Coming into this season, Jessie Sapp was expected to be a major contributor on a young Hoyas squad. The senior guard, fresh off a season in which he averaged 9.7 points per game and shot 43.8 percent from the field, looked to be the team’s leader by virtue of both his veteran experience and his shooting prowess.
But after a solid, if not spectacular, start to the season, Sapp has all but disappeared in a prolonged slump. He hasn’t scored in double figures since the December 8 match-up against Savannah State, and he is averaging just 4.2 points per game on 21.2 percent shooting since Big East play began. This uncharacteristic stretch has prompted some unconventional instruction.
“My mother called and told me that I’m releasing the ball too early,” Sapp said last week.
Unfortunately, Sapp admits his mother does not know too much about basketball, and her well-meaning advice did not help him regain his touch in two games last week, when he went 1-of-6 from the field for a combined two points against Syracuse and Duke.
Backcourt companion Chris Wright did not have a particularly strong week either. After scoring seven points (but doing little else statistically) against Syracuse, the sophomore had a poor shooting performance against Duke, going 1-of-6 for three points.
Not coincidentally, both Sapp and Wright found themselves on the bench to start the second half against Duke.
“I think we continue to see our comfort level with different groups,” head coach John Thompson III said. “It’s going to be a different group on different nights, depending on the flow, depending on what my feel is, and what I think is working and what is not working.”
In a season where center Greg Monroe has emerged as one of the top freshman in the country and forward DaJuan Summers has established himself as a dominant inside-outside threat, Georgetown’s fortunes have often rested on its guard play. Losses to Pitt, Notre Dame, and Duke have all been marked by subpar showings from at least two of the trio of Sapp, Wright, and Austin Freeman.
When West Virginia comes to the Verizon Center on Thursday, the outcome will likely once again rest in the hands of the Hoya backcourt. Monroe and Summers should not have much trouble overpowering the undersized Mountaineers team, but the guard match-up is another story.
Senior guard Alex Ruoff is a commanding presence at 6’6” and leads West Virginia with 16.5 points per game. The Hoyas will likely not have to face point guard Joe Mazzulla, who has missed the last nine games with a shoulder injury. But his replacement, freshman Darryl Bryant, averages 10.5 points per game.
Ideally, resurgent play from Wright and Sapp would neutralize the Mountaineer backcourt. But the Hoyas could also turn to Jason Clark, who has become the team’s most consistent producer off the bench. The lanky freshman, who is shooting an impressive 51.2 percent from the field, has demonstrated an ability to score and contribute with hustle plays at both ends of the floor—just the kind of play one would expect from a player Sapp calls his “little brother.”
“He reminds me of myself so much,” Sapp said.“We work so hard, we play so hard. Sometimes the things that we do, people don’t really notice. It’s not on the stat sheet.”
Sapp never lost those intangibles throughout his slump. If he can combine them with a few more baskets, Georgetown should have plenty of firepower to take on the a potentially dangerous Mountaineers squad. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday night.
