Hollis Thompson chose the right time to have his best game in a Georgetown uniform. In the opening round of last year’s NCAA Tournament, he scored a career-high 26 points, shot 80 percent from the field, and grabbed seven rebounds.
The most remarkable part of Thompson’s statline, however, was how little it mattered. Georgetown was embarrassed by a Final Four-bound VCU squad, 74-56.
Eight months later, Thompson returns to a very different team than the one that was run off the court in Chicago. Starters Chris Wright, Austin Freeman, and Julian Vaughn have graduated, while Thompson’s classmates Vee Sanford and Jerrelle Benimon have transferred. In their place are five well-regarded but unproven freshmen.
That leaves Thompson as the third-most senior member of the Hoyas and the sole junior on the roster. Georgetown’s fortunes this season will largely depend on the performance of the 6-foot-8 forward from Los Angeles. That doesn’t just mean replicating his output against VCU–the Hoyas need Thompson to complete his game and make sure that his double-digit scoring efforts don’t come in double-digit losses.
Thompson knows that much more is expected from him. But he isn’t letting the weight of those expectations affect his approach to the season.
“It doesn’t change my mindset that much,” Thompson said. “I have to approach everything as I did last year. I think if I do that I’ll be fine.”
That’s not to say Thompson hasn’t worked on his game. A large part of his offseason regimen focused on bulking up his lanky frame. Speaking in October, Thompson estimated he had added about 10 pounds since the end of last season, flexing his muscles to a group of reporters for effect.
After spending much of his first two seasons playing on the perimeter, the added weight should allow him to play closer to the basket more often. He may also be playing with ball in the open floor more. Improving his ball handling skills was another focus of his summer training.
Thompson’s offseason work wasn’t confined to the gym. He said that he also tried to prepare himself for a leadership role on this year’s squad. With so many young players on the team, there is a void in that area that needs to be filled.
Presumably, seniors Jason Clark and Henry Sims would be expected to take on that role by virtue of their experience, but there is certainly room for Thompson to step in. According to head coach John Thompson III, team leaders emerge organically, not by virtue of rank or seniority.
“The leaders, that will work itself out,” he said. “A lot of times as a coach, you can say, ‘Billy’s the leader.’ And you can say that, but when you go to the locker room, Billy’s not the leader.”
If Thompson can consistently perform as well as he did against VCU, it shouldn’t be hard for him to gain the respect of the locker room (at least, as long as the Hoyas are winning). But after last season, it wasn’t clear that Thompson would even be back in the Georgetown locker room.
In late April, Thompson declared for the NBA Draft without hiring an agent, leaving a return to college open. Still, he fully tested the professional waters, participating in workouts with multiple teams until withdrawing just a day prior to the May 8 deadline.
Thompson ultimately decided to return to school because he found there were a number of aspects of his game that he could still improve at Georgetown. But he said the feedback he got made entering the draft a worthwhile experience.
“I just got to see how professionals go about it and how people expect professionals to go about it,” he said. “I saw what I could see myself doing basketball-wise as far as being better for myself and for my team.”
The one thing Thompson can’t do much better is shoot the basketball. He has shot 44.9 percent on three-pointers in his career, the best mark in Georgetown history among players with at least 100 attempts. Despite the other improvements in his game, his shot is still Thompson’s biggest strength and the one the team will rely on most. Thompson is “very excited” to have the green light more often, as he plans to carry more of the scoring load.
Still, as last March proved, the Hoyas need to have Thompson do more than just score in order to win. Only the season will tell whether he was successful in rounding out his game this summer, but if he was, an under-the-radar Georgetown team will have the player it needs to keep both NBA scouts and the NCAA Selection Committee paying attention through the spring.
