Player and Rookie of the Week [week of 2/18 - 2/24]

The Georgetown Hoyas swept the individual awards this week, and rightfully so.  Each player finished with a career high in points in an individual game; a feat that one player accomplished in one game while his teammate did it in another.  One was just a little bit more important than the other…

Player of the Week:

Otto Porter

Otto Porter finished with 33 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 steals in the Hoyas enormous win at Syracuse on Saturday afternoon.  Porter played all 40 minutes and pretty much singlehandedly willed Georgetown to a 57-46 victory in their last conference game at the Carrier Dome.  Otto had been slowly creeping his way into the National Player of the Year discussion, and his performance over the weekend put him smack dab in the middle of it.

Porter also accumulated 11 points and 3 rebounds in an easy win over DePaul earlier in the week at home.  He banged his knee and ended up only playing 20 minutes, as the fate of the game was pretty much determined fairly early into the second half.

Rookie of the Week:

D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera

D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera tallied a career high 33 points in Georgetown’s win over DePaul in the middle of last week.  That was the best freshman scoring performance for Georgetown in 17 years. He finished 10 of 12 from the field, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range.  He also made 8 of his 10 free throw attempts while chipping in with 3 rebounds in the 34 minutes of playing time he got.  Georgetown tends to struggle from the field for longer than desired stretches (including Satruday – everyone but Porter struggled), but if Smith-Rivera can become more consistent the Hoyas will become less prone to erratic offensive performances.  

Twitter:  @soupTOOnuts

Big East Preview: #7 Georgetown Hoyas

Previewing all 15 teams from #15 to #1

By:  Shane McCarthy

The Hoyas are missing a lot of fire power from last year’s squad, but that doesn’t mean this is going to be a down year.  Having one of the best coaches in the nation in conjunction with one of the best players in the conference, means they will still be a respectable force in the Big East. 

Who’s Back:

Otto Porter –F– Soph – 29.7 Min, 9.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.5 apg

Markel Starks –G– Junior – 24.4 Min, 7.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.6 apg

Greg Whittington –F– Soph – 20.1 Min, 4.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.9 apg

Nate Lubick –F– Junior – 18.4 Min, 3.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.0 apg

Jabril Trawick –G– Soph – 11.4 Min, 3.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.5 apg

Mikael Hopkins –F– Soph – 6.8 Min, 2.4 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.4 apg

Moses Ayegba –C– Junior – Returning from injury 

Incoming Recruits:

D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera – [Shooting Guard] – 6 foot 3, 210

ESPN’s 58^th ranked player and 10^th ranked Shooting Guard

Rivals.com’s 32^nd ranked player and 8^th ranked Shooting Guard

Stephen Domingo – [Small Forward] – 6 foot 7, 200

ESPN’s 77^th ranked player and 9^th ranked Small Forward

Brandon Bolden – [Center] – 6 foot 10, 200

ESPN’s 28^th ranked Power Forward

Bradley Hayes – [Center] – 6 foot 11, 250

ESPN’s 56^th ranked Center

Who’s Out:  Jason Clark, Hollis Thompson and Henry Sims

Outlook:

Georgetown will be entering the 2012-13 season with a new look for the second year in a row, as they replace three veteran starters – Clark, Thompson and Sims.   Fortunately there are pieces already in place that got valuable playing time last year.  And there are talented incoming recruits that will make an immediate impact.

However, the Hoyas are going to need improvements in the front court if they want to repeat the success of last year.  Hopkins, Lubick and Whittington all got playing time last year, but their performance was average.  Early indications point to Whittington making the leap this year and blossoming into a good low post player.  After playing half of every game last year, he should be better prepared for what to expect. 

Conversely, Georgetown should be just fine in the back court and on the wing.  But they do lack a true point guard.

Markel Starks struggled a bit in his first season of seeing extended playing time, by turning the ball over far too often.  With Jason Clark now gone, he may be more comfortable in his role.  However, if last year was any indication – his role is not point guard.  He has a knack for scoring, but he will need to cut down on the giveaways.  And without any other viable options to run the point, the Hoyas better hope he has improved.

Expect incoming freshmen D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Stephen Domingo to see the court early and often.  Both are ESPN top-100 recruits who are known for their scoring.

But make no mistake about it; this is Otto Porter’s team.  CBSSports.com recently compiled a list of the top 50 wings in the country, Porter was ranked 5^th.  This is what Jeff Borzello had to say about Porter - “His numbers don't jump out at you, but Porter is an ultra-efficient player who makes the most of his opportunities. He's versatile and perfect for the Hoyas' offense. With more minutes this season, Porter could take a major leap in production.”  Porter should be a force and is definitely a candidate for Big East Player of the Year.

