Madness Coming Soon To The Hilltop

Among a number of high-profile recruits who will be attending GU's midnight madness on October 12th will be none other than the consensus #1 recruit in the country, Greg Monroe. For a long time now, it has been reported that the Hoyas are a leader, if not in the lead, for Mr. Monroe's services. GU is really a perfect fit for him. He is a Jeff Green-type player, a versatile big man who can do it all, and unselfish to a fault according to some. JTIII can mold him into a top-5 pick, like he did Green. Further, Monroe is an excellent student and has stated that he wants to attend an academically competitive school. The other leaders all along have been Duke and LSU. Duke's profile is similar to GU's, but it doesn't have the Jeff Green model in place. LSU is his hometown school. Monroe has lined up visits for LSU for the weekend of October 5th and GU for midnight madness the following week. He has not scheduled visits with his other three finalists, Duke, UConn, and Texas. I can see the appeal of Duke and Texas, but I was really shocked that UConn made the list. Hopefully, he'll commit after he visits the Hilltop. Here is a local Louisiana newspaper's take:

Greg Monroe, a 6-foot-10, 230-pound forward from Helen Cox High School of Harvey, trimmed his recruiting list to five schools — LSU, Georgetown, Duke, Texas and Connecticut. Kansas, Baylor and Southern California were eliminated from the final pool of eight Monroe selected earlier this month. The No. 1-ranked player in the Class of 2008 by Rivalshoops.com and Scout.com, Monroe will make an official visit to LSU next weekend and follow that with an official trip to Georgetown Oct. 12-14. The other three official visits have not been set up, although Helen Cox coach Tyrone Mouzon said he expects Monroe to fill out his schedule soon. However, Mouzon also said it’s possible that Monroe could end the process if he arrives at a decision before he takes all the visits allotted by NCAA rules. Throughout his high-profile recruitment, Monroe has said he is leaning toward not signing a national letter of intent until the spring signing period. Mouzon said Monroe told him Friday he could sign during the early national signing period (Nov. 14-21).

"It could be early or it could be late," Mouzon said. "Whenever it feels right, Greg will make a decision and he’ll do so because he’s found all the answers he needs and feels comfortable. "Greg is just going through this at his own pace. He realizes what kind of position he’s in, and he knows he holds the cards. He’s not trying to hold anybody hostage; he just wants to think things out as thoroughly as he can." Monroe has been LSU’s top target from the Class of 2008 for more than three years. The 2007 Class 4A Outstanding Player and Mr. Louisiana Basketball, Monroe is considered a future NBA Draft lottery pick and is likely to play one or two years before heading to the pro level. As a junior last season, he averaged 19.3 points, 12.2 rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists per game and was voted all-state for a second straight year.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/10108586.html

Barker Says About $900K

Barker Davis reports in today's Washington Times that while financial terms of JTIII's extension have not yet been released, sources indicated that he will receive about $900,000 per year. That represents a doubling of his previous salary.

http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070928/SPORTS/109280117/1005

FINALLY!

Men's Basketball Head Coach John Thompson III Signs Contract Extension

Sept. 27, 2007

Washington, D.C. - Georgetown University announced today that Head Men's Basketball Coach John Thompson III has signed a 6 year extension, through 2013.

"Georgetown University appreciates Coach Thompson's leadership of the men's basketball program." University President Dr Jack DeGioia said. "Off the court, he is an esteemed all-around contributor to the University community and the City of Washington. He has done an outstanding job and this contract extension means he can continue to build upon the program's tradition of success for many years to come."

Athletic Director Bernard Muir said "We're all thrilled to know that the men's basketball program will continue to develop in Coach Thompson's most capable hands."

Coach Thompson said, "I'm extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to do something that I love to do at a place where I love to do it. I truly appreciate the confidence President DeGioia has shown in me and the support we've received from the fans and the university community. This institution provides a great environment for the development of young people as students, as athletes and as complete individuals. I'm glad to be a small part of that and will continue to work as hard as I possibly can while representing Georgetown."

