.27 per game. Green was also named First Team All-District by the National Association of Basketball Coaches last year and was the Big East Co-Rookie of the Year in 2004-05 after averaging 13.1 points and 6.6 rebounds. Green, who has started every game of his career, enters his junior year with 811 career points, a 12.5 per game average in 65 games.
Hibbert, meanwhile, proved to be one of the best players in the post during his second season. In stats published by ESPN, he finished second on the team in scoring with 11.6 points per game; led the team in rebounding, grabbing 6.9 boards per game, which ranked 14th in the Big East; and led the team in blocked shots with 1.64 per game, which ranked ninth in the league. Hibbert shot 59 percent from the floor and posted seven double-doubles during the season. He doubled his scoring average from his freshman year (5.1 points per game) and nearly doubled his rebounding numbers (3.5 rebounds).
It’s little wonder that many attribute the Hoyas’ excellent season (and post season) to these two players. With a 23-10 overall record last year, including a 10-6 record in the Big East, all eyes are on the Hoyas, and on Green and Hibbert in particular. In fact, that is perhaps the only problem posed by these two sensational juniors: both of them, depending on this season, stand a good chance of being drafted into the NBA, should they choose to make themselves available. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’d take a million dollar contract over a B.A. any day. Dad would be proud, I know.
I think that about wraps it up. I really don’t know of any Hoya-based duo that could possibly compete with the likes of Hibbert and Green. Nonetheless, enjoy Clay’s counterpoint. It should be good for a chuckle, if little else.
Clay:
Dante makes some very good points, and most casual fans of Hoya basketball would agree. Hell, I almost fell for his argument myself. But, fortunately, I actually follow the Hoyas, and I know that Georgetown has the Big East’s best kept secret: the dynamic scoring duo of Sead and KI.
Dante will probably point to Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert’s points per game stats, which are much higher than Sead and Kenny’s. However, JTIII intentionally doesn’t play Sead and Kenny until the end of blowout games, which skews their statlines. We should get beyond a literalist interpretation to look at their intangibles. At the end of the Stetson game we witnessed magic on the court: Sead passed to a wide-open Izzo underneath the basket who cruised artfully for an easy layup. In those two seconds the statline read “Dizdarevic: 1 assist, 0 turnovers; Izzo: 1-1, 2 points, 0 turnovers.” If we extrapolate that over the course of the game, Sead would have 1,200 assists and zero turnovers with Izzo having 2,400 points. Green’s and Hibbert’s stats can’t touch that. All we need to do is get JTIII to start playing the two more often. We should all write him letters.
Many of you probably don’t think Sead can carry most of the weight. You might be thinking, “Look, Clay, I know he’s the fan favorite and fun to root for, but he’s just not as good as Jeff Green.” However, one resident basketball expert disagrees. In his Facebook group ‘Sead Dizdarevic: Man or Basketball Machine?’ (of which Sead is not only a member but an officer) Brent Morowitz offers truly prescient analysis.
“Sead set every single NBA record when he was just 2 years old,” Morowitz writes. “His stat line from this game included 340,000 points, 97,456 rebounds, and 16 million blocked shots. Every record cited is just the closest that anyone has ever come to matching Sead.” Morowitz continues, “Sead can decide who wins if there is a tie when playing Tic-Tac-Toe.”
When it comes to those tough games in March Madness, we’re going to want those extra 340,000 points. If it is a close game, we’re going to want him to decide who wins, just as when he plays Tic-Tac-Toe. Some of you might say that Sead doesn’t have the experience necessary to lead a team. However, Sead is a senior, making him more experienced. When it comes to making that key shot or getting that 1200th assist at the end of the game, I’m banking on Sead, because he has the experience that matters.
I was also impressed with Kenny Izzo’s intensity and determination when I saw him playing at Yates this summer. I mentioned to him how excited I was to see him playing in the summer league games. He uttered the soon-to-be-most famous words in basketball: “I’m going to have a breakout game this weekend. Get a #4 Jersey.” Unfortunately, I didn’t get a #4 Jersey, but I recommend we all go out and get Izzo jerseys this week to support his soon-to-be breakout season.
Remember, these guys are seniors and have the experience needed to lead. They will key leaders for the Hoyas this season, so that they can go out on top.