Georgetown will have a different look this year, but a drop-off is not expected.  The program is in great hands with Whittington and Porter.  These two should thrive in JTIII’s system and lead the Hoyas to a plethora of victories.  

Twitter:  @shane_t_mac

Big East Preseason Rookie of the Year Candidates

By:  Shane McCarthy

The conference preseason awards will be announced at the Big East Media Day tomorrow (October 17).  Before that, let's take a look at the candidates for Preseason Rookie of the Year. (Yesterday, I posted the likely candidates and my pick for Player of the Year)

Last year the preseason honor was given to Andre Drummond, the highly touted center at Connecticut. But he never transformed into the dominant player UConn or the country was expecting.  No worries though, he was still the 9^th overall selection in the NBA draft because well, NBA teams have a serious infatuation with athletic centers.  And rightfully so – as freakishly athletic centers can transform a team and instantly turn them into title contenders. 

However, as stated - Andre never became that player during his one-and-done year at UConn.  The end of the year Big East Rookie of the Year honors went to St. John’s dynamic forward Moe Harkless.  Moe filled up the stat sheet in the Garden and possessed the build and athleticism to earn him the 15^th overall selection in the NBA draft. 

But that was all last year.  Let’s look at the candidates for this year.  In alphabetical order:

Steven Adams – [Pittsburgh] Center – 7 foot 0, 240

ESPN’s 6^th ranked player and 4^th ranked Center

Rivals.com’s 5^th ranked player and 3^rd ranked Center

He has the size and athleticism to overwhelm opponents down low and become a dominant force on both ends of the court.  Most college freshman big-men are still growing into their bodies, but Steven is already there, and possesses a high motor to go along with it.

Cameron Biedscheid – [Notre Dame] Small Forward – 6 foot 7, 174

ESPN’s 64^th ranked player and 15^th ranked Small Forward

Rivals.com’s 28^th ranked player and 8^th ranked Small Forward

Cameron is more of a hybrid wing-type player who is excellent in transition and has a good shot.  He is not likely to start for the Irish, but he will be heavily involved in their normal rotation.

Omar Calhoun – [Connecticut] Shooting Guard – 6 foot 3, 185

ESPN’s 32^nd ranked player and 7^th ranked Shooting Guard

Rivals.com’s 39^th ranked player and 10^th ranked Shooting Guard

Even with the talented back court of Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright, Calhoun should get considerable playing time given his big time scoring abilities. 

DaJuan Coleman – [Syracuse] Center – 6 foot 9, 275

ESPN’s 14^th ranked player and 6^th ranked Center

Rivals.com’s 26^th ranked player and 5^th ranked Center

McDonald’s All-American

Coleman is a big man who should start from day one for the Orange.  Over the summer he made it a point of emphasis to improve his physical conditioning which should help him stay on the floor, dominate the paint and be the center of the vaunted 2-3 zone. 

Montrezl Harrell – [Louisville] Power Forward – 6 foot 7, 225

ESPN’s 90^th ranked player and 18^th ranked Power Forward

Rivals.com’s 82^nd ranked player and 20^th ranked Power Forward

Harrell has exhibited both the explosiveness at the rim and long range ability that a player his size can use to absolutely dominate the competition with.  He is not expected to start for the Cardinals, but given the talent around him, he could be a matchup nightmare for opponents once he gets on the floor.

D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera – [Georgetown] Shooting Guard – 6 foot 3, 210

ESPN’s 58^th ranked player and 10^th ranked Shooting Guard

Rivals.com’s 32^nd ranked player and 8^th ranked Shooting Guard

Smith-Rivera is an excellent shooter who also has the size to score in the paint.  He has an advanced knowledge of the game and should push for a starting role in the Hoyas’ lineup. 

The Pick:  Steven Adams

I know - it seems easy and cheap to pick the highest recruited player on the list.  But at the same time it does make sense.  Not only because he is the highest ranked, but because he is entering a situation where he will make an immediate impact.   Even though Pittsburgh is coming off an incredibly disappointing season by their standards - they are returning a bunch of talent, but are lacking a true big man.  Enter Steven Adams.  Steven should take the opening tip from game 1 and be a significant contributor throughout the season to help Pitt compete for a Big East title in their last season as a member of the conference.  

Twitter:  @shane_t_mac