John Thompson III, the 17th Head men's basketball coach in Georgetown University history, was named to the position on April 20th, 2004. Over three seasons he has led the Hoyas to a 72-30 record and trips to the 2005 NIT Quaterfinals, the 2006 NCAA Sweet 16 and, last season, the BIG EAST Conference regular season title, the BIG EAST Tournament Championship and the NCAA Final Four. He was the 2007 National Association of Basketball Coaches Coach of the Year and was named the Black Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2007.

Prior to Georgetown, Thompson was the Head Coach of the Princeton Tigers from 2000- 2004, where he won three Ivy League championships. From 1995 to 2000 Thompson served as an assistant coach at Princeton, his alma mater.

http://guhoyas.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/092707aaa.html

Hoyas Lead For Deshonte Riley

i95ballerz.com is reporting that the Hoyas are in the lead for the services of 2009 Michigan big man Deshonte Riley. http://www.i95ballerz.com/story%20-%20deshonte%20riley.html

Riley, who is 6'10, 220 lbs, told them in a recent interview that the Hoyas lead Michigan State, Michigan, Kansas, Memphis and Ohio State. He stated: "I grew up a big Hoya fan and I plan to visit them for their Midnight Madness in October." Midnight Madness visits are always a VERY good sign and often presage commitments.

Riley is ranked #13 in his class by Rivals. Both Rivals and Scout list him as a 5 star recruit. He would certainly be a nice way to kick off the class of 2009, which everyone keeps saying is loaded with talent. For more information about Mr. Riley, please visit http://www.dashonteriley.org/.

Practice Facility On The Way

As has been hinted to in this blog for quite awhile, the University has decided to give JTIII his practice facility. The Hoya confirmed this morning that it will go where the tennis courts currently are located. Why so close to McDonough, you ask. Well, I can only hope that the plans put forth by the Hughs Group (see below) and Brailsford and Dunlavey don't become an issue for the neighbors. Anyway, this is certainly good news.

University Proposes Athletics Facility

The university recently proposed the construction of a new athletic practice facility, which, if approved by the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission next month, may bring Georgetown’s largely criticized athletic facilities closer to being on par with those of its Big East competitors. The proposal comes after months of discussions between university administrators concerning the plans. University spokesperson Julie Bataille said the university plans to erect a 90,000-square-foot, five-story facility on the site of the university’s tennis courts, near McDonough Gymnasium. The facility would house locker rooms, a sports medicine department, weight-training facilities, coaches’ and administrative offices and a basketball court, University Architect Alan Brangman said during a recent Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting, according to The Georgetown Current. The facility would primarily be used by the men’s basketball team and would help to consolidate the athletic department, Brangman said. “There’s a strong belief that we would do much better if the locker rooms and offices were all located in one building, rather than subdivided,” Brangman said in the article. The proposal is set to be voted on by the ANC on Oct. 2 and D.C.’s Zoning Commission on Oct. 22. The university anticipates that construction of the project would commence after the completion of the new science facility, which is tentatively scheduled for 2010. Georgetown hopes to be granted a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certificate, which is awarded to the owners of environmentally friendly buildings, the article said.

http://www.thehoya.com/news/092107/news2.cfm

One would assume that this has been the reason for the delay in finalizing JTIII's extension. Let's hope we hear about that soon too! There has been no word on how this will be funded, but presumably the Board of Directors has already given it a green light. I suppose they figure the University won't have any trouble raising sufficient funds over the next three years. I know that the VBBs will certainly step up!

