Few things are as comforting or nerve-wracking as a clean slate. Just ask this year’s horde of new students, whose current list of collegiate accomplishments is nothing but a rough outline written in the faint ink of ambition and expectation. Three incoming freshmen, though, have been busy making an early mark on the Hilltop this summer.
Greg Monroe, Henry Sims and Jason Clark reassured die-hard Georgetown fans that the future is bright for Hoya Basketball. In the annual midsummer sneak peak known as the Jabbo Kenner League, Coach John Thompson III’s newest batch of recruits was impressive and, more importantly, comforting to a fan base that has seen many of its favorite faces move on.
The trio’s summer success almost certainly provided an even greater relief to Thompson, who said an early goodbye to two of his three 2006/2007 recruits in the spring. That’s not to say that one summer of play guarantees that these recruits will spend four years in the District, but Thompson can take comfort in the fact that his three rookies were able to lead the Tombs team past some of the best college and professional talent in the area for the Kenner League Championship.
Greg “The Doctrine” Monroe is far and away the most highly touted recruit. As the top high school player in the country for his class, Monroe is no stranger to scrutiny and lofty expectations. The 6’11” center from Louisiana showed this summer that he is capable of pretty much anything on a basketball court, whether it’s rebounding, blocking shots, dunking, running the floor or shooting the mid-range jumper. At 250 pounds he is big enough to hold his own in the Big East and is likely to get even stronger during the off-season. Nothing was clearer this summer than the fact that Monroe is one of the five best players on the team—he should find his way into the starting line-up by the season’s opening tip.
At a lanky 6’10” and 225 pounds, Sims is slight enough to hide in Monroe’s shadow for much of his freshman year. But for Hoya fans that saw DaJuan Summers become a dominant force while McDonald’s All-American and top recruit Vernon Macklin sat on the bench for two years, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise if Sims makes a bigger impact than expected. His size will be the biggest factor in the Big East, but within the confines of McDonough gymnasium this summer he shined on offense and defense, posting 26 points in Monroe’s absence to lock up the championship game.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of all was 6’2” guard Jason Clark. If you didn’t get to see Clark play at all this summer, think Ewing Jr.’s energy and vertical leap combined with Chris Wright’s speed. If you find that intriguing, just wait and see for yourself, because Clark is likely to earn playing time, if not this season then certainly the next, when another spot will open up in the backcourt. Clark scored 14 points in the Kenner championship and is a favorite pick for summer league MVP on Hoya chat rooms and message boards.
The rest of the incoming freshmen that roll onto campus this weekend shouldn’t begrudge the trio’s early impact, especially considering the fun they’ll have watching them in the winter. Besides, no other first-years will garner as much scrutiny as these three. While their success isn’t guaranteed, they’ve given a pretty clear indicator that they won’t disappoint.
