The Return of Jeff Green

Maybe it was Davis Barker's Crisco comment in the Washington Times. Maybe it was the slew of NBA scouts in the crowd. Maybe it was the simple realization that enough is enough. Whatever the reason, Jeff Green had his best game of the season last night in the Hoyas's 14-point win over DePaul.



Realizing that we were seeing Jeff return to form, I excitedly Blackberried the IBP during the game. He replied that he thought Jeff was having an "okay" game. I think most people saw it differently. Jeff didn't single-handedly dominate the Blue Demons, but he did pretty much everything right. He was aggressive when he needed be, making strong moves to the basket and finishing with some authority. When he had an open shot from down town he took it. When a pass was the best option, that's what he did.

Barker Davis (the same Barker Davis who blasted Green in yesterday's Times) agreed. In an article today he notes:

The victory keeps the Hoyas (14-5, 4-2 Big East) among the league's leaders just behind Pittsburgh (18-3, 6-1) as Georgetown prepares for the softest back-to-back games of its conference slate vs. Cincinnati on Saturday and at St. John's on Feb. 1. Frankly, if Green plays the rest of the season like he did last night, the level of competition might not matter much....

It's not as if Green put on a one-on-five clinic against DePaul. He simply struck the perfect balance of demanding and deferring within coach John Thompson III's system. He routinely stepped to the fore late in the shot clock when his teammates needed a play and led the Hoyas in shot attempts. He almost never forced his game, committing only one turnover to set the tone for a Georgetown bunch that made a season-low seven miscues despite relentless fullcourt pressure from the Blue Demons.

For the rest of the article, click here.