DaJuan Summers enjoys a summer of growth

Junior forward DaJuan Summers always shows up when it matters.  When the Hoyas needed one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the program to beat North Carolina in a 2007 NCAA Regional Final, he answered the call, scoring a then career-high 20 points.  When they needed a late three-pointer to beat Louisville and clinch a second straight Big East title last year, he was there, nailing a game-winning twenty-five footer with 40 seconds left.  So when  Summers didn’t show up this June for Kenner League-Georgetown basketball’s unofficial summer school-people took notice.

For the Hoyas, the 2008-2009 season represents a year of change.  The roster features only two players-Summers and senior guard Jessie Sapp-who have more than a year of experience in John Thompson III’s system.  It’s no surprise, then, that some fans were taken aback when Summers decided to pass up a summer with his new teammates to participate in a pair of summer skills academies hosted by Lebron James and Vince Carter.  But according to Summers, the change of scenery was just what the doctor ordered

“I needed to work on physical things and individual things that I felt I wouldn’t be shown in a game,” he said. “As a basketball player, I think it’s good to play against a lot of different competition. So, no, I don’t think I missed out on too much.”

Summers came to Georgetown as one-third of one of the most anticipated freshman classes in the program’s recent history.  Two years later, he is the only one that remains after Vernon Macklin and Jeremiah Rivers transferred last spring.  In their absence, Summers will be asked to shoulder much of the load for the Hoyas this season, especially as the team’s four newcomers-freshmen Jason Clark, Henry Sims, and Greg Monroe, along with sophomore transfer Julian Vaughn-struggle through early season growing pains.

But Summers denied feeling any added pressure, displaying a quiet confidence present in everything from his off-court demeanor to the mechanics of his jump-shot.  His release is quick but not rushed, and always in rhythm.  He catches and shoots in one fluid motion, bending smoothly at the knees before an effortless jump off the floor. The low-arcing path the ball takes toward the rim is what some people would call a “flat shot”-it’s similar to the path the ball takes when released by Kobe Bryant or Tracy McGrady.  Like those players, Summers makes the game look easy at times.  It’s one reason why people have such high expectations for him this season.

When asked which former teammate he has learned the most from at Georgetown, Summers didn’t hesitate.

“Jeff [Green],” he said. But the junior stopped short of comparing himself to the Hoya great. “I guess it’s a necessary evil that people are going to compare me to Jeff because we’re the same position, same body type.  But we’re two different players and we bring two different styles to the game.”

Still, it is impossible to overlook the similarities between the two.  Summers is listed at 6’8″, 236 pounds entering his junior season.  At the same point in his career, Jeff checked in at 6’9″, 235.  Summers averaged 11.1 points and 5.4 rebounds as a sophomore.  Jeff managed 11.9 and 6.5.

The question on every Hoya fan’s mind is how close Summers can come to recreating Jeff’s junior season-the one that earned him Big East Player of the Year honors and saw the Hoyas reach their first Final Four in decades.  Jeff’s numbers that year (14.3 points and 6.4 rebounds) were underwhelming, but the mark of a great player isn’t his stat-line-it’s the intangibles.  It’s staying involved in the offense on days the shots just won’t go down.  It’s maintaining the same level of intensity on both ends of the court.  It’s being a leader when the younger guys need guidance, on or off the court.  It’s rising to the occasion. Summers knows all of this.

“Coach always told me last season, ‘you’re so talented, you don’t know how talented you are,'” he said. “In today’s game, everybody gets caught up in scoring-the highlights, the dunks-but you can affect the game in so many other ways just hustling, rebounding, or stealing the ball.  Understanding and buying into that has been the most important thing for me this offseason.”

Sure, Summers has proven himself capable of showing up when it matters.  The question this year will be if he can show up every night and become the “all-around player” that Coach Thompson wants him to be.  If the answer is yes, and Summers finally exceeds the enormous expectations that have been placed upon him, the Hoyas will be as strong as ever.