Of course that player is the incomparable Patrick Ewing and yes that freshman year was one for the ages.  Ewing took the Big East by storm leading the league in blocks and turning this basketball program into one of the most feared in the entire country.  He just didn’t swat shots away he obliterated basketballs.  In his first game he blocked 7 shots and goal tended three more and the Hoyas did not give up a basket in the key.  And he only got better from there as his reputation grew and the opponents noticeable avoided going near the kid with the flaring nostrils who takes it as a personal attack on him if you go near his key!  The Hoyas made a post season run that got them national respect Thompson had wanted for his kids.  Well, this year the large and in charge coach has brought in a number of other kids with supreme talent that the other programs are quick to admonish but will fit right in with this group.  Ewing has some work to do offensively as he develops more of a touch around the basket.  No doubt the athleticism and work ethic are there as this kid breaths fire when he plays.  Right now he relies on ferocious dunks and a baby hook but a turn-around is coming and when he gets down his footwork he will be unstoppable on the blocks.  For now he is the man that makes this team go as the pressure defense all revolves around funneling everything towards the big man in the middle.  And let me tell you those guys are getting funneled do not want to go near the most intimidating player on the planet!  Now it’s up to Thompson to fill in the positions around this megastar specifically with some offensive minded players. 

 He has a nice start with Sophomore guard Eric ‘Sleepy’ Floyd.  Floyd is a great floor general. He can pass and he can score.  He is also smooth as silk and understands the game.  Thompson loves him and lets him run the show.  He comes into this year as the unquestioned leader of the team and will be looked upon to be the primary offensive weapon from the perimeter. Floyd is a dribble-drive penetrator who gets to the hoop and scores or passes but he can also heat it up from beyond the arc if needed.   And by heat it up he has already got a rep as a serious streak shooter but Floyd’s role is running the team and getting in the lane to create shots for himself and others, specifically the big man underneath.  At 6’3 170 he has great size and this North Carolina prepper did not get the attention of his bigger classmate but he is almost as essential to the team’s future as Ewing.  2

 The third second year player that took over a starting job right away is small forward Reggie Williams.  Williams came in as a highly recruited stud from the aforementioned Dunbar High and had an easier time acclimating as a role player as he came from what many consider the greatest high school basketball team ever assembled. Williams was one of four guys who went to Dunbar that are playing major college basketball right now on a team that never lost a game.  Reggie, at 6’7 190 the perfect size for a three, was the star at Dunbar but understands what it takes to win and that means playing your role.  Williams is a wing scorer who can finish on the break or hit open jumpers.  This kind of the corner shooter does not come along often and though he was overshadowed by his notorious teammates Williams had a terrific first year for the Hoyas.  He may not be the best defender on the team but he can guard athletic wings.  And he knows where to guide the guys he is guarding.  Straight to the big man.    At Dunbar it was Reggie and the ‘Miracles’ but here he is just another one of the pieces of this great puzzle that Thompson has put together.   Ironically one of those miracles also decided to come to G’Town.  Fellow Sophomore David Wingate became a key player for the short bench Thompson utilized.  Wingate does not bring much offense but man can he defend.  And Thompson loves defense.  Wingate relieves at the wings and loves to put himself squarely into the other team’s best players pocket.  And he stays there all night.  He has the size, 6’5 185,  and quick’s and toughness to harass any one to the point of madness.  Every team needs a player like this to succeed and Wingate gladly fills it for the Hoyas with gusto.  Wingate has developed a role on this team and that most assuredly will continue for the next three years and his value is not understated by Thompson who flat loves this kid. 

With that super sophomore class the older guys on this team do not seem to be getting the respect they deserve.  After all this group were the first guys Thompson brought in and their success set the tone for what was to come.  They might not be at the talent level of this new group but they are not exactly minced meat either.  The two most prominent are Juniors John Duren and Craig Shelton who started the pipeline from Dunbar.  They come into this year as the starting two guard and power forward respectively.  Duren at 6’3 195 is really a combo guard with a similar game to Floyd’s.  He can score and distribute equally as well and is a bit more physical than Sleepy so usually guards the shooting guards. Do not underestimate the impact Duren has had on this program as he was the first major recruit for Thompson after a marvelous prep career.  He could have went anywhere but stayed in DC which was not happening at the time and talked his buddy Shelton into joining him.  Shelton might have even been better at Dunbar averaging 24 points and 23 boards one year (REALLY) but other programs got scared away as he ahd a knee injury.  This did not affect Thompson who gladly brought him aboard and what a move it was as Shelton has performed admirably his first two years next to his buddy.  This duo formed the nucleus for one heck of a program here and their run into the Sweet 16 their freshman year was the impetus for the recruiting of the Hoya brand ever since.  Shelton is a bit small 6’7 210 for the power position but is athletic as heck and with Ewing around do you need more inside defense?  Rumors are that Thompson is bringing in a few big time post prospects as the former center for now rival Providence wants to turn this into Center U so Shelton might have some challengers for his spot but like Duren they are not giving up their spot without a fight.  And either way it turns out their legacy at Georgetown is secure. 