Online Gambling Fatality

Johnny Shades - Be careful . . .


http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/09/17/internet.death.ap/index.html

2007-08 Schedule Released

2007-2008 SCHEDULE ( Click on an event for complete event information )

Date	Opponent / Event	Location	Time/Result
11/10/07	vs. William & Mary	Verizon Center	12:00 p.m. ET
11/15/07	vs. Michigan	Verizon Center	7:30 p.m. ET
11/21/07	at Ball State	Worthen Arena	7:00 p.m. ET
11/28/07	at Old Dominion	Convocation Center	TBA
12/01/07	vs. Fairfield	Verizon Center	1:00 p.m. ET
BIG EAST/SEC Invitational
12/05/07	at Alabama	Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center	7:00 p.m. ET
12/09/07	vs. Jacksonville	Verizon Center	1:00 p.m. ET
12/15/07	vs. Radford	McDonough Arena	7:30 p.m. ET
12/22/07	at Memphis	Fedex Forum	12:00 p.m. ET
12/29/07	vs. American	Verizon Center	1:00 p.m. ET
12/31/07	vs. Fordham	Verizon Center	2:00 p.m. ET
01/05/08	at Rutgers	Rutgers Athletic Center	TBA
01/08/08	at DePaul	Allstate Arena	TBA
01/12/08	vs. Connecticut	Verizon Center	2:00 p.m. ET
01/14/08	at Pittsburgh	Petersen Center	7:00 p.m. ET
01/19/08	vs. Notre Dame	Verizon Center	TBA
01/21/08	vs. Syracuse	Verizon Center	7:00 p.m. ET
01/26/08	at West Virginia	Morgantown Coliseum	7:00 p.m. ET
01/30/08	at St. John's	Madison Square Garden	TBA
02/02/08	vs. Seton Hall	Verizon Center	TBA
02/05/08	vs. USF	Verizon Center	TBA
02/09/08	at Louisville	Freedom Hall	9:00 p.m. ET
02/11/08	vs. Villanova	Verizon Center	7:00 p.m. ET
02/16/08	at Syracuse	Carrier Dome	12:00 p.m. ET
02/18/08	at Providence	Dunkin Donuts Center	4:00 p.m. ET
02/23/08	vs. Cincinnati	Verizon Center	TBA
02/27/08	vs. St. John's	Verizon Center	TBA
03/01/08	at Marquette	Bradley Center	2:00 p.m. ET
03/08/08	vs. Louisville	Verizon Center	12:00 p.m. ET

Road Trip

Someday this blog needs to have an offsite in Kinderhook, NY...

http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/08/24/travel/escapes/24trip.html?em&ex=1188100800&en=b7b60c985c379347&ei=5087%0A

5 To Win It All

The Sporting News has write-ups on the five college basketball teams it thinks could win a national championship next year. Along with Georgetown, it lists Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina, and UCLA. Here's the Georgetown entry:

Georgetown

Required NBA-type talent: C Roy Hibbert, SF DaJuan Summers, SG Austin Freeman, PG Chris Wright.
Perimeter shooting: Absolutely. For a big freshman, Summers did a nice job in this department. Jonathan Wallace is accurate and makes them under pressure. But no one else is a volume shooter.
Size and power: Starting with 7-2 Hibbert, maybe more than any other contender.
Breakdown scorer: Georgetown did not have this sort of player last year, although Jeff Green was very clever at creating opportunities because of his ballhandling skill. Freeman might be the guy.
Point guard play: Not a strength. The Hoyas rely a lot on the Princeton system, which does not demand the point guard be creative. But if Wright can squeeze into the lineup crowded with Wallace and Jessie Sapp, he might provide this kind of spark.
X-factor: Can you win a championship playing Princeton ball? Well, yeah, you can win the Ivy League. And Georgetown proved you can win the Big East. Can you win it all, though? Or does the system ultimately stifle the greatest talents?

