Georegtown’s current crop of sophomores and freshmen, with two McDonald’s All-Americans in each class, boasts the kind of pedigree that has ushered in a new era of Hoyas basketball under head coach John Thompson III.
On Saturday at Verizon Center, the underclassmen also proved they can play with just the kind of tenacity, toughness and grit that has marked Georgetown teams for decades. With senior Jessie Sapp and junior DaJuan Summers – the lone members of their respective classes – on the bench, the young guns lifted the Hoyas from an atrocious first-half performance and broke the back of Providence with a 21-2 second-half run en route to a 82-75 victory in front of 12,764.
At the center of it all, once again, was freshman center Greg Monroe, who should’ve had his first career triple-double, with 13 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and eight assists that could’ve been twice that number if not for a few mishandles and missed layups.
“I felt like he had about 15 assists,” said Hoyas head coach John Thompson III. “Putting the ball in his hands makes life easier on everyone else, and I think our guys realize that. He’s not a selfish player so he does a good job figuring out, ‘Hey, now it’s my turn.’”
After trailing by as many as nine points before halftime, reserve freshman guard Jason Clark (10 points, 4 rebounds) gave Georgetown (11-3, 2-2 Big East) its first lead since the 15-minute mark of the first half, 45-44, with a 3-pointer from the corner with 15:04 to play.
Monroe brought the crowd to its feet and the Friars (11-5, 3-1) to their knees two minutes later with his most vicious finish of the season thus far, driving to the basket, drawing a foul and slamming the ball home for a 50-44 advantage. He converted the 3-point play, finishing the night 3-for-3 from the line.
“[Monroe is] good. Strong down low. A great passer,” said Friars guard Marshon Brooks (18 points). “He really killed our zone from the top of the key in the second half.”
While Summers (12 points, 5 rebounds) and Sapp (8 points, 5 rebounds) watched, sophomores Austin Freeman and Chris Wright paced the Hoyas with a combined 14-for-21 shooting performance from the field, with Freeman registering a hard-fought, team-high 18 points and 7 rebounds, and Wright adding 16 points.
Freshman Henry Sims (5 points, 2 rebounds) even got into the act, scoring a layup off a feed from Monroe.
The underclassmen held Providence to just two points over a seven-and-a-half minute stretch, building a 16-point lead that held up over the game’s final minutes, when the Friars pulled to within three courtesy of a handful of Georgetown turnovers.
“We all kind of grew up,” said Wright. “Coach believed in us, and we all stayed together on the court. I think the contributions of Henry and Jason were very important. I think it’s going to help us, big time, down the road, giving them confidence that when they get in the game, they’re not going to be shy or timid.”
