Blue Ribbon Preview

[royski]

This is now available for those who have Insider.

insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=3038875

I think its nice and comprehensive, even if its nothing we don't know. Lots of quotes from JTIII. I'll post a few highlights. If you want the whole article, drop me a PM.

Sapp may not be the best of shooters, but he was almost the best of everything else for the Hoyas last season. It was Sapp, not Jonathan Wallace, who led the Hoyas in assists. He handed out 128 against just 67 turnovers for a team-best assist to turnover ratio (1.9, fifth in the Big East). He paced the Hoyas in steals with 45 and was third on the team in rebounds, behind only Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green.

And only Green (33.3 minutes) saw more court time than Sapp.

''There's a reason,'' Thompson said.


Once again, Thompson tried to downplay the excitement, lumping his assessment of Summers in with Georgetown's other sophomores.

''I think the entire sophomore class is going to grow up,'' Thompson said. ''They went through normal growing pains. DaJuan was on the floor more and had the chance to show more flashes of what he can do.''

So while Summers may not be the next Jeff Green, he could be in for a breakout sophomore campaign.

''He will improve,'' Thompson acknowledged. ''By necessity as well as by design.''


Ewing is a lot like his father. He brings energy, enthusiasm, athleticism and hustle to the game. However, he's a much different player than dad was. Only 6-8, he's no shot blocker. He's an athletic forward, deceptively so, and at times he can defend all three frontcourt positions.

''Two years ago when he was sitting out his red-shirt year, I said his energy is going to help us win games,'' Thompson said. ''He did that last year. His enthusiasm and his verve and the stuff he brings to the table is contagious.''


''This is going to sound like a coach, but I think you'll see him improve in every area of his game,'' Thompson said. ''He's getting stronger and working on all facets of his game.''

Hibbert needs to become more of a force on defense, even though he ranked fifth in the Big East in blocked shots last season. His lack of mobility limits his rebounding numbers. But he commands respect on offense with a soft touch inside and passing skills that allow him to move away from the basket and open up cutting lanes for Georgetown's wings.

''Roy's comfortable everywhere on the floor,'' Thompson said. ''He's such a terrific passer, but at the end of the day, Roy will spend most of his time in the low blocks.''


Chris Wright is just as decorated and ballyhooed as Austin Freeman, but he's a completely different player. He can shoot (he won the three-point shooting contest at the McDonald's All-Star game) and he's a blur; possibly the quickest player to suit up for Georgetown since Allen Iverson wore the blue and gray.


BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS

BACKCOURT: A
BENCH/DEPTH: A
FRONTCOURT: A
INTANGIBLES: A

[MCIGuy]

Unfortuantely the Hoyas happen to get the worst writer of the book. This guy's writeup is only about half as long as those of the other contributors to the book. The sixth or seventh man of Marquette could end up getting two to three times more words dedicated to him than Roy Hibbert gets.

Okay, maybe brevity doesn't make the guy the worst writer but you appreciate the greater details the other programs get if you pick up the book.

[DoubleOhHoya]

Not sure I agree with that. Look at Marquette's writeup. They went on ad nauseum about James, but other than that, not that long. True, Hibbert maybe should have gotten more as a consensus All-American, but they hit all the high points.

I'm just giddy over the straight As. November 10th can't come soon enough.

[royski]

I may have given us an A- for depth, I think we're one man thin up front, but I'm not complaining.

[chep3]

I just love the final paragraph:

"Thompson returns four starters, adds a fifth-year senior named Ewing to the starting lineup and brings in two McDonald's All-Americans. Hibbert may not be the best center in the nation, but who's going to be the one to tell him? Wallace is a combination of Gene Smith and Sleepy Floyd. And Summers might just be the best player on the roster. A trip to San Antonio is fraught with potential pitfalls, but this program's return to its glory days under that other coach Thompson will continue."

[HoyaChris]

chep3 said:

I just love the final paragraph:

"Thompson returns four starters, adds a fifth-year senior named Ewing to the starting lineup and brings in two McDonald's All-Americans. Hibbert may not be the best center in the nation, but who's going to be the one to tell him? Wallace is a combination of Gene Smith and Sleepy Floyd. And Summers might just be the best player on the roster. A trip to San Antonio is fraught with potential pitfalls, but this program's return to its glory days under that other coach Thompson will continue."