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/news;_ylt=Ai.rbQYF1UAEqIWXudfWfwXevbYF?slug=ourpickforchampionisamon&prov=tsn&type=lgns

I have a few quibbles with this. First, and most obviously, after a Final Four appearance last year, there is no way that anyone can ask the question: "Can you win a championship playing Princeton ball?" We were two games from doing so last year. And why in the heck can an offense that permits you to win a Big East Championship and a Big East Regular Season Championship not permit the team to win a national championship. That's just silly. Also, how can you pencil Freeman and Wright in as NBA talent, and then claim that guard play is a problem? Finally, Wright is going to be a breakdown scorer before Freeman. Not that Freeman can't get to the hoop, but he won't really do so in a classic "breakdown."

Ball State Update

After getting kicked around in the local and national press for a few months now, Ronny has come out swinging with a Michael Wilbon article today in the Washington Post. I think most people recognize Wilbon as a pretty fair guy, so if he's seen the evidence and is convinced, I wouldn't be surprised if a jury would see it similarly. I imagine this will be settled out of court, but as they say, the plot thickens.

Picture Becomes Clearer At Ball State, and It's Not Pretty

There are people at Ball State who want you to believe everything that went wrong is Ronny Thompson's fault. They tell folks Thompson is arrogant and distant and a bad basketball coach. They tell you Thompson didn't extend himself to the booster club. They point to a new black coach as indication that everything's hunky-dory on campus and that Thompson's claims of a racially hostile environment are bogus, despite the coach's photos of hateful signs laying on the floor of what used to be his office. What they don't tell you is that the Ball State athletic program was already dealing with a selling-books-for-profit scandal that suggested to the NCAA a lack of institutional control and took place long before Ronny Thompson was hired. Some of these same Ball State people aren't forthcoming with the fact that the basketball team had only five players when Thompson arrived and was told by his boss to pass on cocktail parties and concentrate on recruiting. They don't tell you that they didn't even have basketballs for practice or that the players weren't going to class. They don't tell you Ronny's wife was so worried about the expression of racial hostility that she put her two children in the car and drove from the Ball State campus in Muncie, Ind., to Chicago. They don't tell you that Thompson and his attorney allege the violation of federal civil rights laws, state civil rights laws and the school's own equal employment opportunity policies. And they certainly don't tell you that Thompson, at the insistence of his suspicious pop, Big John, kept a detailed diary of every meeting and phone call, with quotes, notes, times and supporting e-mails. He has photos, tape recordings and memos that he shared on a recent afternoon while telling his story.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/13/AR2007081301102.html?hpid=sec-sports

Reggie Miller a Boston Celtic????

If this happens, Boston will move in one season from the youngest team in the league to probably the oldest. See http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2966170

Another Rivers? Another Austin?

Interesting tidbit from Jeremiah Rivers about his brother's basketball ability. I imagine JTIII will monitor his development.

Georgetown guard Jeremiah Rivers was as excited as anyone when the Boston Celtics landed Kevin Garnett earlier in the week. Rivers’ father is Celtics coach Doc Rivers. Jeremiah also said that his little brother, 15-year-old Austin, is the real deal. "He’s 6-foot-2 and can shoot lights out. He’s kind of like Austin Freeman."

http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/goodmanonfox/2007/08/03/COLLEGE_HOOP_CALENDAR_NEEDS_BREAK

Clark Shines in Las Vegas

NBADraft.net has posted its list of the top 20 performers from the 2007 RBK Summer Championships. As has been reported here, the duo of Chris Braswell and Jason Clark performed very well. But Clark's performance earned him a spot on NBADraft's top 20.

17. Jason Clark 6'3 PG Woodbridge, VA. (DC Triple Threat) Georgetown has always loved long, athletic guards that can defend. They found a gem in Jason Clark. He showed in Vegas that he does have an offensive game. Strong with the bounce, end to end speed, decent jumper but where he excels is defensively. And not just quick hands or anticipation either...but a true lock down defender with excellent footwork. Future Big East defensive player of the year.

http://www.nbadraft.net/2007lasvegas005.asp

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.

