Nov. 28, 2007
Washington, D.C. - All three understand the expectations. They understood them when they came to Georgetown, and after going to the Final Four as freshmen, they have an even greater understanding.
It's easy to take things for granted when you nearly reach the mountain top in your first year. Georgetown's current sophomores - forward Vernon Macklin, guard Jeremiah Rivers and forward DaJuan Summers - did just that last year when the Hoyas won the BIG EAST Regular Season title and followed that up by winning the league's tournament championship and advancing to the Final Four.
But all three of them gained something other than one of the most exciting years in Georgetown basketball history during the 2006-07 campaign.
They gained the knowledge that nothing can be taken for granted. They gained the experience that is needed to succeed at the highest level.
Summers, a BIG EAST All-Rookie selection last year, moved into the starting lineup three games into the 2006-07 season. He started the final 34 games of the season and finished the year averaging 9.2 points and 3.7 rebounds. He scored 10 points against Villanova in the BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals and then tallied 18 in the BIG EAST Semifinals against Notre Dame, earning a spot on the BIG EAST All-Tournament team.
Summers knows, however, that nothing can be taken for granted.
"We know that we have to work hard and that we're going to have a target on us this year," he said during the preseason. "Coach tells us all the time that it's about us and about what we do, so we have to go out and play our game and just be ready to respond."
Summers, who picked up where he left off last season and has assumed his spot in the starting lineup, has done his part during the first two games this season.
He scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds during the season-opening win over William & Mary on November 10 and followed that up with five points and four rebounds in a resounding 74-52 win over Michigan five days later.
So while his scoring numbers may be down through two games from what they were last year, his effort has not been lost on Head Coach John Thompson III, who was pleased with the 6-8, 240-pound forward's defensive effort against Michigan.
"You saw hopefully the beginnings of that," Thompson said. "We started off with him on (DeShawn) Sims and he's a terrific player and I thought DaJuan did a good job. DaJuan's energy and attentiveness today was outstanding."
Macklin and Rivers, meanwhile, have begun to make even greater contributions this year. With a year's experience under their belts, the expectations - there's that word again - were for those two to have their contributions grow.
Rivers missed three games last year with a sprained ankle, but he appeared in 34 games, averaging 1.3 points and 1.4 rebounds. Macklin finished the season with 31 appearances, averaging 2.9 points and 1.5 rebounds.
Rivers was one of the first players off the bench during the season opener against William & Mary and played 16 minutes. He followed that up with 23 minutes and a key three-pointer early in the game against Michigan. Macklin, playing behind All-American center Roy Hibbert, saw 18 minutes of action in the opener and then scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds in 22 minutes against Michigan.
So as the expectations grow for this trio of sophomores, so does the learning curve for them. They tasted the sweetness of victory last year. Now, a year later, they understand the expectations on the team, and each of them will be even greater.
