The Big East has long been the preferred stomping ground of the nation’s best big men. From Derrick Coleman (Syracuse) to Walter Berry (St. John’s) to Emeka Okafor (UConn), the conference has been synonymous with power basketball in the last three decades. It is a tradition that began right here on the Hilltop with Big John, Patrick Ewing, and the rough-and-tough style of play they engendered.
To be the best in the Big East, a team must have an aggressive, no-easy-buckets mentality on defense,and depth in the front-court to keep itself out of foul trouble. While the Hoyas have the first of those two traits covered this season, the second has proven to be their biggest weakness through the five games played this year.
With Greg Monroe starting at center and DaJuan Summers playing power forward, the Hoyas frontcourt arguably features the team’s two best players. But many would say that neither is playing at his natural position-the best fit for Summers is small forward, while Monroe should be at power forward. With only two true post players (Julian Vaughn and Henry Sims) on the bench, though, John Thompson III has little flexibility in his lineup.
This lack of interior depth has created a host of problems for the Hoyas in early-season play. In every game to date, foul trouble has forced either Summers or Monroe to the bench early in the first half. For the smaller Summers, one can’t help but think this is largely a consequence of his having to defend taller, stronger post players, a tendency that could be exposed further come the Big East regular season, when he’ll have to square off against such bruisers as Pitt’s Sam Young, Louisville’s Earl Clark., and UConn’s Jeff Adrien. Things won’t get any easier for Monroe, either, with two preseason All-Americans-UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet and Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody-among the players he’ll face.
Another concern for the Hoyas has been rebounding. The team has been out-rebounded in three of the first five games of the season-in the loss to Tennessee, but also in victories over Wichita State and Jacksonville, two undersized mid-major teams. What’s most alarming is the high number of offensive rebounds the Hoya defense has allowed. One can pinpoint a six-point possession by the Volunteers, aided by three consecutive offensive boards, as the turning point in the Hoyas’ only loss this season. Tennessee cut an eight-point deficit down to two, and riding the momentum of the quick turnaround, they pulled away in the game’s waning minutes.
The key for Georgetown will be the development of two relatively inexperienced post-men: the aforementioned Vaughn, a sophomore transfer, and Sims, a highly-touted freshman who has yet to live up to his billing. If these two can provide some much-needed relief for Monroe and Summers inside the paint, the Hoyas will be able to compete with anyone in the Big East. If not, Thompson may have to tweak the offense to give it more of a small-ball look, surrounding one post player with four guards at times. While small-ball may not suit the Hoyas as well as pounding the ball inside, there is a precedent for its success, even in the Big East. In the 2005-2006 season, Villanova dominated the conference while starting four players less than six-feet, four-inches tall.
That being said, they don’t call Georgetown “Big Man U” for nothing, and if an unheralded, clumsy freshman by the name of Roy Hibbert can become an All-American, Big John and JTIII should have no trouble working their magic on two players as talented as Vaughn and Sims.
Compare sizes with Walker at wjl8@georgetown.edu
