Post by Bigs"R"Us on Oct 10, 2012 18:56:26 GMT -5
Georgetown University Wall Street Alliance and Athletics: A conversation with John Thompson III. The event took place last evening at the University of Oxford North America Office in Midtown Manhattan. Similar events were held at the Cornell Club the past two years and the law offices of Skadden Arps prior. Former University President Leo O’Donovan, Lee Reed and Gene Smith were in attendance. Reed spoke briefly before the JT3 took the podium. The following are topics addressed by Coach in front of a hundred or so Alliance members:
MEDIA – Coach likes to prepare 8 sound bites for the media each year to answer any possible question they could ask. He insisted that Alliance members could ask anything and he would be happy to respond in this intimate and friendly setting. He joked that the same issues that were hot topics last year, Big East instability and IAC, continue to be relevant today. Only the China trip is behind us.
IAC - $125 million total project where target milestones need to be reached. Mourning is on fund raising committee. Money will be raised in tranches – the first being $30 million, of which $14 has been raised. 2015 is still target date for completion. JT3 tired and frustrated to talk about IAC. He mentioned that we have overcome the hurdles in terms of zoning and architecture, we now need to get this thing built. Coach suggested that we forget about comparisons to UNC, Duke and Texas, Catholic schools like St. John’s, Marquette and Gonzaga have much superior facilities than we do.
BIG EAST – The future landscape of the conference and college athletics is unknowable. We do not have a seat at the football table in terms of discussions. The goal is to keep GU nationally competitive in any conference.
SCHEDULE – This season’s preseason schedule is extremely challenging. It is always difficult to decide whether to play in the large preseason tournaments or to schedule interesting home-and-away games against out-of-conference opponents. Coach understands that season ticket holders like to see marquee OOC match ups. We will commence a home-and-away series with Kansas next season to begin in Lawrence. JT3 was recently at a coaches’ event where Pitino mentioned to Donovan and Coach that they have such a great game scheduled on the aircraft carrier. Coach mentioned that ultimately only the winner would agree. Nike wanted to secure teams for Knight’s 80th birthday tournament in 2017. We have a longstanding relationship with Nike and are happy to support the event.
FROSH – Hayes’ father just passed two days ago and Coach will fly down for the funeral today. He has to fly back for a Jimmy V dinner this evening. Hayes is a big kid who is just learning to play the game. He was 6’3” entering high school and had a tremendous growth spurt. He is still growing. DSR has a good feel for the game and is very poised. He can score as well as distribute. Bolden is bouncy and tall. Domingo is a good shooter. He just turned seventeen, so he is very young. The Frosh are close and very coachable.
RETURNEES – The main question mark is at the center position. Hopkins has put time in the gym and it shows. He has put on over 25 pounds in the offseason and will be given the opportunity. We need him to contribute. Lubick has also bulked up and is noticeably bigger. Adams has not been medically cleared to play sports at a Division I level with all its demands. He is very much part of the team, but not sure if he will play. Everyone is expecting great things from Porter. Very different from Sims, who made an unexpected leap last season. Whittington may leave GU as one of the best defenders in Hoya history, along with Gene Smith and Mike Riley. He is talented, but is now only understanding what hard work is. His upside is tremendous. The starting lineup will be fluid as this year’s team is young and has tremendous parity.
RECRUITING – The lack of a modern practice facility is hurting recruiting. Recruits want to see that a university has invested in their ability to improve. Coach walks blue chip recruits through crowded and smelly hallways in McDonough, often stepping over athletes along the way. The lack of an on-campus arena is not an issue. Verizon is the best solution. An on-campus facility which holds 7-8 thousand makes no sense. Coach confirmed that opposing coaches are using our lack of facilities in negative recruiting tactics. Recruiting is a dirty business, but not all handlers are dirty. Some AAU coaches still look out for the player’s best interests. Recruiting begins at the age of 9 when AAU coaches try to lure players by promising them shoes, clothing and trips. These kids develop big egos that Coach has to manage. The power-broker could be the AAU coach, high school coach, parent(s) or guardian. Each case is different. G’town plays it clean, so it misses out on the pool of players that are looking to bend the rules. A large portion of top players have no intention of taking challenging courses. The one-and-done players are only going to classes in the first semester of college. G’town is open to players leaving early for the NBA, but while they are on the Hilltop they must learn. If a player does not buy in to what we offer, we will pass. After having seen Jeff Green earn his degree while in the NBA, Greg Monroe is now spending his summers pursuing his diploma. This is the ethic which G’town is looking to instill. Unfortunately, not all recruits are up for the challenge.