The Future: Clark and Braswell Lighting It Up

Courtesy of ESPN.com here is Scout.com's report on the AAU Reebok Summer Championships in Las Vegas. It reads, in pertinent part:

The second semifinal saw Triple Threat defeat Belmont Shores, 82-71. Belmont Shores had just six players due to injuries. Triple Threat was led by the Georgetown-bound duo, PF Chris Braswell (Hyattsville, Md.) and Jason Clark. Braswell dominated with 24 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks. Clark delivered another brilliant performance with 22 points and 15 rebounds to go along with five assists. . . . Jeff Withey, despite playing on tired legs and being physically manhandled by Braswell, still managed to score 13 points and grab six rebounds.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/news/story?id=2946438

Top 10 Players in the Big East

ProFantasySports.com has published a projection of the top 10 players in the Big East for next year. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this guy is not a Hoyas fan. Grantedly, Georgetown is the only team with two players in the top 10 but the fact that he leaves out Jon Wallace and DaJaun Summers shows that he doesn't watch a lot of Hoyas action.

1. C Roy Hibbert, Georgetown Hoyas
Hibbert’s inclusion at the top of the heap provides a nice sense of symmetry. The number ten player was a Hoya and as mentioned in the Gransberry paragraph, Hibbert was number one last year in my preseason report. While he was quite good, he didn’t really bear that ranking out because of the excellence of other players, such as his teammate Green, Gransberry, and Villanova F Curtis Sumpter. Yet, here I am again, giving Hibbert perhaps undue props. In the Big East, he is just a unique player – big, agile, and skilled. His 2006-07 numbers were solid (12.6 ppg on 67.1% from the field, 6.9 rpg, and 2.4 bpg), but like Reynolds he finished the season on an upswing with five double-doubles in the Big East championship game and first four rounds of the NCAA tournament. The dub-dub streak eventually ended against Greg Oden, but Hibbert should be second to no center in 2007-08.

. . . .

10. G Austin Freeman*, Georgetown Hoyas
Hoya fans may weep at the departure of do-everything forward Jeff Green to the NBA, but the team is stocked with talent (as shown by the Elite Eight run) and has an excellent incoming freshman class. Freeman is the lead star of the class and should get plenty of minutes at the shooting guard position. The graduate of famed DeMatha high school in near Baltimore will keep defenses from packing the free throw line by hitting three-pointers. He should fit into the Hoya defensive schemes as well and should be able to use his strength to deter opposing penetrators. It may take some time for Freeman to get adjusted to the Princeton-style offense of caoch John Thompson III, but once he gets his feet wet, the sky is the limit for the 6-4 guard.

http://www.profantasysports.com/easycite/collegebasketball.php?PID=7080&spid=6

By the way, what Elite Eight run is he talking about?!?! The run to the Elite Eight was largely Jeff Green fueled--Wallace and Summers deserve a lot of the credit for the win over UNC to reach the FINAL FOUR. Also, DeMatha is a lot closer to D.C. than Baltimore. Finally, he does not adjust Hibbert's numbers for the pace of the game. He should have included at least his remarkable shooting percentage.

Jeff's Impact on Hoya Recruiting

It has been widely reported that coaches going up against JTIII in recruiting battles have been talking smack about the Princeton offense. I think that the recent success of Jeff Green will not only lay to rest those criticisms but can be used effectively in selling GU's system -- particularly to big men. Somebody get this article to Greg Monroe!

Shining in the shadows

[A]fter a 32-point, 13-rebound effort in Seattle’s final Vegas summer game Sunday against Portland, Green is no longer an afterthought. Green’s versatility was one of the main reasons Sonics general manager Sam Presti was willing to trade franchise player Ray Allen on draft day for the opportunity to get Green with Boston’s No. 5 pick. “Our staff felt like Jeff would be a tremendous complement to Kevin,” Presti said. “He’s a player that doesn’t need the ball to be effective. He’s a tremendous facilitator and passer. He’s got a great acumen for the game. “When he was at Georgetown, playing in that system really helped make him better. He’s played in situations and he’s played in parameters that really helped him develop as an all-around basketball player.”

