Better Luck With The Hoyas?

All it took was two games. Yesterday Team USA was bounced from medal competition in the Pan American Games with a 67-75 loss to Panama (more coverage). This was the second of Team USA's games. The first was a loss to Uruguay by a score of 81-72.

Roy's play seems to have been a bit inconsistent. In game one Big Roy had nine points, shooting four for five from the field He had had two rebounds, but zero blocked shots. He only played 14 minutes. I'm guessing that fouls plaed a role in Hibbert's less than stellar performance, since he fouled out of the game. I hope that is not a sign of things to come.

FG-FGA	FG-FGA	FT-FTA	OF	DE	TOT	PF	TP	A	TO	BLK	S	MIN
4-5	0-0	1-2	0	2	2	5	9	1	1	0	1	14

He seemed to play better in game two, leading team USA with 19 points and nine rebounds. Without having seen the game, the difference seems to have been the fouls. This should not be surprising to anyone that watched Hibbert play for the Hoyas last season. A propensity for dumb, quick fouls has always been a problem for Roy and his development on this front will be very important in determining his effectiveness both this year at Georgetown and in the NBA.

FG-FGA	FG-FGA	FT-FTA	OF	DE	TOT	PF	TP	A	TO	BLK	S	MIN
8-14	0-0	3-5	6	3	9	3	19	1	2	2	2	28

Regardless of Roy's individual play, one has to ask...Uruguay?...Panama? Team USA sure has falled far.

Yet Another Roy Hibbert Post

Any Hoya that has read the press coverage of Roy Hibbert's try outs for the US's Pan American Games team can't help but feel proud. We talked a lot last season at the image that the Hoyas portray under JTIII. The team always looked and acted professionally. In doing so they reflected extremely well on University. I mean, look at the way Jeff Green conducted himself in the days leading up to the NBA draft. He was the only player who regularly wore a suit and tie to meetings with the various teams. And The VBB weren't the only ones that noticed. Both the mainstream media and NBA execs noted this. This is definitely different than the image that Georgetown basketball put forth during its hey day in the 1980s.

Then there is Roy. Roy has gone above and beyond. Not only does he act professionally, but he has shown that a big time player in a big time program can actually love college! It's sad that this seems so shocking, but it is. We live in a day and age where college sports are little more than a minor league for future professional athletes. You almost never hear student-athletes talk about the "student" side of their title--especially not as it pertains to academics. You definitely don't expect them to cite their love of being a student as a reason for delaying a lucrative pro career. But that is exactly what Roy Hibbert has said.

Andy Katz of ESPN.com is the latest to write on this subject. His comments reflect my own sentiments exactly.

"I like school," said Hibbert before making the final Pan Am roster. "I'm a government major and have a lot of fun classes. It's easy to go to school, and it would be different if I didn't like school. But it's real fun." . . .

I'm sure there are plenty of cynics out there wondering why that would be newsy, but highly ranked prospects don't usually cite their enthusiasm for education among the reasons they wanted to return to college. That's just a fact gleaned from talking to college players for nearly two decades.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=2940572&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1

It's these types of comments that make Roy's decision so much different than the decision that the Florida players made last year. Their decision was all about basketball. They wanted to show that they could win it all again. Don't get me wrong, I think they also liked the college experience. Anyone who heard Noah's incoherent ramble after winning this year's national championship could tell that the kid has been having a good time in Gainesville. But I don't think it was the academics that he like the best. I don't remember hearing any of those guys talk about how much they liked class.

Now, let's not be naive about Roy's motivations. I know that he wants to try to win a national championship (though he had to know that his chances of making that happen are much lower now that Jeff Green is a Supersonic). I also know that he wants to improve his draft stock. Still, it is clear that his decision was about more than making himself into a top 5 pick.

And I couldn't be prouder because of it.

If Jeff Returns....

one crucial factor that has not been sufficiently explored or analyzed is the impact of Roy's decision on Jeff. As we all know, this is an extremely tight-knit group of young men. Roy's decision to return has likely increased the conflicting emotions Jeff is feeling about leaving his band of brothers and has to be animating to a large degree his hesitation about jumping to the NBA.

My point is that if Roy had decided to stay in the draft, I find it extremely unlikely these discussions about Jeff's return to Georgetown would even be occurring.

More props to Roy!

Roy Spotting

First off, apologies to our loyal readers for my absence of late. I have been under water at work and am only now emerging from the catastrophe that was the NBA Draft Lottery. More on that in another post.

A trusted source informed me earlier this evening that he spotted Roy hanging out at our infrequent contributor Johnny Shades' favorite Georgetown dining establishment, Old Glory. Glad to see the big guy was out having some post-finals fun. Well deserved.

Hibbert Invited to Try Out for Pan-American Games

The AP has reported that Roy Hibbert is one of 30 collegians that USA Basketball has invited to try out for the US team for July's Pan-American games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Best of luck to Roy. If he's going to trade in his Blue and Gray for any other colors, even on a temporary basis, I am glad that they will be Red, White, and Blue.

http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10212564

Barker Weighs in on Green & Hibbert

Barker explains why Roy will be more valuable next season than Jeff could have been. He's right on all of it, and indeed a number of these points have been made in this blog:

"1) You can't teach ..." : "Guess how many 6-10 or taller players who averaged double digits in scoring, six or more rebounds and two or more blocks will be returning to major-conference rosters next season? Hibbert (12.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.4 blocks) ... and, well ... Hibbert. That's it. Just one. And, as Thompson has always been quick to point out, Big Roy has only begun to scratch the surface of his potential. Green came to Georgetown with a high hoops IQ and an incredible skill set for a prepster. Of course, he improved, particularly his game away from the hoop. But few players in recent hoops history have enjoyed Hibbert's near-stratospheric developmental arc. "

"2) Team Need": "While 'Big Ticket' showed flashes of the game that made him a McDonald's All-American at Hargrave Military Academy, his 9.8 minutes-per game average and single season in the system leave him less prepared to fill the void that would have been left by Hibbert than the player who will likely be asked to assume Green's starting role: rising senior Patrick Ewing Jr. (14.5 minutes). Throw in gifted wing man DaJuan Summers, who enjoyed an exemplary freshman season (9.2 points), and incoming McDonald's All-American Austin Freeman (DeMatha), and the Hoyas actually have three NBA-caliber talents to share the onus of replacing Green's myriad contributions as the team's point-forward."

"3) Gameplan": "As good as Green was in his three seasons, Hibbert represents a far more daunting matchup problem for opponents on both ends of the floor. Defensively, Hibbert's ability to alter shots and provide help on dribble-drive proponents makes the paint a virtual no-fly zone for Georgetown opponents."

http://washingtontimes.com/blogs/storyview.php?StoryID=20070524-064817-9430r&TopicsID=discourse

Barker is correct on all counts. I think that #2 is the big one for me. There are three players who can step up and pick up the slack for Jeff. And although they have not been as dramatic as Jeff's, Summers's dagger 3's in a number of big games took some serious stones. I think he will want to take the big shot in next year's Vandy, Nova, or Notre Dame-type game. You thrown in Freeman and Ewing, who got markedly better as the year wore on, and I think the void can be filled. Add to that player development--I think Roy, DaJaun and Ticket will all seriously elavate their games--and Freeman and Wright, and I think next year's team will be a better one come March than this year's was. That's not to say they will definitely be in San Antonio, but I think one has to put them among the top 4 or 5 contenders--particularly when you factor in post-season experience that teams like Memphis and Kansas can't match.