PRINCETON OFFENSE – Coach mentioned that the way it is described is often racist - an offense for slow white kids. It has evolved and we are using a much quicker modern hybrid. A number of NBA teams have stolen our plays for their benefit. Kobe Bryant demanded the Princeton, as a way of getting him open looks. He was having to work way too hard for his shots. Eddie Jordan was hired to implement the system to free him up.
MEDIA – Coach likes to prepare 8 sound bites for the media each year to answer any possible question they could ask. He insisted that Alliance members could ask anything and he would be happy to respond in this intimate and friendly setting. He joked that the same issues that were hot topics last year, Big East instability and IAC, continue to be relevant today. Only the China trip is behind us.
IAC - $125 million total project where target milestones need to be reached. Mourning is on fund raising committee. Money will be raised in tranches – the first being $30 million, of which $14 has been raised. 2015 is still target date for completion. JT3 tired and frustrated to talk about IAC. He mentioned that we have overcome the hurdles in terms of zoning and architecture, we now need to get this thing built. Coach suggested that we forget about comparisons to UNC, Duke and Texas, Catholic schools like St. John’s, Marquette and Gonzaga have much superior facilities than we do.
BIG EAST – The future landscape of the conference and college athletics is unknowable. We do not have a seat at the football table in terms of discussions. The goal is to keep GU nationally competitive in any conference.
SCHEDULE – This season’s preseason schedule is extremely challenging. It is always difficult to decide whether to play in the large preseason tournaments or to schedule interesting home-and-away games against out-of-conference opponents. Coach understands that season ticket holders like to see marquee OOC match ups. We will commence a home-and-away series with Kansas next season to begin in Lawrence. JT3 was recently at a coaches’ event where Pitino mentioned to Donovan and Coach that they have such a great game scheduled on the aircraft carrier. Coach mentioned that ultimately only the winner would agree. Nike wanted to secure teams for Knight’s 80th birthday tournament in 2017. We have a longstanding relationship with Nike and are happy to support the event.
FROSH – Hayes’ father just passed two days ago and Coach will fly down for the funeral today. He has to fly back for a Jimmy V dinner this evening. Hayes is a big kid who is just learning to play the game. He was 6’3” entering high school and had a tremendous growth spurt. He is still growing. DSR has a good feel for the game and is very poised. He can score as well as distribute. Bolden is bouncy and tall. Domingo is a good shooter. He just turned seventeen, so he is very young. The Frosh are close and very coachable.
RETURNEES – The main question mark is at the center position. Hopkins has put time in the gym and it shows. He has put on over 25 pounds in the offseason and will be given the opportunity. We need him to contribute. Lubick has also bulked up and is noticeably bigger. Adams has not been medically cleared to play sports at a Division I level with all its demands. He is very much part of the team, but not sure if he will play. Everyone is expecting great things from Porter. Very different from Sims, who made an unexpected leap last season. Whittington may leave GU as one of the best defenders in Hoya history, along with Gene Smith and Mike Riley. He is talented, but is now only understanding what hard work is. His upside is tremendous. The starting lineup will be fluid as this year’s team is young and has tremendous parity.
RECRUITING – The lack of a modern practice facility is hurting recruiting. Recruits want to see that a university has invested in their ability to improve. Coach walks blue chip recruits through crowded and smelly hallways in McDonough, often stepping over athletes along the way. The lack of an on-campus arena is not an issue. Verizon is the best solution. An on-campus facility which holds 7-8 thousand makes no sense. Coach confirmed that opposing coaches are using our lack of facilities in negative recruiting tactics. Recruiting is a dirty business, but not all handlers are dirty. Some AAU coaches still look out for the player’s best interests. Recruiting begins at the age of 9 when AAU coaches try to lure players by promising them shoes, clothing and trips. These kids develop big egos that Coach has to manage. The power-broker could be the AAU coach, high school coach, parent(s) or guardian. Each case is different. G’town plays it clean, so it misses out on the pool of players that are looking to bend the rules. A large portion of top players have no intention of taking challenging courses. The one-and-done players are only going to classes in the first semester of college. G’town is open to players leaving early for the NBA, but while they are on the Hilltop they must learn. If a player does not buy in to what we offer, we will pass. After having seen Jeff Green earn his degree while in the NBA, Greg Monroe is now spending his summers pursuing his diploma. This is the ethic which G’town is looking to instill. Unfortunately, not all recruits are up for the challenge.
PRINCETON OFFENSE – Coach mentioned that the way it is described is often racist - an offense for slow white kids. It has evolved and we are using a much quicker modern hybrid. A number of NBA teams have stolen our plays for their benefit. Kobe Bryant demanded the Princeton, as a way of getting him open looks. He was having to work way too hard for his shots. Eddie Jordan was hired to implement the system to free him up.