For somebody known for his willingness to pass first, Green piled up the accolades while at Georgetown. During his junior season he led the Hoyas’ resurgence to national prominence, earning Big East Conference player of the year honors and leading Georgetown to its first Final Four since 1985. “He is an extremely smart player in terms of being able to see things and adjust and adapt,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. “He is comfortable in every situation on the court. He can make plays. But at the end of the day, not only can he get his own, but he makes his teammates better.” Green, who turns 21 on Aug. 28, also was selected the most outstanding player of the Big East tournament and the NCAA tournament’s East Regional. He averaged 14.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists a game last season.

Green said Georgetown’s regimented, Princeton-style offense helped develop his game for the NBA. “Playing at Georgetown allowed me to work on every aspect of my game – dribbling, shooting and playing different positions,” Green said. “So I feel like Georgetown helped me out a lot trying to make this transition to the NBA.”

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/sonics/story/112532.html

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.

Recruiting Update

The recruiting sites have been lighting up with info on two of the Hoyas' primary targets for '08: Michael Dunigan and Greg Monroe.

It looks like Dunigan is officially off the table, as he has committed to Oregon along with his friend Matthew Humphrey. As JTIII never went in for the package deal, it is not surprising that he picked the Ducks. A hat tip to Coach Kent......

http://www.chicagohoops.com/articles1/big.html

On the other hand, the Hoyas are clearly coming on strong for Monroe. Greg has listed the Hoyas first in his list of schools of some time now and scout.com had this from Greg's AAU coach:

Theus did say that he believed Monroe was no longer interested in Georgia Tech, Mississippi State or Baylor, but even then, Theus points out, that doesn’t mean there won’t be renewed interest later. Duke, Kansas and LSU remain very high on his list and Georgetown is one school that he identified as coming on strong. “I really don’t believe that you can really say any schools would be classified as leaders right now,” Theus said, “but Georgetown has certainly gotten his attention of late.”

http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=48&p=2&c=659092&ssf=1&RequestedURL=http%3a%2f%2fkentucky.scout.com%2f2%2f659092.html

One interesting point on Monroe: In the past he had said that he was not going to commit too early because of the possibility that the coach to whom he committed would be elsewhere by the time he arrived. This is a wise position in the crazy world of the college coaching carousel. One wonders though if it has anything to do with the JTIII contract situation. To that end, CBS's Gary Parish continues to bang the contract extension drum:

I bumped into John Thompson III at the LeBron James Skills Academy last week. He was careful with his words because he's a smart man, but just trust me when I tell you I never got the impression he thought my column about how he hasn't received a raise despite going to a Sweet 16 and Final Four in the past two seasons was silly.

http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10256300

And:

Negotiations in college athletics -- private or otherwise -- simply do not take this long if everything is fine. They just don't. That's a fact, a fact just like the fact that there's not a coach in the country more significantly underpaid than John Thompson III, and there is no question he is frustrated by it. I've had multiple people tell me as much, none of whom were students. The student I quoted wasn't a source as much as he was a voice to convey the feeling on campus, which is that Georgetown students fear the administration is souring a perfect situation. And trust me, they are.

http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10235287

I think Parish may be being a bit hyperbolic but it is good to have someone out in the MSM keeping DeGioia's feet to the fire. At the end of the day, GU is going to have to pay up--either now, or later, after the alumni run DeGioia out of town on a rail, and the university has to pony-up for a big name coach without any loyalty to Georgetown. I think he's got about 5 or 6 weeks until the students start heading back to campus. At that point, the pressure is going to build significantly. I think DeGioia has done a fine job as president so far but failure on this front will skunk his entire presidency and quite possible end it prematurely. Of course, if the obstacle is the Board, we the alumni have little recourse beyond storming one of their meetings. If I remember correctly, at one point some students did this with success.....

http://www.thehoya.com/news/021105/news3.cfm

More on Roy

Another great piece on Roy from Yahoo! Sports. This article discusses Hibbert's exceptionalism--staying in school when almost all others would have taken the money and run. In that vein, I'll ask the obvious rhetorical question: How many D1 athletes spend their personal funds to attend political speeches?!

