Georgetown coach John Thompson III promised his freshmen would be “squeezed early and often.” It took Thompson less than four minutes to show he wasn’t kidding in Saturday’s season-opening win against Savannah State, calling on Greg Whittington and Otto Porter as his first substitutes of the season. After the opening tip and first minutes of the second half, Thompson never went back to his starting lineup of five returners and always had at least one freshman on the floor. They provide the Hoyas a versatility they haven’t had in recent seasons.
Porter and Whittington’s entrance gave Thompson an interchangeable foursome all standing 6-foot-8 or taller to complement 6-2 senior point guard Jason Clark. It didn’t change when 6-9 Mikael Hopkins was added.
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On Saturday, the four freshmen who played were an efficient 10-for-14 from the field, none of them missing more than one shot. Porter (nine points, eight rebounds, three blocks) was the most active, while Whittington (eight points) was the smoothest, hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the first half. Hopkins (four points) did his job defensively with three rebounds and pair of blocks, and guard Jabril Trawick (five points) shook off first-game jitters as the game progressed. Only 6-9 Tyler Adams (sprained ankle) didn’t see action, but that could change as early as Monday night against UNC Greensboro.
“I thought they played well,” Thompson said of the freshmen. “Greg has to get more rebounds, but they all do things. They all can defend. They all can make shots. They give you different things. It’s not just about putting the ball in the basket.”
– Craig Stouffer