And I just love Jon Wallace, but calling him a combination of the Hoya's greatest defensive guard (Smith) and greatest overall guard (Floyd) may be the single dumbest thing ever written about Hoya basketball.

[Deleted]

hoyachris said:

chep3 said:

I just love the final paragraph:

"Thompson returns four starters, adds a fifth-year senior named Ewing to the starting lineup and brings in two McDonald's All-Americans. Hibbert may not be the best center in the nation, but who's going to be the one to tell him? Wallace is a combination of Gene Smith and Sleepy Floyd. And Summers might just be the best player on the roster. A trip to San Antonio is fraught with potential pitfalls, but this program's return to its glory days under that other coach Thompson will continue."

And I just love John Wallace, but calling him a combination of the Hoya's greatest defensive guard (Smith) and greatest overall guard (Floyd) may be the single dumbest thing ever written about Hoya basketball.

True story. He's more like Chuck Norris.

[Boz]

The Hoyas have no John Wallace.

That is a name that must never be repeated.

There is a Jon Wallace, or (preferably) a Jonathan Wallace. That is all.

I hope I don't need to elaborate on this one. I have done so in the past, but this really should go without saying.

"Tell the press, Lieutenant. Final Warning."

(By the way, welcome to the Georgetown, Gregory Monroe.)

[CTHoya08]

And, for that matter, no "JWall."

[vcjack]

boz1 said:

The Hoyas have no John Wallace.

That is a name that must never be repeated.

There is a Jon Wallace, or (preferably) a Jonathan Wallace. That is all.

I hope I don't need to elaborate on this one. I have done so in the past, but this really should go without saying.

"Tell the press, Lieutenant. Final Warning."

(By the way, welcome to the Georgetown, Gregory Monroe.)

Welcome to THE Georgetown? tGU?

[MCIGuy]

doubleohhoya said:

Not sure I agree with that. Look at Marquette's writeup. They went on ad nauseum about James, but other than that, not that long. True, Hibbert maybe should have gotten more as a consensus All-American, but they hit all the high points.

I'm just giddy over the straight As. November 10th can't come soon enough.

I was just throwing a name out there and came up with Marquette. If you have the book take a look at the write ups for the top fifteen teams. Notice how all the other writers give these long buildups about the recent history and fortunes of the program before they start breaking down the players one by one. And then look at the length of the write ups for those players and then compare it to the skimpy write ups done by the guy who was assigned to Georgetown and a couple of other teams. Its a noticeable difference and unfortunately the Hoyas have been stuck with this guy the past two years in Blue Ribbon.

[jgalt]

a longer write up wont get any wins, the whole thing could have, rather dryly and with a tone of understatement, said, "they're good," and that would been enough for me

[prhoya]

Yeah, I liked it. It was pretty good and I didn't need more. Let's play!

Again, thanks to the PM'er. You know who you are.

[DoubleOhHoya]

jgalt said:

a longer write up wont get any wins, the whole thing could have, rather dryly and with a tone of understatement, said, "they're good," and that would been enough for me

Most of our recent history (prior to Apr-04), I'd rather forget anyway.

[Boz]

vcjack said:

Welcome to THE Georgetown? tGU?

Well played. I have been duly and justifiably smacked back down to earth for a typo in a post that is criticizing another's typo. I humbly accept my rebuke.

On the other hand, no I don't. There are typos and then there is blasphemy. I stand by my original point.

[MCIGuy]

jgalt said:

a longer write up wont get any wins, the whole thing could have, rather dryly and with a tone of understatement, said, "they're good," and that would been enough for me

I understand where you're coming from. But of course I don't need the book to provide wins. I do prefer though a more thorough writeup that's equal to the other top teams. Considering I am actually spending money for the book I think I at least have the right to take a shot at the writer of the Gtown section. If you actually buy the book and look at all the glorious detail thrown into the other Top 30 teams and then look at the relatively skimpy Gtown write-up you may feel differently. As a Hoya fan I feel kind of cheated.