Show him the study hall

Around Roy Hibbert, he was surrounded with college kids who wouldn't have wasted a moment with the debate that consumed him for months. Stay in school, when you could've been a lottery pick? Sure, sure. They would've been nowhere near these USA Basketball Pan-Am Games tryouts, where sweating through two-a-days for nothing but the glory of the red, white and blue would've been a foolery in the face of a first-round NBA draft guarantee. "People look at me dumbfounded, almost perplexed," Georgetown's 7-foot-2 center said. "They ask me, 'What are you doing? Are you dumb? I would've gone and took the money.' " He wasn't talking of his Pan-Am trials teammates, as much as those who have come into contact with him since Hibbert passed on the draft to return for his senior year. For now, he's turned himself into a throwback four-year Georgetown player, honoring the tradition of Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning before him.

Here's the thing to remember, too: Long before he became a good basketball player, Hibbert was a good student. And so, he chose the rarest of prisms with which to see his future: the long lense. "Yeah, it's OK to get drafted to make the quick money, but I'm looking for the long term, for maybe getting a second contract," he said. "I don't want to just play in the NBA. I want to have a career." After coming out of nowhere in his junior season for the Hoyas, working with fifth overall pick Jeff Green to win Georgetown the Big East and a trip to the Final Four, Hibbert would've been selected anywhere from sixth to the late lottery in last month's draft, according to league executives. His return invites a different level of examination for his senior season, when there promises to be much more dissection of his weaknesses, as opposed to his uniqueness as an old-school, back-to-the-basket, shot-blocking center. Yes, he'll get his game picked apart, which he's already combating with a sleeker body borne out of a dedication to diet and workout.

"After the Final Four, I said I wanted to go," he said. "Then I thought about it some more and because it was a big draft with a lot of big guys, I think the next draft will bring me a better opportunity to go higher. But if I don't go higher, I'll just keep working hard. I'm a guy who nobody even knew about coming out of high school. I've always had to prove myself." What's more, Hibbert never needed to run away from school. He loves it. And that's an important reason why he'll be a rare four-year player in the lottery next June. A Government major, he has twice paid to hear presidential candidate Barack Obama speak at Washington, D.C., dinners. If Hibbert didn't have such a busy summer, which will include the Pan-Am Games later this month in Brazil and August camps, he would've assuredly been preparing for his senior year with a Beltway internship.

At the trials, most pro scouts agreed that he was the best pro prospect participating, even if most believed that Indiana's D.J. White has been the best player there. While John Thompson III's souped-up Princeton offense has gone a long way to develop Hibbert's complete game, most scouts at the Pan-Am workouts found it useful to watch him anchored around the basket, where he'll be hunkered in the NBA. "He handles the ball on the perimeter a lot in college, so it's good see him in the post all the time," one NBA scout said. "He needs to get stronger, but he still scores most of the time (when) he gets the ball inside. He definitely rebounds pretty well, and he's got that great jump hook with his right hand and a nice touch. To see him play against a strong guy like (Memphis' Joey) Dorsey and totally overpower him was a pretty good sign." For Hibbert, the tryouts were a reaffirmation of his pro possibilities, but executives and scouts found the weekend camp to be cluttered with promising prospects. After polling several league evaluators in attendance, here's a look at several intriguing prospects who made the Pan-Am trials cut to 14 players on the way to a 12-man roster, and thoughts of NBA personnel about them.

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