 The bench besides Wingate are a carryover of veterans that all know one thing.  Their jobs are in jeopardy.  Thompson has a new class of recruits some say are better than this one and though he loves his players will have no problem replacing these kids with more talented players.   Senior forwards Jim Barry, Steve Sullivan and Warren Buehler define this to the G.  Barry played often last year even beginning the year starting next to Shelton but soon got replaced by Williams. A big time scorer from Elizabeth New Jersey Barry was the main man here before Thompson took over but knee injuries have slowed him down and he is not exactly a defensive specialist. He will get his shot but if those knees flare up again it could be a long last year for Barry.  Sullivan probably has the best chance of getting serious minutes this year.  A 6’8 200 mobile big man who can run the court and post up he got some serious minutes last year and played well.  He was on an All-Star team that went to England where he was the star of the team that won the tourney.  If he plays as well this year as he did there he could push Shelton for the starting role at the four.  As for Buehler well the best he (and the Hoya student body) can hope for is that he makes the team as due to his last name he has become a huge fan favorite the kids root for to get in the game at the end of blowouts.  ‘Ferris’ wasn’t that bad and had a role here but after he missed a day er year due to injury he came back nowhere near what he was before.  Buehler, Buehler was a part of a New Jersey pipeline the Hoyas had but at 6’4 is not going to play any significant minutes any time in the near future.  Senior post John Mahnken has already been put out to pasture which is quite sad as this big man was dominant back in the day.  He went toe to toe with George Mikan in an epic showdown but injuries put him on the shelf and with Ewing and company around this 6’8 center might not even make the roster.  6’9 Merlin Wilson though has a shot at sticking.  This junior is a terrific board man and played well next to Ewing at times last year.  He might not be the answer with the new kids in town but he is more athletic than you might think and will get a shot.  Fellow junior Ed Hopkins from Baltimore has played well but an injury set him back last year and is questionable to return.  If he does this 6’9 board man will help and he is a terrific passer for a big man.  There is an entire plethora of guards who are looking for playing time this year some of which have already produced some big time minutes already.  Foremost of these are juniors Derrick Jackson and Jonathan Smith who split time next to Duren on that magical run two years ago.  Jackson is almost legendary here as he hit ‘the’ corner jumper against West Virginia that put this team into the Big Dance. Jackson is a 6’1 scorer who hales from Wheaton Illinois and right now is battling Smith for the first guard off the bench behind Floyd and Duren.  Smith might have the upper hand as he was the first official recruit by Thompson after following him from high school where he coached them there as well.  He is also 6’1 from DC and is more of a scorer as well but can play point.  He has never got over the worst call in Big Dance history as he was actually called for an offensive foul when he got undercut on a jump shot on a player from Kentucky and that player who shall not be named made two free throws to break the tie score and send them to the Elite 8.  The Hoyas with their reputation do not get the benefit of many calls but they have accepted that and there is no way they are going to back down now and stop playing that in your face defense.  That us against the world mentality is what Thompson preaches and it definitely seems to be working.  There is an entire crew of sophomores who battled for playing time on the JV and will try to get some time on the varsity this year. In a strange coincidence all of these cats share their name with much more famous people or basketball players.  Michael ‘Beat It’ Jackson, Charles Smith and Fred ‘not downtown’ Brown all have different skills and whether or not they spend another year sharpening these on the JV or if Thompson chooses one of them to move up really depends on who he has recruited and how talented they are?  The answer to this question might define how far this team goes next year!

Coach John Thompson has built his Georgetown Hoya program to the precipus of something special.  He has taken chances recruiting kids that other programs passed over for a variance of reasons.  This has worked out extremely well but it has also established a reputation for being a bunch of thugs who intimidate and bully other teams into submission.  Of course most of them comes from the fact these kids do not look like the choir boys from Duke or Kentucky.  This does not matter a lick to these kids as Thompson has built a culture here where all they care about is having each other’s back and Winning.  And I for one am not betting against them!