[kchoya]

mciguy said:

jgalt said:

a longer write up wont get any wins, the whole thing could have, rather dryly and with a tone of understatement, said, "they're good," and that would been enough for me

I understand where you're coming from. But of course I don't need the book to provide wins. I do prefer though a more thorough writeup that's equal to the other top teams. Considering I am actually spending money for the book I think I at least have the right to take a shot at the writer of the Gtown section. If you actually buy the book and look at all the glorious detail thrown into the other Top 30 teams and then look at the relatively skimpy Gtown write-up you may feel differently. As a Hoya fan I feel kind of cheated.

I agree. The point is not that we need a long write-up to justisfy expectations or pre-season rankings. Blue Ribbon is the most comprehensive pre-season magazine (?) out there and is known for it's long write-ups. I, like MCI, was hoping for a longer writeup than what we got.

[vamosalaplaya]

The top 20 previews all run between 8 columns - they have three on a page - and ten, including the reprints of last years results and this year's schedule in that. Hoyas have nine. UNC has ten. UCLA has 8 1/2. Marquette has ten.

Why did I actually open the book and count? Well, reading above I was a bit surprised at complaints about the coverage.

I mean the GU write up has, among other things, 8 paragraphs (!) on Vernon Macklin, four on Nikita, five on Omar Wattad and a paragraph each on Kenny Izzo and Sead, and three on Egerson. I am not going to dispute that they might have spent more time on the introduction, but I wouldn't want readers on this board to get the wrong impression. There is simply nothing in second place when it comes to a preseason guide.

[lichoya68]

all a's hmmmmm in this era of grade inflation will that do the trick or do kids now need a 4.6 to compete go hoyas STRAIGHT A STUDENTS on the court and in life go hoyas ;D ;D ;D

[MCIGuy]

vamosalaplaya said:

The top 20 previews all run between 8 columns - they have three on a page - and ten, including the reprints of last years results and this year's schedule in that. Hoyas have nine. UNC has ten. UCLA has 8 1/2. Marquette has ten.

Why did I actually open the book and count? Well, reading above I was a bit surprised at complaints about the coverage.

I mean the GU write up has, among other things, 8 paragraphs (!) on Vernon Macklin, four on Nikita, five on Omar Wattad and a paragraph each on Kenny Izzo and Sead, and three on Egerson. I am not going to dispute that they might have spent more time on the introduction, but I wouldn't want readers on this board to get the wrong impression. There is simply nothing in second place when it comes to a preseason guide.

Alright. Don't act as if we are suggesting its not the most comprehensive of all the guides. It is! It should be. Its a bleeping book for crying out loud so it has a lot more pages at its disposal. It also has only a few pictures and no ads. Translation: lots and lots and lots of space.

For years I and others have been praising the book on this very forum. I still think its worth the money if you are a huge fan of college basketball. Please, folks, buy a copy. Buy five! Give 'em to your friends and loved ones as a gift or as a paperweight. Okay?

No one is dissing anyone's precious Blue Ribbon as a product overall. Quite the contrary. The complaint is about the writer attached to a few teams incluidng Gtown. He gives by far the smallest writeups and I for one would like to see something more lengthy such as the ones devoted to Memphis and Duke. He gives the least amount of detail in terms of what's happening behind the scenes of the programs he's covering and typically provides the least amount of quotes. (by the way every darn player, even walkons and former players who were walkons, get at least a couple of paragraphs when the team covered is one of the preseason Top 30; so lets not make a big deal out of guys like Sead getting some 20 word writeup; instead compare how a far less accomplished Greg Paulus or some other Dukie gets a more lengthy writeup than Roy Hibbert).

Unfortunately I didn't bring my copy of the guide to work with me so i can't exactly count the columns at this time. But, hey, when I get home maybe I will. Maybe I'll even count the words too if I have a few hundred hours at my disposal. Sounds like fun.

So once again the book itself is great as usual; the Hoya coverage though is disappointing (relatively speaking) as usual. I don't think its an agenda. Just the misfortune of the Hoyas getting stuck with THAT writer. Hey, its just one man's opinion. Take it or leave it.